I love love loved the Goldfinch. It has become a comfort read/listen for me. I first read it a couple years ago and have picked it up several times since. Breathing Lessons was a dud for me. I was also very annoyed with Maggie, and found myself scoffing at the book often, and when I was about half way through considered DNF, but ended up hate reading the rest of it and now I'm watching reviews trying to make sure I didn't miss something. But it does make me feel a little better to know that it won in '89.
A couple things: Definitely read "The Hours" again. I think it will mean more to you now than when you were 18. I loved "The Shipping News" mainly because of the beauty of AP's narrative style. Also, her descriptions of Newfoundland really chilled me--I mean I was cold every time I read a chapter! Also, I just can't get out of my head a version of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" done up for a Hallmark Channel movie. LOL I'm new to your channel and am enjoying it very much.
I actually love Anne Tyler but I can not stand Breathing Lessons. Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant and The Accidental Tourist are great books and both books were in the running for the Pulitzer. I think they gave it to her for Breathing Lessons because she was nominated twice before,
Just a quick note, I had to ask my husband how to pronounce Nguyen because he grew up in an area with many Vietnamese refugees. The author's last name is pronounced new-win. When I was younger and worked at a library I set the Pulitzer goal for myself, and like most things in my ADHD brain eventually got completely sidetracked. I decided to pick it back up this year. I also found The Hours so incredibly BORING! I went to the movies to watch it and try to get me more enthused about it and I fell asleep in the theater haha! I was about 18 when I tried to read it and am going to give it one more shot.
The Goldfinch is so polarised. People in my life either hate it or love it. They recommend it as the book I absolutely have to read. But I also DNF'ed it. And I did so 3 quarter of the way in. So I was pretty willing to give it all its chances, but in the end I just could not go on. My sister read it and said it was meh, and she is the only person that I met that was kind of neutral about it. I could not stand it! But I did love The Secret History, although I need to reread it as it I cannot quite remember the story and when people tote it as the best book ever, it makes me wonder because clearly it wasn't that for me.
Greg, fantastic video as always. For my two cents worth, having read 30 Pulitzers so far, my least favorite would be 1. A Fable by William Faulkner was almost incomprehensible because it was so dense and vague. 2. Tales of the South Pacific by James Michener more like a collection of short stories that weren't really that interesting.
@@SupposedlyFun I know that some people really like Tales of the South Pacific, so you might also. I just found the stories to be mostly insubstantial, and seemed to be more about leisure in the South Pacific than about World War II, which surprised me. There were a few good stories amongst them however.
I began my journey to reading all Pulitzer Winning books and The Goldfinch is my second favorite book (so far). I really like it for the way it's written and the messages it gives. I never thought the book was too unrealistic, but I see where you're coming from. However, you did make me realize how forced the beginning is, but the book is overall good. Just too long.
Oh..The Goldfinch's second act certainly takes a tumble in my opinion, so I think it was a good choice to DNF it if you weren't feeling it halfway through. But The Hours!! Gosh, I loved it, but very true, I think I may have liked it so much because I read it soon after Mrs. Dalloway. Still need to read an Anne Tyler
Personally, I found The Hours and The Shipping News both excellent; The Sympathizer was in some aspects, at some times pretty good, but ultimately really not one of my favorites; I really agree with your review. And The Goldfinch, etc. couldn’t agree more. March especially was a bland disappointment. In 1999 when The Hours was awarded it was among some excellent finalists: Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks and The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, I would say that was quite a year. I read all three in high school. The one that compels a revisit for me is Cloudsplitter. I think I will subscribe to your channel. I’ve enjoyed your content.
I haven’t read The Shipping News, but I may be the only person in the world who can say they loved the movie. I only ever saw it once, so I don’t know if I would still enjoy it, but that one time I saw it, I loved it.
I hated The Shipping News SO much! I toiled through The Hours, I am definitely not a Virginia Woolf fan, but it was so much better than anything I've read of her. I remember enjoying March, but can't remember too much about it.
Just found your channel! Really enjoy your videos (subscribed!) Thought I'd help out with The Sympathizer's author's name. Nguyen is pronounced like "Win" in English.
Am currently reading The Goldfinch as a bookclub pick... Am liking it a lot for now.. Idk why people never talks about it. Even in my bookclub very less people reading this pick.. I really don't know... :(
I have read most of the Pulitzers at this point and I cannot stand The Hours. Easily my least favorite Pulitzer. If I could shoot a book in it's stupid face, this would be the book.
Even if I am not that interested in the Pulitzer Prize, I really enjoyed the little series you have done about it! 👍 I didn't read any of the books you have been talking about as your least favourites, but I have to say, I don't get along with Anne Tyler in general, I find her prose very dull and the dialogues make me cringe. I'm surely not an expert, I tried only two books by her and gave up on both. But that's enough for me to be done with her. I have a colleague who is usually very positive in her reading experiences, but she hated The Shipping News that much, that I remember it vividly, because I had never heard her talking like that about a book before. I read only some short stories by Annie Proulx so far and really enjoyed them. If you ask me which winner I read and really disliked, you have to be strong, it is Anthony Doerr's All the light we cannot see. I found the story forced and like putting pieces together only for getting obvious emotional reactions and I thought about dnf'ing half way through, but kept going, but regretted it in the end. I found it so overrated. Sorry.
That's fair. All the Light We Cannot See ticks a lot of boxes that usually infuriate me in books: purple prose, slightly cloying emotions, obvious emotional manipulation, and slightly hamfisted plotting. And yet, somehow I absolutely fell under its spell. I cannot explain why. That's part of why I'm curious to see what Doerr does next--I want to know if he can pull it off a second time.
Goldfinch is quality, but went on for too long. The Sympathizer is dull. March is one of the blandest books imaginable. The Shipping News is overwritten. The Hours is perfect.
My least favorite book ever is a Pulitzer Prize winner. I often refer to the book as a "festering pile of poo." I hate to even bring the book up, because I will get worked up on its historical and geographical inaccuracies. I hate that it is revered, and held up as an American classic. The book...the Grapes of Wrath. Hate it!!!
Soooo true! I had a HS teacher who grew up in Salinas and the only thing we read that year was Steinbeck. Not only was it torture for me because of the reading material, it was horrible because on the first lesson for each book she would tell us the ending before we even started!!!! It went something like, "Today we are going to start reading Of Mice and Men. In the end the character Lenny is killed by his best friend George. " It was nuts!
The Gold Finch the best book ever. !! Now I don’t respect your opinion on any of these books. I will be sure to read them all. I’m sure they are worthy. Your opinion is blah!!!
I love love loved the Goldfinch. It has become a comfort read/listen for me. I first read it a couple years ago and have picked it up several times since. Breathing Lessons was a dud for me. I was also very annoyed with Maggie, and found myself scoffing at the book often, and when I was about half way through considered DNF, but ended up hate reading the rest of it and now I'm watching reviews trying to make sure I didn't miss something. But it does make me feel a little better to know that it won in '89.
A couple things: Definitely read "The Hours" again. I think it will mean more to you now than when you were 18. I loved "The Shipping News" mainly because of the beauty of AP's narrative style. Also, her descriptions of Newfoundland really chilled me--I mean I was cold every time I read a chapter! Also, I just can't get out of my head a version of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" done up for a Hallmark Channel movie. LOL
I'm new to your channel and am enjoying it very much.
I actually love Anne Tyler but I can not stand Breathing Lessons. Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant and The Accidental Tourist are great books and both books were in the running for the Pulitzer. I think they gave it to her for Breathing Lessons because she was nominated twice before,
I've heard really great things about Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant. I should get to it at some point.
Just a quick note, I had to ask my husband how to pronounce Nguyen because he grew up in an area with many Vietnamese refugees. The author's last name is pronounced new-win.
When I was younger and worked at a library I set the Pulitzer goal for myself, and like most things in my ADHD brain eventually got completely sidetracked. I decided to pick it back up this year. I also found The Hours so incredibly BORING! I went to the movies to watch it and try to get me more enthused about it and I fell asleep in the theater haha! I was about 18 when I tried to read it and am going to give it one more shot.
I wasn't much older when I tried The Hours the first time around, so another shot will be interesting.
The Goldfinch is so polarised. People in my life either hate it or love it. They recommend it as the book I absolutely have to read. But I also DNF'ed it. And I did so 3 quarter of the way in. So I was pretty willing to give it all its chances, but in the end I just could not go on. My sister read it and said it was meh, and she is the only person that I met that was kind of neutral about it. I could not stand it! But I did love The Secret History, although I need to reread it as it I cannot quite remember the story and when people tote it as the best book ever, it makes me wonder because clearly it wasn't that for me.
People have told me not to give up on The Secret History, so I will have to give that one a try at some point. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Greg, fantastic video as always. For my two cents worth, having read 30 Pulitzers so far, my least favorite would be 1. A Fable by William Faulkner was almost incomprehensible because it was so dense and vague. 2. Tales of the South Pacific by James Michener more like a collection of short stories that weren't really that interesting.
I'm actually thinking of reading Tales of the South Pacific this year, so it will be interesting to compare notes.
@@SupposedlyFun I know that some people really like Tales of the South Pacific, so you might also. I just found the stories to be mostly insubstantial, and seemed to be more about leisure in the South Pacific than about World War II, which surprised me. There were a few good stories amongst them however.
I’ve never read Mrs. Dalloway, but I love The Hours. Have read it twice, written about it in grad school, adore the film, etc.
I secretly judge anybody that like the goldfinch..and I never take their recommendations seriously.
I love the sympathizer though.
I was iffy on both but Sympathizer is the one I actually finished.
You must have terrible taste in books then. Goldfinch was awesome!
I began my journey to reading all Pulitzer Winning books and The Goldfinch is my second favorite book (so far). I really like it for the way it's written and the messages it gives. I never thought the book was too unrealistic, but I see where you're coming from. However, you did make me realize how forced the beginning is, but the book is overall good.
Just too long.
Oh..The Goldfinch's second act certainly takes a tumble in my opinion, so I think it was a good choice to DNF it if you weren't feeling it halfway through. But The Hours!! Gosh, I loved it, but very true, I think I may have liked it so much because I read it soon after Mrs. Dalloway. Still need to read an Anne Tyler
Personally, I found The Hours and The Shipping News both excellent; The Sympathizer was in some aspects, at some times pretty good, but ultimately really not one of my favorites; I really agree with your review. And The Goldfinch, etc. couldn’t agree more. March especially was a bland disappointment. In 1999 when The Hours was awarded it was among some excellent finalists: Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks and The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, I would say that was quite a year. I read all three in high school. The one that compels a revisit for me is Cloudsplitter. I think I will subscribe to your channel. I’ve enjoyed your content.
I haven’t read The Shipping News, but I may be the only person in the world who can say they loved the movie. I only ever saw it once, so I don’t know if I would still enjoy it, but that one time I saw it, I loved it.
I haven't seen the movie yet! I've heard very negative things but still feel curious.
Goldfinch and Shipping News are among my favorite books. Breathing Lessons is good but not as good as Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant.
I hated The Shipping News SO much! I toiled through The Hours, I am definitely not a Virginia Woolf fan, but it was so much better than anything I've read of her. I remember enjoying March, but can't remember too much about it.
I have loved other books by Proulx, just not Shipping News.
Most of the books you discuss here have been on my TBR for years! Of the ones you mentioned, I've only read The Hours.
Just found your channel! Really enjoy your videos (subscribed!) Thought I'd help out with The Sympathizer's author's name. Nguyen is pronounced like "Win" in English.
Thank you! That's very helpful.
I hated A Secret History and have no idea why I started reading Te Goldfinch. I dint finish it.
I feel like I'll try The Secret History at some point, but my dislike of The Goldfinch is making it difficult.
Am currently reading The Goldfinch as a bookclub pick... Am liking it a lot for now.. Idk why people never talks about it. Even in my bookclub very less people reading this pick.. I really don't know... :(
It's a very divisive book, for sure.
I don't think the Pulitzer is very serious. Any prize that failed to recognize Gravity's Rainbow is under suspicion.
I loved The Goldfinch
Glad you liked it!
I have read most of the Pulitzers at this point and I cannot stand The Hours. Easily my least favorite Pulitzer. If I could shoot a book in it's stupid face, this would be the book.
I should also add that Independence Day was another absolute slog for me.
I have to get around to Independence Day at some point, but I want to read The Sportswriter first for the full effect.
Who is the speaker here, please? I cannot find a credit for him.
Even if I am not that interested in the Pulitzer Prize, I really enjoyed the little series you have done about it! 👍
I didn't read any of the books you have been talking about as your least favourites, but I have to say, I don't get along with Anne Tyler in general, I find her prose very dull and the dialogues make me cringe. I'm surely not an expert, I tried only two books by her and gave up on both. But that's enough for me to be done with her.
I have a colleague who is usually very positive in her reading experiences, but she hated The Shipping News that much, that I remember it vividly, because I had never heard her talking like that about a book before. I read only some short stories by Annie Proulx so far and really enjoyed them.
If you ask me which winner I read and really disliked, you have to be strong, it is Anthony Doerr's All the light we cannot see. I found the story forced and like putting pieces together only for getting obvious emotional reactions and I thought about dnf'ing half way through, but kept going, but regretted it in the end. I found it so overrated. Sorry.
That's fair. All the Light We Cannot See ticks a lot of boxes that usually infuriate me in books: purple prose, slightly cloying emotions, obvious emotional manipulation, and slightly hamfisted plotting. And yet, somehow I absolutely fell under its spell. I cannot explain why. That's part of why I'm curious to see what Doerr does next--I want to know if he can pull it off a second time.
Goldfinch is quality, but went on for too long. The Sympathizer is dull. March is one of the blandest books imaginable. The Shipping News is overwritten. The Hours is perfect.
My least favorite book ever is a Pulitzer Prize winner. I often refer to the book as a "festering pile of poo." I hate to even bring the book up, because I will get worked up on its historical and geographical inaccuracies. I hate that it is revered, and held up as an American classic. The book...the Grapes of Wrath. Hate it!!!
Soooo true! I had a HS teacher who grew up in Salinas and the only thing we read that year was Steinbeck. Not only was it torture for me because of the reading material, it was horrible because on the first lesson for each book she would tell us the ending before we even started!!!! It went something like, "Today we are going to start reading Of Mice and Men. In the end the character Lenny is killed by his best friend George. " It was nuts!
The Gold Finch the best book ever. !!
Now I don’t respect your opinion on any of these books. I will be sure to read them all. I’m sure they are worthy. Your opinion is blah!!!
Lololol imagine being this defensive about someone not liking The Goldfinch