Popular Book I didn’t Finish

I like reading because it’s so incredible to have this opportunity to drown in a new world. But unfortunately, I’m too strict about books, and therefore I have some popular book on my lists that really disappoint. This is a “hatespeech” about books I couldn’t finish.

First Book Is My Biggest Disappointment

The Maid by Nita Prose

This popular book makes me mad and irritated because this story is about an awful person who was described as good. At the beginning, we meet this character and understand that she is a little strange, and I agree with this line. But that was all we knew about her. I expected something that would help me understand what happened to her and who she was. Was it something from her childhood, or was it her grandmother who made her like this? I did not understand this protagonist at all.

Why did she kill her grandmother and not feel anything? Why did she feel nothing at the beginning? Is it okay to kill your grandmother (even if she asked) and not feel any regret?

I hate this book because her personality and her character were not open at all. I understand that the author may have wanted to talk about autistic people or people with mental health in this book. But I did not find any mention of this in the book. The protagonist was badly described by the author.

Another thing I don’t like is the main story. It is so illogical that I want to shout when I read it. Not one line, not one logical plot twist. I don’t understand why people love this book. This book is regrettable. Yes, you can say, “Ou, it’s just not your style”. But no, I like detective, drama it is one of my favorite styles. I just don’t like bad books.

The second popular book I didn’t finish

Of Women and Salt by Garcia Gabriela

It is not a bad book at all, but I clearly don’t like this type of story.

Briefly about the plot. There are different stories about women who lived through various periods of time. They have different lives, obstacles, and situations, but they fight for their survival, as they know. I think this is an interesting and good method to show us the way women are in the 21st century.  

But why did I not finish and can’t give a good rating? Because there were not enough descriptions of these women. I had no sympathy for these people; I did not find them really alive. I wanted to find people who lived during that time and understand their problems and pain. But I found just some sentiment about the communist revolution in Cuba. I could not finish this book because, for me, it was a little boring. I read a lot of such books when I was a teenager, and now I don’t like such styles. Furthermore, I am tired of this type of book.

But contrary to the previous popular book, this was not so bad. And I can understand why people can like this novel.

The third popular book that I didn’t finish

What’s Cooking in the Kremlin: From Rasputin to Putin, How Russia Built an Empire with a Knife and Fork by Witold Szabłowsk

I did not finish this book for reason. First, I need to add that this book is not so bad, but it has some irrelevant moments.

Briefly about the book. Witold Szabłowsk is a Polish author who became popular thanks to his book “How to Feed a Dictator”. His style is an interview: he asks questions about food and cooking in some historical period during the conversation. In this book, “How Russia Built an Empire with a Knife and Fork”, he uses the same method. Through the food, he shows us a life of country and empire. This book began with Nikolas I and finished with Putin. There are many different stories from people who survived the awful time, from people who cooked for all the Russian dictators.

Why don’t I like this book? For me, it was not enough explanation and did not describe the real context. In my life, I have read a lot about the Russian Empire, including about communism and interviews with people who survived this regime. I know that honest people have not survived in this country, I know what is to live in this system.

Next, what disappointed me was the absence of an explanation from the author when a person talked about some really propagandistic information. For example, a speech from the granddaughter of Cook Nicholas says that he was a kind tsar. There are so many memoirs in different works about his terrifying decisions, tortured people in jail, and brutal suppression of the rebellion. But the author just ignores real history for some reason. He could add some mentions of real problems and situations that happened in that period. I still think it is not a bad book to read if you just start to recognize the truth about the Russian Empire and Communism. If you are not ready for awful stories, this book will be good for the beginning. But if you know history well, then I recommend you read something different.

The fourth popular book that I didn’t finish

Goray by Isaac Bashevis Singer

I really tried to finish this book, but unfortunately, I couldn’t. This book is good and wonderful, but for me, it was a little difficult because I am far from the context.

Briefly about the book. This story is about a small Polish city called Goray, where Jews commune. After a bloody war, people come back to the city and try to build a new life, but their prejudice and religiosity do not give them a chance to achieve this. I did not finish this book, for there are so many specific Jewish epithets that I have just drowned in all of this.

But this book is good for reading, and I can recommend it.