Longest time to finish a book?

[Skeptisk]

Some novels I’ve finished in a day. When I was a lot younger I got through all six of the Thomas Covenant novels (all at that point) in five days.

Then there are the other novels which are taking me forever. Not the novels I’ve given up on completely but the ones I’ve started, at times have picked them up again but not got to the end.

I’ve been at Die Blechtrommel (The Tin Drum) for about 11 years. I got a decent way through then stopped then got a bit further then stopped. I picked it up again a few months back and decided to start from the beginning. Up to around page 450…out of over 700!

I don’t know whether to include The Satanic Verses. Started it back in the 90s and have started it a couple of times since but never get more than a third of the way through it. But I do want to finish it one day. Might have to wait until I’ve retired.

Anyone taking longer?

[coppice]

I started the Koran and Ulysses in 2012 and at the current rate of progress will finish both sometime in the 23rd century....

[andrebar]

Foucaults’ Pendulum by Umberto Eco. Just over 33 years & I still haven’t finished it.

[zbc]

I took Dr Zhivago on honeymoon nearly 28 years ago after struggling with it for about 5 years before that. Thinking of it as a retirement project now in about 10 years time.

[ChevronB19]

I still haven’t finished Gormenghast

[ThingsBehindTheSun]

Skeptisk said:

I’ve been at Die Blechtrommel (The Tin Drum) for about 11 years.

I remember seeing this on Channel 4 decades ago, very weird film.

I don't think I have finished a book in the last 20 years, here are a few I tried and put down.

1)Harry Potter - This would be when the first film came out, I think I read a couple of pages and gave up.
2)Wolf of wall street - Went out of my way to buy it one lunchtime at work, never even opened it.
3)1984 - Read about 50 pages on holiday, found it hard going, put it down never opened it again.
4)At Home with the Buckleys - I follow their YouTube channel so got a signed copy for my birthday. Never opened it.
5)Numerous Jeremy Clarkson books - Again I seem to get one for my birthday or Fathers day. Again never even opened them.
6)In The Pleasure Groove by John Taylor (Duran Duran book) - Again never even opened it.

Just recently I took them all to the Charity Shop, I have now realised I am unlikely to ever read another book now so I don't even waste my money buying them.

It's like all the still sealed DVDs I used to own, it was actually a relief taking them all to the charity shop.

To quote Arthur Schopenhauer "Buying books would be a good thing if one could also buy the time to read them in: but as a rule the purchase of books is mistaken for the appropriation of their contents."

[The_Doc]

Ulysses by James Joyce.

Bought it in the 1990s, couldn't finish it.
Bought it again (new copy) in about 2012, couldn't finish it.
Tried listening to it on audible/audio book, couldn't even stomach this.

Best book of the 20th Century my ar5e

Edited by The_Doc on Monday 24th June 20:54

[ATG]

Yup, Ulysses, and also Finnegan's Wake after I lost momentum in Ulysses.

To misquote Peter Cook:

"What are you reading?"
"Ulysses."
"Oh, really? Neither am I."

[Wacky Racer]

ThingsBehindTheSun said:

Skeptisk said:

I’ve been at Die Blechtrommel (The Tin Drum) for about 11 years.

I remember seeing this on Channel 4 decades ago, very weird film.

Oskar!!

[marcosgt]

I used to plod through books no matter how turgid I found them.

Nowadays, often taking a punt on a 99p Kindle title, I just give up if I'm loathe to return to a book.

There are far too many books worth reading for me to struggle to the ends of ones I'm not enjoying reading.

M

[Monkeylegend]

I started reading the Holy Bible, which in my eyes is a novel, at school when I was about 7 and got as far as the 2nd page.

I haven't started the 3rd page yet and that was 64 years ago.

[The_Doc]

Monkeylegend said:

I started reading the Holy Bible, which in my eyes is a novel, at school when I was about 7 and got as far as the 2nd page.

I haven't started the 3rd page yet and that was 64 years ago.

You wait any longer, someone will read it to you...



Only joking, no funeral jokes are funny...

[Monkeylegend]

The_Doc said:

Monkeylegend said:

I started reading the Holy Bible, which in my eyes is a novel, at school when I was about 7 and got as far as the 2nd page.

I haven't started the 3rd page yet and that was 64 years ago.

You wait any longer, someone will read it to you...



Only joking, no funeral jokes are funny...

I am not having a religious funeral or any kind of service or wake. My instructions are to go straight from the morgue to the incinerator and call it a day there.

On this basis I am doomed to never hear any more extracts or pages read out for me.

[Gnits]

Thomas Covenant books are great but 5 days for first 3 is a feat!
I am sure you have already seen them but the Gap series are also good, in a very different way.
For me Les Mis was really hard work, it took hours and hours, it was not enjoyable and I got about 1/3 of the way through the first book of two. Gave up. The musical though was awesome!
There is something about the older texts which make them hard work.
Anna Karenina was a bit of a slog but not horrendous - 2 months?
Koran - not sure anyone is allowed to comment on this unless they sing its praises, I cannot, gave up.
Early History of Heaven - some really interesting bits interspersed by some extremely dry parts, prob 3 months.
On the Historicity of Jesus - that must have been about 8 months, again interesting in many parts but v dry in others.