Has a book ever cheated on you?

Just finished “Atonement.” That was a bit of a cheat.

I felt cheated by a lot of books on a list of classics.I started reading classics as a sort of “This is what smart people read” and I so wanted to be one of the smart people. But so many of them are just awful. I’m glad to have read some of them bc it does help to understand references. But I could get along without most of Dickens, for example, and don’t know why I spent so much time on his books.

I’ve also felt cheated by a few Pulitzers. Gilead for one. Really? This long drawn out BORING book was the best one in an entire year? There are some I’ve loved and many I at least liked tho. Oh, Beloved by Toni Morrison has me reluctant to ever pick up anything else by that author, God rest her soul.

My absolute favorite Pulitzer (of the few I’ve read) is The Yearling (1939).