Can we talk about how one person's 'classic' is another person's 'dated'?

At my book club last Thursday, we were talking about 'The Great Gatsby' and a new member, Sarah, said she found the whole thing 'emotionally empty and kind of a drag.' That comment split the room right down the middle. Half of us were ready to defend it as a perfect book, and the other half agreed with her. It made me realize we all bring our own life stuff to what we read. Has your group ever had a book that caused a split like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

zara_patel5712d ago

Ever read a book that just felt fake?

the_andrew11d ago

Ever have a book club meeting where you need to calm people down? We read 'Catcher in the Rye' last year and it was a mess. Half the group thought Holden was a whiny kid, the other half saw a lost soul. The trick is to ask each person what specific scene made them feel that way. Someone said the museum part felt fake, another said it was the only real part. You get to the root of it fast.