What’s a book that hasn’t aged well for you?

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  • #107141
    Trahia the Minstrel
    @trahia-the-minstrel
      • Rank: Loyal Sidekick
      • Total Posts: 193

      @elanor

      Yesss! You’ve read Viking Quest too! It’s so good, right? I love it, and it’s always beautiful, no matter how old I get. Just good writing, hands down.😁


      @kathleenramm

      I reread so many books. I am constantly rereading and rewatching things. However, if it comes to a series or book that didn’t age well for me … I think it’d have to be (can think of tons of tv shows but not any books) the Famous Five, by Enid Blyton, or the Three Investigators, by Alfred Hitchcock.

      The Famous Five is still an enjoyable read, but the books are so short that I generally want something more substantial — also, I realised as I grew older, that it’s very unlikely for kids to be allowed to go tramping all over the countryside outdoing crooks. That said, I do still reread it sometimes when I want a bit of light fun. And Enid Blyton’s other mystery series, the Five-Find-Outers and Dog, is amazing. Hilarious. I still laugh, every single time I read it😂. That one has aged excellently.

      As for the Three Investigators, I still enjoy the series, but there are some things in it that I find quite offensive — like the use of the term ‘midget’ for little people, which is completely not okay.

      When it comes to tv shows, I once watched an edited version (highly edited, the series unedited is completely not suitable and please don’t try it. It’s R16) of the anime Sword Art Online with my older brother, who’d got our cousin to edit all the bad stuff out so it was PG. Then I went back one day and decided to rewatch some of it (still edited version) by myself. It shocked me. I was like ‘How did I ever watch this at night?!’  I guess the funny thing is shows don’t seem so bad when you watch them with someone when you’re younger — and when you’re watching them with your brother and he’s hugging you while nerding about how epic it is, it’s more fun, and you’re more inclined to agree.


      @e-k-seaver

      Yes! I tried the Elise Densmore series when I was little. I found it so boring and depressing I had to give up. I couldn’t understand how anyone could like it, but for those of you who do, I won’t judge. It just really wasn’t my cup of tea.

      The end of a story, a beautiful picture; a feeling of longing yet hope~
      That’s my wish to create.

      #107142
      Anonymous
        • Rank: Eccentric Mentor
        • Total Posts: 1379

        @anatra23

        Yes, it’s part of the Anne of Green Gables nine-book series!

        Oh, that’s an interesting thought! I had never considered that before, but now that you’ve mentioned it, Anne and Gilbert are kind of similar to Jo and Laurie. (Personally, I always liked Laurie with Amy.)

        #107143
        Anonymous
          • Rank: Eccentric Mentor
          • Total Posts: 1379

          @kathleenramm

          Yes, yes, exactly! I agree with everything you said.

          My favorite book in the Anne series is definitely Rilla of Ingleside, the eighth book. It’s sooo good and is actually the first book that ever made me cry!

          #107144
          Anonymous
            • Rank: Eccentric Mentor
            • Total Posts: 1379

            @elishavet-pidyon

            Rilla of Ingleside is hands down my favorite book in the series, too! And actually, my second favorite is Rainbow Valley. Cool that we have the same opinion!

            #107147
            Elanor
            @elanor
              • Rank: Loyal Sidekick
              • Total Posts: 186

              @trahia-the-minstrel

              Yes it is! I just love them.
              Thy have so many great themes and real personal  struggles for each character.

              And the Romantic part of me appreciates the sworn enemy hate each other relationship turning to being in love and wanting g to get married. I love how it’s a full circle from where the series started. It starts and ends on the same mountain top.

              "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." - Gandalf

              #107149
              Anatra
              @anatra23
                • Rank: Loyal Sidekick
                • Total Posts: 211

                @elishavet-pidyon

                I used to read the American Girl books. I didn’t like them all that much, and kind of thought of them as discount–Laura Ingles Wilder books. But I was also strongly against historical fiction, so it made sense I didn’t like it.

                What’s Fort Apache?

                @joy-caroline

                Yea, I agree I like Amy with Laurie, I think it tied the romance drama pretty well. Tho Friedrich Bhaer and Jo seemed a little sudden. Their relationship was quick and (lol) kinda looked like something my parents would warn me against jumping into.
                But it was satisfying. And I enjoyed it.

                #107150
                Elishavet Elroi
                @elishavet-pidyon
                  • Rank: Eccentric Mentor
                  • Total Posts: 1101

                  @anatra23

                  Oh no! What did I get myself into? 😉 Ok, Fort Apache is an old Western set in southwest Texas. Our family used to watch it  and its sequel a lot. We kids liked it better than the sequel, because it had a funny scene with a group of children, while our mother liked the sequel better because it had a better plot, and sweet, thoughtful ending. (And is it obvious I can’t remember the sequel’s title?) It’s just one of those things made special by memory rather than content.

                  @joy-caroline

                  Wow, you like the exact same ones as me?! Yeah, Rilla of Ingleside is very good. Although, I was furious when Walter died…but then, I was kinda glad for him too. Poor fellow. And Little Kitchener! Her characters grew so much, I don’t think that one will fade for me. (Laurie and Amy work better together than Jo. XD)


                  @e-k-seaver

                  I liked Else Densmore when I first read it, probably because I loved stories where the characters come through great suffering or difficulties. Then I started to wish she had real flaws, not just “I thought ill of someone who really deserved it in the first place”. (I know, that sounds awful.) Plus, the second book wrapped up rather unsatisfactory for me, and I never read any farther. So yeah, that one hasn’t aged well for me either.

                  You have listened to fears, child. Come, let me breathe on you... Are you brave again? -Aslan

                  #107152
                  Anonymous
                    • Rank: Eccentric Mentor
                    • Total Posts: 1379

                    @anatra23

                    I think the relationship with Professor Bhaer fell flat because Louisa May Alcott never wanted to write it that way at all – she originally planned for Jo to remain unmarried (which would have been awesome in my opinion). But her publishers forced her to make Jo end up with someone. Yeah, I would have loved it if Jo had stayed single, as the Bhaer thing always felt off to me. But that’s just my two cents!

                    #107153
                    Anonymous
                      • Rank: Eccentric Mentor
                      • Total Posts: 1379

                      @elishavet-pidyon

                      Aw, Walter! *sobs and wails all over again* His death was exactly the reason Rilla of Ingleside was the first book to ever make me cry. And yeah, in his last letter to Rilla he writes that “life could never be beautiful for me again” so perhaps death was the more merciful thing for him, rather than living with the trauma and terrible memories of war. Although I am a Walter x Una shipper to the end. I’m so sad she never got to tell him about her feelings…

                      Little Kitchener was adorable! Even the Dr-Jekyll-Mr-Hyde cat was a fully-fleshed out character for me. XD

                      #107158
                      Elishavet Elroi
                      @elishavet-pidyon
                        • Rank: Eccentric Mentor
                        • Total Posts: 1101

                        @joy-caroline

                        I know, right? Una is a perfect example of a weak-yet-strong character. I can’t tell how many times I’ve imagined Walter coming back, I mean, wouldn’t it be a perfect story of healing for him to find beauty in life again?

                        A funny thing about “Goldie”. We have a cat who is Dr Jekyll-Mr Hyde all over again as well, so Jasper gets Goldie’s nickname a lot.

                        And dear Susan. XD She’s a bundle of inspiration.

                        You have listened to fears, child. Come, let me breathe on you... Are you brave again? -Aslan

                        #107162
                        Anonymous
                          • Rank: Eccentric Mentor
                          • Total Posts: 1379

                          @elishavet-pidyon

                          Agh, EXACTLY. Exactly exactly exactly.

                          Hahaha! Your cat must be awesome.

                          Oh my goodness, Susan is HANDS DOWN my favorite character. She’s so hilarious and wonderful and I love her so much!

                          #107172
                          Kathleen
                          @kathleenramm
                            • Rank: Knight in Shining Armor
                            • Total Posts: 635

                            @elanor

                            Yeah, I agree that a lot of portrayals of the Robin Hood justified stealing. However, now I’m really curious about the original story and if it actually does that. Did you read the original version? Because the theme of “is stealing ever justified” could be a really interesting topic to explore in a novel. As it could delve into both sides of the argument, and weigh the consequences of both. That would be really cool if the original book did that, but it may be that it’s just the same as most of the modern day adaptations with simply a glorified thief.


                            @e-k-seaver

                            I’ve never read the Elsie Densmore series, however I’ve heard a lot about it from my sister and what she said sounds exactly what you described in your post. It brings back old conversations I had with my sister about how shockingly bad that series was, haha.

                            But yeah, I really like what you said about how reading bad Christian literature can be really motivating to keep writing so there can be more good Christian Literature. Books that share truth and beauty. That is one of the big motivations to why I write.

                            @joy-caroline

                            Eighth book you say? Now I look forward to it!

                            #107173
                            Anatra
                            @anatra23
                              • Rank: Loyal Sidekick
                              • Total Posts: 211

                              @elishavet-pidyon

                              That sounds fun. My mom is Texan and she and some of my siblings always enjoyed those types of movies. If you ever visit, be prepared to be assaulted with Chuck Norris memes 😉

                              @joy-caroline

                              Oh, yea that makes sense. It’s kind of sad. I can’t imagine someone forcing me to take my beloved characters and turn their lives against my will.
                              Is that why she had that whole thing with Jo’s publishers telling her she had to marry the protagonist in her own book? When Jo used that situation to illustrate her relationship with Bhaer?
                              I can definitely get behind a single Jo. Tho, even after marriage, she was still pretty independent. I’m glad it didn’t change her character all that much.

                              #107174
                              Anatra
                              @anatra23
                                • Rank: Loyal Sidekick
                                • Total Posts: 211

                                @trahia-the-minstrel

                                Oh my goodness, my brother got me to do the same thing. Just with a different anime. It’s called Jujutsu Kaisen, it’s also rated R, but he didn’t bother to tell me that. And he had me watch it. Alone. But it’s fine, the violence isn’t so bad. It was one of those shows that had the right amount of charming humor and a great plot that made me want to watch the next episode. I just had to close my eyes a couple times.

                                Yea, I really love Jujutsu Kaisen, and when he was casually talking to me abt it at the dinner table–while we were eating–with my unsuspecting mother–he mentioned something about it’s rating, and both me and mom looked up at the same time like: WUT.
                                Turns out it’s rated R for horror and somehow he decided not to tell me before having me watch it.

                                But, lol it’s cool. I enjoyed most of it, and he still loves me XD Also, Sword Art Online is one of his favorite anime.

                                Anyway, I’m only half as much a weeb as he is. (but some anime are great lol)

                                • This reply was modified 3 years ago by Anatra.
                                #107181
                                Anonymous
                                  • Rank: Eccentric Mentor
                                  • Total Posts: 1379

                                  @anatra23

                                  Yeah. That’s a major plus for authors who self publish! Unfortunately during Alcott’s day, you couldn’t really self publish, I don’t think.

                                  I don’t know for sure, but probably! It sounds likely.

                                  I’m glad Jo stayed pretty independent, too. I’m glad there’s no longer that stereotype (with most people at least) that a heroine must always have a love interest. And where that stereotype still exists, I think we should be working to get rid of it!

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