Books I Couldn't Finish (13): Following Ophelia, The Girls & The Essex Serpent

I used to finish every book I started, whether I was enjoying it or not. But life is short. I’ve realised that I don’t have time for books I’m not full involved in any longer so if I don’t like something or don’t connect with it as much as I want to, I’ll put it aside. It still makes me feel guilty though, especially if I received them for review so I still want to talk about them, explain why I didn’t like them. Here are the most recent books I DNF-ed.

Following Ophelia, Sophia Bennett

I’m a huge fan of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood - the art, the movement and the TV show from a couple of years ago - so I was really excited to get my hands on this. But my iffy relationship with historical fiction strikes again. And honestly, it was really rather slow and I just had no motivation to push through.

The Girls, Emma Cline

Another victim of the hype train? Probably. This was the book of the summer last year and I just wasn’t feeling it. It was edgy; the atmosphere was wonderfully cloying and thick; and the story being based on the Manson murders was intriguing, but I just didn’t click with it. I was really disappointed that I didn’t fall in love with this as everyone else in the world seemed to adore it.

The Essex Serpent, Sarah Perry

If The Girls was the book of the summer, The Essex Serpent was the book of the autumn and winter. I’m not sure if I saw a booktuber that reads literary fiction who didn’t include it as a favourite of 2016. I patiently waited for the paperback, and now I’m glad I didn’t buy that (unbelievably beautiful) hardback. Though Sarah Perry’s writing was just as beautiful as the cover, there was so little agency in the plot and I had no motivation to continue with it.

Sophie