Having worked in a bookshop and studied English literature, I’ve read a plethora of books over the years. From Victorian classics to Chaucer, crime thrillers to fantasy, I am willing to try most genres. Some of my favourite books of all time are classics that have earned the right to be included on “best books” lists, including Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, Dracula by Bram Stoker, and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.
However, there are some books on those lists I feel are completely overrated and are not the life-changing reads I thought they’d be. There are plenty more books I could add to this list, but these are the three that stood out the most:
1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925
Set in the roaring twenties, also known as the Jazz Age, The Great Gatsby is a short novel that perfectly encapsulates the decadence, wealth and vibrance of the 1920s.
The story is told from the perspective of narrator Nick Carraway, a bond salesman and the neighbour of the mysterious Jay Gatsby.
Set in the Long Island village of West Egg, Nick tells the story of the obscenely wealthy Jay Gatsby, who throws lavish parties and lives a life of luxury. After becoming Gatsby’s neighbour, the two become friends with Gatsby eventually asking for Nick’s help to reconnect him with Nick’s cousin Daisy Buchanan, a woman he loved in his youth.
Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan, a millionaire and polo player who is having an affair with Myrtle Wilson, the wife of a mechanic who lives in the “valley of ashes”, a refuse dump.
Daisy and Gatsby begin an affair, which Tom then finds out about, confronting Gatsby and revealing that he made his millions bootlegging alcohol. The novel ends in tragedy when Daisy accidentally hits and kills Myrtle while driving Gatsby’s car, and the death of Gatsby himself.
The plot has all the makings of an exciting, tantalising tale — romance, drama, violence, tragedy and even murder.
There is no denying that Fitzgerald’s description of the era is flawless. Set during prohibition, when jazz music could be heard on every street corner and pleasure-seeking ruled over logic, anything felt possible when reading this novel.
However, despite the frivolity and inexhaustible wealth, not one of these characters is particularly likeable, except maybe for Gatsby himself, but it’s hard to tell whether you like him or just feel sorry for him.
Despite the drama that unfolds, I never found myself rooting for any of these characters. Their passivity, selfishness and greed becoming more irritating at each turn of the page.
It’s one of the few examples where I’d say the film is better than the book.
Read instead: Passing by Nella Larsen, 1929
2. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, 1951
Described as a “coming-of-age novel”, Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye is one of those novels I read as a teenager.
The novel centres on 16-year-old Holden Caulfield after he is expelled from another prep school. Throughout the book, he is grappling with the adult world and the loss of his brother, wandering around New York City encountering various people and situations.
The novel is an internal monologue, with Holden’s thoughts and actions written as though he were speaking out loud. While I don’t mind this style, I did find myself getting bored with his narrative, craving the perspective of the people he interacts with.
The character Holden is meant to be relatable, but reading it as a teenager, I didn’t feel that at all. If anything, I felt irritated by how self-centred he was and by the end, I was sick of him.
Despite always somehow ending up on “must-read” lists, I think this novel is massively overrated. It’s one of those books where you feel as lost as the narrator.
The ending is abrupt and ambiguous, meaning the reader has no sense of resolution.
Read instead: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, 1963
3. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, 1937
I studied Of Mice and Men at school, which is perhaps why I dislike it so much. The plot follows two displaced farm workers, George Milton and Lennie Small, as they try to find jobs during the Great Depression in California. The pair live a harsh existence, living hand to mouth while dreaming of one day owning their own ranch.
George is small, smart, and quick-witted, while Lennie is large, strong, and mentally disabled. George cares for and protects Lennie because he is unable to function independently.
George and Lennie start working together on a ranch in California called Soledad. While working at the ranch, they meet other characters, including Curley, the arrogant boss’s son, and Curley’s flirtatious wife.
One day, Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife and runs away. A mob intent on killing Lennie forms. George finds Lennie at their designated meeting spot and kills Lennie before the mob finds him.
Of Mice and Men is a tragic novella that is deeply rooted in the context of the Great Depression in America. However, despite this, it’s not the background I disliked; it’s the characters. For me, every character feels flat and one-dimensional, with the exception perhaps of George.
Maybe it’s the book, or maybe it’s the fact that it takes me back to my GCSE English Literature classes, but either way, I didn’t enjoy it.
Read instead: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, 1939
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