I gotta be honest. I’ve been reading it for over a month now and it’s KILLING me! I picked it up on a whim at the ol’ Walgreens a few months back after hearing so many rave reviews about the Broadway musical. For those that don’t know, “WICKED” is the ficticious back-story of how the Wicked Witch of the West became evil. She and Glinda the Good Witch were actually college roomies and friends at one point. And then something happened. Just what that “something” is remains a mystery to me. The book is 500 pages. I’m 300 pages in and I still don’t fully comprehend what the hell is going on in Munchkinland.
Part of me wants to abandon this book, quit and start one of the other multiple books I have in the pile that seem much more interesting to me at this point. I mean, it’s pretty bad when some of Shawn’s medical journals regarding femoral nerve blocks look more exciting than the outcome of poor old Elphaba.
But then, there’s that other side of me…the endurance athlete side of me. It’s the side that says, “Don’t give up. You’ve hit a temporary wall. Just keep digging and you’ll get through it. It's painful now, but you may actually enjoy it.” I mean, I WANT to finish the book. I just didn’t realize it would be this much work. One page at a time…one day at a time… Perhaps they should’ve packaged this book with Green Apple Power Gel or Lemon/Lime Endurox. (Get the green theme?…I’m a Marketing genius)
So, I’m treating this book like an Ironman. It might be slow, but I will get through it.
I’m just glad it doesn’t have cut-off times or I would’ve DNF’ed weeks ago!!
8 comments:
You can do it! Just push through the pain. Think of the finish line... don't focus on the here and now.
You will not DNF... you will not DNF!!!!
hahaha. awesome.
You know? I am like you, when I grab a book and don't want to finish it I "suffer". I thought the issue was over when a heavy reader told me "don't be silly, if you can't/don't want to finish a book just don't. There are no rules about it. Why to read something you don't like/want?"
I followed his advice... but.... yesterday I saw in my bookshelf a book I started 8 months ago and didn't finish. I felt guilty again. Grabbed it and promise to finish it.
I think is tied to personality. Nothing else!!!!!!! We are freaks... At least I AM!!!!!
you are not alone, that book is so drawn out - cutting 200 pages would have made it better . . . that said, don't see the muscial - they turn it into a comedy, take out all the sex and change the plot. It's confusing and really the only thing left are the character names.
i read about a book a week. if i start one and it does not grab me within the first 1/4 of the book i'm done. i'm not gonna waste my time. reading is a distration and it's too frustrating when i can't get into a book. although it's taken me years to be able to get to this point. sometimes it helps to read reviews on amazon.com to find that others found it slow but worth the wait or not.
I think that with 300 pages you have given the author more than enough chances to make it good. I don't think there's anything inherently virtuous about finishing a book you start, unless it's for an assignment or a job. The only question I ask myself when I am in that position is if it is going to drive me more crazy wondering what happened or trying to wade through the rest of the book. Sometimes the answer is a compromise: skim the heck out of it so you know what happened but don't have to suffer through the agonizing details.
sounds like an ironman from hell...
you'll finish..but it might be a year from now.... but you will finish...
and when you finish..ask yourself if it was worth it. you'll likely say...nope.....
so..why not drop it. its not like a triathlon with all that pride at stake. its a book. it did not hold your interest.
buuuh--bye book
The fictitious back story? As opposed to the authorized biography?
I like the library, so I've had a few DNFs compounded by late fees. It's like a DNF with a fine to add insult to injury! :-P
Gang--I'm sticking it out!! I read about 70 pages over the weekend (during my salt bath and pre-nap periods of consciousness). I can't say I like it much better, but things are starting to make sense. I just can't believe it took 400 pages!
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