Have you ever ripped a book apart because the ending was bad?

1. 77

   pmorriesposted 12 years ago

   Have you ever ripped a book apart because the ending was bad?
   
   I once read a book where the main character died, his wife was raped and died during childbirth, all of his fellow heroes died, and his kingdom was plunged into chaos. I tore the book in half and threw it against the wall. Have you ever had such a visceral response to a books ending?

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   mysticalroseposted 12 years ago

   Hahaha..not really..at the most all I have done is bang my head against the wall and hid the book where I wont have the misfortune to even glance upon...

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      pmorriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Ouch, I would rather throw the book against the wall.

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   iviskeiposted 12 years ago

   That's....an odd ending. What is this book called and who is the author? I've never been that angry at an ending, but I've been sorely disappointed in several endings. Especially when it feels like the ending has no relevance to the rest of the book.

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      pmorriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I read the book over twenty years ago, so I really cannot remember  who wrote it. Also, I do not remember being all that angry. But, then again, I have never torn up another book again.

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   sashenikainderbyposted 12 years ago

   I understand your frustration because it is a human nature to hope for a happy ending but in real life it is not always like that. A good book is an escape and somehow a guide to a better future. It can also give you a valuable lesson.
   
   Sometimes I stop reading a book if I do not like the content because I believe that what we think is what we are. Reading about destruction makes you destructive in your everyday live.

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   samtebbuttposted 12 years ago

   No but I walked out on the ending of the film "The Green Mile" From the shock of seeing such gentleness extinguished

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      pmorriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      It sounds like you are a gentle person yourself  (a compliment  in my book).

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   Steele Fieldsposted 12 years ago

   No, but I threw one across the room in the middle of reading it-  it was "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance."  I absolutely loathed it.  I also threw "Sula" across the room (although  many of my friends who loved it were appalled and said I just didn't 'get' Morrison's symbolism) 
   I only made it to page three of James Joyce's "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man," but I didn't throw that one since there were other teachers in the room, so I simply put it back on the table and acted like I had already read it.

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      pmorriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I love both of your honest answers, and I thank you for your comments.

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      dysfunctioniskeyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That's so funny- the same thing happened to me with a Danielle Steele book several years ago, and I have never picked up a Danielle Steele book again!

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   cavalloposted 12 years ago

   It happens, for real too.Maybe not to such an extent.

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   KDuBarry03posted 12 years ago

   I think I did this when i was reading a particular book and the dialogue was absolutely ridiculous...it wasn't the ending, it was halfway through!
   
   A book has to be EXTREMELY bad for me to rip the book and not even consider rereading or rebuying it.

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   Preethi Anushaposted 12 years ago

   Naaa .... I through the book into crap the moment I sense something stupid ahead ... so never came to such a situation

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      pmorriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The book was so well written, for 3/4 of the book, I did not see the train coming.

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    cam8510posted 12 years ago

    I have never done that.  I just wanted to pass on a word of caution.  It is much more expensive to do this to a Kindle version of the book.  I do have to say though.  I could have done bodily harm to Stephen King when I finally finished the Dark Tower series.

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       pmorriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I have tried to get into that series on a few occasions, but , now, I will just wait for the movies to come out.

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       cam8510posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I just read today that Warner backed out of making the movies.  An independant group is interested though.  Read the books.  Stephen King movies can be really bad.

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    bizzymomposted 12 years ago

    I have not ripped a book apart, but I have given books away even before finishing them if they are too sad.  I don't blame you though.  I won't even continue reading a book if it is so sad and chaotic.

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       pmorriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I agree with you comments for the most part. I have started reading many books in my time, only to put them down because they did not get better.

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    c1234rystalposted 12 years ago

    Can't say I've ever done that lol, but I've read a book that's considered a classic which I thought was mentally draining, depressing and just hard to get though. I would feel sick and tired after reading a few pages lol!

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       pmorriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       It has always amazed me how quickly I can read a book I  love, but how long it can take to read a supposed classic.

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    tmbridgelandposted 12 years ago

    No, and only rarely thrown a book away. Once a friend of mine showed me his technique for making thick paperbacks more convenient to carry. He just tore them in half. I was pretty shocked, had never considered that before.
    
    A book would have to be not just badly written, but morally awful before I would consider damaging it.

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       pmorriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       In my defense, the book was a paperback, but your point is a  valid one.

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    PurvisBobbi44posted 12 years ago

    No, I was taught to respect books at a very early age.

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       pmorriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I was taught to respect books at an early age also, but there are some books that do not deserve are respect, but, at the same time, I would never wish them banned.

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    prettynutjob30posted 12 years ago

    No but I have definitely thrown a bad book across the room before.I hate it when a book is good all the way through except for having a stupid ending that don't make any sense.

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       pmorriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I know what you mean, you can feel betrayed and feel like you have wasted your time (and I never feel like reading is a waste of time).

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    Cre8torposted 12 years ago

    Though I've not ripped a book apart, I have definitely been affected emotionally by certain books and films. A bad example would be that I ran out of the Karate Kid just praying someone wanted to fight with me...of course I was 10 but I was ready!
    
    book X emotion = (cover / pages) 2
    ALGEBRAENS!!!

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       pmorriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Cre8tor, sure you were only ten when you wanted someone to fight you...

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       Cre8torposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Honestly, outside of my defense of algebra, I'm quite the peaceful critter.

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    SidKempposted 12 years ago

    Back in college, about 30 years ago, I was a big fan of Robert Ludlum. And the deep reason for that was that I could count on the ending. No matter how bad things got, the hero, outnumbered (and often an amateur) won against the big bad guys. Then I read one where he didn't. He survived to become an assassin, but the evil guys succeeded in their plot and headed on to rebuild the Nazi empire and take over the world.
    
    I didn't tear the book apart. But I never read another Ludlum. And I felt deeply betrayed for 20 years.

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       pmorriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I think that us avid readers take are reading quite seriously, and that reading a book can be much more intimate than watching a movie.

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    BobMongerposted 12 years ago

    I can't say I've thrown one across the room or ripped it in half, but I've read some real turkeys. I'd rather have a bad story line if the book is at least well written. The ones that get me are neither a good story or well written. You feel bad when it's over because some poor tree died so that book could be published. Just so it isn't a total waste I'll keep it in my back-pack to use instead of toilet paper when camping. May as well recycle and get some use from it.

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       pmorriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Some books serve a better purpose as recyclable material...

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    NicholasAposted 12 years ago

    No I haven't. That seems a bit childish. To do something like that shows a lack in self control.

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       pmorriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Well, I was pretty young at the time,  but passion does sometime mean that you have to or do lose control. Also, I have a hard time calling another feelings childish, and I did one time in my life (which is hardly a habit).  lol

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    RNMSNposted 12 years ago

    I just finished "Unraveling' and it was good/but at one point I was hardly working/scuse me/working hard and got to a place so surprising and so not what I was expecting that I loudly said "No you didnt just say that!" and my co workers laughed at me!Needless to say I had to go back to work then,no longer able to disguise what Id been doing haha
    as writers ourselves arent we striving to surprise/make people think/go outside their own comfort zones?
    even if we make readers angry,arent we just wanting to make them use their intelligence and grow themselves as humans?
    and isnt that what we want as readers ourseves?

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       pmorriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I think your comment about making an out loud comment while reading a book is a cool one. I believe that best writers make you forget that you are reading a book at all. In closing, the rest of your comments are valid also.

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    chloelozanoposted 12 years ago

    I can honestly say I have never thrown a book across the room or ripped it apart. I have deleted books from my Kindle in the middle of reading them because they are so bad though.

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       pmorriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       A more rational, and less expensive , choice to be sure.

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    unvrsoposted 12 years ago

    I have never ripped a book apart. On the contrary, I have fixed some who were torn apart. I did this while staying in a country house away from the city.
    
    I had plenty of time to read and when I saw those two books, I engaged in the task of putting all the pages together. When I finished, I read them.

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       pmorriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I have done the same thing while in a very similar situation, and I thank you for your comments.

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       unvrsoposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       You're welcome!

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    Matthew Weeseposted 12 years ago

    Guess what, A book that allows you to see not all stories are happy, and not all lives are Hollywood perfect. Sounds to me like you showed a great deal of immaturity. Have you ever read the (Scarlet Letter)? it's a great read, however; it stares into the ugly of life.

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       pmorriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Or...the book took such a strange turn that one may have not acted in the usual way; however, I was young at the time, but, who knows, I might do it again.

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       Matthew Weeseposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       When I read the diary of Anne Frank, I felt truly pissed, because of the end, sad thing is it was true, I'm not even Jewish, I'm of German descent. Heart felt war, that one.

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    Georgie Loweryposted 12 years ago

    I haven't torn up a book but, like Steele Fields, I did throw one across the room. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Right at the part where Aslan got killed. I did read it again years later and felt all stupid.

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       pmorriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Georgie, you are just sooo...human.

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       Georgie Loweryposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I am. Don't be fooled by the eight arms. Or the antennae.

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    JayeWisdomposted 12 years ago

    No. I have too much respect for books to ever destroy one. There is no excuse for throwing a temper tantrum just because you don't like a book's ending. (Would you throw your TV set against the wall and break it if you didn't like the way a show ended?) Even if I don't like a book, someone else might feel differently about it. If I buy a book and don't care for it--for whatever reason--I donate it to the public library.

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       pmorriesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       We can agree to disagree on the no excuse comment, and I have never thrown my TV against the wall or thrown anything at my TV; however, if I can think of some situations where I might do so (watching TV in a Nazi Germany like situation might do it).

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    woodamarcposted 12 years ago

    I've not done that... But I've hated the ending and wondered why the author couldn't have seen the end game as a glass half full.

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    duffsmomposted 12 years ago

    No.  I have had endings that left me sad, or frustrated but that kind of outburst goes against my reserved nature and I would be thoroughly embarrassed by it.

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    onegoodwomanposted 12 years ago

    No, I have not............
    
    
    I have cried at some readings.......
    
    Often, when finishing the reading of a tale, I have felt the loss of a friend.
    
    sometimes, I have wished that the saga could continue..............but, NO,
    
    I have not EVER destroyed a book or its telling.

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    Garifaliaposted 12 years ago

    No, but I've ripped a bed sheet from anger because of a lie someone told me. Does that count? As for what you did to the book, I would never have reached the end-perhaps it was based on an unfortuante true story. I think you did the right thing.

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    danielabramposted 12 years ago

    I did use a book with a bad ending as toilet paper...

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       cam8510posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       There could be a tax break in that for reuse/recycling.

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    janpolelengposted 12 years ago

    No, never have done that before.
    Because i don't read books (novels or any stories)
    I only read textbooks like math, science, software engineering so I can't find a reason to rip it in half because I think that I will be needing it next time as my reference or I can use it as a reviewer.
    
    (is my answer logical?)
    
    ^_^

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    arbitrarycurlsposted 12 years ago

    As a writer, I couldn't see tearing up a book no matter how infuriated or disappointed I was. But I'm not the kind of person that acts out physically when I'm angry anyway so I think that probably goes hand in hand.

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