Re-reading - is it ever as good second time round?

[Mad Dog and Glory]

When I was younger I used to re-read books all the time - all my old favourites like Catcher In The Rye and Catch-22. Then I got out of the habit, and only read books for the first time.

So earlier this year, I thought I'd re-read one of my favourite ever novels, one that had a huge effect on me first time round, when I was 22. It was John Irving's The Hotel New Hampshire.

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I couldn't finish it. In fact, I only got about a third of the way through before I gave up. It wasn't because I knew the story (I have a terrible memory for plots), it just wasn't having anything like the impact it had on me the first time. Perhaps I gave up because I didn't want to completely spoil the memory of when I first read it. Perhaps I gave up because life is too short and time is too precious to go over old ground. There are so many new books out there.

How does this compare with other people's experiences?

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[Royal Rother]

I seriously don't think I have ever read a book more than once, since the age of 9.

I am pretty much the same with films - I just cannot concentrate if I kind of know what's coming next and would always rather read / watch something that's fresh to me.

There is one book that I read this year that I suspect I might be tempted to read again which is "Earth Abides" by George R Stewart. Written about 60+ years ago it is a wonderful, if slightly slow-paced novel about the aftermath of a plague that wipes out most of the human race, a subject that has always fascinated me right since childhood. (TV's "The Survivors" anyone?)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0449213013/102-2898705-2739337?v=glance
"A disease of unparalleled destructive force has sprung up almost simultaneously in every corner of the globe, all but destroying the human race. One survivor, strangely immune to the effects of the epidemic, ventures forward to experience a world without man. What he ultimately discovers will prove far more astonishing than anything he'd either dreaded or hoped for."

[Just RY]

Earth Abides is a fine read RR.

As to the original question, I re-read books every now and then, and always enjoy them the second time as well.

Swan Song by Robert McCammon has just earned that privelige earlier in the year, and my current read is Pillars of the Earth by Follett, is also on its second go around.

[Mireia]

There are a few precious books that I can not only re-read endlessly, but also pick up at any point and carry on reading till the end still loving every minute of it, like The Rachel Papers.

I'm not sure that's a sign of how much I've enjoyed a book, though. There are some I absolutely loved but I don't think I could face again - The Mill on the Floss or The God of Small Things, for instance. Too tragic.

[Jane]

Re-reading can be fantastic. However, you do have to have the right sort of book. Anything with a 'twist' or unexpected climax is no good. Something with a large number of characters or subtlety of dialogue will pay re-reading many times. Dickens and Austen are favourites, as is Anthony Trollope.

[My Friend Jack]

Jane, you will find that as you get older, (i) you can't remember having ever read 50% of the books on your shelf, and (ii) even if you remember reading them, you've forgotten the twists and turns of the plot. What's worse, though, is that you "remember" twists or events that weren't ever there in the first place! I re-read Frank Herbert's "Dune" series a couple of years ago, and felt I must have been reading an abridged versions, as I was sure loads of stuff had been missed out. Whether this was because I was confusing Dune with another sci-fi saga, I have no idea!

Similarly, I re-read Stephen King's "Gunslinger" a couple of months ago, before tackling the other 6 in the Drak Tower series - I honestly felt I had never read it, despite having clear recollections of having done so about 15 years ago.

I'm beginning to believe that I never need buy another book. I could spend the rest of my life reading the same half dozen book, year after year!

[Deinonychus]

I have to say I preferred this particular thread on first reading. No, stop it, Missus.

[Sue]

I think re-reading is like spending an evening with an old friend. Middlemarch is good, also anything by P D James or Georgette Hayer. And Terry Pratchett. I used to re-read Trollope and the Forsyte Saga too, but finally read them into the ground. And poetry.

[Insane Bartender]

I think the only book I've read more than once since learning to read was Sun Tzu's Art of War. Only then because I thought it was excellently quotable.

I've never thought of reading a book more than once. Some films you need to watch more than once because there is too much going on for you to take it all in during the tight 90 minute schedule. With a book, you take it at your own pace, and so this isn't a problem. However, if you simply really enjoyed reading a certain book, there is no problem with reading it again for the sake of enjoyment.

[Barbara]

I re-read Jane Austen but I re-read The Godfather and saw it in a completely different light. Is the Mafia system of justice worse than a corrupt Western one, I ask myself?

[BrumB]

I think possibly the definition of a classic is that it can be re-read at different stages of the reader's life and still give a new perspective. Richardson, Defoe, Jane Austen, Dickens, George Eliot, Mrs Gaskell - the list is endless. Then, of course, there are those childhood books - not so much nostalgia - as finding that total sense of escape again. Also poetry - demands to be re-read. It makes me anxious just to think about it.....and there are all those great new books to read for the first time!

[Darkstar]

I've always re-read books: not every single one of course, but my favourites. I savour them. There's some I've read into the ground like LOTR, but I'll give it five years or so and then have another read. I've got some books that have fallen apart I've read them so many times.

[jebbie74]

I've tried to re-read a few books in lately, and can't seem to become as interested in them as I once was. I'm on a big Minette Walters kick right now and contemplated picking up The Sculptress again, but I'm afraid I'll be disappointed.

[ceedoubleu]

I do re-read occasionally, but it has to be a book I recall enjoying. Poetry though is something that I will always revisit, I love to pick up a subtlety or nuance that I have previously missed.

[Opal]

I re-read most of the books I enjoy. It might be a while between reads, but I don't think there's too many books on my shelves I've enjoyed and read only once. I find that especially long series where there's a few years between new books its almost neccessary to re-read at least the last one before reading the new one.

In particular I'm thinking of Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series. (Anyone else read it?) I first discovered it about five years ago, and got through the whole lot within a summer. As each new book came out I found I needed to go back over the previous ones or risk not knowing what was going on with different parts of they story.

Also after a second read through of WoT it amazed me that RJ had this series so well planned right from the very start - there are innumerable references in the first few books that have no apparent relevance until much more recently, and given that the first book was published over ten years ago I think thats pretty amazing!

[cackleberry]

A book such as "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest", or "Garp" or even my favourite book of all time "Robinson Crusoe" needs several or many readings to get the nuances of the author's intent.

An adult reading "Gulliver's Travels" for the first time would get a far different understanding of the book than would a person who had read it as a child, then re-read it as an adult. I have read Robert Stroud's "The Birdman of Alcatraz" probably 10 times and look forward to reading it again.

[My Friend Jack]

Funny you should mention the Wheel of Time series, Fiona - I made reference to it yesterday on another thread. I reached volume 6, I think, and began to lose interest - partly, I think, because the whole thing was so complicated, but also because I found that I didn't really like any of the characters very much.

Has the series been finished yet? Is it really worth my starting all over again? Or should I have yet another attempt at LOTR, which I have never managed to get through (having first tried in the summer of 1977)?

[Opal]

My Friend Jack - In my opinion wheel of Time is just getting good around book 6 - I think 7 (Crown of Swords?) was my favourite. And I think that finally the end is in sight - 9 had a lot going on! But last I heard there were still a few more books to go (although I believe originally the series was only supposed to be a trilogy!) including a few prologues. If you read fairly quickly I'd recommend you try re-reading the series now, if not, I'd suggest waiting until its finally finished, and the rate the books are going now that could be another ten years!

As for LotR.... I have to say its the only time I've preferred the movies to the books! I found them laying around my house in a box a few years ago, read them long before I'd even heard of the films being made, and thought they were absolutely amazing! Saying that, there was a lot in the films that I completely missed in the books, maybe I was too young to understand it all properly! After the films were announced I decided not to re-read them until after I'd seen them all (so as not to spoil the bits I couldn't remember!), but I think some time next year I'll be trying them again!

So which to read? They're both must-reads, but LotR is shorter - and it does have an ending which is more than I can say for WoT at the moment!!!

[CoffeeBron]

A book such as "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest", or "Garp" or even my favourite book of all time "Robinson Crusoe" needs several or many readings to get the nuances of the author's intent.


Now I want to read "Garp" again! I read it at 16 and it has stayed with me ever since. I wonder what I would get out of it now.

[Darkstar]

Cackleberry,

I absolutely agree. I find the first time I read a book, I rush through it as quickly as possible to find out what happens. I don't have time to pick up on all the nuances and layers that may be in the writing until I re-read it.

[CoffeeBron]

Cackleberry,

I absolutely agree. I find the first time I read a book, I rush through it as quickly as possible to find out what happens. I don't have time to pick up on all the nuances and layers that may be in the writing until I re-read it.

That's often true for me, but not always. There are some books which are absolute page-turners and I do rush to the end, but others I find myself reading more slowly and contemplatively. I think my expectations of each book dictate this to a large extent; if I've heard or read that the author I'm reading utilises particular techniques or themes, for example, I'm far more inclined to read carefully and try to be aware of them the first time around.

I suspect from the author's point of view, it's best that we readers come into their books with as few expectations or assumptions as possible, so the effect of the work is more 'pure'. What do you think?

(Coffee)Bron

[Dr. Strangelove]

I think it all depends on what book you re-read. Sometimes in books, you can discover things that you didn't know that link into the story somehow, or understand the bit you never did. Some books just stick in your memory a lot, and so if you read them again,, you know everything that happens, and it's dull (Harry Potter books after say 4/5 times) Also in classic books e.g Pride and Prejudice, it takes a lot of work to get through, and re reading it will be hard too, especially fi you try and take in all the words (I'm 15)

[Harriet]

There's about 3 books that I've got that I haven't re-read. I don't find that I get the story 100% unless I re-read it a couple of times. I've read the Harry Potter books a gazillion times and for the first few times I kept finding out bits of the plot that I hadn't noticed before, I'm currently re-reading the Da Vinci Code and there's loads of little things that help me to understand the ending better. So I don't think you can fully get the plot until you've read the book at least twice, but with some books, like LittleBritain said, like Pride and Prejudice you have to read every word to get the plot and it is quite hard work to read it so re-reading it is pointless.

[anisoara]

is Bulgakov's Master and Margarita. I read it at least once a year, and it just gets better and better. And I have re-read Bulgakov's Heart of a Dog umpteen times as well. Of course, it's extremely short, so you can just whiz right through it.

[omega]

There are some I absolutely loved but I don't think I could face again - The Mill on the Floss or The God of Small Things, for instance. Too tragic.

Mireia, I agree absolutely about The God Of Small Things. I really looked forward to rereading it, but I just couldn't get past the first few chapters, knowing what was coming! I think it's a testament to A. Roy's wonderfully vivid characterisation that we have had this reaction. What a brilliant book, though. I sincerely hope our comments wouldn't put anyone off reading it!

[Bookworm348]

There are a couple of books that I re-read every few years, such as The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood) and A Crime in the Neighbourhood (Suzanne Berne) and others that I have felt the need to reread after a couple of years because I don't have a clear memory of what happens at the end.

I have just re-read His Dark Materials (Phillip Pullman) and will certainly be reading them again. I also had a new experience recently where I finished reading a book (Of Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things by Jon McGregor) and immediately turned to the beginning and started reading it again!! I have never felt the need to do that before but I enjoyed it so much that I didn't want it to end and it was interesting to read it the second time when I knew what the key event that the whole book is centred on was.

I think re-reading depends on the book and the person.

[Missysix]

How many people re read?

I do it alot. I am 34 and there are some books I have not read for years and I can't remember them though I know I liked them very much.

The Cider house rules is one book I am planning on re reading, I remember loving it the first time round, I can remember bits of it but not everything. I have also been browsing through the threads on this board and it has made me want to re read some books, Far from the Madding Crowd for example, I haven't read this in the last 10 years. I'm also going to re read Jude the Obscure by Hardy.

It's so fustrating as there are so many new books I want to read but there are old favourites that I want to read again, sometimes it's hard to know what to do.

[David]

Hi Missysix,

I've merged your thread with this old one that's about much the same thing. It's a while since we've discussed it and I think a lot of comments from this thread were lost in the big crash we had at the start of the year, but it's a topic that I'm sure many new members will have something to say about!

[Barblue]

It's so fustrating as there are so many new books I want to read but there are old favourites that I want to read again, sometimes it's hard to know what to do.I know just what you mean Missysix. The truth is, there are just not enough hours in the day!

I do re-read book occasionally, but as there are so many books in the world to be read, it has to be for a very good reason.

I have re-read books for study (when I did my degree as a mature student a few years back), some of which were children's literature. That is a very interesting exercise, because as an adult we see this literature in an entirely different way.

I read Ulysses twice, just because I love it. The same with Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood. I have to admit to re-reading Harry Potter books more than once (as well as listening to them whilst travelling in the car). :o

[Missysix]

Thanks David, I did a search for re reading but I didn't see this thread.

[Missysix]

I have to admit to re-reading Harry Potter books more than once (as well as listening to them whilst travelling in the car). :o

Me too, isn't it amazing how many times you can re read Harry Potter but not get round to re reading anything else lol.

I am also going to re read one of the chapters in Cloud Atlas, The ghastly ordeal of Timothy Cavendish, I thought it was a right hoot, and really enjoyed it though I didn't like the story being split in two, it shouldn't take long to re read.

[Viccie]

I reread constantly, good thing considering the speed I read at and the fact that I can't go to libraries and have to buy nearly all of my books. I enjoy some books so much that I'm longing to forget some of the details so that I can pick them up again - Maggie O Farrell's The Distance Between Us and Kte Atkinson's One Good Turn are at the top of the reread pile.

Georgette Heyer can be read over and over again, ditto Jasper fforde, and as I've said on another thread Diana Wynne Jones actually improves with rereading because her plots are so complex you understand a little more each time.

[Buggzter]

I can't help it - I have a 50/50 chance of rereading a book. There are a few that I've read 10 times or more! Mostly when I was 8-15, but I'll still read the same books. I just love certain ones. :D

[Minxminnie]

I might have mentioned this elsewhere, but I had a summer holiday of re-reading: not deliberate. I re-read Northanger Abbey, The Commitments (saving up the rest of the trilogy to re-read) and Gone With The Wind. Quite a combination! I thoroughly enjoyed them all.

[Billybob]

I have re-read The Green Mile, Lord of the Flies (3 times), Wuthering Heights, and The Beach. I would like to re-read Gone with the Wind and Bleak House but at the moment I have so many books on my tbr pile I would feel a bit guilty.

[sjr]

I rarely re-read a book, in the same way I don't normally watch a film more than once. However I was so taken with Cloud Atlas that I started reading it over as soon as I had finished (but I read each "story" right through on the second go, just to fully appreciate each of the individual episodes).

I did read all the Harry Potter books before embarking on Deathly Hallows, just to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything important (which I had).

And reading Deception Point by Dan Brown felt like reading Digital Fortress again. ;)

[Barblue]

Georgette Heyer can be read over and over again, Watching a programme about Stephen Fry this weekend, I learnt that he does this too. Apparently Heyer is his favourite author. Have to admit he whetted my appetite to look again at her work - I haven't re-read any of her novels since I was a teenager.

[Missysix]

I rarely re-read a book, in the same way I don't normally watch a film more than once.

Really? But what if it's a really good film? I don't watch alot of films but when a good one comes along, I want to watch it again and again. I got hooked on watching Gosford park and it's a good thing because each time I watched it, I noticed little details that I'd missed before, brilliant film.

It sometimes happens with books too, I can remember the general storyline and all the characters but it's the fine details I forget how great they were.

I think I am going to re read my Lord of the rings sometime this year, I can never get tired of re reading that book even though I know it well.

[Radders]

When I was younger I reread 3 books over and over; "A Box of Delights", "Goodnight Mister Tom" and "Ludo and the Starhorse" (the latter still remains one of my fave books of all time).

However now I am older I don't think there is anything that I have read more than once.

Oh, correction, I think I have read "Tully" by Paulina Simons twice but did not enjoy it as much the second time around which put me off picking up other books more than once.

[Broos]

I'm blessed with a poor memory. I can read books and watch movies over and over again, because even if I remember having read or seen it before, chances are pretty good I don't remember how it comes out. What I do remember, though, is the way it made me feel. That's what I look for in fiction, anyway—an emotional experience, not an intellectual one.

Oddly enough, I have a very good memory for factoids and a fondness for reading dictionaries—which comes in handy for crosswords but not much else, really.

When I was a kid I read <i>The Mystery of the Witches' Bridge</i> over and over again. It was about a newly orphaned boy who goes to live with his uncle in a creepy old house out in a salt marsh up in Massachusetts somewhere. My parents had just separated and the book fed into my sense at the time that I was the One True Outsider.

Now I can't even remember who the author was. I want to say Darby Hinton, but that's the guy who played Israel Boone on the old <i>Daniel Boone</i> TV series with Fess Parker.

[Momo]

I have a good memory but I don't mind, no, I enjoy re-reading books and watching movies again and again. They get better with time.

[Hazel]

The Mystery of the Witches' Bridge
Now I can't even remember who the author was.

According to Amazon, Barbee Oliver Carleton?

[Billybob]

When I was younger I reread 3 books over and over; "A Box of Delights", "Goodnight Mister Tom" and "Ludo and the Starhorse" (the latter still remains one of my fave books of all time).

However now I am older I don't think there is anything that I have read more than once.

Oh, correction, I think I have read "Tully" by Paulina Simons twice but did not enjoy it as much the second time around which put me off picking up other books more than once.
How wonderful to see Ludo and the Star Horse mentioned, I absolutely loved this book when I was little (I still do) and I still have my original copy.

[Radders]

How wonderful to see Ludo and the Star Horse mentioned, I absolutely loved this book when I was little (I still do) and I still have my original copy.Wow! I wish I did - mine fell apart and I threw it away. The newer covers just don't seem right. It was my auntie who encouraged me to read in the first place (she was an English teacher) and she gave it to me. I keep meaning to buy it and read it again now but just have not got around to it. I'm very envious that you have your original copy.

[Billybob]

Wow! I wish I did - mine fell apart and I threw it away. The newer covers just don't seem right. It was my auntie who encouraged me to read in the first place (she was an English teacher) and she gave it to me. I keep meaning to buy it and read it again now but just have not got around to it. I'm very envious that you have your original copy.
My parents bought it for me after I listened to it on Jackanoory and even though it has been lent to various family members it is still in quite good condition. It's the one book I would never ever sell or get rid of and whenever I read it it brings back so many happy memories. :)

[Broos]

According to Amazon, Barbee Oliver Carleton?

That's the one, thanks. This is the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Witches-Bridge-Originally/dp/0590029525/ref=sr_1_11/102-9163001-2506534?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191881719&sr=1-11">edition</a> I had; I remember being fuddled by the note on the cover that <i>The Mystery of the Witches' Bridge</i> had previously been titled <i>The Witches' Bridge</i>.

[sjr]

How wonderful to see Ludo and the Star Horse mentioned, I absolutely loved this book when I was little (I still do) and I still have my original copy.
Reading these latest posts put me in mind of my favourite book as a young child - Little Black Sambo. I just did a search and was delighted to find the full text and pictures online here (http://www.sterlingtimes.co.uk/sambo.htm). I hope no-one is caused offence, but this book probably started me reading, and to me it was no more than a wonderful story with striking illustrations. Sadly my copy has long since fallen apart from excessive use.
Maybe there should be a thread on people's first / most memorable early books? Maybe there already is?

[ScottHughes]

I've read Of Mice And Men many times. I don't even remember how many times I've read it. I don't know, but it may have been better the second time than the first, because the inevitable ending put the rest of the book into a new and tragic context.

[Ian]

Just come back on after a long spell away. so i expect this comment might have been covered.
Whenever I read a book again, I always pick up on 'clues' as to why subsequent events happen in the story which I never really 'got' the first time. This is why i never get rid of any books, so I can enjoy them more another time.

[Radders]

Just come back on after a long spell away. so i expect this comment might have been covered.
Whenever I read a book again, I always pick up on 'clues' as to why subsequent events happen in the story which I never really 'got' the first time. This is why i never get rid of any books, so I can enjoy them more another time.Firstly, welcome back Ian.

This happens to me if I watch a film a second (or even third) time, there is always something I've missed. However I don't think this so much with books, but then there aren't too many books I've re-read.

[nallison]

I think rereading is especially useful for larger books with a lot going on. Someone was saying earlier, when there are a lot of characters and things that you might miss the first time. I usually wait a bit before I reread a book and there are only a few that I would consider as rereads. I reread Wright's Native Son because I hadn't read it since high school. Also, Capote's In Cold Blood.

One thing I can't do though is read a book once I've seen the movie. It totally kills the imagination when you've seen the plot acted out by real characters and not characters you've devised yourself.

[Momo]

So true, on the other hand, if you've read the book first, you will always be disappointed about the movie.

[chuntzy]

The BGO current read, Oscar and Lucinda, is quite a good example.

I'd read it a few years ago and didn't particularly enjoy it. However, because of the current re-read (just completed) have got a lot more from the novel and picked up on nuances, instances of fine writing and even parts of the plot that passed me by the first time.

[Flingo]

Those of you who re-read are not alone. A new survey by Costa (I guess in preperation for this years Book Award) has found that 77% of UK readers re-read books.

The top 10 re-reads are:
1. The Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
4. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
5. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
6. 1984 - George Orwell
7. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
8. The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
9. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
10. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

The research showed that 43% admitted to deciding whether they will finish a book after only the first chapter and that almost a fifth of readers read their favourite book more than five times.

An interesting selection of books there, although a little predictable.

[David]

...although a little predictable.
Mostly, though I was a bit surprised by 1984. A highly respected and deeply accomplished book, but not exactly the 'comfort read' that tends to explain most of them!

Naturally the biggest surprise, though, is The Da Vinci Code. Do you suppose people re-read it in an attempt to explain to themselves why they possibly chose to read it in the first place?

[Elfstar]

So true, on the other hand, if you've read the book first, you will always be disappointed about the movie.


Oh Momo I have to disagree with you. I thought the Lord of the Rings trilogy was absolutely amazing and the book had been a fave since my late teens. I saw Gone With The Wind before I read it but enjoy both still.

There are of course films that disappoint but some enhance the reading experience.

[Flingo]

Mostly, though I was a bit surprised by 1984. A highly respected and deeply accomplished book, but not exactly the 'comfort read' that tends to explain most of them!
I thought the same about Catch-22 - having read it once, you couldn't pay me enough to make me read it again...

Naturally the biggest surprise, though, is The Da Vinci Code. Do you suppose people re-read it in an attempt to explain to themselves why they possibly chose to read it in the first place?
:lmao: I will admit that I couldn't understand why anyone would hate themselves so much they might want to read it twice - surely once is a big enough torture.

[Barblue]

:lmao: I will admit that I couldn't understand why anyone would hate themselves so much they might want to read it twice - surely once is a big enough torture.I have to admit I agree with you and David. I couln't believe this was anywhere near this list.

[sjr]

Naturally the biggest surprise, though, is The Da Vinci Code. Do you suppose people re-read it in an attempt to explain to themselves why they possibly chose to read it in the first place?
I will admit that I couldn't understand why anyone would hate themselves so much they might want to read it twice - surely once is a big enough torture.

Whilst I'm not sure I found that reading Da Vinci Code was torture, I heartily agree that I can find no conceivable reason to read this again. And as I indicated earlier in this thread, having read other Dan Brown books, they are all so similar and formulaic that I wouldn't read another as it would feel like a re-read.

[Momo]

Oh Momo I have to disagree with you. I thought the Lord of the Rings trilogy was absolutely amazing and the book had been a fave since my late teens. I saw Gone With The Wind before I read it but enjoy both still.

There are of course films that disappoint but some enhance the reading experience.You're right, there are some exceptions to the rule, but only very few, don't you think?

[bobblington]

I find Jasper Fforde just as good the second time round especially the first 4 of the Thursday Next series and they all make reference to each other in small ways and that's so clever, because it seems like it's totally accidental and yet it can't be.

In the last few years when I've listed books on my reading lists, my re-reads often have a lower rating the second time round, but I put that down to a lack of surprise.

Moonstone still remains a truely excellent read everytime I pick it up.

[iff]

i reread "one hundred years of solitude" earlier this year and I enjoyed it, as much, if not more then the first time

[lunababymoonchild]

I haven't re-read anything in a while but I always enjoy The Godfather when I read it. I also enjoyed The Power and The Glory when I re-read that. I didn't, however, enjoy The 39 Steps so I suppose that it depends on the book.

[ennui]

I have encountered lots of books in my studies that were better second time round. Usually after having read about the author and context and what the were trying to create. Most notable books of this type for me are Middlemarch and Portrait of a Lady. Both of which were like pulling teeth first time round. After study units on them I began to really enjoy them. Portrait was 100% better second time around.

[nonsuch]

I have encountered lots of books in my studies that were better second time round. Usually after having read about the author and context and what the were trying to create. Most notable books of this type for me are Middlemarch and Portrait of a Lady. Both of which were like pulling teeth first time round.

Agree about Portrait which needs reader maturity to fully appreciate. And of course one isn't quite the same person second time around - a bit like love really.