Why does nobody talk about how book clubs skip the boring chapters

I used to think I was just a slow reader because I'd get stuck on long descriptions in classics. Then my book club in Austin spent 20 minutes debating if we even needed to read chapter 4 of The Grapes of Wrath (the turtle scene). Turns out, half the group admitted they skimmed it and I felt like an idiot for forcing myself through every word. Has anyone else's club ever admitted to skipping whole sections just to get to the good parts?

3 comments

3 Comments

holly_reed5523d ago

Skipping is fine. Life's too short for chapters that don't click with you.

wade87124d ago

That turtle chapter was brutal to get through, honestly.

sandra_bennett5924d ago

Used to skip those parts in the old paperback, but rereading it now I actually got why it was there. That whole section where he's just floating along, thinking about life and the river, it sets up the tone for the rest of the story. The slow pace felt like a waste at first, but it really shows how stuck he is before things start moving. The detail about the turtle just getting swept away without a fight, that stuck with me. Changed how I see those slower chapters in other books now.