#1 was a battle of wills between me and the book by the end, though the end made it very much worth the blood, sweat and swearing. #3 has intrigued me for years, but not enough to take on all those pages...
#1 was an instant favorite, reinforced by several rereads and by watching the movie. (And also by reading Eco's "Postscript", somewhat later -- it's included in most of the more recent editions of the book.)
#2 made for a great TV adaptation -- still have to actually read the book, though.
#3 started out intriguing, sagged mightily in the middle and recovered at the end ... for me, anyway.
Re #3 - I really liked the book for many aspects of it that have nothing to do with the plot. I could not have cared less about the story. It was the construction of the book (footnotes!!!) and all the quirly things that worked for me. But OhMyGawds reading it was a complete slog.
Yes, all that was what I found intriguing to begin with -- but it was *barely* enough after a while to keep me going. I was so glad when it finally started to pick up its pace towards the end.
6 years ago
Lonesome Dove is in my top 5 of all time! Good luck with finishing the rest!
(I liked Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell as well.)
#2 made for a great TV adaptation -- still have to actually read the book, though.
#3 started out intriguing, sagged mightily in the middle and recovered at the end ... for me, anyway.
#4 is on my TBR, but not very high up.
(I liked Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell as well.)