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Buzz Feed
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Readers Reveal Most Overrated Classic Books
When I turned twenty, I set a personal reading goal to read 100 classics by the time I turned thirty. I admit, I still have twelve books to go within nine I like to think that I am relatively well-versed in classic literature. So when Reddit user villagewitch3000 asked, "What's the worst 'classic' you've ever read?" I immediately had to see if everyone agreed with me about The Scarlet Letter being one of the most tedious slogs known to classic literature. (The consensus is IS!) Even though I wholeheartedly disagree with some of these reviews, I thought they were too interesting not to share. So without further ado... "Wuthering Heights. Jesus. Heathcliff, mate, just leave her alone. " "Pride and Prejudice. Long-winded drivel, neither funny nor romantic, and without even the redeeming quality of a worthwhile message." "The Scarlet Letter. I hate how Hawthorne spoon-feeds his readers symbolism. We get it. The scarlet letter is a symbol for shame." "Gone with the Wind. Scarlett O'Hara acts ridiculous and insufferable throughout the entire novel. She doesn't care who she has to hurt, just as long as she gets her way." "To Kill a Mockingbird. I thought it was so boring and I was really disappointed. I picked it up expecting that the racism aspect of the story would have a bigger role, but instead I had to read through pages and pages of this little girl's boring life." "The Great Gatsby. I can't stand Fitzgerald's writing style." "Rebecca. It's like, bitch, I do not care about your problems. The only person in this entire mansion that I can relate to is the maid that I'm supposed to hate." "This will probably get some Catcher in the Rye. I honestly could not connect with Holden Caulfield and found him to be somewhat of a whiny, self-indulgent ne'er-do-well." "Crime and Punishment. I just wanted to punch the main character in the face over and over again. And it honestly had zero to do with the fact that he was a murderer. I just hated his personality." "Lolita, hands down. Gross, perverted, and I dreaded picking it back up every time I did. " "Frankenstein. I think my problem was that I was expecting the book to be really different from what it was." "The Alchemist. Ugh. What utter tripe. If this book changed your life, then you must have had a truly horrific life up to that point." "Les Misérables. Not only is it very long, it has seemingly interminable stretches of boredom." "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It might've been funny or clever when I was 14 and loved Monty Python and thought absurdist British humour was the height of it was awful as an adult." "Anything Tolkien. Reading the man's writing is like trying to ingest a pack of broken light bulbs." "Heart of Darkness is so incredibly boring. I had to read it for three separate classes, and I really tried to like it each time, but I can't stand that book. " "Don Don Quixote." "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Talking about the mechanics of the boat is not fun." "Ulysses. That was work." "Atlas Shrugged. 🙄😴😴😴😴😴" "Moby Dick is one of the most inconsistent books I've ever read. It starts out as a first-person narrative by Ishmael, occasionally interrupted by lengthy speeches and occasional chapters on the anatomy of the sperm whale, and by the end, it shifts to the third person. Then there is maybe a paragraph tacked onto the very end when Melville realizes this was Ishmael's story, so he kinda reverts back to the first person to explain how he could have survived to tell the tale." "The Picture of Dorian Gray. Udder nonsense dressed in off-putting, overly flowery dribble." "Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck just REALLY likes describing scenery, and sometimes I'm just not down to read through ten pages about hills. " "The Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck. The great depression... pretty much sums how I felt reading it." "One Hundred Years of Solitude. I recall reading it, and I ended up saying, 'That was it? What was all the fuss about?'" "Pretty much anything by Charles Dickens. He came from a time when authors were paid by installment, and it shows." "Brave New World. Didn't find it compelling at all. 1984 on the other hand scared the shit out of me." "The Turn of the Screw. It is supposed to be ambiguous, but I really only see the governess as a loon. " "The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer seems to think the only things that are funny are farts." "I read Slaughterhouse-Five and I don't remember a damn thing about it. " "I hated The Giver. The ending was just deus ex machina wish fulfillment. " "Walden was my 'I can't stand this' book. It almost destroyed my love of reading." "I get why Uncle Tom's Cabin is important, but hoooo boy, that book is a hot mess. Most of the classics I've slogged through are at least objectively well written, but not this one. " "Vanity Fair. I've read it about four times, and I still can't keep up with who is who and what the main character's motive is." "The Yellow Wallpaper. Yeah, I get it. Patriarchy bad. " "The Count of Monte Cristo. It builds up to this lacklustre ending that could've happened chapters ago. I felt I would have been better off watching a Hollywood adaptation loosely based on the original novel." "The Bell Jar. Took it from my university read it." "Toni Morrison's Beloved. Starts off boring, progresses slowly, and tries to be meaningful in places, but it just felt contrived. Then out of nowhere, a supernatural ending that would be more at home in a Sci-fi original movie." Since The Great Gatsby is my favourite book of all time, I am personally offended by those who tell me that Fitzgerald is nothing special. I want to scream, "You try writing such colourful and poetic prose!" So please don't let me down in the comments. Instead, in the comments, tell me the classic literature titles that you could barely get through, and which of the above titles are WRONG to be listed as a "bad classic." And make sure you follow BuzzFeed Canada on TikTok and Instagram for more!
TimesLIVE
09-06-2025
- Business
- TimesLIVE
Madrid's ghost towns revived as housing crisis escalates in Spain
The first call came two minutes after estate agent Segis Gomez posted a listing in Sesena, a development near Madrid that gained notoriety as one of the 'ghost towns' created when Spain's property bubble burst in 2008. Half-built and half-empty for more than a decade, squatters have left the development 40km south of the capital and middle-class families, driven out of the city centre by an acute housing crisis, are moving in. Construction has restarted. Demand is so strong in Sesena that Gomez has a waiting list of 70 people for each property. Property prices have recovered their original value after plunging to less than half during the crisis, he said. As anger grows over the cost of housing in Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has made providing affordable homes one of his main goals, even as he encourages population growth through immigration. The size of the challenge is clear in Madrid, which grew by 140,000 people in 2024, but only registered permits to build 20,000 new homes. Short supply is being worsened by a boom in holiday lets, record migration and onerous planning laws. 'The problem is that we can't match supply and demand quickly enough. So prices go up, or people have to trade price for distance,' said Carles Vergara, a real estate professor at IESE Business School in Madrid. Sesena has been adopted as a commuter town as Madrid overflows, even though it is located in the neighbouring Castile-La Mancha region and lacks good transport links to the capital and public services, which caused homebuyers to reject it in the past. Its founder and original developer, Francisco Hernando, had a vision of 13,000 affordable apartments with gardens and swimming pools on the Spanish plain where author Cervantes set his best-known work Don Quixote, but the project became a byword for speculative greed and corruption. Only 5,000 homes ended up being built. Hernando, who began his project in 2004, failed to tell homebuyers he hadn't secured access to water or that the town had no public transport or schools. Hernando died in 2020. When the market collapsed, initial investors saw the value of their property plummet, while many homes ended up in the hands of banks.
Korea Herald
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
The Royal Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet head to Seoul for July galas
Two of Europe's most storied ballet companies — The Royal Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet — are set to take to the stage in Seoul next month, offering local audiences a rare opportunity to witness their grandeur, tradition and artistic evolution through back-to-back galas. From July 4 to 6, The Royal Ballet returns to Korea for the first time in two decades, performing "The First Gala in Seoul" at the LG Arts Center in Magok-dong, western Seoul. The company's much-anticipated visit features eight principal dancers, including Benois de la Danse-winning ballerina Natalia Osipova as well as Korean first soloists Choe Yu-hui and Jun Joon-hyuk. From July 30 to Aug. 1, the Paris Opera Ballet will present "Ballet Gala of Etoiles in Paris" at the Seoul Arts Center. Leading the Parisian company is Park Sae-eun, the company's first Asian etoile and Benois de la Danse-winning ballerina, returning to her home country alongside a cast of stars. This marks the POB's second gala appearance in Korea in collaboration with the Seoul Arts Center, following performances in 2024. Notably, Park herself was directly involved in curating the program. Both companies will showcase a dynamic range of works — from signature pas de deux, or duets, from the classical canon to modern masterpieces — highlighting their artistic versatility. The Royal Ballet's program includes excerpts from "Don Quixote," "Giselle," Frederick Ashton's "Swan Lake" and Kenneth MacMillan's drama ballets "Romeo and Juliet" and "Manon." The Paris Opera Ballet will divide its repertoire into two alternating programs over the three-day run. Classical highlights include scenes from "The Sleeping Beauty," "Sylvia" and "Paquita." Both companies also lean into contemporary works to express their modern identities. The Royal Ballet will bring Christopher Wheeldon's poetic "After the Rain." The Paris Opera Ballet counters with George Balanchine's "Sonatine" set to the music of Maurice Ravel, Jerome Robbins' "In the Night" and Maurice Bejart's evocative "Songs of a Wayfarer." In an overlap, both galas include McGregor's kinetic "Chroma," originally choreographed for the Royal Ballet in 2006. Seoul audiences will be treated to a pas de trois, or trio, by The Royal Ballet on July 5 and 6 and a pas de deux by the Paris Opera Ballet on Aug. 1. Lausanne winner Park Youn-jae in Seongnam Adding to Seoul's ballet-filled summer, the Seongnam Arts Center will present 2025 Ballet Stars on July 26 and 27 at its Opera House in Gyeonggi Province — a gala performance that brings together internationally acclaimed ballet stars and rising next-generation dancers. This year's program, spread over two days with different lineups, offers a rich blend of classical and contemporary works. Highlights include beloved scenes from "Le Corsaire," "Giselle," "Swan Lake" and "Don Quixote" — perennial favorites among Korean audiences — as well as contemporary pieces rarely staged in Korea such as "Ballet 102," "Closer" and "To Fly Again." The 2025 edition features principal dancer Chae Ji-young and second soloist Lee Sun-woo of Boston Ballet, Kim Soo-min of Dresden Semperoper Ballet's corps de ballet and first soloist James Kirby Rogers, as well as Park Sang-won and Leo Hepler of the Dutch National Ballet. Also joining the stage are some of Korea's brightest rising stars. Park Youn-jae, who won first prize at this year's Prix de Lausanne, and Kang Gyeong-ho, who gained national attention by finishing second on Mnet dance competition show "Stage Fighter," will bring a fresh dynamic to the gala.
Business Times
04-06-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Madrid's ghost towns revived as Spain's housing crisis escalates
[SESENA, Spain] The first call came two minutes after estate agent Segis Gomez posted a listing in Sesena, a development near Madrid that gained notoriety as one of the so-called 'ghost towns' created when Spain's property bubble burst in 2008. Half-built and half-empty for more than a decade, these days the squatters have gone from this development 40 km south of the capital and middle-class families, driven out of the city centre by an acute housing crisis, are moving in. Construction, meanwhile, has restarted. Demand is so strong in Sesena that Gomez has a waiting list of 70 people for each property. Property prices have recovered their original value after plunging to less than half during the crisis, he said. As anger grows over the cost of housing in Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has made providing affordable homes one of his main goals – even as he encourages population growth through immigration. The size of the challenge is clear in Madrid, which grew by 140,000 people in 2024, but only registered permits to build 20,000 new homes. Short supply is being exacerbated by a boom in holiday lets, record migration and onerous planning laws. 'The problem is that we can't match supply and demand quickly enough. So prices go up, or people have to trade price for distance,' said Carles Vergara, a real estate professor at IESE Business School in Madrid. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Tuesday, 12 pm Property Insights Get an exclusive analysis of real estate and property news in Singapore and beyond. Sign Up Sign Up Sesena has been adopted as a commuter town as Madrid overflows, even though it is located in the neighbouring Castile-La Mancha region and still lacks good transport links to the capital and public services, which caused homebuyers to reject it in the past. Its founder and original developer, Francisco Hernando, had a vision of 13,000 affordable apartments with gardens and swimming pools on the Spanish plain where author Cervantes set his best-known work Don Quixote, but the project became a byword for speculative greed and corruption. Only 5,000 homes ended up being built. Hernando, who began his project in 2004, failed to tell homebuyers he hadn't secured access to water or that the town had no public transport or schools. Hernando died in 2020. When the market collapsed, initial investors saw the value of their property plummet, while many homes ended up in the hands of banks. Today, Sesena teems with life as parents drop children at its three schools, drink coffee in its bars and visit recently-opened gyms and pharmacies. Impact Homes, a developer, is constructing 156 one-to-four bedroom apartments it expects to complete this year. Next door, another building has already pre-sold 49 per cent of its units, it said in an email. 'Sesena is at 100 per cent,' said Jaime de Hita, the town's mayor. Nestor Delgado moved to Sesena in 2021 with his family from Carabanchel in south Madrid because an apartment cost 20 per cent less to rent. In May, he bought a house with his wife for 240,000 euros (S$352,105). 'We chose (Sesena) because we can afford it,' Delgado, 34, said. The trade-off is rising before 5 am to be among the first in the queue for the 6.30 am bus to Madrid to arrive at his construction job by 8 am or face an hour's wait for the next bus. Other ghost towns are also coming back to life. Valdeluz, a development 75 km east of Madrid originally envisioned to house 30,000 people, was abandoned a quarter of the way through when the property bubble burst. Mayor Enrique Quintana told Reuters the town's 6,000-strong population is swelling with people from Madrid and could expand by 50 per cent in the next four years. A development on the edge of the village of Bernuy de Porreros, 100 km north of Madrid, which as recently as six years ago was mostly abandoned, is now bustling with activity as handymen put the finishing touches on homes. Lucia, a 37-year-old state employee, bought her house in April. Her daily commute to Madrid involves a 15-minute drive to the train station in Segovia and 28 minutes on the high-speed train, which costs her 48 euros for 30 trips thanks to a frequent traveller discount. The development began to revive when Spain's so-called bad bank Sareb, which was set up to take bad loans from the financial crisis, in 2021 began selling the homes for as little as 97,000 euros. Four years later, one property was resold for double that, said resident Nuria Alvarez. Until recently a relatively compact city, Madrid is on the way to becoming a metropolis like Paris or London, with commuter zones stretching beyond its administrative boundaries, said Jose Maria Garcia, the regional government's deputy housing minister. The metropolitan area's population of 7 million will grow by a million in the next 15 years, the government estimates. Madrid has a deficit of 80,000-100,000 homes that's growing by 15,000 homes a year and plans to build 110,000 homes by 2028, Garcia said. Sesena, meanwhile, is once again dreaming big. Its mayor, de Hita, said the town is securing permits for a new project dubbed Parquijote, with a proposed investment of 2.3 billion euros to build a logistics park that will create local jobs, along with 2,200 homes. It's no quixotic fantasy, de Hita said. 'This time we have learned from what happened,' he said. 'It is fundamental that we look for growth by learning from the past.' REUTERS
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Madrid's ghost towns revived as Spain's housing crisis escalates
By Corina Pons and Charlie Devereux SESENA, Spain (Reuters) - The first call came two minutes after estate agent Segis Gomez posted a listing in Sesena, a development near Madrid that gained notoriety as one of the so-called "ghost towns" created when Spain's property bubble burst in 2008. Half-built and half-empty for more than a decade, these days the squatters have gone from this development 40 km (24.85 miles) south of the capital and middle-class families, driven out of the city centre by an acute housing crisis, are moving in. Construction, meanwhile, has restarted. Demand is so strong in Sesena that Gomez has a waiting list of 70 people for each property. Property prices have recovered their original value after plunging to less than half during the crisis, he said. As anger grows over the cost of housing in Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has made providing affordable homes one of his main goals - even as he encourages population growth through immigration. The size of the challenge is clear in Madrid, which grew by 140,000 people in 2024, but only registered permits to build 20,000 new homes. Short supply is being exacerbated by a boom in holiday lets, record migration and onerous planning laws. "The problem is that we can't match supply and demand quickly enough. So prices go up, or people have to trade price for distance," said Carles Vergara, a real estate professor at IESE Business School in Madrid. Sesena has been adopted as a commuter town as Madrid overflows, even though it is located in the neighboring Castile-La Mancha region and still lacks good transport links to the capital and public services, which caused homebuyers to reject it in the past. Its founder and original developer, Francisco Hernando, had a vision of 13,000 affordable apartments with gardens and swimming pools on the Spanish plain where author Cervantes set his best-known work Don Quixote, but the project became a byword for speculative greed and corruption. Only 5,000 homes ended up being built. Hernando, who began his project in 2004, failed to tell homebuyers he hadn't secured access to water or that the town had no public transport or schools. Hernando died in 2020. When the market collapsed, initial investors saw the value of their property plummet, while many homes ended up in the hands of banks. MADRID'S EXPANSION Today, Sesena teems with life as parents drop children at its three schools, drink coffee in its bars and visit recently-opened gyms and pharmacies. Impact Homes, a developer, is constructing 156 one-to-four bedroom apartments it expects to complete this year. Next door, another building has already pre-sold 49% of its units, it said in an email. "Sesena is at 100%," said Jaime de Hita, the town's mayor. Nestor Delgado moved to Sesena in 2021 with his family from Carabanchel in south Madrid because an apartment cost 20% less to rent. In May, he bought a house with his wife for 240,000 euros ($272,808). "We chose (Sesena) because we can afford it," Delgado, 34, said. The trade-off is rising before 5 a.m. (0300 GMT) to be among the first in the queue for the 6.30 a.m. bus to Madrid to arrive at his construction job by 8 a.m. or face a an hour's wait for the next bus. BACK TO LIFE Other ghost towns are also coming back to life. Valdeluz, a development 75 km east of Madrid originally envisioned to house 30,000 people, was abandoned a quarter of the way through when the property bubble burst. Mayor Enrique Quintana told Reuters the town's 6,000-strong population is swelling with people from Madrid and could expand by 50% in the next four years. A development on the edge of the village of Bernuy de Porreros, 100 km north of Madrid, which as recently as six years ago was mostly abandoned, is now bustling with activity as handymen put the finishing touches on homes. Lucia, a 37-year-old state employee, bought her house in April. Her daily commute to Madrid involves a 15-minute drive to the train station in Segovia and 28 minutes on the high-speed train, which costs her 48 euros for 30 trips thanks to a frequent traveller discount. The development began to revive when Spain's so-called bad bank Sareb, which was set up to take bad loans from the financial crisis, in 2021 began selling the homes for as little as 97,000 euros. Four years later, one property was resold for double that, said resident Nuria Alvarez. Until recently a relatively compact city, Madrid is on the way to becoming a metropolis like Paris or London, with commuter zones stretching beyond its administrative boundaries, said Jose Maria Garcia, the regional government's deputy housing minister. The metropolitan area's population of 7 million will grow by a million in the next 15 years, the government estimates. Madrid has a deficit of 80,000-100,000 homes that's growing by 15,000 homes a year and plans to build 110,000 homes by 2028, Garcia said. Sesena, meanwhile, is once again dreaming big. Its mayor, de Hita, said the town is securing permits for a new project dubbed Parquijote, with a proposed investment of 2.3 billion euros to build a logistics park that will create local jobs, along with 2,200 homes. It's no quixotic fantasy, de Hita said. "This time we have learned from what happened," he said. "It is fundamental that we look for growth by learning from the past." ($1 = 0.8797 euros) Sign in to access your portfolio
