Badly written sentences in literature can really remove you from the fantasy as you read by making you cringe or laugh.
Some of the worst we have encountered are in popularly-derided books such as Fifty Shades of Grey, and there are so many wonderfully terrible lines within that series that we have decided to leave E.L. James’s creation alone. Perhaps they are worthy of their own dedicated blog full of “my inner goddess fist pumps the air above her chaise lounge” type dross.
Meanwhile here are ten of our least favourite sentences in literature that awkwardly took us out of that fictional world thanks to poor writing.
If you have any of your own feel free to let us know in the comments, or let us know if we got some of these wrong!
1. Hangman Blind by Cassandra Clark
“Suddenly the woods were bristling with the sound of falling water.”
2. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
“Five months ago, the kaleidoscope of power had been shaken, and Aringarosa was still reeling from the blow.”
3. The Eye of Argon by Jim Theis
“Grignr’s emerald green orbs glared lustfully at the wallowing soldier struggling before his chestnut swirled mount.”
4. The Overton Widow
““Suit yourself, lady. I’m telling you right now, you made the rules, but you’re playing with fire here. I’ve got some rules, too, and rule number one is, don’t tease the panther.””
5. The Mark of Nerath by Bill Slavicsek
“A half-finished keep occupied the spot where the outpost once stood. The builders never competed the keep, and from the looks of things they had abandoned the place some time ago. The unfinished keep was little more than a ruin, empty of lords or knights, servants or tenants. The place felt unfinished.”
6. The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister
“She hadn’t expected the wine bubbles to reach her nose the way they did, like small, giggling children.”
7. War of the Worlds by H.G Wells
“His landlady came to the door, loosely wrapped in dressing gown and shawl; her husband followed ejaculating.”
8. Twilight: New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
“Aro started to laugh. “Ha ha ha,” he chuckled.”
9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
“All was well.”
10. Jack Reacher: Killing Floor by Lee Child
“It was about as distinctive as the most distinctive thing you could ever think of.”
Book Returned to Scottish Library 73 Years Late
Librarian discovers cash inside book returned 53 years late
