Writers who labored for years and years on a work that regrettably turned out to be crap

[Mike 03]

This is the other side of the coin of another interesting post here.

My first pick has to be Truman Capote's almost-existent "Answered Prayers."

Cheever also claimed to be working on a massive, 800 page novel at one point during his career that never materialized, or materialized as the 100 page novella "Oh What a Paradise it Seems."

Pynchon rumors always circulate and in general he produces what is expected, but "Vineland," to this day, is an awaited novel that his fans in some instances suspect was written by someone else.

I'm sure I'm forgetting some great ones.

On Edit:

Sorry to say, two of Mailer's works: "Harlot's Ghost" and "Ancient Evenings," the second of which was accidentally hilarious. But I love Mailer. Just thought those were highly anticipated (contractual obligations on this part, like "Tough Guys Don't Dance" which was itself mediocre but good) not very good.

There were amazing passages in "Harlot's Ghost." In fact I'm on the lookout for first editions of that book that are in very good to fine condition.

[XemaSab]

1. Jean M. Auel has been working on "Earth's Children" for longer than I have been alive

and she managed to turn a decent enough premise into a massive, steaming pile of crap by book 2.

[Mike 03]

2. Really, that sounds fascinating! I have to look that one up. NT

[InvisibleTouch]

4. Actually I loved them all except for the latest one...

...which wasn't bad in and of itself, but drastically needed an editor (repeated itself, contradicted itself, and would have told the exact same story very nicely with about 300 fewer pages).

[Tuesday Afternoon]

6. agreed --

The Last One was so much blah, blah, blah. I liked Valley of the Horses and all the rest.

[XemaSab]

7. Mammoth Hunters was good on the first read

On the second read she spends WAY too much time worrying about status.

There are 15 adults in the cave, and between the headman, headman's wife, headwoman, headwoman's husband, shamen, Ranec's dad, Ranec, Crozie, Cralie, Frebec, Jondalar, and Ayla, that leaves three adults who are not "high status." Seriously.

Also, Jondalar is a himbo and I think Ayla should have ditched him for Ranec.

Furthermore, Ayla herself has become a Mary Sue, and the fact that every man who sees her instantly either hates her or wants her gets a little boring. YMMV. :shrug:

[baldguy]

3. Don't forget Ayn Rand.

[EastTennesseeDem]

9. I was about to say. "Atlas Shrugged" would be shitty even if I were of that ideology

but the fact that, thank God, I'm not just makes it worse.

[cemaphonic]

5. On the music side, there's always Beethoven's sole opera, Fidelio

Took him 10 years and a near complete rewrite, and while total crap might be a bit harsh, it's not one of his better works, nor is it anywhere near the top tier of opera.

[Wetzelbill]

8. that sounds like my book

I might be able to salvage it. :)

[qwertyMike]

10. Joseph Heller

must have labored years & years after the magnificent Catch-22 on something.

Or did he just live on the royalties?

[dysfunctional press]

11. good as gold, was one iirc

or something like that.

on edit- here's his list from wikipedeaia:
* Catch-22 (1961)
* Something Happened (1974)
* Good as Gold (1979)
* God Knows (1984)
* Picture This (1988)
* Closing Time (1994)
* Portrait of an Artist, as an Old Man (2000)

Plays

* We Bombed in New Haven (1967)
* Catch 22 (1971)
* Clevinger's Trial (1973)

Screenplays

* Sex and the Single Girl (1964)
* Casino Royale (1967) (uncredited)
* Dirty Dingus Magee (1970)