Can we talk about how book clubs always skip the last 50 pages

I've been in three different book clubs over the past two years and every single time, half the members admit they skimmed or skipped the final chapters. It drives me crazy because that's usually where the author ties everything together. My current club just finished "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt and three people said they stopped reading after page 450 out of 560. Why do people even join book clubs if they're not going to finish the book?

3 comments

3 Comments

bennett.harper1mo ago

Rolled my eyes so hard at this I almost pulled something. I had a book club once where the host literally fell asleep during our discussion of the ending and we just... didn't talk about it. Maybe people join just to feel smart for having bought the book, not to actually read it. Or maybe they're all secretly hoping the author will magically appear and summarize the last chapter for them over wine and cheese.

jakewhite1mo ago

Pretty sure I've been that host before. Not proud of it, but in my defense the book was 800 pages and the wine was free.

the_paul1mo ago

A buddy of mine joined a book club that was reading "The Goldfinch" and the host showed up having only read the first 200 pages. When people tried to talk about the ending, she just kept saying "well, the art was really symbolic though" and changing the subject. Turns out she never finished, never admitted it, and somehow got elected to pick the next book too. That club dissolved after two more meetings.