This question is inspired by the recent thread on any [books you regret finishing](https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/19fjk2g/are_there_books_you_regret_finishing/).
The one that immediately came to mind for me was *Eat, Pray, Love.*
Except — I don’t regret finishing it exactly. It’s more that the first third of the narrative, when she is in Italy, describing the food and atmosphere, I thought was wonderful – a 10/10 book. Then the more soul-searching following chapters felt a bit flat in comparison. In retrospect, I could have gotten the best of that book (for me) if I had stopped after that portion.
I’m curious if other people have books where they wish they could only recommend one chapter or portion or subplot — or similarly, series where they would only recommend one portion of the series.
by walk_with_curiosity
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**The Gods Themselves** by Isaac Asimov
This book is written in three sections, titled:
* Against Stupidity
* The Gods Themselves
* Contend in Vain?
From [a literary quote](https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/friedrich_schiller_109502): “Against stupidity, the gods themselves contend in vain.” (The question mark was a deliberate addition by Asimov.)
The first section is a middle-of-the-road science fiction story about a non-existent isotope of the element plutonium, and how its discovery leads to a new power source for humanity. It’s solid science fiction, but nothing to write home about.
The second section is an absolutely riveting study of aliens in a parallel universe with different laws of physics to ours. It explores their biology, their sociology, and their psychology. Oh, and it’s a love story, and erotica, and one alien’s fight to save our universe from destruction.
There’s a reason this novel won both major awards in science fiction (the Hugo and the Nebula), and it’s this second section.
The third section isn’t even worth it. Not only does it pale in comparison to the second section, but it’s not even as good as the first section – *and…* it’s totally the wrong conclusion for this book.
But that second section… that’s brilliant writing.