Benzadmiral
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I had the same problem with the novel of The Maltese Falcon. Tried it when I was 15, didn't get it (I was more an Ellery Queen/Nero Wolfe fan), and gave up close to halfway. Tried again twice more over the ensuing decades, and dropped it each time at about the same point. Then, after seeing the John Huston-Bogart version again, I sat down, determined to finish it. This time I got it and Hammett's technique.This happened to me with "Citizen Kane." I didn't see it as a kid - for whatever reason, this old-movie-loving kid missed that one. By the time I saw it as an adult, it sat atop all those "greatest movies of all time" lists and I had heard all the commentary about it being "brilliant" and "groundbreaking." When I finally saw it, of course I was disappointed, Jesus did not decent from heaven once while I was watching.
Then, after avoiding it for several years, I saw it again and fell in love with it. I didn't even want to watch it the second time, it just happened and with antipathy going in, I got it and now love the movie.
I did the same with The Thin Man. For some novels, a good movie adaptation helps.