Too much Britishness?

So, perhaps I should stop reading British books for a while. They are starting to annoy me.

I read Ian McEwan's Atonement, because I found it for $1 and another of his books (My Sweet Tooth) is on our book club list this year.  Someone has even made a movie of it. I wonder how.

The story is in three parts. The first part was very tedious to read and I kept waiting for some sign of plot or motivation. The second part was much more interesting, and did have some plot, but not much. The last part theoretically resolved the plot points, but then there was an epilogue that cast some resolutions into doubt. I did not like it. I feel that my dollar and my days were wasted.


Then I turned to some much older BritLit: G.B. Shaw's Plays Unpleasant, which consists of three plays and two long, long introductions (one of them is 30 pages long!).

I admire Shaw, but he can be tedious, too. I plowed my way through most of the Preface and the first play, Widowers' Houses, went along well, although the characters' names kept confusing me, the social conventions he was mocking are now obscure, and Shaw's special simplified spelling often attracted my editorial eye--not in a good way.
The second play, The Philanderer, had a one-page introduction (Prefatory Note) but the play itself was quite unreadable!


The third is the one I expected the most of, as it is the best known of the three, Mrs. Warren's Profession. After skimming the 30-page Preface, I plunged in. Here, only 2 characters had similar names, and there were not too many characters coming and going.
Apparently, it was scandalous when first presented, but time and shifting language have lessened its impact. And while the characters apparently believe they are being very clear about what Mrs. Warren's profession is (she's a high-class madam), really, Shaw does more suggesting than naming. For all the unsuspecting audience can deduce, she manages some international hotels!

 Really, I need to find something more entertaining and accessible!