What should I do when a book's prose is great but the plot is boring?

[Aubrey57]

I just finished a book that was incredibly well-written, with beautiful prose and complex characters, but I found the actual plot to be a complete slog. I kept waiting for something to happen, and it never really did. Has anyone else had this experience, where the literary merit is obvious but the story itself feels like a chore?

[AuroraWG]

I know that feeling. The sentences are gorgeous, the characters linger, but the plot barely pokes its head. I finished and thought, wow the craft is real, but I felt spent waiting for something to actually happen.

[DavidVP]

I had the same thing last year. I clung to the prose, then skimmed a few pages just to move things along, hoping a twist or shift would finally land, but it didn't.

[Jacob_H]

I kept rereading a paragraph because the rhythm felt earned, but the arc never gave me a real payoff. It was like watching someone polish a sculpture instead of telling a story.

[Richard46]

I drifted for a bit, thinking maybe I forgot what the book was about, then remembered a different novel that did the same thing with style but also propelled me forward. Do you think the problem is with the reader's expectations or the pacing of the book?