48MPHSlapShot

I wouldn't see harm in at least still trying it out. If it's too unbearable then you can just quit it.

There is no trace of anti-Semitism in his works. I would say his writing betrays a hatred/fear of foreigners more than a race ie Poles are a people who possess undesirable characteristics. Since he was such a recluse I'm guessing his racism was learned. Maybe from his parents or his aunt with whom he lived. And don't forget the time period in which he wrote. I can ignore his racism because his stories are so good. Maybe read The Colour Out Of Space or The Call of Cthulhu first. There is only 1 HPL story I couldn't finish because the racism was awful. Hope this helps and sorry it's so long. But Lovecraft was such a fine writer you owe it to yourself to give him a try.

To be fair Ernest Hemingway was pretty brutal. But literary critics brand it as "tough prose". I started "To Have and Have Not". I found it a tough read, and didn't like it. 

Then again, everyone I know went nuts for Dune. I read it, and I found no appeal for any of the characters. So I quit halfway and never finished it. 

I need characters that have some redeeming quality. Even if flawed, something to make me want to read about them. Some books just don't have that. A lot of movies and TV are like this now too.