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jonezeemcgee's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
Ellis has a way of making the despicable interesting.
Ellis has a way of making the despicable interesting.
nroxiereads's review against another edition
2.0
I know Ellis makes a point to annoy us with his characters' aimless, repetitive, attempting-to-make-meaning-of-meaningless-signs crap, but I just got too tired of it to care that he had a point anymore. We have a main character (Clay) who seems to be slightly more ethical than his peers and family, but (unlike the terrible movie) he does nothing to stop the terrible things going on and says hardly a thing. Instead, he seems to want feeling so badly that he wants to "see the worst," trying to get something to affect him. Total nihilistic, disaffected generation, but it just didn't make me care to read it. The Breakfast Club did it better for me.
frogcostume's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
schmucie's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
_aia_'s review
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mariak3's review against another edition
2.0
Definitely not my favourite book. I read somewhere that Ellis published this when he was 21 and that is worth accolades but his writing style shows that we are all stupid when we are this age. I didn't care for the never ending drug references. I like drug use in narratives as much as the next person but this seemed to be over doing it. I guess cocaine in the 80s was rampant but these people do nothing.
Even worse, it focused on rich kids who hate their parents doing drugs and having sex. There's some messed up parts that seem kind of just thrown in there and only then do I even give a fraction of interest into the main character because he finally reacts in a way that is admirable. Which leads me to the biggest problem I had with this book: none of the characters are likable. The narrator is for a little bit but not by much, and everyone else is a jerk. Maybe that is the point that the characters are all void of emotion and likability, and the culture they live in is empty. I think I must be missing something with this book.
Even worse, it focused on rich kids who hate their parents doing drugs and having sex. There's some messed up parts that seem kind of just thrown in there and only then do I even give a fraction of interest into the main character because he finally reacts in a way that is admirable. Which leads me to the biggest problem I had with this book: none of the characters are likable. The narrator is for a little bit but not by much, and everyone else is a jerk. Maybe that is the point that the characters are all void of emotion and likability, and the culture they live in is empty. I think I must be missing something with this book.
ver_liest's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
petepilgrim's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25