Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

10 reviews

saa's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

So here we go:

Talking 'bout "Fight Club" feels like I'm stomping all over the sacred rules, just like smashing those first two commandments of the Fight Club itself. The moment you crack open this thing, it slams you with a barrage of words that's as colorful as a damn rainbow on steroids.

A language so rich and flavorful, loaded with all those spicy bits and intriguing details that tickle your curiosity about our main dude. It's like you're not just reading, you're damn well living and breathing in his skin, existing on his terms alone.

Now, those hops between chapters? Well, let's just say they're like a funky dance that sometimes lands you back where you started, just to double-check you didn't miss a beat.

You keep reading, letting the pages swallow you whole, and then bam! There it is, the first WTF moment that practically gives you a sneak peek into the wild rollercoaster you're in for. But trust me, that's just the tip of the iceberg of WTFs; this whole book is like a compilation of mind-bending, jaw-dropping, what-the-actual-f*** moments.

So let's talk about those WTF moments, shall we?
Spoiler
- You've got the audacious appearance of a big red rooster (randomly spliced porn frames in innocent movies – like a big swinging… you get the idea).

- Then, there's the way he gets all possessive about those support groups. Like there's only room for one impostor in town, and guess who's playing that role? Our man, of course. Negotiating with Marla like a hustler at the market, as if his lunch's meat depends on that deal.

- Marla, oh Marla. She goes ahead and asks Tyler to knock her up just so she can abort Tyler's baby. Now that's a whole new level of WTF.

- Speaking of Marla, she's a walking, talking WTF in herself. She's like a collision of chaos and oddity.

- Self-mutilation, that's another one.

- The 'special' soup with a twisted extra ingredient, hunting for hepatitis like it's some kind of treasure hunt, soap made from Marla's mom (seriously, what?).

- Oh, and that chat with his boss, when the Fight Club's rule list is discovered. The myriad of brutal scenarios discussed there? Definitely a WTF.

- Blackmailing, now that's a monologue marvel in itself.

But hold on, the mother of all WTFs? Brace yourselves:

- The Chaos Project. I mean, what in the literal name of all that's sane and insane? It's like a garden of WTFs, blossoming into a twisted bouquet of madness.

And there's more, a whole plethora of minor WTFs that start off making you gape but soon become so commonplace you'd think they're just everyday occurrences.

And then, the grandest twist of them all – who'd have thought Tyler and our man were having a one-on-one tête-à-tête in the same noggin? It's like getting slapped with a mind-bending revelation that leaves you reeling and questioning every damn thing you just read.

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ali_inthegarden's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Un libro che non mi aspettavo ed in cui ho fatto molta fatica ad addentrarmi. 
Solamente verso il finale
Spoilernel momento della grande rivelazione sul protagonista e Tyler
è riuscito a catturare davvero la mia attenzione e a farmi collegare le numerosissime oscenità presenti nel romanzo. Un libro che forse avrebbe bisogno di una seconda lettura per essere apprezzato e soprattutto compreso al meglio, in tutte le sue sfumature. 
Un libro affilato come un rasoio, che critica la società in cui viviamo in modo feroce e senza far sconti a nessuno. Certamente non è un libro per tutti, ma può valere la pena leggerlo.

Lo stile di scrittura inoltre non fa proprio al caso mio. Ho fatto molta fatica a non perdere il filo della narrazione: la sensazione era quella di un libro che procedeva a singhiozzi, che probabilmente era anche l'intenzione dell'autore, ma che non sono riuscita ad apprezzare.

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gniu's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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whatwentwrong1177's review against another edition

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dark funny medium-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

4.75


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jadziaaudrey's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5


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lilyaugust's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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cianarae's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

So iconic

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beccam22's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

If this hasn’t been spoiled go in blind. The first rule of fight club is you don’t talk about fight club 

Spoiler I read the addition with Chucks afterword after the movie was made and popular and I think him describing what he made was the modern Great Gatsby fair but once I knew the “twist” I was calling it Jackle and Hyde meets Clockwork Orange. 

It was a little jarring at first not having dialogue indicated as dialogue but it really added to the story when you understood it was the same person. I’m not a huge fan of the troupe of using mental illness, specifically DID, as a twist or demonize a character for having it but I think this was done well. 

Another thing Chuck mentions in the afterword is writing in a jarring/shifting manner to disorientate the reader but giving just enough grounding points to keep the reader going and this was done exceptionally. I mentioned this to someone early on when I was reading this and for a debut this was so surprising how well written it was.
Spoiler

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maxella's review

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challenging dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Gross, grotesque, terrifiying yet so needed. A good shake up, an ice bath, the realization of "yeah, everything is fucked" but like in a good way?

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abbieinwonderland's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5


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