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joenicholl's review against another edition
5.0
This is a second reading for me...I read White Noise when it first came out around '86 and, like most of Don DeLillo's other books thought it was great...About a year ago I thought I'd reread it so I pulled my now yellowed copy off the basement shelf...It then sat in my pile for the last year until recently I saw that it had been made into a Netflix movie (must something in the air about this book, beehive mind and all)...Then the train derailment and toxic cloud happened in Palestine, Ohio leading to politic strife and controversy concerning possible predictive programming between DeLillo's book, the Netflix film and the toxic event. I decided I needed to read White Noise again immediately. It still holds-up and is a wonderful book. First, if you've never read DeLillo before he can be challenging. Wave after wave of thoughts, often hilarious, are pieced together to create a whole. The plot-line can be fragmented...Once you settle in to his style though he takes you on an almost psychedelic trip into the characters lives. The story is simple, the pieced together family of a professor (Hitler studies) and their life in the small mid-west college town. A near-by train derailment causes a toxic cloud that results in the town's evacuation and resulting mayhem. After returning home there is possible poisoning from the toxic cloud, marital strife & infidelity, then redemption, and yes a hair-raising but happy ending. It's what's in-between that makes the book special. I want to say again, the book, especially the first half is so funny I had numerous belly-laughs...Give it a go...I believe it's an American post-modern classic...5 outta 5 Stars...
-Update: I watched the White Noise film on Netflix. It was pretty good and surprisingly followed the book almost exactly. An excellent production, acting great, humorous, and lot's of interesting dialog....Which leads me too...There is a very good analysis of White Noise by Truthstream Media on YouTube. You'll find it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_GAY2arHx4...Analysis of the film gets going about half-way into the video...Truthstream Media in-turn suggests you might also want to read the article The Rise of the Biosecurity Complex by Thomas Fazi....
-Update: I watched the White Noise film on Netflix. It was pretty good and surprisingly followed the book almost exactly. An excellent production, acting great, humorous, and lot's of interesting dialog....Which leads me too...There is a very good analysis of White Noise by Truthstream Media on YouTube. You'll find it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_GAY2arHx4...Analysis of the film gets going about half-way into the video...Truthstream Media in-turn suggests you might also want to read the article The Rise of the Biosecurity Complex by Thomas Fazi....
nancyadelman's review against another edition
4.0
This is the story of Jack Gladney, a husband, father, and professor of Hitler studies at a small college in New England. Jack is very concerned about death and is afraid of dying, something that he talks to his wife about frequently. This fear is amplified when there is an industrial train accident in his town, which causes a chemical spill and subsequent exposure to the chemical cloud. But his wife, Babette, has her own dark secret too, and what he learns about this will change everything.
This is a literary story, not a genre piece of fiction. That is, this story was written for the love of the written word. The writing is really pretty throughout. I loved the author's style of listing various things to make a point. The story is told from the first person, limited point of view of Jack Gladney. He is a well-developed and likable professor, husband to Babette, and father/ stepfather to a whole houseful of kids and teenagers. The setting is somewhere in New England, possibly Vermont, in the modern-day times. Professor Gladney uses the internet and refers to "having lived at one time in New York." There is some occasional use of alcohol here and there by various characters, and some use of a drug in development, but not quite a "street drug." There is one episode of violence involving a gun. There are a few references to sex, but nothing very graphic.
I liked this book. I am giving it four stars.
This is a literary story, not a genre piece of fiction. That is, this story was written for the love of the written word. The writing is really pretty throughout. I loved the author's style of listing various things to make a point. The story is told from the first person, limited point of view of Jack Gladney. He is a well-developed and likable professor, husband to Babette, and father/ stepfather to a whole houseful of kids and teenagers. The setting is somewhere in New England, possibly Vermont, in the modern-day times. Professor Gladney uses the internet and refers to "having lived at one time in New York." There is some occasional use of alcohol here and there by various characters, and some use of a drug in development, but not quite a "street drug." There is one episode of violence involving a gun. There are a few references to sex, but nothing very graphic.
I liked this book. I am giving it four stars.
shawnv77's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
42thursday's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.0
whatismayareading's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
4.5
somehow extremely dark and extremely lighthearted. what a book! made me think lots and lots about humans and our fears and intrusive thoughts. some things we just can't avoid!
jacobedward's review against another edition
5.0
A satirical, postmodern probing into the psychosis inducing effects of mass media, technology, consumerism, etc. Chock full of funny lines and memorable passages.
It’s cliched to say, but the societal trends from the 80s that the book shines its absurdist spotlight on have only hyper-inflated in the following decades, making this one feel as relevant as ever, if not more so.
I found the book’s central question compelling. Does maintaining sanity in the Information Age mean abandoning the search for greater meaning and instead submitting to the unending flow of data? What are the consequences of resisting collective perception and the white noise?
I can see how some might find this book tedious or too meandering, but personally I loved it.
It’s cliched to say, but the societal trends from the 80s that the book shines its absurdist spotlight on have only hyper-inflated in the following decades, making this one feel as relevant as ever, if not more so.
I found the book’s central question compelling. Does maintaining sanity in the Information Age mean abandoning the search for greater meaning and instead submitting to the unending flow of data? What are the consequences of resisting collective perception and the white noise?
I can see how some might find this book tedious or too meandering, but personally I loved it.
chloe44's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i normally read the book before watching the film this time i did it the other way around and i am shocked how alike the book is to the film. I really enjoyed.
the_fat_k_'s review against another edition
3.5
A lot of pseudo-philosophy going on here. The characters are very well-written. My favourite parts were the family dialogue scenes.
georgiacartwright's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Really enjoyed this one, and absolutely adored the characters.