tayterchip's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Homophobia, Torture, and Sexual violence
victor200122's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Torture, Sexism, Murder, Gore, and Homophobia
Moderate: Cannibalism and Sexual content
Minor: Xenophobia
mirandawood's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It’s completely disgusting and it’s haunting that on the outside, Bateman is just an average businessman. He’s educated, great at his job, very fit body, and oh so rich. But when you look closer there’s just something off. Something you can’t quite put your finger on, but you know it’s there. Is it the obsession with working out and having his body in the best possible shape at all times? The obsession designer clothes and how to properly put together an outfit? Or how about the constant looking down on others less fortunate, or of different races, or animals. Because you can do whatever you want as long as your Patrick Bateman.
Never again will I pick this up, but it will always have a place on my shelf.
Graphic: Classism, Injury/injury detail, Violence, Body horror, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Drug use, Sexual assault, Animal death, Blood, Cannibalism, Car accident, Child death, Death, Racial slurs, Torture, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual violence, Gun violence, and Murder
elizabethpero's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Torture, Mental illness, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Sexual violence, Violence, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Gore
readyourbookshelf's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Cannibalism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Violence, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Murder, Racial slurs, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Abortion and Domestic abuse
trentl14's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Drug use, Cannibalism, Child death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/injury detail, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual assault, Torture, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual violence, and Violence
trash_reader_'s review
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I understand the characters are supposed to be hated. I understand this book was written this way to show the characters' shallowness and how horrible they are, but I could not handle reading anymore of the unnecessary, nasty comments that were made so casually. And what the hell even is a "hardbody" and why was that the only word used when referring to women?
A lot of what I disliked about this book was the language used and the characters' attitudes, which I know was the point, but it doesn't change the fact that it made the book nearly-impossible to read, let alone finish. It was also super boring until he started killing people. It swung wildly between super boring, in-depth descriptions of everyone's outfits and intense sex/murder scenes and it's apt to give you whiplash. I also don't understand how so many people got each other confused with someone else? How? Y'all work together and have for a while. I guess it worked as a plot device for Patrick Bateman to get away with certain things, but it seemed as if that was the only reason for including that in the novel.
The structure of this was interesting. It gave you an insight into how disconnected Patrick Bateman's thoughts were and how often he lost consciousness, whether that was because of his bloodlust or because of the drugs, who knows? Maybe it was a combination of both. The sentence structure was simple and matter-of-fact, regardless of what was going on. The boring conversation he's tuning in and out of? The description of the videos and shows he watches? The description of the sex he engages in? The description of the killings? All written with the same simple, matter-of-fact that sentence structure that shows you how inhuman and detached Patrick Bateman feels.
I had to switch between reading and listening to the audiobook in order to finish this, and I can't honestly say which one was more uncomfortable. Maybe it was hearing the words "cunt" and "cock" repeated so many times through the speakers that turned me off from the audiobook so much, but it definitely made it easier to get through the pointless conversations and random music reviews we were forced to read throughout the duration of the novel. I don't care what your opinions on Whitney Houston were. Or Genesis. And all of the "fashion advice" just went in one ear and out the other, but now I'm just nit-picking so I think I'm going to end my review here, with only one more thing to say.
I understand why this book caused so much outrage when it was published. I get it. And now that I have finally read this book after watching the movie several times, I don't think it's ever something I'm going to willingly bring up in conversation and I'm definitely not going to be "bragging" about having read this book like I have so many other controversial titles before. If I were to compile a list of books that I feel should never have been written, it wouldn't be a very large list, but this book would definitely make it on there.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Classism, Death, Animal death, Blood, Antisemitism, Drug abuse, Murder, Drug use, Gore, Homophobia, Injury/injury detail, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Torture, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Violence
jakeaboi's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Hate crime, Infidelity, Murder, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Ableism, Drug use, Excrement, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Abortion and Car accident
Minor: Incest
loggskywalker's review
- 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
Graphic: Cannibalism, Animal death, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Injury/injury detail, Misogyny, Rape, Racism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Torture
rearic's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Child death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/injury detail, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Violence