Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

136 reviews

_alyosha_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

deathmetalheron's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark medium-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

2.25

vAmerican Psycho is a battle between its concept and its execution. It is genuinely hard to argue that conceptually, American Psycho is basically perfect--it's an ahead of its time, notable satire that has done nothing but age incredibly well. Every critique that exists, textually or subtextually, reigns true of both the era it is set in and the modern age--Wall Street, Reagan, capitalism, masculinity, sexual violence--all of it is still sadly so, so relevant and so poignant that the underlying text just oozes with "thinkability"--the implications of so many little moments have as much, if not more, to say than the text as a whole. The real meat and essence of this story is placed within the subtle exchanges of dialogue Bateman has with his colleague and romantic partners/future victims.
And yet, in execution, AP is nothing but a slog. I read an interview with Ellis before reading where he was frustrated by the 2000 film of the book, saying that the medium of film "demands answers" and didn't let the ambiguity of the book shine through. 
The presentation of this text does nothing to aid the ambiguity. The themes are already there. I remember thinking Ellis was onto something after the first chapter until Bateman commits a murder, and despite each murder and torture sequence ramping up the pain and suffering each one loses me as a reader more and more. By the end of the book you slowly discover that there are different types of chapters--Bateman talks with colleagues, Bateman tolerates women he hates, Bateman waxes lyrical, Bateman consumes, Bateman kills. And by the end of the book I was truly sick of the mind-numbing repetitive nature of each chapter type and how little they continued to add. In spite of the little nuggets towards the end of the book (that make up some of the most memorable lines in the movie) they placed among word vomit of misogynistic killings and goofy product endorsement. 
I give credit to the concept, but if you've seen the movie, you can skip this. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

molly_au's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging funny reflective slow-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

4.0

Very, very gruesome.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

shaynasiakimotu's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark 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

3.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

aliclare's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark tense slow-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

3.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

itsbethanynixon's review against another edition

Go to review page

The book itself is so long and I’ve have listened to hours upon hours of it on audible and it’s just not getting anywhere in the story - I don’t actually mind the content warning I’ve listed when there’s an actual story that goes along with it… the characters seem so two-dimensional and it’s boring as fuck 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

shane_sheridan's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

dupeskara's review against another edition

Go to review page

This may be too pussy, but the movie is better. The book was too boring to read and it had so much information for me to remember. The clothes, restaurants... I got confused. This makes me sound like a child... But I think that the whole point of the book is to make you feel like the rich are just boring phychos who want to feel special. The visons that Patrick had were right, as someone who may have phycosis this is sometimes what goes thru my head whether I like it or not - gore and hate. Sorry Mr Ellis, but next time I will read it throughoutly.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

clowningaround's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark funny slow-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

I hated this book so much. This book was so gross. Fucking sick. My two most written annotations were ew and no. My other two most written annotations were Jesus Christ and stop. I had to skim the s3xual parts because it was so gross, and the only pages I had the skip completely were from the
RAT SCENE.
I had to go home from school after reading even just the first parts of the
rat scene.
I felt quite ill from it. I just kept finding out more and more horrible things about him. Worst book I've ever read, while still being the best book I've ever read (because it completely accomplished it's goal). 5 stars. Loved it.
Tldr: he is really an american psycho. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

bethany_rose5's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark slow-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

2.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings