Reviews tagging 'Classism'

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

104 reviews

mangooo_spagetti's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense 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

4.5

Slow paces book that does everything it’s trying to do. Reading this book also has dropped my rating of the movie significantly, both because of it’s failure to convey the fact the Patrick Bateman is not cool, and for it’s decontextualized ending. They made the movie into a thing that has a beginning, middle, and end of a story, wheras the book is more of something with movements. Like an orchestra. The first introduces you to his life and is by far the funniest, which fades gracefully into the second, the longest and most brutal. The second begins with his killing Paul Allen, and the American psycho movie does that just fine. But the thing the movie is missing is the third. The third movement where patrick bateman shows us just how crazy he is, and gets more delusional, and the story more fragmented and experimental. The clear image of this wallstreet buisnessman who wants so desperately for people to see how crazy he is, and how terrible of a person he is, but either he doesnt do anything and just sits there delusional dreaming about how such a terrible world would not care. Or they genuinely dont notice or care. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, Xenophobia, Racism, Gore, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Hate crime, Classism, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, and Blood

Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Alcohol, and Fatphobia

maddypat's review against another edition

Even with seeing the movie adaptation of this book, I was extremely underprepared for what the book actually had in store. The violence is too extreme for me to get through. The first murder --

Spoiler

a defenseless homeless man and his dog

-- put tears in my eyes, and I felt physically sick. Every page after that scene had me on edge, and not in a fun "wow this is a thriller!" way, but a "I hope I don't read anything else absolutely horrific" way. I applaud people who can stomach it and be able to appreciate the book for what it is, but I just can't get through it without feeling miserable.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Racism, Rape, Murder, Sexual content, Sexism, Animal death, Body horror, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Gore, Animal cruelty, Racial slurs, Misogyny, and Classism

phibs's review against another edition

dark funny reflective 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

3.5

Bret Easton Ellis constructs a completely believable world in which characters blindly and vapidly consider their wants first, regardless of circumstance. Characters are made interchangeable, all entirely selfish, two-dimensional yuppies in a grim satire of 1980s Wall Street consumerism. 

Although Ellis manages to deftly weave grim comedy throughout, his postmodernist critique remains explicitly crude and vile, leading the reader to question how necessary Ellis’ innumerable graphic depictions of wanton violence against women were to the narrative at large. 

Director Mary Harron certainly cherrypicks the best of Ellis’ novel to adapt for cinema, leaving the novel little more than a compendium of desensitised butchery and $300 ceviches.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Child death, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Body horror, Drug use, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Sexual violence, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Antisemitism, Blood, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Classism, Violence, Excrement, Gore, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, and Vomit

brennahinshaw's review against another edition

dark tense 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Gore, Rape, Racial slurs, Animal death, Cannibalism, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Gun violence, Hate crime, Murder, Sexual assault, Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Alcohol, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Transphobia, Antisemitism, Ableism, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Pregnancy, Dementia, and Abortion

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Torture, Classism, Murder, Racism, Sexual violence, Addiction, Cannibalism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Car accident, Child abuse, Confinement, Xenophobia, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Islamophobia, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Pedophilia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Suicide, Vomit, and War

Minor: Dementia, Genocide, and Death of parent

pierreadsbooks's review against another edition

dark 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Blood, Classism, Drug use, Sexual violence, Violence, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Torture

hale_bopp's review against another edition

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Drug use, Murder, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Classism, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Torture

isusp_65's review against another edition

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

3.5

getraumatiseerd, ik weet niet eens of het boek slecht is

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Classism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Antisemitism, Blood, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Murder, Racism, Rape, and Sexual harassment

hollystopreading's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-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

4.5

The book really makes you appreciate the movie even more. Don’t be afraid to skip over bits if it’s  traumatizing and/or boring. Not very plot heavy and doesn’t outright say anything in particular which allows people to warp it to fit sexist/racist/classist/homophobic views but is OBVIOUSLY NOT in support of that. What Ellis thought was an extreme example that clearly points of the flawed views of businessmen is now seen as a twisted goal for men on Reddit to aspire to. :/ totally sick.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Classism, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Homophobia, Gun violence, Cannibalism, Misogyny, Murder, Domestic abuse, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Abortion, Addiction, Ableism, Alcoholism, and Alcohol

schlong01's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective tense 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

2.75

American Psycho is thriller about a possibly gay but definitely nihilistic man covering up his identity by copying those of everyone around him. This theme is always present as he gets confused a lot with other people and just goes with it.  He adopts their views on politics, the state of the world, their interests etc. Except when he doesn't and violently breaks out of this cycle with awful acts of sexual frustrated murder. His character slowly deteriorates over the course of the novel disalusioning himself with his made up personality.

It's a wonderful critique of businessman and capitalism in general with very many details woven into it. But those details often become dreadful as a whole chapter can be just Patrick's opinion on a newly released album or the things he bought yesterday. Although the author is a genius at writing in great detail, this often becomes his downfall, as he does not seem to know when to use said detailism.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Blood, Alcohol, Torture, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Bullying, Addiction, Violence, Vomit, Murder, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Classism, Xenophobia, Cursing, Cannibalism, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Gun violence, Gaslighting, Child death, Antisemitism, Animal cruelty, Rape, Physical abuse, Islamophobia, Gore, Death, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Alcoholism, and Animal death