Reviews

I want to disagree with all of the people that say you should just watch the movie instead. The movie DOES follow the book almost verbatim, that's true, but I believe that some of the deeper meaning of Fear and Loathing is lost on the big screen. Too distracted by the drug-addled antics of Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro a movie isn't long enough to ponder what Thompson is "really trying to tell us." And I do believe with all my powers of deduction that Thompson was writing more than a story about mescaline and LSD.

It's true that the off-the-wall drug-induced antics of Raoul Duke and his attorney kept me laughing out loud throughout the entirety, but this book has many, many gems of insight into the mood of the era and the status of American culture strewn throughout, if you only take the time to pick them out and examine them.

I found many of Duke's encounters especially poignant juxtaposed to today's modern war on drugs, speaking specifically of the anti-drug convention Duke and Gonzo attended. Many references are made to Vietnam as well that paint a fearsome picture in shades of sarcasm and cynicism of how Americans at large felt about their own soldiers.

Anyway, this is an extremely short read so watch the movie if you want to watch the movie, but don't discount the book -- it's just not the same, verbatim or not.

katrinazreads's review against another edition

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adventurous funny

Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.75

I really enjoyed the first few chapters… AFTER re-reading them out of pure confusion because: I didn’t know what the hell I just read.
I thought I could get into the book after understanding the protagonist’s backstory (and watching the movie) but let me tell you: it just keeps getting more and more confusing. Even reading chapter summaries couldn’t help me figure out what the hell was going on. I couldn’t tell if the writing was symbolic or just straight chaos. But after rereading this book twice and writing a book project on it: IT IS just straight chaos.
I was able to grasp a few general themes in there such as “achieving the American dream” but I still don’t understand how 90 percent of the stuff in this book is relevant. The drug frenzied protagonist made it extremely hard to follow but I suppose that makes it more accurate. I didn’t enjoy reading it, but maybe this just isn’t my kind of writing… I genuinely feel dumb.

charleslev's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

2.5

I finished the movie feeling a little confused and underwhelmed and this is similar. The visual effects of the movie make that a half star better than the book for me.

nancidrum's review against another edition

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2.0

I was interested in reading this book by Hunter Thompson since he is the well-known editor of Rolling Stone. It was a most unusual book, I will say. His writing is very good, but the story itself was just full of alcohol and drug encounters. I wouldn't have finished it, if it wasn't for a GR challenge.

dammitcharina's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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