mkinne's review
4.0
Started reading in rebellion while waiting for appointment to start at the Genius bar (they were late by 10mins).
Many more plot twists than the movie, but in the end a fantasy of the Paris underworld & infatuation with a star that both have the best possible endings and so, unbelievable & unrealistic but still a fun read. One super creepy thing that's not entirely clear in the movie: Alba is 13 in the book so her relationship w Gorodish is that of an inappropriate & unrealistically willing Lolita to Gorodish's less salacious Humperdink.
Many more plot twists than the movie, but in the end a fantasy of the Paris underworld & infatuation with a star that both have the best possible endings and so, unbelievable & unrealistic but still a fun read. One super creepy thing that's not entirely clear in the movie: Alba is 13 in the book so her relationship w Gorodish is that of an inappropriate & unrealistically willing Lolita to Gorodish's less salacious Humperdink.
lagobond's review
1.0
This is not something you will find me saying often, but: This book is utter garbage.
True, I chuckled a couple times while reading the first two pages, which were off like a firework. And that is the ONLY good thing I can say about this book, because the writing is mostly trash. Despite the willfully shocking content, 99% of the language is blander and drier than a handful of oatmeal straight from the package. And once the initial shock wears off, it becomes clear that the author was not even making fun of his characters, as he should have been. Because... well, you may have guessed it:
The characters are garbage too. The main, uh, personae are a 40 year old who wasn't like other men (apparently because he was tall [...] with dark, deep-set eyes, short hair and a fascinating, Asian-looking face) ...and his sidekick, 13-year-old Alba, who was reckless with a total lack of scruples. Yeah that's totally not projection or anything. The girl has blond hair and the beginnings of two delectable breasts, her divine body molded by a red leotard. (That must have been some impressively strong leotard fabric which could mold a human body!) The author also felt the need to mention her lack of panties or bra, and the remarkable firmness of the long, smooth thigh that brushed against her big leather handbag as she walked.
All of this sexiness of course totally makes it okay for not one, not two, but THREE grown men to act in the following manner, and I quote:
In case anyone is still reading: no amount of "adult" behavior or physical attractiveness on the part of a 13 year old excuses adult men leering and treating her like a sex object. Also, pedophilia is not cool, even when dressed up as a feisty crime novel (or whatever this was meant to be). And now excuse me while I dispose of this book. You know where.
True, I chuckled a couple times while reading the first two pages, which were off like a firework. And that is the ONLY good thing I can say about this book, because the writing is mostly trash. Despite the willfully shocking content, 99% of the language is blander and drier than a handful of oatmeal straight from the package. And once the initial shock wears off, it becomes clear that the author was not even making fun of his characters, as he should have been. Because... well, you may have guessed it:
The characters are garbage too. The main, uh, personae are a 40 year old who wasn't like other men (apparently because he was tall [...] with dark, deep-set eyes, short hair and a fascinating, Asian-looking face) ...and his sidekick, 13-year-old Alba, who was reckless with a total lack of scruples. Yeah that's totally not projection or anything. The girl has blond hair and the beginnings of two delectable breasts, her divine body molded by a red leotard. (That must have been some impressively strong leotard fabric which could mold a human body!) The author also felt the need to mention her lack of panties or bra, and the remarkable firmness of the long, smooth thigh that brushed against her big leather handbag as she walked.
All of this sexiness of course totally makes it okay for not one, not two, but THREE grown men to act in the following manner, and I quote:
Catching sight of her, the first one nearly swallowed his spoon, the second one gulped convulsively, and the third one tossed thirty francs on the table and leaped up from his seat to run after her. [...] Armand [...] didn't know exactly what he had seen, but it was enough to make him burst through the door like an artillery shell.And then of course there's Serge Gorodish, aforementioned special guy of many talents, such as having worked as a baker's helper (I swear I'm not making this up!) and having obsessively practiced the piano for a few years (presumably while being supported by an unknown benefactor) before making the switch to playing the piano in bars, chauffeuring gangsters, drawing cartoons, and taking 'artistic' photographs of young girls (very young, too young for the law)... and all this before age 40, i.e. before meeting Alba and beginning a crime spree with her, at which point I gave up on this mess and that was only page 4!
In case anyone is still reading: no amount of "adult" behavior or physical attractiveness on the part of a 13 year old excuses adult men leering and treating her like a sex object. Also, pedophilia is not cool, even when dressed up as a feisty crime novel (or whatever this was meant to be). And now excuse me while I dispose of this book. You know where.
More...