rockette8's review against another edition
1.0
I couldn't finish this. Terrible. Don't waste your time.
edarcys's review against another edition
3.0
It felt like a Tucker Max book combined with the movie Se7en. Part offensively puerile, part oddly touching, all disjointed and confusing. Eventually you find out what brings the unconnected stories - somewhat - together. That being said, it is artistic and intelligent...dreck.
gr33nb00ks's review against another edition
2.0
I really like James Franco's writing style. I absolutely loved Palo Alto and found I couldn't put this one down, however I didnt feel as connected to the story. It's about actors and acting, and frankly, although I enjoy a good movie, I could care less about how many girls actors f*#$! on the daily.
I loved how you can totally hear Franco's voice in this novel though! I think he's a great writer and would definitely read more of his books.
I loved how you can totally hear Franco's voice in this novel though! I think he's a great writer and would definitely read more of his books.
lola425's review against another edition
3.0
I avoided this book like the plague just because I don't think that I can be fair to actors/writers. Plus, as a document it is challenging, full of shifting and ambiguous POV, weird formatting, and seemingly never-ending unhappy, sloppy, graphic, mean-spirited, joyless sex. I decided why not listen to the audio book, It is read by Franco and for me it changed the way I reacted to the book. Franco's reading was sense-making for me, particularly for the heavily footnoted chapters. I wouldn't say that I loved the book, but I was interested in it, wanted to see where Franco was going with it. Don't think he succeeded, necessarily. Is Franco ambitious and daring or egomaniacal and deluded about his own abilities? I think Franco wants you to ask this question . I'm not even sure Franco himself knows the answer.
casquean's review against another edition
0.25
Hands down the worst book I’ve ever read. Zero point, was offensive to every person in the world. Just gross.
austinstorm's review against another edition
1.0
I respect Franco, he seems like an incredibly hard-working guy. This was tedious, beat-inspired pablum. Written to impress grad students, or maybe to alienate people who might read it because of his celebrity.
julaliciousbookparadise's review against another edition
3.0
I don't know how I feel about this book. It's very interesting, but it's quite confusing too. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I feel I'd need to read it a second time in case I missed something big.
But it's interesting and kind of dark. It shows a side of fame that we might suspect, but rarely is shown or talked about.
Franco definitely push it with this book, but I think that's why this book just sounds like something James Franco would do; he seems to like it to push his limits.
It's probably not a helpful review, but I think people should still read it.
But it's interesting and kind of dark. It shows a side of fame that we might suspect, but rarely is shown or talked about.
Franco definitely push it with this book, but I think that's why this book just sounds like something James Franco would do; he seems to like it to push his limits.
It's probably not a helpful review, but I think people should still read it.
anywiebs's review against another edition
3.0
This is the first of Franco's books I read and I like the idea and the format. Especially the chapters that feel like total word vomit where he's just saying what's on his mind stream of consciousness style. I also liked the idea of experimenting with different narrations and characters and not following a plot from beginning to end.
Nevertheless it feels a bit long and repetitive at some point and also constructed, especially in the chapters about The Actor.
I'm curious to read more of his books, and see where his writing goes.
I am more eloquent and elaborate in my video review of this book: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tya11J7OOfw
Nevertheless it feels a bit long and repetitive at some point and also constructed, especially in the chapters about The Actor.
I'm curious to read more of his books, and see where his writing goes.
I am more eloquent and elaborate in my video review of this book: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tya11J7OOfw
librarylapin's review against another edition
1.0
I was so disappointed by this book. I am a fan of James Franco's acting, namely his portrayal of Ginsberg, but one talent doesn't necessarily give way to another. This book was a joke on the reader, a con. The best I can hope for is that this was his version of performance art and he was critiquing everything he wrote in society. Either way he is putting out homophobic misogynistic writing into the universe and I have lost a lot of respect for him. I love memoirs and if he would have written one and called it that I would have had more sympathy for life experiences even though all of the "characters" in this book are horrible. There is nothing likable about any of them. The only female character is a girl who lost her virginity to James Franco and talks about how much she worships him. Aside from socially being a terrible book, it is also horribly written. It is a group of short stories that try to be meta by intertwining with the actors actual narrative. You are introduced with a character and then in the next chapter James is talking about James. The use of the character "THE ACTOR" is particularly egotistical with another character obsessing over living in his apartment and finding pieces of his journal. There is a random argument with a magazine thrown in the middle for no apparent reason. This book has no depth. The best part of the book was a snippet in which a professor tells one of the characters (I assuming Franco himself) how horrible the writing is and how the book has no rhyme or reason. He should have taken the advice.
By far the worst book I have read all year.
By far the worst book I have read all year.
susanreadstheworld's review against another edition
1.0
I can appreciate what he was trying to do here, but it just didn't work.
Before even buying this, I went to a book talk where he spoke a lot about what he was doing with the style and what ideas were behind the style and the structure, as well as what he was attempting in general. The talk was quite good and after it I was expecting something more well-developed, especially considering that he had teamed up with a pretty darned good editor to put this out.
He gets a B for idea and effort, but a D for execution.
Before even buying this, I went to a book talk where he spoke a lot about what he was doing with the style and what ideas were behind the style and the structure, as well as what he was attempting in general. The talk was quite good and after it I was expecting something more well-developed, especially considering that he had teamed up with a pretty darned good editor to put this out.
He gets a B for idea and effort, but a D for execution.