oakleighsawyer's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rachel_jozie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
*I'm not going to give you the 'what this book is about' blurb - you can read that elsewhere.
1. My very first Lee! I will be back for more, obviously. Especially since we're reading #LeeIn23
2. I felt kinda terrible laughing during this book because it is so incredibly depraved, but the vernacular used had me absolutely CACKLING at points. It's so very good. Maybe a bit stereotypical, but then again, maybe not.
3. Dicky reminded me of Lennie from 'Of Mice and Men' and it tugged at my heartstrings. I know that he does some really bad stuff, but he seems a little slow and like he's completely being taken advantage of. Poor Dicky.
4. There are some GREAT insults in this book. Really made me want to expand my insult vocabulary.
5. Father Alexander is one of my favorite characters I've read in a while. Which was weird since he's a religious man and I typically don't like those characters at all. Maybe because he's real and down to earth. Flawed. Yeah, it's probably that he's flawed. Lee did him dirty though. I'm a little mad about that.
6. I enjoyed Lee's portrayal of Jesus. It reminded me of the way Russell Holbrook wrote Jesus in Swan Dong and it felt just about perfect.
1. My very first Lee! I will be back for more, obviously. Especially since we're reading #LeeIn23
2. I felt kinda terrible laughing during this book because it is so incredibly depraved, but the vernacular used had me absolutely CACKLING at points. It's so very good. Maybe a bit stereotypical, but then again, maybe not.
3. Dicky reminded me of Lennie from 'Of Mice and Men' and it tugged at my heartstrings. I know that he does some really bad stuff, but he seems a little slow and like he's completely being taken advantage of. Poor Dicky.
4. There are some GREAT insults in this book. Really made me want to expand my insult vocabulary.
5. Father Alexander is one of my favorite characters I've read in a while. Which was weird since he's a religious man and I typically don't like those characters at all. Maybe because he's real and down to earth. Flawed. Yeah, it's probably that he's flawed. Lee did him dirty though. I'm a little mad about that.
6. I enjoyed Lee's portrayal of Jesus. It reminded me of the way Russell Holbrook wrote Jesus in Swan Dong and it felt just about perfect.
magpie_666's review against another edition
2.0
I'm not adverse to books like this at all, but they need a story to keep the reader engaged. Just being constantly grim makes the reader desensitised too quickly and the book becomes boring quickly.
I'm sure this was two separate stories at one point. The Bighead story and the abbey story.
It was hilarious at the end though and really made me laugh. Absolute nonsense.
It reminded me of a Leicester saying "It was like chucking a sausage up Charles Street."
I think I have another Lee book on my TBR so I'll have to give it a try.
I'd only really recommend this to people who are looking for a gross out that don't want a story. But most people who like these books will be bored by the constant herang of grossness quite quickly
I'm sure this was two separate stories at one point. The Bighead story and the abbey story.
It was hilarious at the end though and really made me laugh. Absolute nonsense.
It reminded me of a Leicester saying "It was like chucking a sausage up Charles Street."
I think I have another Lee book on my TBR so I'll have to give it a try.
I'd only really recommend this to people who are looking for a gross out that don't want a story. But most people who like these books will be bored by the constant herang of grossness quite quickly
gls_merch's review against another edition
3.5
Just pages into reading The Bighead, Edward Lee punches you in the face with unspeakable acts of sex and violence. For many, that will be enough excuse to never open the pages again. For those who press onwards, you will encounter a novel in the gothic horror tradition. The female heroines arrives in a remote location complete with an abandoned abbey (covered up by the Catholic church) and a local legend about a man-child monster with a watermelon-sized noggin. Punctuated with numerous scenes of the grotesque, the multiple storylines culminate in a manic supernatural conclusion. By the end, I had chuckle as I came to the realization that Mr. Lee clearly had his tongue firmly planted in cheek the whole time.
shawn_of_the_read's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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
briarrabbit4293's review against another edition
dark
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Murder, Incest, Gore, Excrement, Drug use, Death, Child abuse, Cannibalism, Body horror, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Vomit, Torture, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Rape
kelli312's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to see what the splatterpunk genre was all about and, uh, now I know. The depravity of this book frequently made me want to abandon it altogether, but the oddly compelling (and certainly well-written) story made me stick with it, essentially peeking through my fingers to see what could possibly happen next (the answer was always absurdly extreme gore and/or sex). Also this book was set not far from where I live, so that was pretty surreal.
stephanieluxton's review against another edition
2.0
I tried to read this book a few times, but failed as my stomach wasn't strong enough, and i think i have a pretty damn strong stomach for a 17 year old girl :) Well i sucked it up and finally read it. Imagine the worst possible things that a human can do to another human. Ten bucks says it happens i this novel. It was pretty gnarly but the story was interesting. I really liked Father Alexander and Goop Gooder. The Bighead himself was...interesting. Also i found aunt Annie and charity to be likeable. I really liked Jerrica at first, but my oppinion changed a bit. I HATED Dicky and Balls. I felt like they werent important at all except to gross me out. This was overall an interesting and suspenseful story, but it wasn't my favorite of Edward Lee's novels. If you havent read any of his books before. Do NOT start with this one.
buzzard's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
0.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Excrement, Blood, Child abuse, Gore, Incest, Murder, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Cannibalism, Child death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Alcohol, Addiction, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Drug use, Infidelity, and Racism