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isabellesbooks's review against another edition
I’m not joking when I say this is literally the worst book I have ever read in my entire life. It was required reading for a college course on the topic of happiness, and ironically, this brought me just the opposite. I started reading the first chapter of Taipei and knew right from the start that I couldn’t stand it—I bought the audiobook so that at least I wouldn’t have to read it with my own eyes (yes, I bought it twice and I’m not proud, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do). My dad and I share an Audible account, so he was like, hey, a free audiobook! It didn’t take long for him to ditch it and start ranting to me (trust me dad, I know—I had to read the entire thing). We were not fans, and neither was the majority of my class. It was actually agonizing for me to read. You might love this book if you can relate to being high on psychedelics every moment of every day, but other than that there’s barely any plot, lessons, or general appeal.
I feel so mean now. But I read this book years ago and it still evokes a rage in me that I can’t quite describe.
I feel so mean now. But I read this book years ago and it still evokes a rage in me that I can’t quite describe.
thayawar's review against another edition
2.0
Ugh at points I liked this a lot and enjoyed his long yet straightforward sentences, but most of the time this was boring and self indulgent to be honest.
storiesofsilva's review against another edition
1.0
DNF
Made it about 100 pages in and decided I didn't care about any of the characters or what they were doing, nor did the writing click with me. Very rare I give up on a book but this one just didn't do it for me.
Made it about 100 pages in and decided I didn't care about any of the characters or what they were doing, nor did the writing click with me. Very rare I give up on a book but this one just didn't do it for me.
monicalewinsky6969666420's review against another edition
3.0
okay this is a quick easy read and yes you are supposed to hate the narrator but tbh i did feel like a lot of the allegations against this author were true after reading this. This book is definitely a testament to the fact that we live in a post DFW literary world but the experimental prose partnered with an uncompelling and stereotypical plot made it just meh for me personally. What is intended to be accomplished narratively is accomplished but you're left at the end wondering, who cares?
emilycully's review against another edition
reflective
slow-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
3.0
oraclebykittie's review against another edition
4.0
reread. i like other works by him more but autofiction is autofiction is good. bumping from 3 to 4 out of spite bc the way people talk about tao lin is really disheartening. to me, the aspects of taipei that are difficult are what make it striking
carly276's review against another edition
1.0
This book is unreadable. The prose style is absolutely horrible and the main character is both inaccessible and unlikable. The sentences are unfailingly long, convoluted, and aggressively pretentious. As an example: "He listened to the layered murmur of wind against leaves, familiarly and gently disorienting as a terrestrial sound track, reminding people of their own lives, then opened his MacBook– sideways, like a hardcover book– and looked at the internet, lying on his side, with his right ear pressed into his pillow, as if, unable to return to sleep, at least in position to hear what, in his absence, might be happening there." It is all like that and therefore becomes incredibly monotonous and dull. There is very little plot, and what there is gets lost in the terrible writing style so that the pacing is awful and there is no reason to care about any of the characters or what is happening. A scene where the main character goes out for burritos with acquaintances is given the same treatment as a pivotal breakup and gives the impression of a robotic, uninteresting main character. Save yourself and skip this.
sangsara's review against another edition
I'm cutting my losses after 20 pages. Somewhat annoying and pointless.
sashosho's review against another edition
2.0
61/288 pages
I couldn't bring myself to finish it, and it's just not my style of writing. Perhaps it would be better as a short story.
I couldn't bring myself to finish it, and it's just not my style of writing. Perhaps it would be better as a short story.