Reviews

I picked up Fight Club out of curiosity as to what all the fuss is about, I have never seen the film.
I was mostly surprised by how little fighting there is, I'm not sure if the film has more or if I have just formed a false impression of it.
The twist of Tyler and the narrator being the same person was quite obvious from the first time he says "I know this because Tyler knows this" on the second page, however it is possible that I have heard it somewhere before and forgotten which is why it came so quickly to my head.
I don't think it was a particularly good book and it was mostly senseless and the plot was incredibly unrealistic but I do think it's clear from the afterword that Palahniuk was never planning to write a deep insightful masterpiece and was instead just playing with the form of writing which is fair enough.
Overall it was far less boring than I thought it would be.

cautionarytale_'s review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

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

5.0

liormaleficent's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.5

saintsunshine's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

In my early notes of the novel, I wrote that Fight Club is mainly concerned with its protagonist's search for meaning and intimacy, and I stand by that. If anything, the novel's big reveal serves to better illustrate the catastrophic failures in that pursuit. Even in his surrealist style, Palahniuk explores toxic masculinity in such an engaging way – sparking a conversation that is just as relevant today as when it was published (of not more so). I think it's a book that rewards a reread, and I'll be eager to return to it someday!

books_n_bananas's review against another edition

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5.0

Unfortunately, I saw the movie over a decade ago so I already was aware of the major plot twist of this book, but I wish I hadn't because it was so well done.
Despite knowing the ending, I loved every minute of it...
"Fight Club" is an easy read that is so in essence, Palahniuk. The detachment.. the nihilism.. the subtle brutality.. the question of identity.. it's all there.

I genuinely wish I hadn't seen the movie so I could come at this book with a blank slate.
But it's just so quotable. So iconic. It's hard not to enjoy it despite knowing where it was going and picturing Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter the whole way through (by the way, top notch casting David Fincher).

Not my most accurate review, I'm sure, but I was biased from the beginning.. what can I say? It's Brad Pitt.

susannameusel's review against another edition

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medium-paced

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

5.0

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