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A review by disco_spider
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Fear and Loathing is a quick read that dumps you into a tempest of “dope culture”. Now that the 70s were fifty years ago the pressing cultural commentary feels lost but still relevant. Thompson seems to be offering an obituary of the 1960s counterculture in America. His own attempts to report on events in Vegas while deeply under the influence of a cacophony of drugs allow him to ironically comment on all that is well - or deeply unwell - with America as it marches into the age of Nixon.
The book is both disturbing but funny. Uncomfortable yet enticing. It would probably take someone “unhip” like me a couple reads to glean all of the levels of meaning Thompson has weaves throughout his wild tale. The glowing reviews plastered on the cover and in the introduction seem to be missing something now that we are in the 2020s. Younger readers need a bit of context to make this book truly stick. However it has a life of its own and can be appreciated in different seasons of the life of a reader. Teens will find the wild and sinful exploits to be edgy. Young adults may start to appreciate the cultural commentary drenched in irony. More seasoned readers may connect with the deep cynicism and absurdism that life seems to hold around every turn.
Definitely a wild tale that all American readers should take a stab at if you want to connect with the fallout of the 1960s and why America is what it is today.
The book is both disturbing but funny. Uncomfortable yet enticing. It would probably take someone “unhip” like me a couple reads to glean all of the levels of meaning Thompson has weaves throughout his wild tale. The glowing reviews plastered on the cover and in the introduction seem to be missing something now that we are in the 2020s. Younger readers need a bit of context to make this book truly stick. However it has a life of its own and can be appreciated in different seasons of the life of a reader. Teens will find the wild and sinful exploits to be edgy. Young adults may start to appreciate the cultural commentary drenched in irony. More seasoned readers may connect with the deep cynicism and absurdism that life seems to hold around every turn.
Definitely a wild tale that all American readers should take a stab at if you want to connect with the fallout of the 1960s and why America is what it is today.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Rape