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2.59 AVERAGE
2.59 AVERAGE
I read this book a while ago and thought it was okay. I'm surprised to see it as a movie... it appears they changed things a bit and gave it an entirely different tone than I remember. At any rate, I read it. And it was only okay.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
I was surprised by this book, which reminded me of a Bret Easton Ellis/Palahniuk love child, but which was very different from the 2009 film.
See my vlog about it at: http://hawthornescarlet.blogspot.com
See my vlog about it at: http://hawthornescarlet.blogspot.com
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There was absolutely no point to this book. I went in with low expectations based on the reviews on goodreads, and unfortunately I still had to force myself to finish this book. thankfully I bought this book in the clearance section at Half Priced Books. I watched the movie as people were a fan of it when it came out. This is one of those the movie was better than the book, but in this case only slightly better. I would. ot recommended this book or movie.
DNF @ 14%
Read for April 2021 Book Covered Book Club, created and hosted by Caitlin/The Lit Review
Just gonna be a no from me. I was dreading picking this book up and just couldn't bring myself to read it. Gonna call it a day and get it out of my life.
In the small amount I read, there's no real plot and it's honestly a pretty boring start.
Read for April 2021 Book Covered Book Club, created and hosted by Caitlin/The Lit Review
Just gonna be a no from me. I was dreading picking this book up and just couldn't bring myself to read it. Gonna call it a day and get it out of my life.
In the small amount I read, there's no real plot and it's honestly a pretty boring start.
Possibly ruined the movie for me. Did not finish. Ryan Bingham is a smug bore who, by his own admission, forces the people sitting next to him on flights to talk to him - this really was not a male voice that needed to be immortalized, before or after 9/11.
Within a few months of its publication, Walter Kirn's "Up in the Air" became a relic when 9/11 happened. Its vision of airlines and airports almost seems quaint. Unfortunately, it's almost impossible to read the novel without the spectre of 9/11 looming over it. The itinerary for Ryan Bingham, the novel's hero and narrator, even encompasses that fated day.
Even with that, though, it is still an enjoyable and entertaining enough read. Its ideas about capitalism and the insatiable appetite for accumulation is well-rendered if not thoroughly new. What Kirn does best is depicting the pathos of Ryan Bingham's existence. What could have been an off-putting hero is instead an empathetic and ultimately virtuous human being who learns to ground himself--literally.
Even with that, though, it is still an enjoyable and entertaining enough read. Its ideas about capitalism and the insatiable appetite for accumulation is well-rendered if not thoroughly new. What Kirn does best is depicting the pathos of Ryan Bingham's existence. What could have been an off-putting hero is instead an empathetic and ultimately virtuous human being who learns to ground himself--literally.
Zero stars if I could. Film is incredible but LOOSELY based on this book.
This is one of those rare instances where a movie adaptation is better than the novel. The movie doesn't have a whole lot in common with this book, however, the director, Jason Reitman takes Walter Kirn's shambling, no-direction, and plot-lacking novel and turns it into a wonderful film. I'm usually a fan of novels that deal with man's isolationism, however this one was a struggle to get through and keep interested.