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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
I just couldn't get into it. Got to pg 40. Didn't like the first 3 stories at all, Zombie was ok and then I quit. I used to like his books but not impressed with the newer stuff.
I’m biased, Chuck is my favorite author, but I really enjoyed this one. I got everything I look for in a Palahniuk novel: I was grossed out, I made faces, I was amused, and I wanted to keep reading. There were a few slow stories, but I think any fan of his work would find a little of what they like in this book.
I read this one because it was one of the most frequently challenged/banned books of 2016. I didn't like it because, to me, the stories were either kinda boring or just too gross. For now some of the stories will certainly feel like I can't "unread" them, but that'll go away soon enough. If you like Chuck Palahniuk's writing then you'll probably enjoy at least most of the stories. It can get reaaaaalllllly gross with the descriptions, so I see why it's been challenged BUT it's clearly an adult fiction novel (even though teens star in a few of the stories). Why do people care what other adults read? And personally I felt this one of his wasn't anymore explicit that some of his other books.
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Very Interesting short stories, some are very weird but pulled you, a very fun and interesting read
slow-paced
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
You’re not going to like every single story with the same enthusiasm in a book of short stories 99% of the time so if you go in thinking every single one of these stories is going to be great you will set yourself up for some level of disappointment.
I did like 85% of these stories. Some of there were pretty grisly and left me feeling like they were done as a pure shock factor more than anything.
The Toad Prince had me feeling actually like I was going to be sick and hoping that I didn’t read too deep and actually imagine anything that was happening. Just thinking about the story has me feeling queasy with disgust.
Folklore, Romance, and Mister Elegant were some of my favorites from this book. Mister Elegant is about a male stripper in a knock off Chippendales costume and the struggle of timing and being the best performer. Of course there is a twist and you're left feeling slightly embarrassed for the main character but that's half the fun.
I did like 85% of these stories. Some of there were pretty grisly and left me feeling like they were done as a pure shock factor more than anything.
The Toad Prince had me feeling actually like I was going to be sick and hoping that I didn’t read too deep and actually imagine anything that was happening. Just thinking about the story has me feeling queasy with disgust.
Folklore, Romance, and Mister Elegant were some of my favorites from this book. Mister Elegant is about a male stripper in a knock off Chippendales costume and the struggle of timing and being the best performer. Of course there is a twist and you're left feeling slightly embarrassed for the main character but that's half the fun.
I must admit to flipping through most of the stories in this volume past the first three. I can really only review one, with any sort of knowledge or intelligence, because I just didn’t care for any of the others, so I’ll review Zombies and leave it at that.
Zombies was a terrific story! I wish a YA writer would have come up with this idea and written a novel, because that’s a novel I’d like to read. There is an epidemic of sorts among the teens of the United States. When they become overwhelmed with life, and let’s be honest, what teen hasn’t at some point, they check out by zapping their temples with the defibrilators found in emergency AED kits.
What an amazing basis for a story. They don’t commit suicide, they just give themselves this permanent, mental vacation knowing they may not remember their name or how to use the toilet, but they will still be alive. They will need to be cared for the rest of their lives, but that’s no skin off their nose.
I think this is a terrific allegory for a lot of youth today. Never have there been as many adults living with their parents indefinitely. Career college students. Deadbeat dads. Absentee, young moms. It’s ridiculous. Yes, being an adult in today’s society is hard. You can’t make more than minimum wage without college degrees, housing is out of this world, both parents have to work to have any hope of ends meeting, etc., etc., etc. You can’t live on minimum wage. Not even in squalor, but this doesn’t excuse the despondency of youth of today. They need a wake up call.
I love how Palahniuk treats the subject and presents it in such a matter of fact voice. Why, oh why, couldn’t he have done that will all the stories here? Too many of these installments felt “gimicky” and forced. I know that Palahniuk uses shock as a story telling tool, and I’m ok with that, but even the first story, which is a sad remembrance of a young man losing his father was just too much. Shock I can handle. Profanity I can handle. I can even handle racism when it’s handled in a realistic way, but this was simply too much.
I think I will be leaving good old Chuck on the shelf for a while now. I have been disappointed by him too many times in the recent past to give him a fair chance anytime soon.
Zombies was a terrific story! I wish a YA writer would have come up with this idea and written a novel, because that’s a novel I’d like to read. There is an epidemic of sorts among the teens of the United States. When they become overwhelmed with life, and let’s be honest, what teen hasn’t at some point, they check out by zapping their temples with the defibrilators found in emergency AED kits.
What an amazing basis for a story. They don’t commit suicide, they just give themselves this permanent, mental vacation knowing they may not remember their name or how to use the toilet, but they will still be alive. They will need to be cared for the rest of their lives, but that’s no skin off their nose.
I think this is a terrific allegory for a lot of youth today. Never have there been as many adults living with their parents indefinitely. Career college students. Deadbeat dads. Absentee, young moms. It’s ridiculous. Yes, being an adult in today’s society is hard. You can’t make more than minimum wage without college degrees, housing is out of this world, both parents have to work to have any hope of ends meeting, etc., etc., etc. You can’t live on minimum wage. Not even in squalor, but this doesn’t excuse the despondency of youth of today. They need a wake up call.
I love how Palahniuk treats the subject and presents it in such a matter of fact voice. Why, oh why, couldn’t he have done that will all the stories here? Too many of these installments felt “gimicky” and forced. I know that Palahniuk uses shock as a story telling tool, and I’m ok with that, but even the first story, which is a sad remembrance of a young man losing his father was just too much. Shock I can handle. Profanity I can handle. I can even handle racism when it’s handled in a realistic way, but this was simply too much.
I think I will be leaving good old Chuck on the shelf for a while now. I have been disappointed by him too many times in the recent past to give him a fair chance anytime soon.