Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

129 reviews

paperback_sam's review against another edition

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dark 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

2.75


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odderikat's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense 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

1.0

So graphic and gory it was hard to read. It was like staring into the eyes of commercial, corporate America while it tries to eat you alive. 

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edelstein's review against another edition

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dark funny slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Ellis has a colorful command of language, especially when it comes to the description of mutilated bodies, much to the displeasure of my stomach. As the novel went on I would spend more time scanning through pages with a grimace on my face as he described
the charred, oozing, grafted, gaping holes of the corpses left in Bateman's wake
.  The violence bordered on gratuitous at times but in the world Ellis paints it was never out of place.

The book delivered it's core message well, but was willing to sacrifice the reader's enjoyment for this. No character entered a scene without a handful of paragraphs describing their type of cuffs, tie, coat, the way it was set, and the brands it hailed from, emphasizing Bateman's worldview. Long after the message was delivered, this pattern stayed strong. For the entire novel. It was effective, but again, a  prime culprit of what dragged this novel out to near 400 pages.

All in all, to see where the movie adaptation drew from adds a lot to the viewing experience, but not enough to recommend this to others.

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eg_demps's review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-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

3.5


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ahrya's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-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

3.75

Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho is a psychological thriller commenting and criticising the 1980s specifically yuppie culture and consumerism. However, even tho Ellis is critiquing on consumerism; this book is not for everyone. This is showcased with dark and graphic scenes of gratuitous violence and sex, racism, rape, and more. There is a relentless violence against women at which it is hard to continuously read through. Apart from the disturbing acts of violence against women, I did enjoy the book in terms of reading through the perspective of Patrick Bateman (the protagonist but more like antagonist) even if it is all fucked up. He is narcissistic, self-consumed, and it makes you wonder how dangerous these types of men are in society. 

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sheila_the_glasser's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense slow-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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porporina's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny slow-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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darwynne's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Disturbing, but necessary. Makes you reflect on real life examples of Patrick Bateman and where they could be (closer than you may think), giving you a very introspective insight into the mind of a psycho in power, made all the more disturbing by others’ lack of care towards the visible red flags throughout the novel.

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readyfordeath151's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-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

5.0

This book was a very hard but rewarding read for me. I loved the social commentary throughout the book, I thought it was done well. Definitely check the content warnings because like I said this is a rough book but overall I had a good experience reading it.

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outbeet's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense 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

1.0


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