Reviews

Cocaine Nights by J.G. Ballard

lealax's review against another edition

2.5

Dumb protagonist, unconvincing character trajectory

mollyyelon's review against another edition

4.0

Another Ballard hit!!! Took me long to read, but not because it was boring or anything.

georgilini's review against another edition

4.0

This is a good detective type story - it has a compelling mystery and lots of twists. Lovely commentary on brits who retire abroad.

koranmc's review against another edition

1.0

This is the first book by J.G. Ballard I have read, and probably the last. I was suprised by the dire quality of the writing from such a respected author, it's cliched and full of some of the clumsiest similes I have ever read. The characters are one dimensional and unbelievable and the dystopian 'leisure-world' depicted and indeed the whole premise of the novel are a stretch. Its been a long while since I've read a book I've found as fundamentally disagreeable as this one.

struwos's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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

ant_bateman's review against another edition

mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

joshualenzo_'s review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.25

dig2deep's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The central conceit felt sort of obvious and like a lesser version of Crash. This is only my third Ballard so maybe that's just his formula. The prose, especially in the opening chapters, is incredibly beautiful. I found it very hard to care about all these rich Brits and whether or not they were doing aerobics classes, so Crawford's "mission" just came off as foolish. Personally, I need more grime in my transgression.

krystofsubr's review against another edition

4.0

"I understand...vaguely. What’s the subject of these films?"
"Life in the Residencia. What else? There’s a kind of amnesia at work here - an amnesia of self. People literally forget who they are. The camera lens needs to be their memory."

kingtoad's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-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

2.5