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kelbylakelin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-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? Yes
3.75
ilman002's review against another edition
3.0
American Psycho is a novel written by Bret Easton Ellis and published in 1991. Our narrator, Patrick Bateman, muses about contemporary music, designer clothes and Donald Trump. There is little to no surprise that Patrick Bateman is a Donald Trump stan. When he's not hanging out with his Wall Street buddies and making reservation in an expensive restaurant, he brutally murders people. Yes, this novel is extremely graphic. If you have seen the movie based on this book you can pretty much get a good idea on how graphic this book is. So, if you can't stomach graphic violence against women and animals, you should probably stay away from this book.
With all of that in mind, I have to say that I largely enjoyed this novel. Brett Easton Ellis offers an excellent satire on consumerism, capitalism and just contemporary living in the US. Additionally, he succeeds in presenting the mind of a complete psychopath. Patrick Bateman is a character that will stay with me for a long time. I have seen the movie, but the book is probably x10 more graphic than the film. Brett Easton Ellis doesn't offer any answers but he poses many questions by the end of this book. This book will make you think and quite frankly get sick about the contemporary white collar working environment.
I would recommend this book to the fans of horror and transgressive fiction. If you're interested in body horror and real life monsters, you will likely find this book appealing. If you enjoy first person narratives and an unreliable narrator, you will probably find this book interesting. Just keep in mind that it is extremely graphic and definitely not for everyone. Overall, I liked what this book set out to achieve, but I felt like it was missing something. 3.5 stars.
With all of that in mind, I have to say that I largely enjoyed this novel. Brett Easton Ellis offers an excellent satire on consumerism, capitalism and just contemporary living in the US. Additionally, he succeeds in presenting the mind of a complete psychopath. Patrick Bateman is a character that will stay with me for a long time. I have seen the movie, but the book is probably x10 more graphic than the film. Brett Easton Ellis doesn't offer any answers but he poses many questions by the end of this book. This book will make you think and quite frankly get sick about the contemporary white collar working environment.
I would recommend this book to the fans of horror and transgressive fiction. If you're interested in body horror and real life monsters, you will likely find this book appealing. If you enjoy first person narratives and an unreliable narrator, you will probably find this book interesting. Just keep in mind that it is extremely graphic and definitely not for everyone. Overall, I liked what this book set out to achieve, but I felt like it was missing something. 3.5 stars.
afterthegoldrushes's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
tense
medium-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? Yes
American Psycho is not a book that lends itself to a star-rating system. It's not an experience that can be summarised by numerical value. I can't exactly deduct points for being uncomfortable – you aren't meant to feel comfortable. It's repetitious because it's supposed to be. Flitting from Les Mis to the office to dinners with coworkers to bathroom stalls endlessly again and again and again. Timothy Price opens the novel and it closes with his reappearance. The cycle continues; the ouroboros swallows its own tail.
I can't say I didn't enjoy the novel and yet enjoy isn't really the right language. At times it was funny (Patrick almost sobbing over a social faux pas involving rum and pepsi) and at times I felt sick. But this can't be something to criticise when it's the entire point of the novel.
I can't say I didn't enjoy the novel and yet enjoy isn't really the right language. At times it was funny (Patrick almost sobbing over a social faux pas involving rum and pepsi) and at times I felt sick. But this can't be something to criticise when it's the entire point of the novel.
lunababybat's review against another edition
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
4.0
meganl1565's review against another edition
3.0
Modern day tinder suddenly seems all the more terrifying
svensilver's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
tense
fast-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
weiium's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
2.0
dashsharon's review against another edition
3.0
Although I liked this book, it was highly disturbing.
gmackie04's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is a really hard book to rate. If it was about how I view it as a piece of literary art then I’d probably give it a 4/5. It does a fantastic job at what it’s trying to achieve. The repetitive, shallow, fake, lazy and jumped up day to day activities of these Wall Street yuppies is perfectly displayed throughout the descriptions, plot, characters and particularly in the recurring motifs of characters referring to each other with the wrong name, caring a huge amount about the minutiae of what clothing matches, and not caring/mishearing Bateman when he says things about being murderous. The sex and violence are also incredibly vivid and grotesque. For all of this Brett Easton Ellis has done a great job.
However in terms of personal enjoyment I’d probably give the book closer to a 2/5. It can be incredibly repetitive and straight up boring for long bouts where the entire plot feels like lunch-dinner-drinks-club with the occasional murder of a homeless man or prostitute tossed in without much development. The incessant describing of every piece of clothing each character is wearing no matter how long they’re interacting with Bateman for also got pretty boring. But I can appreciate that things like that are largely down to my own lack of knowledge or interest in designer clothing or, for example, restaurants and bars in New York.
A caveat to that which was pretty funny was the section in which Bateman talked about working out and I knew exactly the companies and types of machinery he was talking about, was interested in the style of his workout and agreed with his opinion on forms of cardio. So maybe I would enjoy the book more if I could understand the more complex undertones of insanity I’ve heard are implied by the parts of it I’m not knowledgable on.
Finally the sex and violence made me seriously uncomfortable. I know that that’s the point but it’s so overly graphic and although i wouldn’t call myself a squeamish person it often made me want to put down the book.
The plot itself is pretty solid if a bit artsy. The development Bateman goes through is interesting if not quite nonlinear in a sometimes slightly jarring way.
However in terms of personal enjoyment I’d probably give the book closer to a 2/5. It can be incredibly repetitive and straight up boring for long bouts where the entire plot feels like lunch-dinner-drinks-club with the occasional murder of a homeless man or prostitute tossed in without much development. The incessant describing of every piece of clothing each character is wearing no matter how long they’re interacting with Bateman for also got pretty boring. But I can appreciate that things like that are largely down to my own lack of knowledge or interest in designer clothing or, for example, restaurants and bars in New York.
A caveat to that which was pretty funny was the section in which Bateman talked about working out and I knew exactly the companies and types of machinery he was talking about, was interested in the style of his workout and agreed with his opinion on forms of cardio. So maybe I would enjoy the book more if I could understand the more complex undertones of insanity I’ve heard are implied by the parts of it I’m not knowledgable on.
Finally the sex and violence made me seriously uncomfortable. I know that that’s the point but it’s so overly graphic and although i wouldn’t call myself a squeamish person it often made me want to put down the book.
The plot itself is pretty solid if a bit artsy. The development Bateman goes through is interesting if not quite nonlinear in a sometimes slightly jarring way.
milanrosa's review against another edition
4.0
Amerikaanse psycholoog. Verschrikkelijk, saai. Verschrikkelijk saai. In de woorden van Bret Easton Ellis zelf: “It’s just some boring novel.”