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3.05 AVERAGE
3.05 AVERAGE
Entertaining, but not quite up to par with what I expect from Palahniuk.
Disappointing.
Chuck Palahniuk gets a nod for creativity—I'll bet he's the first to pen a fiction book about the Oedipus complex using the background of hardcore porn—but, this one never quite gets off the ground. I felt like he kept relying on the same old tricks throughout the book to make me squirm (and, yes, there are lots of squirmy bits). And, even with the plot twist ... ... you never really care about the characters enough for it to matter who lives, who dies, or who's blood-related to whom.
Also: enough with the porn puns already! I felt sort of aggressively winked at all through the book, as though the author kept wanting me to say "Wow, Chuck, you are so clever! 'Sperms of Endearment'! Adorable! Ha ha ha!"
Chuck Palahniuk gets a nod for creativity—I'll bet he's the first to pen a fiction book about the Oedipus complex using the background of hardcore porn—but, this one never quite gets off the ground. I felt like he kept relying on the same old tricks throughout the book to make me squirm (and, yes, there are lots of squirmy bits). And, even with the plot twist ...
Spoiler
Shiela, neé Zelda Zonk, is the actual child!Also: enough with the porn puns already! I felt sort of aggressively winked at all through the book, as though the author kept wanting me to say "Wow, Chuck, you are so clever! 'Sperms of Endearment'! Adorable! Ha ha ha!"
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Chuck is one of my favorite authors but his last book, Rant, is one I couldn't even finish and have no desire to try and finish. So, once again, the helpful library came to my rescue! Why buy a hardcover if I'm not sure I'll even like it??
I liked it. It's typical Chuck, written in the same voice, using the same gross-out techniques he employs for just about every novel. But Snuff was more compelling and different enough from his previous books to keep me interested.
Snuff is based on a porn star, Cassie Wright, who is determined to set a world record of screwing 600 guys on film. She previously had a baby and gave it up for adoption and is planning, if she dies during the record setting, to give the baby the insurance money to make it set for life.
The main characters who we're giving a crap about are Sheila, the man wrangler and helpful assistant to Cassie. No. 72, the young kid who comes to the set bearing flowers and a secret. No. 600, washed up porn star who starred with Cassie in many films and is trying to make a comeback. And No. 137 (I think, I don't have the book with me, it's this or 127), a seemingly random young man who has a pretty sketchy background and reason for being part of the film.
There were several twists in this book that I expected and figured out, but then Chuck managed to turn all that on it's head (no pun intended).
This was a good Chuck book, although I'd still recommend Fight Club and Invisible Monsters before this.
I liked it. It's typical Chuck, written in the same voice, using the same gross-out techniques he employs for just about every novel. But Snuff was more compelling and different enough from his previous books to keep me interested.
Snuff is based on a porn star, Cassie Wright, who is determined to set a world record of screwing 600 guys on film. She previously had a baby and gave it up for adoption and is planning, if she dies during the record setting, to give the baby the insurance money to make it set for life.
The main characters who we're giving a crap about are Sheila, the man wrangler and helpful assistant to Cassie. No. 72, the young kid who comes to the set bearing flowers and a secret. No. 600, washed up porn star who starred with Cassie in many films and is trying to make a comeback. And No. 137 (I think, I don't have the book with me, it's this or 127), a seemingly random young man who has a pretty sketchy background and reason for being part of the film.
There were several twists in this book that I expected and figured out, but then Chuck managed to turn all that on it's head (no pun intended).
This was a good Chuck book, although I'd still recommend Fight Club and Invisible Monsters before this.
dark
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
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
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
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No