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spannydicer's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Murder
astronautic's review
4.0
Quickly becoming one of my favorite books of all time. Doesn't make much sense but the lively conversations and characters are so entertaining to me.
ylvasorli's review against another edition
3.0
When I started, I thought I would rate this higher...
I do like to know what's going on when I read a book, and in this case I was SO confused - the entire time. After reading reviews and "glamorama explained" I do understand more, but I'm still confused. I also felt that this book was 200 pages too long, as I almost dnf'd it around the halfway point. It's also difficult to know what's real and what's not as he is constantly taking drugs and drinking.
As far as the writing goes, I'm obsessed. BEE writes in a way that makes me both numb and emotional. And I love the overly heavy description of everything. Although I don't love when he lists 100 names in one sentence.
Questions I have: (spoilers)
- The chapter count: why was it split into 6 parts, each part having a count down? except for the last part who counted from 1-15?
- How did they find such good doubles?
- Why did his father need him out of the country? as far as I could see he didnt even want to see or talk with his dad?
- what's up with the film crews? what this all a movie?
- during the bombings Victor mentions that not all the flying body parts are real - so were the bombings real? or was all of this just movie sets that reflects upon the overly violent movies at the time?
I do like to know what's going on when I read a book, and in this case I was SO confused - the entire time. After reading reviews and "glamorama explained" I do understand more, but I'm still confused. I also felt that this book was 200 pages too long, as I almost dnf'd it around the halfway point. It's also difficult to know what's real and what's not as he is constantly taking drugs and drinking.
As far as the writing goes, I'm obsessed. BEE writes in a way that makes me both numb and emotional. And I love the overly heavy description of everything. Although I don't love when he lists 100 names in one sentence.
Questions I have: (spoilers)
- The chapter count: why was it split into 6 parts, each part having a count down? except for the last part who counted from 1-15?
- How did they find such good doubles?
- Why did his father need him out of the country? as far as I could see he didnt even want to see or talk with his dad?
- what's up with the film crews? what this all a movie?
- during the bombings Victor mentions that not all the flying body parts are real - so were the bombings real? or was all of this just movie sets that reflects upon the overly violent movies at the time?
ulyssesogre's review
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
xceline97's review
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
3.0
nicofic's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0
ellsoquent's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
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
hellale's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
adambwriter's review
4.0
Glamorama is a twisted, disgusting, brilliant parody of all that was the early-1990s. This book is Valley of the Dolls meets Naked Lunch meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers meets James Bond. Don't think the combination is possible? Think again. Ellis demonstrates a superb understanding of cultural critique and is creative enough to satirize with seriousness and hilarity simultaneously. If you can get through the first two hundred or so pages of idiotic dialogue (another stroke of narrative brilliance, really, but still hard to wade through), you will be rewarded. Mid-way through the novel, the story takes an unexpected and inexplicable turn. Truly, the twist is never reconciled within the novel and the reader is left feeling literally mind-fucked. No one is who they appear to be, no one works for whom they appear to work (sometimes the characters themselves don't even realize it). Everyone gets blown up, drugged out, beaten, sodomized, and the smell of feces permeates the latter portion of the story (which takes place in France - coincidence or another cultural critique?). I don't understand the confetti, I don't understand the camera crews or the many, many scripts - but am I supposed to? "The better you look, the more you see."