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danakm's review
3.0
I enjoyed reading this book because it was extraordinarily well written. It was an experiment and a job well done. I wish I could give 3.5 stars. I liked it and want to be honest in my rating but the writing deserves more. I didn't give it something higher because it could be a bit confusing at times especially in the beginning and it didn't entrance me like books that I would give five stars to.
rogy's review against another edition
3.0
There is so much of this book that could have been good, but it just... wasn’t. The writing style was kind of annoying, but since it fit the character, I don’t think really think there is much you could do to fix it. Just about anything in bold or italics can be skipped over. It’s just name-dropping and animal sounds.
I also think Tell All could have been great if the energy from the second half had been present in the first half. I found the first 100 pages incredibly boring. Almost nothing was happening, and it didn’t seem worth reading or paying attention to. But once you figure out what’s going on, the energy shifts, and the story actually kind of held my interest.
Really though, the characters were doomed from the start. Kathie comes off as a codependent dumbass, whose problems could have been solved, or at least helped by attending regular therapy sessions, or even a better support system. She seems well aware that the people in her life view her as a product, something to be sold and consumed. But should I believe that she didn’t have anyone in her life trying to actually help her? Hazie’s story was pretty cool, but were her motivations for befriending Kathie, and eventually killing her simply to write a book in hopes of making money, and taking some of the fame she felt Kathie owed her? There’s not a single piece of her that maybe feels bad about hurting miss Kathie?
I used to love Palahniuk’s emotionless characters, but I think the story could have been strongly improved by some sort of emotional connection between the two women. Without emotions, the conflict is almost too simple. Hazie wants Kathie dead, and really the only thing stopping her is that Kathie wants to stay alive. It could have been fantastic if a real connection had formed, adding another layer to the conflict.
To summarize, Tell All could have been so much better than it was, and simultaneously so much worse. Character motivations make some sense, but not really enough sense to be relatable. Characters that appear to lack emotion can be fun to read, but emotion is kind of a necessary motive for an act like murder.
I also think Tell All could have been great if the energy from the second half had been present in the first half. I found the first 100 pages incredibly boring. Almost nothing was happening, and it didn’t seem worth reading or paying attention to. But once you figure out what’s going on, the energy shifts, and the story actually kind of held my interest.
Really though, the characters were doomed from the start. Kathie comes off as a codependent dumbass, whose problems could have been solved, or at least helped by attending regular therapy sessions, or even a better support system. She seems well aware that the people in her life view her as a product, something to be sold and consumed. But should I believe that she didn’t have anyone in her life trying to actually help her? Hazie’s story was pretty cool, but were her motivations for befriending Kathie, and eventually killing her simply to write a book in hopes of making money, and taking some of the fame she felt Kathie owed her? There’s not a single piece of her that maybe feels bad about hurting miss Kathie?
I used to love Palahniuk’s emotionless characters, but I think the story could have been strongly improved by some sort of emotional connection between the two women. Without emotions, the conflict is almost too simple. Hazie wants Kathie dead, and really the only thing stopping her is that Kathie wants to stay alive. It could have been fantastic if a real connection had formed, adding another layer to the conflict.
To summarize, Tell All could have been so much better than it was, and simultaneously so much worse. Character motivations make some sense, but not really enough sense to be relatable. Characters that appear to lack emotion can be fun to read, but emotion is kind of a necessary motive for an act like murder.
oldmansimms's review against another edition
3.0
After all the negative reviews, I expected much worse out of this book. But I thought it was ... fine. Is it Palahniuk's best? Of course not. But is it worse than something like Diary, or Damned? Nope (although it's been a while since I read Diary; maybe it was better than I remember). If nothing else, it's short, quick, and has one really great idea to redeem it -- the "mirror of Dorian Gray" that the narrator character creates for the actress character, etching blemishes and wrinkles into the glass before they are removed by plastic surgery, to maintain a record of her "true" face.
leighanneslit's review against another edition
3.0
My relationship with Palahniuk is much the same as it is with Clive Barker: love or hate, there isn't much in between.
I read this book because I wanted to read the lowest rated books that I owned on Goodreads, and this was one of them. I tried going in with an open mind, but I was pretty convinced that it was going to suck. I was pleasantly surprised.
It takes a moment for the story to get going and at the beginning it just feels like this homage to old Hollywood and he just name drops old Hollywood stars over and over and you're left thinking "What is the point here?" but it finds its way and I really thought it was really well done. It's super short and easy to get through. It's entertaining but not too deep. Solid 3 stars, I would recommend it to a friend.
I read this book because I wanted to read the lowest rated books that I owned on Goodreads, and this was one of them. I tried going in with an open mind, but I was pretty convinced that it was going to suck. I was pleasantly surprised.
It takes a moment for the story to get going and at the beginning it just feels like this homage to old Hollywood and he just name drops old Hollywood stars over and over and you're left thinking "What is the point here?" but it finds its way and I really thought it was really well done. It's super short and easy to get through. It's entertaining but not too deep. Solid 3 stars, I would recommend it to a friend.
babybabayaga's review against another edition
2.0
I gave Chucky P the benefit of the doubt, despite hearing the dreadful reviews of Pygmy. I wish I hadn't bothered to spend the $25, or at least gone to the library instead. The book was completely predictable and formulaic: Take a person, throw in some devious scheming paired with a dark subject matter, add a character who isn't who they appear to be and will ultimately turn against the "protagonist," and have at least one character die. The best part of the entire story was the very last page, and I guess what you would call a "plot twist." At least it was a short read.
rhiannatherad's review against another edition
1.0
I don't know which was worse, this or Pygmy. Terrible.
losethegirl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Listen. I get why this book has awful reviews. I really do. There was undoubtedly more style than substance, but the style alone was worth reading for
dommdy's review against another edition
2.0
Not what I expected from this author, kind of boring, straight forward Hollywood story. Yawn.
sofm's review against another edition
3.0
This book has terrible ratings so I went in expecting the worst….and it wasn’t!! But it also wasn’t the best. It read more like a short story which I enjoyed but I wasn’t super mind blown by the ending.
It was just all right.
It was just all right.