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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.
invisiblemonster's review against another edition
2.0
I’ve forgotten how bad this is, but even the worst isn’t terrible. It’s just boring and overwrought for zero reason at all. Let’s move on.
crispymerola's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
This looks to be Chuck's worst-reviewed book, and I get it, on first glance.
All the elements that make Chuck's writing a breeze to read are here, but Tell-All cannot be blitzed through. Its screenplay-esque format requires the reader to slow down and visualize what's being written in a way that's very foreign to the typical experience of reading Chuck's work.
So yeah, I can see why fans don't know what to make of this.
I enjoyed it quite a bit, once I capitulated to the reading experience. The characters in here are even more outlandish than Chuck's typical fare, but being that it's Hollywood, he really gets away with it. Not to mention, by the end of the story I left with a firm empathy for and understanding of the protagonist's decisions.
This isn't the twistiest book, it doesn't evolve before our eyes like, say, Diary or Rant. It really commits to a few conceits - the bombastic descriptions of foiled assassination plots, the myriad screenplays starring Kenton as so-and-so, the flashbacks to Kenton's various failed marriages. These elements were always entertaining, but I didn't find that the book escalated in a satisfying way. The climax and final twist arrived somewhat arbitrarily, as if Chuck decided "that's enough fun for one day," and closed the book.
The name-dropping choruses were pretty grating. I get that Hollywood people do this, but that doesn't mean it's a worthwhile addition to literally every single page. The screenplay format feels substantially more justified, and we get way more mileage out of it in the story.
Despite the overpowering formal decisions here, I find this to be one of Chuck's subtlest stories.
All the elements that make Chuck's writing a breeze to read are here, but Tell-All cannot be blitzed through. Its screenplay-esque format requires the reader to slow down and visualize what's being written in a way that's very foreign to the typical experience of reading Chuck's work.
So yeah, I can see why fans don't know what to make of this.
I enjoyed it quite a bit, once I capitulated to the reading experience. The characters in here are even more outlandish than Chuck's typical fare, but being that it's Hollywood, he really gets away with it. Not to mention, by the end of the story I left with a firm empathy for and understanding of the protagonist's decisions.
This isn't the twistiest book, it doesn't evolve before our eyes like, say, Diary or Rant. It really commits to a few conceits - the bombastic descriptions of foiled assassination plots, the myriad screenplays starring Kenton as so-and-so, the flashbacks to Kenton's various failed marriages. These elements were always entertaining, but I didn't find that the book escalated in a satisfying way. The climax and final twist arrived somewhat arbitrarily, as if Chuck decided "that's enough fun for one day," and closed the book.
The name-dropping choruses were pretty grating. I get that Hollywood people do this, but that doesn't mean it's a worthwhile addition to literally every single page. The screenplay format feels substantially more justified, and we get way more mileage out of it in the story.
Despite the overpowering formal decisions here, I find this to be one of Chuck's subtlest stories.
lindsaywhat'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? Yes
bananafreckles's review against another edition
1.0
This one was a disappointment to me. It didn't flow well, and the ending didn't surprise me at all, which is something I could usually bet on when it comes to Palahniuk. Tell-All just fell very, very flat.
katjdent's review against another edition
3.0
This book is indubitably Chuck Palahniuk. Funny, clever, vaguely deep, with the addition of a handful of disgusting sex scenes (which I love).
The plot, too, is classic Chuck. Dark, threatening, funny, ridiculous. But is also a bit unoriginal, for him.
Unfortunately, this book is so rife with cultural references, I couldn't understand half of it. Which is probably intentional.
I can't hate the book.. but I also can't really like it. I don't regret reading it, not with brilliant line like
“His saliva tasted like the wet dicks of ten thousand lonely truck drivers.”
and “The moment the world declares a person to be immortal, at that moment the person will strive to prove the world wrong”
Still, I maybe should have picked Doomed up instead.
The plot, too, is classic Chuck. Dark, threatening, funny, ridiculous. But is also a bit unoriginal, for him.
Unfortunately, this book is so rife with cultural references, I couldn't understand half of it. Which is probably intentional.
I can't hate the book.. but I also can't really like it. I don't regret reading it, not with brilliant line like
“His saliva tasted like the wet dicks of ten thousand lonely truck drivers.”
and “The moment the world declares a person to be immortal, at that moment the person will strive to prove the world wrong”
Still, I maybe should have picked Doomed up instead.