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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
I liked most of the stories.
Some were weird… weirder than I was expecting
Some were weird… weirder than I was expecting
I read half and couldn't finish it--probably shouldn't have tried to read the stories straight thru. A little goes a long way. Some of the stories had humorous social critique with an edge, but they start to blur and seem like juvenile attempts to shock. Some were just gross and left me asking why--just because you can write it doesn't mean it has value. So, as usual, Chuck P is someone whose work either works for me or doesn't, but no doubt has its fans.
I attempted to read this but this is the first time I'm marking something I "Did Not Finish." This tries way too hard to be edgy and was just downright offensive. There are a slew of racist, homophobic, anti-Semitic remarks. There's rape jokes and just derogatory comments about women in general. Please don't try to tell me I "just don't get the joke". I do and it's not funny at all.
I was actually a fan of his before this but after this mess, I really don't know.
I was actually a fan of his before this but after this mess, I really don't know.
The truth is that the subtitle says undeniably the true, at the end of some of these stories I would have gone back in time and deleted what I just read. Some of these tales are obscene, not in the sexual sense of the term, they are scary, they are disgusting, and most of all I wondered how could he just thought about a story like that. The answer is not there, or at least I do not have it, but in short, even when the other book of stories was out I had promised myself to read only his novels, but I forgot, I really have to remember it for the next time.
La veritá é che il sottotitolo dice innegabilmente il vero, alla fine di alcune di queste storie avrei fatto volentieri rewind e cancellato quanto letto fino a quel momento. Alcuni questi racconti sono osceni, nel senso non sessuale del termine, mettono paura, fanno senso e soprattutto mi sono chiesta piú colte come potesse essergli potuto venire in mente. La risposta non c'é o quanto meno non ce l'ho io, ma insomma, anche in occasione degli altri racconti mi ero ripromessa di leggere solo i romanzi, devo assolutamente ricordarmelo per la prossima volta.
La veritá é che il sottotitolo dice innegabilmente il vero, alla fine di alcune di queste storie avrei fatto volentieri rewind e cancellato quanto letto fino a quel momento. Alcuni questi racconti sono osceni, nel senso non sessuale del termine, mettono paura, fanno senso e soprattutto mi sono chiesta piú colte come potesse essergli potuto venire in mente. La risposta non c'é o quanto meno non ce l'ho io, ma insomma, anche in occasione degli altri racconti mi ero ripromessa di leggere solo i romanzi, devo assolutamente ricordarmelo per la prossima volta.
It always takes me a long time to work through a Chuck Palahniuk novel. He writes trainwreck stories - horrifying, but I can't really turn away, even when I want to stop reading. This is a collection of short stories and it is par for the course on what I expect from Palahniuk. He has a certain way of making the most mundane activities sad and depressing. Reading his stories also opens my eyes to some of the oddities of everyday life.
I felt all of the normal feelings I feel reading him while reading this book. Fun fact: he is one of the only authors I have read where I have actually felt physically ill due to revulsion multiple times across different books. There are humorous moments, sad, tragic moments, and he doesn't hold back on the shock value gross out moments.
So, why do I read and enjoy him? He has a unique perspective. At times it can feel immature, at times utterly brilliant. He makes me uncomfortable - sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a bad way. He makes me think. He gets under my skin and his writing lingers with me. As I said earlier, he can take a completely normal situation and turn it into something completely different and unusual. He is a good writer.
Chuck Palahniuk is not for everyone. Hell, he is one of my favorite writers, and sometimes, he isn't even for me. Some of his most recent books feel like echoes of older works, and there is a bit of borrowing in these stories (I noticed several Fight Club references, some more subtle than others), but, there is undeniable talent and a spectacular ability to tell a story in his writing.
I felt all of the normal feelings I feel reading him while reading this book. Fun fact: he is one of the only authors I have read where I have actually felt physically ill due to revulsion multiple times across different books. There are humorous moments, sad, tragic moments, and he doesn't hold back on the shock value gross out moments.
So, why do I read and enjoy him? He has a unique perspective. At times it can feel immature, at times utterly brilliant. He makes me uncomfortable - sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a bad way. He makes me think. He gets under my skin and his writing lingers with me. As I said earlier, he can take a completely normal situation and turn it into something completely different and unusual. He is a good writer.
Chuck Palahniuk is not for everyone. Hell, he is one of my favorite writers, and sometimes, he isn't even for me. Some of his most recent books feel like echoes of older works, and there is a bit of borrowing in these stories (I noticed several Fight Club references, some more subtle than others), but, there is undeniable talent and a spectacular ability to tell a story in his writing.
Inclinations, Red Sultan's Big Boy, and Fetch are the stories I like best, but the rest left me kind of lukewarm. Some were really gross, but not great. Cannibal almost made me puke, though, so that counts for something.
Well, I did it again. I saw a new Palahniuk and thought, "I've liked some of his stuff. I'll give this one a go." And then almost immediately I'm reminded why I regret that decision every time. There are a couple of interesting stories in here but ultimately it's the same shock for the sake of shock crap with a heavy handed twist. There's the one that's pretty much Mr. Hands, there's the one that's pretty much a take on an Arrested Development sub-plot, there's the one that's pretty much Dead Girl. I just don't care anymore.
Palahniuk's writing reminds me of a kid who learns swears for the first time and repeats them ad nauseum until you want to teach them new ones just so they can move on with their lives.
2 stars because, like I said, a couple of the stories are worth reading.
Palahniuk's writing reminds me of a kid who learns swears for the first time and repeats them ad nauseum until you want to teach them new ones just so they can move on with their lives.
2 stars because, like I said, a couple of the stories are worth reading.
You really can’t unread these stories. I’m questioning why anyone would want to read them in the first place. Many of them just seem to be offensive for the shock value alone. Definitely ranks among the worst of the worst in my lifetime reading list.
Some good stories; better reads than the novels, but there's nothing new here...
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A