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amessina3399's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Ummm...wow. I'm not even sure where to begin. For context, I've never seen the movie, and I thought 'what the hey, I should read the book first'. Surprisingly, somehow, I really enjoyed it. This book is a really interesting satire of consumerism and elitism in such a capitalistic place as NYC, while also being a fascinating stream-of-consciousness look at the mind of an incredibly mentally ill individual. As a book, the narrative voice is far more interesting and important than the actual plot itself. That being said, I knew that this book was going to be dark and gross, but I was not prepared for HOW dark and gross. Most of the book is fine, but there are a handful of chapters that are extremely descriptive in the gore, and horrifically 'creative'. I have a pretty strong stomach, and multiple times I needed to take breathers from chapters being too intense for me. *If you choose to read the book and want to try and dodge the worst of it, the chapters titled 'Girl' or 'Girls' contain the worst of the worst*. Other than that, I thought it was a brilliant read and for the most part, incredibly well written. It would have had 5 stars from me if it weren't for a few things: 1) while some of the gore was appropriate, a good chunk of it was a bit too gratuitous, although it could be argued that it was necessary for the reader's understanding of the character, 2) it's a VERY slow read, and doesn't pick up much until the halfway point, 3) some motifs were very well-played, while others were a bit overused and overdone, 4) gonna be honest, not a fan of the ending. I somewhat understand what the point of the ending was supposed to mean, but I just think it fell a bit flat in its efficacy compared to the rest of the book. But other than that, if you're looking for a genuinely funny, dark, and macabre character study, I would recommend this book.
Graphic: Eating disorder, Rape, Sexual content, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, Vomit, Animal death, Racism, Blood, Child death, Classism, Cursing, Body horror, Death, Cannibalism, Animal cruelty, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Murder, Alcohol, Body shaming, Ableism, Fatphobia, Abortion, Antisemitism, Addiction, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Torture, and Violence
elsmith09's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Gaslighting, Hate crime, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, Sexism, Drug use, Gun violence, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Drug abuse, Murder, Sexual assault, Torture, Addiction, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Blood, Cannibalism, Sexual content, Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence, Kidnapping, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
gritsgritsgrits's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Cannibalism, Mental illness, Body horror, Gore, Violence, Murder, Hate crime, and Blood
nooni56's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Racism, Rape, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Gore, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, Drug use, Murder, Body horror, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Classism, Torture, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Homophobia and Fatphobia
clare2772's review against another edition
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Xenophobia, Fatphobia, Violence, Death, Racism, Addiction, Blood, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Cannibalism, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Cursing, Child death, Infidelity, Murder, Misogyny, Gore, Homophobia, Racial slurs, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Vomit, Body shaming, Drug use, Eating disorder, Classism, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexism
kyleighwhitsell's review against another edition
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cannibalism, Child death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Murder, Violence, Animal cruelty, Blood, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Torture, Sexual violence, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Antisemitism, Body horror, Drug use, Racism, and Sexual assault
Minor: Abortion
legitimatesalvage's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Cannibalism, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Gore, Blood, Body horror, Gun violence, Murder, Racism, Child death, Torture, Animal death, Rape, Sexism, Violence, Homophobia, Hate crime, and Misogyny
menderash's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual assault, Mass/school shootings, Sexism, Racism, Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, Rape, Car accident, Drug use, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Sexual violence, Child death, Classism, Cursing, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Fatphobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
roseaboveyou's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
It’s a lot of people’s favorite book and I get why. I have the strongest positive opinions on the writing style. The satire is hilarious (my favorite running gag is the bizarre food and fusion restaurants). But. This book needs every content warning under the sun. No reader should go into this book blind, and it’s widely known for the extremely graphic content, which is sexual, violent, and gory. There’s a type of person who finishes this book, and if you aren’t that person, do not force your way to the end. You’re going to have a terrible time.
I read this book fifteen years ago or something when I was an edgy teenager, and at first I was shocked at remembering mostly the Wall Street Guy stuff and not a lot about The Other Stuff, but I realized it must have been a hell of a lot easier to have a text and skim the super gross stuff. That’s just not possible with the audiobook. There’s also random stuff dropped throughout, so even if you skip sections, you’re still not really going to be able to avoid it. It’s often very abrupt, and hearing the words out loud makes me feel voyeuristic about stuff I don’t want to be voyeuristic about.
I’m not squeamish; I read plenty of things that are gross and gory and violent, and I watch plenty of movies and television in the same category. And I’d even argue that the amount of detail supports the consistency and structure of the text, and that it’s supposed to be there. But jfc.
It’s a love it or hate it situation, and to be clear, I love it. There’s obviously a lot of content in the book that isn’t, well, that. Some of which makes me literally laugh out loud. But yeah. Don’t listen to it. It’s excruciating. Honestly, you miss some of the best details about the book, but the movie is fine, and I don’t feel nearly as gross when I finish it.
Graphic: Fatphobia, Violence, Child death, Rape, Sexual content, Animal death, Sexual violence, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Cursing, Gore, Murder, Racial slurs, Torture, Animal cruelty, Blood, Cannibalism, Classism, Antisemitism, Injury/Injury detail, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Mental illness, Racism, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Gun violence
sarah_piette's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Abortion, Cannibalism, Misogyny, Sexism, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Blood, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Infidelity, Torture, Violence, Classism, Antisemitism, Child death, Drug use, Rape, Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Death