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3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
Occasionally has chapters of brilliance (Homer, Tod and Faye in the club, where Homer's sycophantic state is fully revealed in particular) but mostly meanders with no strong direction. The central characters were pretty well realized, with a strong implication of desperation behind everything that would be incredibly easy to over state.
But also, most of the book says that living in Los Angeles is a nightmare and I didn't need its help to know that.
But also, most of the book says that living in Los Angeles is a nightmare and I didn't need its help to know that.
I've been putting off reading this for ages as I was expecting an all-time great novel but for whatever reason it just didn't really click for me. It's a good book and I can totally tell why it's got a heap of 5-star ratings here but for me it just doesn't fully commit to total darkness. None of the characters are particularly likeable and Tod's painting dream thing is just annoying... and then there's this, “If only he had the courage to wait for her some night and hit her with a bottle and rape her.” WTF? How are we supposed to root for a dude who thinks shit like this?
Overall I'm just disappointed and sad because I really wanted this to be the classic I'd heard all about.
Overall I'm just disappointed and sad because I really wanted this to be the classic I'd heard all about.
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-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
I find the writing style of this author very hard to follow. It is very disjointed and nothing really flows. Put that together with a lack of any real storyline and it makes for a disappointing read.
super boring and weird and not very good writing imo. also full of racism and pedophilia and misogyny which some may say is like a self aware critique of the era or whatever but to me this just read as a reflection of west’s ideas and positionality but i also couldn’t even get through the whole book so maybe i’m wrong
Boring and confusing with fragmented plotlines, making the message of the novel incomprehensible or at least blurry.
An intriguing story about the unfulfilled promises of Hollywood in the 1930s. There does not appear to be a plot, but West's writing is so skillful and precise that you keep reading just to see, truly see--because his images ate so vivid--what he will describe next. Had to read this for school, but it exceeded my expectations.
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I liked this one slightly better than Miss Lonelyhearts and, though some of the themes of loneliness and isolation are similar, it is a very different kind of novella. It's much more about the artifice of Hollywood, of the people that really don't belong and those that strangely do...of the Mexicans and cock fights, of those who don't gain love and the falseness of the girls only looking for a better acting role. These characters are too innocent and human to be depraved but they clearly have some very fatal flaws, all of them. I did like the energy of some scenes and the way West was able to depict the characters in various stages of jealousy, longing, and lust in the Hollywood heat.
*Spoiler*
I think the reason why for me this is a slightly better novella is because of the way it ends..with a misunderstanding that leads to a public fury. At that point, it really doesn't matter if anyone "gets the girl."
pg. 79 "Tod examined him eagerly. He didn't mean to be rude but at first glance this man seemed an exact model for the kind of person who comes to California to die, perfect in every detail down to his fever eyes and unruly hands.
"My name is Homer Simpson," the man gasped...
pg. 103 "Only those who still have hope can benefit from tears. When they finish, they feel better. But to those without hope, like Homer, whose anguish is basic and permanent, no good comes from crying. Nothing changes for them. They usually know this but still can't help crying.
Homer was lucky. He cried himself to sleep."
*Spoiler*
I think the reason why for me this is a slightly better novella is because of the way it ends..with a misunderstanding that leads to a public fury. At that point, it really doesn't matter if anyone "gets the girl."
pg. 79 "Tod examined him eagerly. He didn't mean to be rude but at first glance this man seemed an exact model for the kind of person who comes to California to die, perfect in every detail down to his fever eyes and unruly hands.
"My name is Homer Simpson," the man gasped...
pg. 103 "Only those who still have hope can benefit from tears. When they finish, they feel better. But to those without hope, like Homer, whose anguish is basic and permanent, no good comes from crying. Nothing changes for them. They usually know this but still can't help crying.
Homer was lucky. He cried himself to sleep."
I really enjoyed this. Lots of violence and talk of r*pe so be aware. Overall it did what it meant to do and reached an interesting end without need for falling action. I need to think on it more but I definitely enjoyed it.