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3.22 AVERAGE
3.22 AVERAGE
after american psycho, i was excited to read more of ellis’ work however this one was quite disappointing for me. it started off intriguing, capturing glimpses of intertwined characters & their lives but it descended into a mess. the group started off as small & easy to understand & i liked figuring out how they were all connected, either through their children or even affairs. however, this group expanded into people who had no connection into the beginning which i found rather jarring & took myself out of it all. each chapter is a short story from a different character’s perspective but it never seems to return to the same one which is disappointing (apparently the film is bad too). i would’ve enjoyed it a lot more if it was limited to a group of characters who were somehow connected but with separate stories but instead i felt discombobulated every chapter trying to decipher who i’m reading about & what’s happening. i liked the first few chapters because i thought it was going to lead to something but it never did. i read a review saying how it’s all “rich people with rich problems”, which can sometimes work, just not here. at parts it is also as graphic as american psycho, but i’m starting to think that it’s just a staple of ellis’ writing, which he does well. go read american psycho.
Less a novel and more a collection of extremely loosely connected short stories set in L.A. The movie based from the book is pretty terrible, but from watching that it makes certain aspects of the connectivity between characters more easy to see and understand, especially in comparison to my first attempt reading it years ago. Glad I gave it the re-read, I've always enjoyed Ellis yet this was the only one of his i felt I didn't really 'get'. Happy to see my understanding has changed.
Despite the mid rating, I liked this a lot. The final two stories were just so weird and unnecessary that it brought down the whole book for me-- tbh a lot of the 3rd to last did too but it is what it is. A light parody of white upper crust LA in the 80s in all it's immoral, drug-induced, and sex-crazed glory. Everyone sucks so much due to privilege and hedonism combining but everyone is also human in their emotional lives. And when you think about it, isn't privileged white Americana the same as being a vampire? I am sick of heroin usage being shorthand for morally off the rails human being, though.
Probably would be 4 stars without the last two stories and 5 stars without the last three. I apparently love how Ellis writes and criticizes high society and nihilism is a philosophical thread I like to indulge in despite not believing in it. But the intense violence and in your face surrealism of the closing stories flopped for me, unfortunately.
Probably would be 4 stars without the last two stories and 5 stars without the last three. I apparently love how Ellis writes and criticizes high society and nihilism is a philosophical thread I like to indulge in despite not believing in it. But the intense violence and in your face surrealism of the closing stories flopped for me, unfortunately.
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Why am I subjecting myself to more Ellis? Honestly because its easy (but not light) to consume and I have American Psycho and Lunar Park sitting on my bookshelf, waiting to be read once I'm ready to dive deep into Ellis' bullshit. Judging by the rating (even though the average rating on Goodreads doesn't really mean much) I didn't actually expect to enjoy this (enjoy is a strong word, more like "fulfil my morbid curiosity"). I did like the idea of a short story collection, especially with a writer who overstays his welcome most of the time, so most of the stories felt to the point and not too brooding or needlessly long. That being said, this is no genius book, this is yet another fucked up telling of urban legends, most likely real life inspired events and mostly believable 80's LA depravity, real fucked up shit. The blurb the audiobook had was "intense narrative that blurs genders, generations and even identities" and I guess I have to agree, it is precisely that. So far the best I've read by Bret and 7/10 isn't saying much but I'd take this any day over Less Than Zero. Read this if you wanna get an idea of what this guy is on about and for the love of God, don't go to LA.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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
An obnoxious book written for rich people about rich people problems with a side of murder and whatever.
Bret Easton Ellis has got to be one of the few authors I can read and think "that is poetry" and "that is the sickest thing I have every read" in one paragraph.
Wonderfully done thogh
Wonderfully done thogh
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced