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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
Wonderful. I mean, as wonderful as the most depraved thing I have ever read could be. Not for the faint of heart.
slow-paced
Somewhere, amid the incredibly detailed gore and the cast of characters all attempting to be as disturbing and disgusting as can be, there was a story. A few stories, in fact, and they had some promise. Broken promises, but promises all the same.
I can understand how this book might appeal to some people. I will say that surely the writing must be at least somewhat effective to make me feel as thoroughly grossed out as I did. But this book spares no details in the most gruesome of stories. To me, that was to the story's detriment. After letting it set for some time, sure, I can see the clever aspects of it. But I think I'm too busy feeling sick to appreciate its underlying wit.
If I were to recommend this book, I don't know who I would recommend it to. But this was absolutely not one for me.
I can understand how this book might appeal to some people. I will say that surely the writing must be at least somewhat effective to make me feel as thoroughly grossed out as I did. But this book spares no details in the most gruesome of stories. To me, that was to the story's detriment. After letting it set for some time, sure, I can see the clever aspects of it. But I think I'm too busy feeling sick to appreciate its underlying wit.
If I were to recommend this book, I don't know who I would recommend it to. But this was absolutely not one for me.
dark
mysterious
medium-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:
Complicated
I thought this was going to be a lot different than it was. From the summary, it sounded like this groups of writers was being held hostage by some psycho who was going to torture them and they had to work together while writing about their horrific experiences. Wrong. The group decides that they need a good story if/when they get rescued so they start cutting off their own fingers, toes, hands. This is not a horror story, it's a compilation of gross stories and a group of narcissistic assholes that are trying to "get ahead of the others" by basically killing themselves for a story.
Didn't finish it - got very close to page 200 when I just couldn't anymore.
Didn't finish it - got very close to page 200 when I just couldn't anymore.
The only thing I was really startled/shocked by in this book was the cover - I was reading it in a tent in the middle of Peru, and when I shut off my flashlight, the cover scared the crap out of me and my sister. Glow in the dark books are awesome, but the text is only so so.
DNF @ 54%
Imma be honest, as my first venture into Chuck Palahniuk's writing, this was a bit underwhelming for me. I didn't DNF bc this novel was too gross or too gory for me, I quit bc it was just bored. I would find myself reading a few pages and just closing the book to go read something else over and over again. While the writing is good and well crafted, I was just, uninterested the entire time. Maybe I'll go back and finish this novel at a different time when I'm in a different headspace. I wanted to like this, I really did, so sorry to everyone who really likes this book, good for y'all. Wish I was one of you.
Imma be honest, as my first venture into Chuck Palahniuk's writing, this was a bit underwhelming for me. I didn't DNF bc this novel was too gross or too gory for me, I quit bc it was just bored. I would find myself reading a few pages and just closing the book to go read something else over and over again. While the writing is good and well crafted, I was just, uninterested the entire time. Maybe I'll go back and finish this novel at a different time when I'm in a different headspace. I wanted to like this, I really did, so sorry to everyone who really likes this book, good for y'all. Wish I was one of you.
I tried. I tried so hard to finish this. I got through 200 pages before I decided my peace is worth more than finishing this book and that since I read half of it, I’m allowed to DNF and rate it as a 1. Jaaaaysus Christ I just couldn’t do it anymore.
I'd avoided reading this based on an excerpt I'd read some time ago. It was just... yuck. I've learned to embrace the yuck.
This is essentially a novel of short stories... there's an over-arching plot that pulls things together. It feels like Chuck had a lot of ideas that worked in a short format, not not a full novel. And these do work (well, mostly). They're sick in that way that you love for Chuck to be sick. Not the Palahniuk gateway-drug, but if you're a fan, you'll like this. A bit weak as it nears the end, but pretty satisfying all-around.
This is essentially a novel of short stories... there's an over-arching plot that pulls things together. It feels like Chuck had a lot of ideas that worked in a short format, not not a full novel. And these do work (well, mostly). They're sick in that way that you love for Chuck to be sick. Not the Palahniuk gateway-drug, but if you're a fan, you'll like this. A bit weak as it nears the end, but pretty satisfying all-around.