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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
Please read the following review in the voice of Stefon from Saturday Night Live.
If you’re looking for a good time, look no further: New York’s hottest book is Night Film.
Author Marisha Pessel has gone all out, and this book has everything: black magic, mysterious deaths, morally questionable investigative reporting, elusive directors, Japanese tattoos, priests on fire, creepy children, gay bondage clubs, and even a Human Leaning Tower of Pisa.
(What's a human Human Leaning Tower of Pisa, Stefon?)
It's that thing where a midget makes the author italicize, like, five unnecessary words on every page for no discernible reason.
(Can you think of anything more family-appropriate for people to read, Stefon?)
I'm not done yet! There are also mental institutions, expensive pianos, graffiti, illegal immigrants, summer camp drownings, drugged-out starlets, newspaper clippings, and an immortal pet bird!
If you’re looking for a good time, look no further: New York’s hottest book is Night Film.
Author Marisha Pessel has gone all out, and this book has everything: black magic, mysterious deaths, morally questionable investigative reporting, elusive directors, Japanese tattoos, priests on fire, creepy children, gay bondage clubs, and even a Human Leaning Tower of Pisa.
(What's a human Human Leaning Tower of Pisa, Stefon?)
It's that thing where a midget makes the author italicize, like, five unnecessary words on every page for no discernible reason.
(Can you think of anything more family-appropriate for people to read, Stefon?)
I'm not done yet! There are also mental institutions, expensive pianos, graffiti, illegal immigrants, summer camp drownings, drugged-out starlets, newspaper clippings, and an immortal pet bird!
Full Review:
4 Stars - I recommend if you enjoy mysteries or thrillers.
When Ashley Cordova, daughter of mysterious and reclusive cult director Stanislas Cordova is found dead in an abandoned warehouse her death is ruled a suicide. However, investigative journalist Scott McGrath thinks that her father's twisted films might reveal a very twisted family. As he sets off to solve the mystery he is aided by two moorless young adults.
If you know me, you know that I do not love thrillers or mysteries. They are usually slow, and not that complex... if I don't figure out what will happen, I get very very bored along the way. However, that was NOT the case with this book. It is very long (640 pages), and I found myself wondering how the pieces would fit together, and which wouldn't be related at all. I loved the setting, you can have such diversity within your book when it's set in NYC. I really loved the multi-format novel! Reading emails, transcripts, news pages, etc. etc. within the normal text is super fun. It made me feel more invested in the mystery. I also loved Pessl's writing style. Everything was very descriptive. I love it when the characters notice every little thing, and the comparisons are really interesting. In the end I didn't quite know what would happen, and I was not bored up until maybe the last 30-40 pages. Which is pretty good, but still a bit disappointing. I am not sure how I feel about the ending. I think I wanted it to be (SPOILER) a little bit darker....? It felt super mundane... I'm imagining in my brain that it did end creepy... hahaha That he really was in a Cordova movie the whole time and Nora was the fledgling actress and something very creepy happens on that island once he gets there. Maybe that's weird.. it just felt a little anticlimactic.
Right After Reading:
I loved the writing. I loved the mystery. I was not bored until near the very end.. which is about as good as it gets for me. Not really satisfied with the ending, but still a solid 4 stars.
4 Stars - I recommend if you enjoy mysteries or thrillers.
When Ashley Cordova, daughter of mysterious and reclusive cult director Stanislas Cordova is found dead in an abandoned warehouse her death is ruled a suicide. However, investigative journalist Scott McGrath thinks that her father's twisted films might reveal a very twisted family. As he sets off to solve the mystery he is aided by two moorless young adults.
If you know me, you know that I do not love thrillers or mysteries. They are usually slow, and not that complex... if I don't figure out what will happen, I get very very bored along the way. However, that was NOT the case with this book. It is very long (640 pages), and I found myself wondering how the pieces would fit together, and which wouldn't be related at all. I loved the setting, you can have such diversity within your book when it's set in NYC. I really loved the multi-format novel! Reading emails, transcripts, news pages, etc. etc. within the normal text is super fun. It made me feel more invested in the mystery. I also loved Pessl's writing style. Everything was very descriptive. I love it when the characters notice every little thing, and the comparisons are really interesting. In the end I didn't quite know what would happen, and I was not bored up until maybe the last 30-40 pages. Which is pretty good, but still a bit disappointing. I am not sure how I feel about the ending. I think I wanted it to be (SPOILER) a little bit darker....? It felt super mundane... I'm imagining in my brain that it did end creepy... hahaha That he really was in a Cordova movie the whole time and Nora was the fledgling actress and something very creepy happens on that island once he gets there. Maybe that's weird.. it just felt a little anticlimactic.
Right After Reading:
I loved the writing. I loved the mystery. I was not bored until near the very end.. which is about as good as it gets for me. Not really satisfied with the ending, but still a solid 4 stars.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Poor Night Film fell by the wayside as I got distracted by other books. As a result, I felt that Night Film itself started to fall apart near the end. The problem is that it's trying to be two different things. There's a quote on the back describing it as, "A literary mystery that's also a page-turner." Good description. Unfortunately, it gets too page-turnery during a strange shift in structure about 3/4 through the end of the book. At that point, it becomes focused more on finding answers than it does on the emotions and feelings behind them. And to start funneling the reader down a hallway where he expects answers, and then to not deliver them, is a cop-out.
I didn't even want answers going into this. The mystery is so dark and rich and wonderful, I didn't want it to end. Answers ruin the mystery. It happens on TV all the time when a show has to cater to those who demand false closure in order to go on with their lives. It happened with Lost, and it happens with Night Film.
But an ending does not define a book. The set-up is so great, and it could be *more* than just set-up if things were structured differently. Pessl does a fracking brilliant job at creating fake magazine articles, message board posts, and newspaper clippings that feel real. The mysterious horror film director Cordova's entire filmography feels real, and Pessl chooses the perfect details to make these movies seem like disturbing masterpieces that I /need/ to see.
The narrator, however, is a mistake. It's like Pessl gets it, but she's writing someone who doesn't quite it. I don't want to go on a journey of self-discovery with a 40-something douchebag who should have learned his lesson 20 years ago. I want a guide who already knows what he's talking about.
My recommendation is to read Night Film for a night. In the dark and quiet. Get as far as you can get before you put it down, because you're tired, creeped out, bored, whatever. And that's it. Leave the rest open to your imagination. That's the way it should be.
I didn't even want answers going into this. The mystery is so dark and rich and wonderful, I didn't want it to end. Answers ruin the mystery. It happens on TV all the time when a show has to cater to those who demand false closure in order to go on with their lives. It happened with Lost, and it happens with Night Film.
But an ending does not define a book. The set-up is so great, and it could be *more* than just set-up if things were structured differently. Pessl does a fracking brilliant job at creating fake magazine articles, message board posts, and newspaper clippings that feel real. The mysterious horror film director Cordova's entire filmography feels real, and Pessl chooses the perfect details to make these movies seem like disturbing masterpieces that I /need/ to see.
The narrator, however, is a mistake. It's like Pessl gets it, but she's writing someone who doesn't quite it. I don't want to go on a journey of self-discovery with a 40-something douchebag who should have learned his lesson 20 years ago. I want a guide who already knows what he's talking about.
My recommendation is to read Night Film for a night. In the dark and quiet. Get as far as you can get before you put it down, because you're tired, creeped out, bored, whatever. And that's it. Leave the rest open to your imagination. That's the way it should be.
This book was absolutely amazing! I couldn't stop thinking about it and left me questioning constantly! The ending of this book was awesome and nothing that I would've expected! Highly recommend this book!
It was a slow start and a little difficult to get into but still a nice spooky read.
Ugh this was such a swing and a miss! I loved the world building and the interior references to Cordova films -- it was such an amazing setup! The author gave themselves so many gifts early on, but it just sort of ... deflected.
I was really wanting this story to have some mind-blowing mysterious reveal but dang, it was just sort of a deflation. Our hero was somewhat underwhelming, the fellow detectives were bizzare McGuffins, and the pacing was just disappointingly slow.
Womp womp.
I was really wanting this story to have some mind-blowing mysterious reveal but dang, it was just sort of a deflation. Our hero was somewhat underwhelming, the fellow detectives were bizzare McGuffins, and the pacing was just disappointingly slow.
Womp womp.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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:
Yes
The first 10% and the last 40% are great. The middle 50% is an absolute slog and goes on. Took me 4-5 months to finish this book because of it.
The author over-describes things way too much and it drags things down. They'll describe an environment or person enough for you to visualize and proceed to bore with deeper descriptions of them that aren't really relevant. I don't need a paragraph on how black something clothing was or the exact contents on a counter top. It's like they only want the reader to see the world the way they envision it or that's the only way. No room of our own interpretations. Sucks the fun out.
Also, way too much usage of "as if" to describe things. It used almost every other paragraph. Drove me nuts.
The author over-describes things way too much and it drags things down. They'll describe an environment or person enough for you to visualize and proceed to bore with deeper descriptions of them that aren't really relevant. I don't need a paragraph on how black something clothing was or the exact contents on a counter top. It's like they only want the reader to see the world the way they envision it or that's the only way. No room of our own interpretations. Sucks the fun out.
Also, way too much usage of "as if" to describe things. It used almost every other paragraph. Drove me nuts.
A disgraced reporter looks into the mysterious suicide of a reclusive cult horror director's daughter, with a little help from a couple of tangentially connected strangers.
Really this rating is a hodgepodge:
5 stars for the first 300 pgs with an intriguing premise, compelling twists, deeply ominous atmosphere, and joyfully fresh metaphors
1 star for next 150 pgs, which bogged down in overblown ridiculous and too much italics-emphasis in dialogue & had me resenting thru it
4 stars for pulling it back & a nicely open-ended ending
Really this rating is a hodgepodge:
5 stars for the first 300 pgs with an intriguing premise, compelling twists, deeply ominous atmosphere, and joyfully fresh metaphors
1 star for next 150 pgs, which bogged down in overblown ridiculous and too much italics-emphasis in dialogue & had me resenting thru it
4 stars for pulling it back & a nicely open-ended ending
A good read but it didn't blow me away. It was really long and detailed. At some parts I couldn't put it down but it definitely dragged at times. I liked the use of pictures, magazine articles, notes, and web pages. That was different. I hoped for a better ending and it just sort of... ended.