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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
Deadly. Sovereign. Perfect. These words aptly describe Marisha Pessl's Night Film. I really don't know how to review this book. A five-star rating will not even suffice. It is just so haunting and so creepy and the plot so engrossing. The amount of research the author has put into this book is just incredible. What also made the novel stand-out were the newspaper clippings and the screenshots of the Cordovite website. I know for a fact that Night Film is purely fiction but the story seemed utterly believable that I found myself wishing that Stanislas Cordova and his films are real and if by chance Cordova is real, I am going to be a proud Cordovite myself. Teehee. Anywhow, Night Film is so good, I literally suffered from a book hangover after reading it. I highly recommend this book since it is the perfect Halloween read.
Because of course a woman who is brilliant and charming can only have her smarts explained by 1) being possessed by the devil or 2) being under the influence of powerful cancer drugs.
I know there's better reviews for Night Film out on this website. Many have wrote great and insightful reviews for this book and I've loved reading them all.
But I will have to say, this will likely be in my top five books for the year.
I know. It’s only March but I loved this and it just worked for me!
I loved the mystery of it all, the uncertainty of what was real or not real, and the overwhelming unease that keeps building while you read.
It’s damn hard to put down too.
I always know when I’m reading a 5 star book because I won't read anything else and I don’t want it to end.
In fact, I’ll stall a bit at the end of the book. I don’t want the unforgettable journey of an amazing book to be over.
Night Film starts off with the sad and sensational news of the suicide of Ashley Cordova. She’s the piano prodigy of the cult-horror film director Stanislaus Cordova. He’s a reclusive, a genius and a gifted director that gives the audience some of the most horrifying films in existence.
In fact, some of his films have been banned and you can only get them on the deep, dark internet or find someone that sales pirated DVDs.
There’s also an online website that the most obsessed and loyal fans can go to for decoding Cordova's movies and his life. This website is on the dark web and only a few can get an invitation to the site.
Cordova’s films made me think of the description of snuff films. Snuff films are usually a real killing or suicide that’s for the purpose of entertainment, but it’s really only for the few twisted, f'ed up minds out there.
The films just had the same vibe for me. You’re not quite certain what was real or not.
Is this director a genius that tapes into the fears and darkness we all have, or are his films something more?
Scott McGrath has been obsessed with Stanislaus Cordova for years. He’s an investigative journalist who also travels the dark spaces of the world. He’s made great success on investigating crime syndicates, drug dens and the seedy areas of the soul.
McGrath went after Cordova years ago and gets destroyed not only professionally, but personally as well.
So, when Ashley Cordova commits suicide, McGrath decides to investigate the Cordova family and his closest allies one more time.
This journey will take him to the darkest pits of his mind, he’ll make lifelong friendships, and he’ll come to terms with who or what type of person he really is.
The book is clever with using interactive articles and media with the plot. I loved the darkness of the book and the themes of witchcraft, urban legends and how far you’ll go to sell your soul to the devil. Or is there a realistic and practical reason behind all the hidden meanings and smoke screens?
I honestly loved the ending!
I’m still thinking about the ending and the book today. It’s unknown and a bit deep. People that like conclusive endings might struggle a bit with this.
I can see many similarities between McGrath and Cordova, but I don’t want to elaborate due to spoilers.
In fact, the less you know about this book, the more you’ll enjoy the mindfuckery of it all.
And what a ride it was!
But I will have to say, this will likely be in my top five books for the year.
I know. It’s only March but I loved this and it just worked for me!
I loved the mystery of it all, the uncertainty of what was real or not real, and the overwhelming unease that keeps building while you read.
It’s damn hard to put down too.
I always know when I’m reading a 5 star book because I won't read anything else and I don’t want it to end.
In fact, I’ll stall a bit at the end of the book. I don’t want the unforgettable journey of an amazing book to be over.
Night Film starts off with the sad and sensational news of the suicide of Ashley Cordova. She’s the piano prodigy of the cult-horror film director Stanislaus Cordova. He’s a reclusive, a genius and a gifted director that gives the audience some of the most horrifying films in existence.
In fact, some of his films have been banned and you can only get them on the deep, dark internet or find someone that sales pirated DVDs.
There’s also an online website that the most obsessed and loyal fans can go to for decoding Cordova's movies and his life. This website is on the dark web and only a few can get an invitation to the site.
Cordova’s films made me think of the description of snuff films. Snuff films are usually a real killing or suicide that’s for the purpose of entertainment, but it’s really only for the few twisted, f'ed up minds out there.
The films just had the same vibe for me. You’re not quite certain what was real or not.
Is this director a genius that tapes into the fears and darkness we all have, or are his films something more?
Scott McGrath has been obsessed with Stanislaus Cordova for years. He’s an investigative journalist who also travels the dark spaces of the world. He’s made great success on investigating crime syndicates, drug dens and the seedy areas of the soul.
McGrath went after Cordova years ago and gets destroyed not only professionally, but personally as well.
So, when Ashley Cordova commits suicide, McGrath decides to investigate the Cordova family and his closest allies one more time.
This journey will take him to the darkest pits of his mind, he’ll make lifelong friendships, and he’ll come to terms with who or what type of person he really is.
The book is clever with using interactive articles and media with the plot. I loved the darkness of the book and the themes of witchcraft, urban legends and how far you’ll go to sell your soul to the devil. Or is there a realistic and practical reason behind all the hidden meanings and smoke screens?
I honestly loved the ending!
I’m still thinking about the ending and the book today. It’s unknown and a bit deep. People that like conclusive endings might struggle a bit with this.
I can see many similarities between McGrath and Cordova, but I don’t want to elaborate due to spoilers.
In fact, the less you know about this book, the more you’ll enjoy the mindfuckery of it all.
And what a ride it was!
Oh this was so much fun. Predictable in the broad outlines, but delightfully spooky, and with enough fundamental warmth and optimism to set it apart from others in the "writer digs maybe too deeply into a dangerous, mysterious world" genre.
I didn't enjoy this book as much as I wanted to. It got better in the end but it was so long and I didn't care for the characters or the story. I wasn't hooked at all and the writing felt flat for me. Even in this long book, there is nearly no character development and they are all one-dimensional. I didn't care for the mystery until the very end and it was so obvious. I guess the author wanted to let the readers choose what to believe but even then the ending wasn't for me. Maybe this book was over hyped but it was just so boring for me.
This review pretty much nails it for me... except I was unable to ignore the things this critic found ignorable, and was therefore unable to extract much if any enjoyment out of it.
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2013/09/marisha_pessl_s_novel_night_film_reviewed.2.html
For me it was like, a Dan Brown novel that was trying to be something more, but failing. Better to just be a Dan Brown novel and own it.
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2013/09/marisha_pessl_s_novel_night_film_reviewed.2.html
For me it was like, a Dan Brown novel that was trying to be something more, but failing. Better to just be a Dan Brown novel and own it.
It takes me a long time to get into noir-influenced books. The constant "telling" instead of "showing", and the often shallow descriptions of people is a difficult style for my palate. However, it does serve a purpose and after making quite a bit of headway into the story (200+ pages), I was into it.
Unfortunately, it was slow-going with this book due to my personal schedule--but I recommend it for someone in a similar situation. Despite it's length, the story has easily digestible episodes and a short-list of memorable characters. The possibly gimmicky(?) portions/photo-illustrations (see book) also assist in emphasis of details. I was definitely skeptical of this tactic, but I think this does work and is not complex as House of Leaves.
Unfortunately, it was slow-going with this book due to my personal schedule--but I recommend it for someone in a similar situation. Despite it's length, the story has easily digestible episodes and a short-list of memorable characters. The possibly gimmicky(?) portions/photo-illustrations (see book) also assist in emphasis of details. I was definitely skeptical of this tactic, but I think this does work and is not complex as House of Leaves.
Where to start? I grabbed this book from my digital library, and admittedly tore through it. But, about 1/4 of the way through, I was just reading to find out the 'twist' as I generally disliked most of the characters by the fifth chapter. And the twist was not bad, but not incredibly satisfying either - and it was further diminished by the three endings the book had.
But it wasn't just the plot that generally lost my interest and had me skimming at a quick pace. It was the style. As another reviewer pointed out - every person speaks with the same flowerly, purple prose voice with more adjectives than were needed. If Pessl had set up this ultra stylized world, it might of worked, but when an investigative journalist is writing his notes like he is writing an actual article, my sense of disbelief starts tingling.
Not only was the prose flowerly, but the timeline was poorly plotted. I saw at least twice that I had to go back and think hard about the timeline Pessl had laid out in earlier chapters that were later blown. I thought it might have had to do with the 'twist' coming at the end, but instead it was just poor writing and poor editing (Example: Actress Marlowe Hughes was Cordova's second wife, divorced in the early 80s and never spoke to him again - yet she summered with Ashley when the child was 8, and Cordova told her all of this action AFTER they had divorced? How? Magic?)
And let's not forget our awful, first person narrator, who I was unsure I was supposed to love to hate in one of those Brillant, but Socially Awful genius sort of ways - or just hate him. HE was awful at his job, seemed to not like or truly care for anyone around him, and that was all explained by him being 'a great journalist.' Show don't tell, because everything you showed me showed an incompetent moron, who called for a man to be hunted down and killed from a blind source who offered no proof.
Quick Mindless Pulp - yes. But there is better out there, or at least there is similar out there that isn't selling itself as something new, dark and edgy.
But it wasn't just the plot that generally lost my interest and had me skimming at a quick pace. It was the style. As another reviewer pointed out - every person speaks with the same flowerly, purple prose voice with more adjectives than were needed. If Pessl had set up this ultra stylized world, it might of worked, but when an investigative journalist is writing his notes like he is writing an actual article, my sense of disbelief starts tingling.
Not only was the prose flowerly, but the timeline was poorly plotted. I saw at least twice that I had to go back and think hard about the timeline Pessl had laid out in earlier chapters that were later blown. I thought it might have had to do with the 'twist' coming at the end, but instead it was just poor writing and poor editing (Example: Actress Marlowe Hughes was Cordova's second wife, divorced in the early 80s and never spoke to him again - yet she summered with Ashley when the child was 8, and Cordova told her all of this action AFTER they had divorced? How? Magic?)
And let's not forget our awful, first person narrator, who I was unsure I was supposed to love to hate in one of those Brillant, but Socially Awful genius sort of ways - or just hate him. HE was awful at his job, seemed to not like or truly care for anyone around him, and that was all explained by him being 'a great journalist.' Show don't tell, because everything you showed me showed an incompetent moron, who called for a man to be hunted down and killed from a blind source who offered no proof.
Quick Mindless Pulp - yes. But there is better out there, or at least there is similar out there that isn't selling itself as something new, dark and edgy.
The most enthralling piece of writing I've read in a long time. Since 'The Shadow of the Wind' even. In fact it's almost a modern retelling of The Shadow of the Wind. Fantastic. Once you're drawn in it'll have it's hooks in you till you have to put it down because it's the last page. It's not perfect, but I'd rather not say what the flaws are so you can enjoy the ride better.