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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
I picked this book up at Barnes and Noble and started reading it in the aisle and was mesmerized right there. I love film. I studied it as an option for my major in college. I love fiction books that revolve around film, filmmakers, that type of stuff (I loved Owen King's "Double Fantasy"). This book seemed to be up my alley.
I wasn't disappoint, much. Pessl's dialog is a bit clunky in places. I noticed people complaining that everyone spoke the same way, and that's very true. When she does try to give a character an accent or something, it comes across as cheesy and they are still hyper-intelligent, even the children in the book. They're all "old souls." Dialog is easy, dialects/intelligence/differences can be hard. Sometimes I had to backtrack to figure out who was speaking, the main character Scott sounded like Nora who sounded like Hopper who sounded like Scott's 6 year old daughter.
Which is why this doesn't get five stars. Despite all of that. The plot is intriguing. I'm pretty quick with plots, I can usually guess where a book is going by mid-way through if not sooner. This one had me guessing in a few places, it plays like a neo-noir film written by a Stephen King fan. Bearing that in mind, the ending is a little something to be desired. It could've ended about five or six chapters sooner than it did. A little heavy handed on the sometimes pointless descriptions, but really it was Scott's descent into madness that kept this story going.
Scott McGrath is a disgraced journalist, who seems to have an unending supply of money (??) and after the daughter of the man who destroyed Scott's life is found dead, someone puts Scott back on the trail of the elusive filmmaker, Cordova. Cordova is a mix of a few famous filmmakers, Orson Welles (natch), Stanley Kubrick, and at the very least Francis Ford Coppola. There's a touch of Howard Hughes, George Romero, Hitchcock, and a little Roger Corman. He's only done one major interview his entire career and his whole family and story is surrounded in mystery. There's talk of devil worship, slave labor, child abuse, murder, hints at incest, pedophilia, and more that looms over the Cordova's. Most troubled is his young daughter Ashley, who kills herself before the book even begins. But that's not to say that Ashley isn't a character in the book. In some cases, Ashley is probably the most fleshed out character in the entire book. I mean, the entire reason that McGrath is even going on the wild goose chase is because of her. It's through her that we get to glimpse the rest of the family and the Cordova world.
Along the way Scott wrangles up two sidekicks, the adorable, nineteen year old, wannabe actress Nora and the mid-twenties, brooding, Aaron Paul/Jesse Pinkman-esque character Hopper. There's a super minor character named, William Bassfender... really Pessl? (Michael Fassbender stand in without using his actual name.) There's a Norma Desmond-like character, a Shirley Temple (only not quite a child star) type character (she is a late-teen actress, falls on hard times because of her Norma Desmond-y sister and then marries into an aristocratic family and turns from acting to charity and politics). You'll come across all kinds of homages to various classic film icons, especially if they were in film noir or b-film horror flicks back in the 50s and 60s. If you're a film nerd, you'll soak up all that stuff and find yourself wanting to go back and watch some of your favorite old movies. There's of course references to real life people like Brando, Spielberg, etc.
Like I said though, it's really all about the plot. The plot and the references. They keep the book going. It gets four stars not because I think Pessel is a great writer or anything, but because she comes up with one heck of an engaging plot. I found myself saying, "I'll read till the next chapter." A hundred or so pages later and 2 am I was still reading. It's a bit long and plodding and kind of weird in the bridge between the second and third act (think drunk Dumbo seeing pink elephants kind of weird) but it's all about the journey.
I wasn't disappoint, much. Pessl's dialog is a bit clunky in places. I noticed people complaining that everyone spoke the same way, and that's very true. When she does try to give a character an accent or something, it comes across as cheesy and they are still hyper-intelligent, even the children in the book. They're all "old souls." Dialog is easy, dialects/intelligence/differences can be hard. Sometimes I had to backtrack to figure out who was speaking, the main character Scott sounded like Nora who sounded like Hopper who sounded like Scott's 6 year old daughter.
Which is why this doesn't get five stars. Despite all of that. The plot is intriguing. I'm pretty quick with plots, I can usually guess where a book is going by mid-way through if not sooner. This one had me guessing in a few places, it plays like a neo-noir film written by a Stephen King fan. Bearing that in mind, the ending is a little something to be desired. It could've ended about five or six chapters sooner than it did. A little heavy handed on the sometimes pointless descriptions, but really it was Scott's descent into madness that kept this story going.
Scott McGrath is a disgraced journalist, who seems to have an unending supply of money (??) and after the daughter of the man who destroyed Scott's life is found dead, someone puts Scott back on the trail of the elusive filmmaker, Cordova. Cordova is a mix of a few famous filmmakers, Orson Welles (natch), Stanley Kubrick, and at the very least Francis Ford Coppola. There's a touch of Howard Hughes, George Romero, Hitchcock, and a little Roger Corman. He's only done one major interview his entire career and his whole family and story is surrounded in mystery. There's talk of devil worship, slave labor, child abuse, murder, hints at incest, pedophilia, and more that looms over the Cordova's. Most troubled is his young daughter Ashley, who kills herself before the book even begins. But that's not to say that Ashley isn't a character in the book. In some cases, Ashley is probably the most fleshed out character in the entire book. I mean, the entire reason that McGrath is even going on the wild goose chase is because of her. It's through her that we get to glimpse the rest of the family and the Cordova world.
Along the way Scott wrangles up two sidekicks, the adorable, nineteen year old, wannabe actress Nora and the mid-twenties, brooding, Aaron Paul/Jesse Pinkman-esque character Hopper. There's a super minor character named, William Bassfender... really Pessl? (Michael Fassbender stand in without using his actual name.) There's a Norma Desmond-like character, a Shirley Temple (only not quite a child star) type character (she is a late-teen actress, falls on hard times because of her Norma Desmond-y sister and then marries into an aristocratic family and turns from acting to charity and politics). You'll come across all kinds of homages to various classic film icons, especially if they were in film noir or b-film horror flicks back in the 50s and 60s. If you're a film nerd, you'll soak up all that stuff and find yourself wanting to go back and watch some of your favorite old movies. There's of course references to real life people like Brando, Spielberg, etc.
Like I said though, it's really all about the plot. The plot and the references. They keep the book going. It gets four stars not because I think Pessel is a great writer or anything, but because she comes up with one heck of an engaging plot. I found myself saying, "I'll read till the next chapter." A hundred or so pages later and 2 am I was still reading. It's a bit long and plodding and kind of weird in the bridge between the second and third act (think drunk Dumbo seeing pink elephants kind of weird) but it's all about the journey.
I couldn't finish this book. I only got about halfway through, and honestly, it was kind of racist in its descriptions of people of color, and the main character was kind of a stereotypical white dude with weird issues about his wife. I found his obsession with the case a little disturbing. And even for a thriller, clues were much too easy to come by. Everything just sort of fell into their laps. I couldn't really connect to the story or the characters, so I gave it up.
The truth about what happens to us in this world keeps changing, it never stops.
I loved this book. I can see how some people felt that it was unnecessarily long, but I'm a sucker for the tiny details that make the overall story just a little more vivid. I was hardcore on the fence about reading (listening to) this book, and what forced me to jump off the fence and into the story was actually a similar content recommendation: "The Secret History," which is one of my favorite books. This recommendation did not disappoint.
What I really loved about this book was the presentation of two different explanations for what happens in the book: one explained by science, the other shrouded in magic and mystery. The reader gets to decide how much of each explanation they choose to believe. An entertaining story that can also spill over into how you choose to see the world, if that's what you choose to take away from it.
Mortal fear is as crucial a thing to our lives as love. It cuts to the core of our being and shows us what we are. Will you step back and cover your eyes? Or will you have the strength to walk to the precipice and look out? Do you want to know what is there or live in the dark delusion that this commercial world insists we remain sealed inside like blind caterpillars in an eternal cocoon? Will you curl up with your eyes closed and die? Or can you fight your way out of it and fly?
I want to fly.
I loved this book. I can see how some people felt that it was unnecessarily long, but I'm a sucker for the tiny details that make the overall story just a little more vivid. I was hardcore on the fence about reading (listening to) this book, and what forced me to jump off the fence and into the story was actually a similar content recommendation: "The Secret History," which is one of my favorite books. This recommendation did not disappoint.
What I really loved about this book was the presentation of two different explanations for what happens in the book: one explained by science, the other shrouded in magic and mystery. The reader gets to decide how much of each explanation they choose to believe. An entertaining story that can also spill over into how you choose to see the world, if that's what you choose to take away from it.
Mortal fear is as crucial a thing to our lives as love. It cuts to the core of our being and shows us what we are. Will you step back and cover your eyes? Or will you have the strength to walk to the precipice and look out? Do you want to know what is there or live in the dark delusion that this commercial world insists we remain sealed inside like blind caterpillars in an eternal cocoon? Will you curl up with your eyes closed and die? Or can you fight your way out of it and fly?
I want to fly.
According to all the other 4 and 5 star reviews, I’m obviously in the minority here. I gave ‘Night Film’ 3 stars, but if Goodreads allowed it I probably would have given it 2.5 stars. I enjoy a good murder mystery, but the occult and witchcraft angle didn’t hold my interest. And the Cordova character seemed to be a knock-off of Stanley Kubrick/‘Eyes Wide Shut’ era. Maybe it was the length of the book (600+ pages) that became a challenge to my ADD addled brain. Around page 400 I thought, all right all ready – it’s time to wrap things up here.
And what is with the random italicized words? Did anyone else find this annoying?
I did enjoy the Rolling Stone articles, Blackboard web site screen shots and other bits of extraneous information, but not enough to carry the entire book. Sorely disappointed here.
And what is with the random italicized words? Did anyone else find this annoying?
I did enjoy the Rolling Stone articles, Blackboard web site screen shots and other bits of extraneous information, but not enough to carry the entire book. Sorely disappointed here.
I'm definitely conflicted over whether or not this book is a solid 4 stars or more of a 3.75ish. While I enjoyed the story as a whole, there's just something about the book that I can't decide whether I like or not.
When I first began reading Night Film, I definitely enjoyed it. The first 200 or so pages flew by and I found myself captivated by the story that was unfolding. Somewhere about 400 pages in, I got stuck and didn't pick up the book for a couple weeks, and when I did I could only crawl through a handful of pages. Eventually I decided I needed to finish the book and I did, and I liked it!
Going into the book I had seen many reviews from people saying that they felt dissatisfied with the ending. I can totally see where those feelings are coming from, but I actually enjoyed the ending although it did seem a little rushed and off-kilter to how I thought the book was going to end. Maybe that's why I didn't mind it as much as I assumed I would.
This book, for me, lived up to the hype and provided just the right amount of creepiness/mystery.
When I first began reading Night Film, I definitely enjoyed it. The first 200 or so pages flew by and I found myself captivated by the story that was unfolding. Somewhere about 400 pages in, I got stuck and didn't pick up the book for a couple weeks, and when I did I could only crawl through a handful of pages. Eventually I decided I needed to finish the book and I did, and I liked it!
Going into the book I had seen many reviews from people saying that they felt dissatisfied with the ending. I can totally see where those feelings are coming from, but I actually enjoyed the ending although it did seem a little rushed and off-kilter to how I thought the book was going to end. Maybe that's why I didn't mind it as much as I assumed I would.
This book, for me, lived up to the hype and provided just the right amount of creepiness/mystery.
Holy crap this book. I have every intention of writing more about it later but for now, as my mind is still reeling from finishing it, all I have to say is this book was utterly unnerving, fascinating, and pretty downright awesome. Recommend. Recommend so hard.
I'd really like to see some of the fictional films described in this book.
Overall, different. The beginning really drew me in, and all the "possible paranormal" really made me start to think that something else was going on. But I really think the ending is the best part of the whole book, in how it ends. You start to root for the main 3, hoping that somehow, everyone gets what they want. And they do.
Definitely would recommend to others.
My only complaint? The whole "Peak" scene/chapter took forever. Too much for me.
Definitely would recommend to others.
My only complaint? The whole "Peak" scene/chapter took forever. Too much for me.