Reviews

Damned by Chuck Palahniuk

ella_harris's review against another edition

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Not a bit of me

melissam_1008's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

laurolly's review against another edition

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3.0

3 Stars. This was gritty and crass at times, the way our main character viewed the world was dark and sad. The descriptions of hell certainly felt like that of a 13 year old, which was enthralling at times (like needing to watch a pimple popping video) and disconnecting at others. I thought the forth wall break was actually done very well and was effective at making the reader question what they knew and understood of the story. I liked the first half a lot better, and think that the cast of characters in hell could have been kept in later parts of the book, since many seemed to completely drop out after their initial introduction. I thought that the flashbacks were well integrated into the story, providing the reader with tidbits of information which piqued my interest in the story. Overall, it was okay, certainly a different story idea which was mostly well done.

littleraincloud's review against another edition

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dark funny fast-paced

3.75

after really making peace with the fact that the main character is a 13 year old the book becomes more fun i really enjoyed the dark humor of it 

jess_mango's review against another edition

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3.0

"Breakfast Club" meets [b:Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret|37732|Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret|Judy Blume|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388356524l/37732._SY75_.jpg|4121] in hell. Madison is/was the 13 year old daughter of a famous Hollywood couple when she died of mysterious circumstances. Madison initially thinks she died of a marijuana overdose but slowly her memories become clearer. Meanwhile she is in a "Breakfast Club"-esque hell with a jock, princess, etc. She works as a telemarketer calling living people during dinnertime with annoying consumer polls about toothpicks and whatnot.

Not my favorite Palahniuk novel. There were some clever bits that made me chuckle.

What to listen to while reading...
Don't You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds
Ashes to Ashes by David Bowie
all the good girls go to hell by Billie Eilish
Satan Said Dance by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Past Lives by Local Natives

nataliamar's review against another edition

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1.0

Larguei

jmcook's review against another edition

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dark funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

courtney_anne's review against another edition

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2.0

Not bad, but not good. I had expected a lot more from this book after hearing many good things about it but I found it to be dull and unimaginative. It basically stole half it's work from The Breakfast Club ... and admitted to doing so. I would not recommend this to anyone.

marivana91's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

ktjaeee's review against another edition

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4.0

I wasn’t blown away by this one like I was with Fight Club or Invisible Monsters. Still, it was good.

When I read the description and it said Madison died of a marijuana overdose, you better believe I almost didn’t read it because I don’t think that’s a real thing.

But it’s Chuck Palahniuk, there was a significance to Madison thinking that’s how she died… and there was.

This read was interesting, if Hell is real I wouldn’t mind spending eternity there. Candy is a currency? You can punch Hitler and rip off his mustache? Sign me up.

It was fun to learn about Madison, her life on Earth before her demise and arriving in Hell. It was also fun how she transformed herself with the help of one her new found compadres, Archer.

Also, that revelation by Satan at the end. Like Madison, I don’t know if he’s serious