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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well, that was kinda fucked up
I like to think I’m quite desensitized to many disturbing things, such as gore and body horror, but I would have never expected to be as disturbed by a book like I did with this book. I’m even more surprised because I kept reading how bleak and hopeless the story was, so that usually lessens the blow but I feel as though it made it worse for me. While I was expecting to be affected the most bu Sara’s storyline (which I was), I’m surprised by how much I felt for Harry and Tyrone and especially Marion. They were in such denial the entire time.
This book is about hardcore drug addiction, to both legal and illegal drugs. Not for the faint for sure, and if you want a happy ending it isn't for you. Written in a manner with little punctuation and no chapters it did take some getting used to the writing syle.
scary, scary shit! however at some points it was really beautiful, especially harry and marion’s passages this obviously didn’t last long though.
sara just makes me desperately sad…. i can’t deal with it and absolutely refuse to think about it
haven’t even watched the film but already know it’s better, i think the shortness of the novel actually made it less effective i needed more time to connect with the characters, especially tyrone.
sara just makes me desperately sad…. i can’t deal with it and absolutely refuse to think about it
haven’t even watched the film but already know it’s better, i think the shortness of the novel actually made it less effective i needed more time to connect with the characters, especially tyrone.
I liked it but I'm not raving about it like many others. Some of the characters were stereotypical. There is little about the setting, which is an artistic choice I guess.
I do wonder about Selby's deep knowledge about the feelings surrounding heroin addiction. He seems astute about it. The book generally has the ring of truth, especially about the less drastic addictions you find in the world, like chocolate.
I do wonder about Selby's deep knowledge about the feelings surrounding heroin addiction. He seems astute about it. The book generally has the ring of truth, especially about the less drastic addictions you find in the world, like chocolate.
Beautiful and tragic - just the way I like it. Just read this book and move your eyes across the page and it's good... really take your time and read the words like art in your mind and it's AMAZING. I also watched the movie as part of my local library's summer reading program. Dark and disturbing. I liked the book more, as usual, although I do love the gorgeous Jared Leto. ;)
Reading this book was such an incredible journey. This was my second attempt, the first time I tried to read it, I only got 10 pages in before I quit because I hated the writing style (an odd stream of consciousness with little to no punctuation and 70s drug slang). This time I was determined. And really at about 20 pages in, I was completely use to it, and by the middle, I was reading it as easily as any other style. Something about the way it's written, I don't know, makes you feel so engaged, more than any other book I've read. As a reader, I am someone who feels what is being described (for example I always feel in need of a serious nap anytime a character is described as sleepy), but after the book is closed it fades away. But with Requiem, it was much harder to shake those feelings, especially with the scenes of Sara's addiction. I had nightmares during the entire length of reading this that I was on speed. I felt so many things with this book, first joy for the characters, then worry, then pain, then agony. It's not preachy or pretentious (which, to be fair, a book about drug addiction is expected to be)but real. You feel so much for the characters and even, as many have pointed out, begin to see heroin as a character itself. I would recommend this book to anyone.
I first saw this movie in high school, and it has always been there, in the back of my mind. It wasn't until fairly recently that I realized it was based on a book. Seeing the movie first, I obviously had certain visuals in my head the entire time I was reading. In this case, though, it wasn't a problem at all - the movie version is an incredible adaptation that just adds to an already gripping book.
It definitely took a little while to get into the story - the grammar, lack of quotation marks, etc. made it challenging to read. Once I got into the story, though, I was able to look past that and really get absorbed.
It definitely took a little while to get into the story - the grammar, lack of quotation marks, etc. made it challenging to read. Once I got into the story, though, I was able to look past that and really get absorbed.
I have some history with Hubert Selby. Jr. I was introduced to the author as a happy accident. I stumbled across his final book, Waiting Period, in the library of Liskeard, Cornwall, in the year 2004.
I read Waiting Period twice, including the foreword, and soon became obsessed with his life.
I had just moved to Bath, and, despite the limitations of the internet, found out he had written 7 novels, and that my local library housed an even larger collection, including Last Exit to Brooklyn, The Room, The Demon, and Song of the Silent Snow.
Who is Hubert Selby. Jr? He's a writer from NYC, who served in the Merchant Navy, had lung disease, was a heroin addict, and two of his novels, Last Exit to Brooklyn, and Requiem For a Dream, were turned into films. His style is not for everyone. He disregards punctuation, creating a free-flowing experience that, whilst is initially something hard to embrace, becomes something rather special.
Why have I taken so long to read Requiem For a Dream? I suppose it’s because I watched the brilliant adaptation by Aronofsky first and I felt it was unnecessary. Turns out I was wrong because the book has as much to offer if not more.
The novel starts slow, but eventually the pain and turmoil of the four characters, dependent on drugs and utterly deprived of hope, penetrate the soul of the reader, and one can only despair at their plight. Two of the characters, Harry, and Tyrone, frequently plot to score, only making their sitution worse. Marion is the girlfriend of Harry who isn't exactly from the neighbourhood but is just as much a victim to the horrors of addiction. Sara is the mother of Harry and her story really hits the hardest. They are all examples of a shitty society, but no more so than Sara, and the prescribed, legal, and, ultimately immoral healthcare system of America that she falls victim to.
The story is difficult, but compelling throughout. However, it’s really the final quarter of the story that’s particularly brilliant. It's hard to call such a story beautiful, but there's something almost transcendental the way Selby Jr. ends the story. Like all of his works, you'll find it difficult to forget what you just experienced.
Hubert Selby. Jr Ranked:
Last Exit to Brooklyn - 5/5
The Demon - 4.2/5
Requiem For a Dream - 4/5
Waiting Period 3.9/5
The Room 3.5/5
Song of the Silent Snow 3/5
I read Waiting Period twice, including the foreword, and soon became obsessed with his life.
I had just moved to Bath, and, despite the limitations of the internet, found out he had written 7 novels, and that my local library housed an even larger collection, including Last Exit to Brooklyn, The Room, The Demon, and Song of the Silent Snow.
Who is Hubert Selby. Jr? He's a writer from NYC, who served in the Merchant Navy, had lung disease, was a heroin addict, and two of his novels, Last Exit to Brooklyn, and Requiem For a Dream, were turned into films. His style is not for everyone. He disregards punctuation, creating a free-flowing experience that, whilst is initially something hard to embrace, becomes something rather special.
Why have I taken so long to read Requiem For a Dream? I suppose it’s because I watched the brilliant adaptation by Aronofsky first and I felt it was unnecessary. Turns out I was wrong because the book has as much to offer if not more.
The novel starts slow, but eventually the pain and turmoil of the four characters, dependent on drugs and utterly deprived of hope, penetrate the soul of the reader, and one can only despair at their plight. Two of the characters, Harry, and Tyrone, frequently plot to score, only making their sitution worse. Marion is the girlfriend of Harry who isn't exactly from the neighbourhood but is just as much a victim to the horrors of addiction. Sara is the mother of Harry and her story really hits the hardest. They are all examples of a shitty society, but no more so than Sara, and the prescribed, legal, and, ultimately immoral healthcare system of America that she falls victim to.
The story is difficult, but compelling throughout. However, it’s really the final quarter of the story that’s particularly brilliant. It's hard to call such a story beautiful, but there's something almost transcendental the way Selby Jr. ends the story. Like all of his works, you'll find it difficult to forget what you just experienced.
Hubert Selby. Jr Ranked:
Last Exit to Brooklyn - 5/5
The Demon - 4.2/5
Requiem For a Dream - 4/5
Waiting Period 3.9/5
The Room 3.5/5
Song of the Silent Snow 3/5
