Reviews - American Psycho | The StoryGraph

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7.54k reviews for:

American Psycho

Bret Easton Ellis

3.59 AVERAGE

noahhudepohl's review against another edition

4.0

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I think this was the first book I’ve ready independently outside of school. I really enjoyed it!

lynkslinks's review against another edition

4.75

challenging dark emotional funny slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

ebawmsworld's review against another edition

3.5

dark funny medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I found American Psycho to be extremely amusing at first, but the constant listing of attire, consumer electronics and any and all things consumerist was simply exhausting towards the end. I understand the purpose, but I do feel it was overdone and if you take all of that out, you're probably left with about 100 pages of actual content. The ending was also utterly unsatisfying.

For about the first 200 pages I really thought this was eons better than the film, but now that I'm done I don't think so. The ONE scene that I wish was in the movie is when

Luis made a huge scene in the department store, BEGGING Patrick to run away with him to Arizona or wherever

. It had me cackling.

Edit: I lied. I just rewatched the movie for the nth time, and it just doesn't hit the same way after reading the novel.

dsclemmett's review against another edition

3.0

Controversial take but anyone who finds a book “triggering” to such an extent that they feel it appropriate to tell folks they shouldn’t read it?

I’m fucking reading it!

There’s not really a lot I can say about this book that hasn’t already been said.

We know it’s a satirical look into consumerism, toxic masculinity, excess and it’s frustratingly misogynistic! But is it? No protagonist is, how the fuck can a BOOK be misogynistic?

I’m quite curious to know how many straight guys read this and truly understood the assignment or if they just dived into this thing thinking Patrick Bateman is the ultimate poster boy for success. And make no mistake, them guys really exist and they really love Patrick!

I’m also curious to know if the people that were appalled by this book felt differently upon learning that Bret Easton Ellis is gay? Not that I’m implying that gay men can’t be sexist pigs but given that this is satire I have a hard time believing that he’s trying to glamorise this mentality shared between Bateman and his insufferable friends!

I can’t tell you how many times I got lost in endless conversations that just went nowhere, the constant name dropping, I had no idea who Bateman and his friends were talking about most the time. Ultimately all that matters in their world is status and knowing who’s who but how interesting that nobody seems to know or remember Patrick Bateman’s actual name. Does he even know himself who he is?

It’s exhausting being in Batemans mind, pouring over the endless detailing of everyone’s wardrobe but it’s also ridiculously camp. This book is gay and I will fight any fuck boy who disagrees!

In the end it wasn’t the causal racism, extreme violence, homophobia and sexism that did me in. It was the fashion! Fuck me the clothes in this book?!

The book is good but I’m not entirely sure the pros outweighed the cons I found the endless description of clothing to be quite infuriating, comical and understood at times but in the end- fucking annoying. I also thought the whole chapter dedicated to Whitney Houston’s discography and the painstaking description of audio equipment and Genesis was completely unnecessary!

fleshergoreman's review against another edition

I have an overwhelming urge to trap rats after reading this book.

lennyjentz's review against another edition

1.0

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say I don’t much care for this Patrick Bateman character

All jokes aside, all I can really say is that this book accomplished being both incredibly horrifying and incredibly boring, which is… something, I guess