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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
3,5 ⭐️ Vanvittigt ulækker, syg og alt for meget. Men også vældig interessant, velformidlet og meget anderledes!
challenging
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
3.8 - i think I need to go to therapy cus it was weirdly interesting
man’s so fucked up that trumps his role model
makes sense
man’s so fucked up that trumps his role model
makes sense
challenging
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well that was disturbing.
This is an extremely controversial and polarizing book; one that I do not recommend, did not enjoy reading, and feel I cannot rate in the traditional sense. I did not heed the warnings, and my arrogance was humbled by the graphic/violent depictions, blatant racism, homophobia, misogyny, and so on and so forth.
However... there is no "however." It is inexcusable. And I can't determine whether the author is a genius or has been plagued with the horrific disease that haunts his creation, Bateman. This narrative is such a brilliant critique of American society in late-stage capitalism, and I despairingly find its message and themes extremely relevant today. America's gods of nationalism, white patriarchy, materialism, consumerism, individualism, positivity, success... it's killing us. This book will leave me more skeptical, more bleak, more thoughtful, and more critical. It will stay with me. It will have me wondering if there is hope for a global, equitable, just society or if there is no exit to the trajectory set before us.
However... there is no "however." It is inexcusable. And I can't determine whether the author is a genius or has been plagued with the horrific disease that haunts his creation, Bateman. This narrative is such a brilliant critique of American society in late-stage capitalism, and I despairingly find its message and themes extremely relevant today. America's gods of nationalism, white patriarchy, materialism, consumerism, individualism, positivity, success... it's killing us. This book will leave me more skeptical, more bleak, more thoughtful, and more critical. It will stay with me. It will have me wondering if there is hope for a global, equitable, just society or if there is no exit to the trajectory set before us.
dark
funny
reflective
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
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A very interesting and voracious classic. Bret Easton Ellis has taken a hacksaw to the throat of, not only the bigoted American elite, but capitalism as well.
Ellis pairs graphic fleshy sex with brutal descriptive violence, almost allegorising them as one and the same. It is undoubtably violent, however people calling it the most violent thing they have ever read? They should read Hubert Selby Jr’s The Room if they want truly violent.
I can see why people consider this controversial. There is an onslaught of racial slurs, homophobic slurs, misogynistic slurs. Patrick Bateman is clearly all of those things, however seeing people describe the novel as that I think is reductive and missing the whole issue of this book. The novel is clearly a vicious satire and dark comedy is an understatement; blackly comic. It’s just the antithesis of Bateman listing all these designer clothes, all this luxury good and drink he’s consuming paired with this horrendous things he says and does. This level of his life is considered ultimate luxury, the goal of what a lot of people desire for. But all of this still is not satisfactory for Bateman. He craves more. And that’s what the book is, how far he goes for his true entertainment, not the faux fun he has at lunch with his ‘friends’.
Well written, good pace but lazy closure.
American Psycho follows Patrick Bateman, a young, good looking, successful yuppy who has everything he desires. However, he is also a psychopath.
I did enjoy the first 300 pages of this book. It was decently written and you never knew which route it would take. The story is told in first person perspective which adds to the story and puts you in the mind of a psychopath.
The depictions of what happens in the book are very graphic and detailed, I won’t spoil them but I wouldn’t read it on a weak stomach. I feel there may be more blood and gore in the book than the film because I can’t imagine them getting away with putting that out to audiences.
The novel fell short for me in the last 100 pages. I can understand certain choices by the author and what he was trying to do, however it fell flat for me and a lazy tie up to a decent book. I also felt the amount of characters in this book is ridiculous, there must be about 140+ being introduced throughout.
I did question whether to give this two stars, but I feel it has left me questioning the narrative a lot so feel it deserves the 3 star rating. Overall, I wouldn’t heavily recommend this book, don’t believe it is worth the hype it receives.
American Psycho follows Patrick Bateman, a young, good looking, successful yuppy who has everything he desires. However, he is also a psychopath.
I did enjoy the first 300 pages of this book. It was decently written and you never knew which route it would take. The story is told in first person perspective which adds to the story and puts you in the mind of a psychopath.
The depictions of what happens in the book are very graphic and detailed, I won’t spoil them but I wouldn’t read it on a weak stomach. I feel there may be more blood and gore in the book than the film because I can’t imagine them getting away with putting that out to audiences.
The novel fell short for me in the last 100 pages. I can understand certain choices by the author and what he was trying to do, however it fell flat for me and a lazy tie up to a decent book. I also felt the amount of characters in this book is ridiculous, there must be about 140+ being introduced throughout.
I did question whether to give this two stars, but I feel it has left me questioning the narrative a lot so feel it deserves the 3 star rating. Overall, I wouldn’t heavily recommend this book, don’t believe it is worth the hype it receives.
"There wasn't a clear, identifiable emotion within me, except for greed and, possibly, total disgust. I had all the characteristics of a human being - flesh, blood, skin, hair - but my depersonalization was so intense, had gone so deep, that the normal ability to feel compassion had been eradicated, the victim of a slow, purposeful erasure."
By now, American Psycho is one of the most revered of classic horror novels, and its reputation in the scene is for good reason, not only is this fantastic book absolutely worthy of the heavy praise it receives, it's still, hands down, one of the most disturbing, most freakishly messed up, disgusting and distressing pieces of literature out there. Sure, you might just read this book and think "what's so disturbing about this? There are extreme horror novels far gorier, far more violent" And, you'd be right, but the true horror of American Psycho lies in how mundane the whole thing is, how pedestrian the violence becomes, the repetitious nature of the novel makes it all feel so detached, there's a constant sameness that that paints these murder sprees as if they're just a part of the norm.
It's suffocating, and intense. There are scenes strewn throughout this novel that will certainly challenge the perception that there are uglier, gnarlier books out there, there are scenes so horrific, so vicious, that even seasoned horror authors balk at them. To truly enjoy American Psycho, you have to really love spending your time in the head of deplorable, despicable people. Because, this isn't a novel where the characters are here to be enjoyed, they're all vapid, horrendous people with hellishly awful views, yet, somehow Ellis makes it so satisfying to be submerged into their world. While not my favorite Ellis novel, it's certainly a masterpiece, one that's so darkly comedic and so horrible to experience. Here, Ellis writes with an authenticity that's almost unrivalled in horror literature.
By now, American Psycho is one of the most revered of classic horror novels, and its reputation in the scene is for good reason, not only is this fantastic book absolutely worthy of the heavy praise it receives, it's still, hands down, one of the most disturbing, most freakishly messed up, disgusting and distressing pieces of literature out there. Sure, you might just read this book and think "what's so disturbing about this? There are extreme horror novels far gorier, far more violent" And, you'd be right, but the true horror of American Psycho lies in how mundane the whole thing is, how pedestrian the violence becomes, the repetitious nature of the novel makes it all feel so detached, there's a constant sameness that that paints these murder sprees as if they're just a part of the norm.
It's suffocating, and intense. There are scenes strewn throughout this novel that will certainly challenge the perception that there are uglier, gnarlier books out there, there are scenes so horrific, so vicious, that even seasoned horror authors balk at them. To truly enjoy American Psycho, you have to really love spending your time in the head of deplorable, despicable people. Because, this isn't a novel where the characters are here to be enjoyed, they're all vapid, horrendous people with hellishly awful views, yet, somehow Ellis makes it so satisfying to be submerged into their world. While not my favorite Ellis novel, it's certainly a masterpiece, one that's so darkly comedic and so horrible to experience. Here, Ellis writes with an authenticity that's almost unrivalled in horror literature.
"The bum's not listening. He's crying so hard he's incapable of a coherent answer. I put the bill slowly back into the pocket of my Luciano Soprani jacket and with the other hand stop petting the dog and reach into the other pocket. The bum stops sobbing abruptly and sits up, looking for the fiver, or, I presume, his bottle of Thunderbird. I reach out and touch his face gently once more. "Do you know what a fucking loser you are?" He starts nodding helplessly and I pull out a long, thin knife with a serrated edge, and being very careful not to kill him, push maybe half an inch of the blade into his right eye."
When American Psycho released, it did so to widespread backlash, and to this day it still gets criticism of being a misogynistic novel. Upon having read it, these claims are surface level readings at best, complete misunderstandings at worst. Yes, this book is about a serial killer who kills lots of women, but, Bateman doesn't discriminate with his victims, men, children and animals get the chop, too. Yes, this is a novel about a man who murders a lot of women and also holds abhorrent views of women, but, it's more than that. It's a scathing critique of aesthetic culture, it's an angry, blistering dive into abuse and cruelty at the hands of the elite. It's satirical, and of course, the point of satire is to overemphasize, to revel in absurdity.
American Psycho is an extremely well written piece of social commentary, one that absolutely will challenge your comfort levels.
"I come to the conclusion that Patricia is safe tonight, that I am not going to unexpectedly pull a knife out and use it on her just for the sake of doing so, that I am not going to get any pleasure watching her bleed from slits I've made by cutting her throat or slicing her neck open or gouging her eyes out. She's lucky, even though there is no real reasoning behind the luck. It could be that she's safe because her wealth, her family's wealth, protects her tonight, or it could be that it's simply my choice. Maybe the glass of Scharffenberger has deadened my impulse or maybe its simply that I don't want to ruin this particular Alexander Julian suit by having the bitch spray her blood all over it."