Rating: 
Summary: Gasp! Its Good!
Review: Palahnuik has done it again, for a fourth time. Usually an author at this point gets bland or switch to another style of writing. Choke is about Victor Manicini, a sexaholic working in the colonial era trying to find enough money to keep his mom alive, he thinks. This nearly 300-page book takes us through an adventure of his "science and sadism" to find out the complete truth about his life's purpose.Choke's writing style is still reminiscent of the faithful "Fight Club" and manages to have great power in its symbolism and philosophy. Like all of Palahnuik's other novels, I placed this book down and sighed muttering, "I'm glad I'm not living like this." His emphasis on the epitome of depression and drudgery is haunting. I honestly don't believe anyone who reads his books, including "Choke", will look at the world the same as before. Choke is worth all the money. While I still believe Fight Club is the most riveting and powerful, Choke is still a great novel to pick, fling through, and appreciate life.
Rating: 
Summary: Easy Read, Nothing New
Review: I am a huge fan of Chuck P. But this novel is just like an excercise in everything he has already done. not many new ideas and the hooks and gimmicks he uses are growing slightly old. not terrible or boring, but not even close to great. i thought he'd take more chances but apparently there's not much left in the tank. Chuck's good at what he does, but what he does is getting repetitive. still better than most of the...[stuff] out there. But his worst to this date. at least if you read it last.
Rating: 
Summary: Choke delivers in the clutch!
Review: In literature today, Chuck Palahniuk is the man of the moment. With the possible exception of "Glorious Failure" by Ben Jonjak, Palahniuk's works have established themselves as the voice of the era. With the controversial "Fight Club" Palahniuk muscled his way into the spotlight and gave his readers an uncompromising look at the flaws in our sometimes over-glorified culture. Now with the no less controversial "Choke" Palahniuk continues to deliver. "Choke" is an exploration of sexual deviancy, but the main theme of the novel, like "Fight Club," is the modern-day angst caused from the apparent purposelessness of our watered-down, machine assisted lifestyle. There is a certain desperation that can be felt behind the novel's sometimes witty, sometimes grotesque, always compelling escapades. More so than in any of his other novels, you can hear Palahniuk's own uncertainty behind the false bravado of his unfortunate characters. Essentially, "Choke" is a discussion on what is most important in life and a plea for some guidance as to how to achieve it. But by presenting this argument through a series of ill-conceived misadventures, the discussion is rendered light and compelling. Palahniuk writes with a short, terse style that is always compared to Vonnegut but which also reminds me of Hemmingway. He tries to write as people speak, and the often grammatically garbled, yet perfectly understandable sentences that result are given a very spontaneous feel as a consequence. The novel is obviously well conceived and well polished, but it is not tediously overworked, as most novels that try to sound literary tend to be. Although I would hesitate to call Palahniuk's style new, he does add a dimension to this sort of "free" writing that I haven't seen before and which is very refreshing. "Choke" is a marvelous novel. If you have any interest in being on the cutting edge of where literature is going, this is the book you must read. Although many of "Choke's" themes are very similar to the ones found in Palahniuk's previous books, "Choke" provides them with a more personal touch. Palahniuk has matured, and perhaps grown more confident as a writer; he is bringing his readers further and further into his confidence and I am very excited to see what he comes up with next.
Rating:
Summary: Choke comes through in the clutch
Review: In literature today, Chuck Palahniuk is the man of the moment. With the possible exception of "Glorious Failure" by Ben Jonjak, Chuck Palahniuk's work is the premier voice of the times. With the controversial "Fight Club" Palahniuk muscled his way into the spotlight and gave his readers an uncompromising look at the flaws in our sometimes over-glorified culture. Now with the no less controversial "Choke" Palahniuk continues to deliver. "Choke" is an exploration of sexual deviancy, but the main theme of the novel, like "Fight Club," is the modern-day angst caused from the apparent purposelessness of our watered-down, machine assisted lifestyle. There is a certain desperation that can be felt behind the novel's sometimes witty, sometimes grotesque, always compelling escapades. More so than in any of his other novels, you can hear Palahniuk's own uncertainty behind the false bravado of his unfortunate characters. Essentially, "Choke" is a discussion on what is most important in life and a plea for some guidance as to how to achieve it. But by presenting this argument through a series of ill-conceived misadventures, the discussion is rendered light and compelling. Palahniuk writes with a short, terse style that is always compared to Vonnegut but which also reminds me of Hemmingway. He tries to write as people speak, and the often grammatically garbled, yet perfectly understandable sentences that result are given a very spontaneous feel as a consequence. The novel is obviously well conceived and well polished, but it is not tediously overworked, as most novels that try to sound literary tend to be. Although I would hesitate to call Palahniuk's style new, he does add a dimension to this sort of "free" writing that I haven't seen before and which is very refreshing. "Choke" is a marvelous novel. If you have any interest in being on the cutting edge of where literature is going, this is the book you must read. Although many of "Choke's" themes are very similar to the ones found in Palahniuk's previous books, "Choke" provides them with a more personal touch. Palahniuk has matured, and perhaps grown more confident as a writer; he is bringing his readers further and further into his confidence and I am very excited to see what he comes up with next.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic. See Also: Superb, See Also: Another Gem.
Review: Palahniuk is turning out to be my favorite writer of contemporary fiction. This man is amazing. Considering that he could have started courting mainstream acceptance after the movie Fight Club gained so much attention, it's quite nice to see that he is willing to completely out-do himself on the shock-meter. As the introduction says, "You do not want to read this", then "this is your final warning". What we have here is another nihilistic look at contemporary American society, and all of the ills that come from trying to fit into its codes and ethics. In the world of Palahniuk, everyone is an addict, simply trying to use their addictions to drown the repetition and misery of the world around them. Victor Mancini, protagonist and sex-addict, knows that what he's doing is not out of love for anyone, but just to feel that he loves people, even if for a brief time. His mother is wasting away in a hospital, and his world seems to be falling apart. His job is the true definition of hell, his friend has become obsessed with rocks, and his true love interest may not be telling him everything. Add to this the possibility that he may be the current incarnation of Jesus and, JESUS! we have a complicated storyline. Yet it is handled with flair and finesse by Palahniuk, whose uniquestyle and structure is on glorius display here. As with all of Palahniuk's books, there is an underlying theme of redemption through breaking free of societal, religous, and familial constraints (sort of like Sartre, but not silly or contradictory). The world is ours once we realize that we alone can change it. Yet another masterpiece from Palahniuk
Rating:
Summary: A novel for us nobodys
Review: Strolling through the bookstore, broke, unemployed, I cracked open this book and after reading the first few paragraphs I knew I had to buy it. Max out that credit card. Who cares? Here's the author begging us NOT to love his hero. Here's a guy who isn't a master spy or a noble lawyer, doctor, soldier... Palahniuk creates a character who lives such an absurd life, but from the way he tells it could be the guy sitting next to you on the bus. These obsurdities are told in such hillarious detail that I couldn't help but laugh out loud and draw stares from the Starbucks crowd. (I'd look up daring them to ask me what was so funny.) Chuck Palahniuk draws the lines between the underground/urban folklore life and that of the "normal" people and how it's hard to tell if one is any better off than the other. All of this in a novel overflowing with useful/dangerous information/misinformation and suprising story revelations that speaks, in a demented way, to young adults who are not satisfied with the goals we are taught to accept. See Also: Fight Club See Also: Invisible Monsters See Also: Survivor
Rating:
Summary: Dangerous and Funny, but flawed
Review: I had been looking forward to the release of Choke after reading all of Palahniuk's previous novels. I came to him through Fight Club, like many, and have enjoyed the dark humor of Survivor and Invisible Monsters. This book is a must-have for Palahniuk fans - the style of depraved humor and didactic witicisms is intact - "Without true chaos, there is no hope for true peace... The laws that keep us safe, they condemn us to true boredom... If things don’t first get a lot worse, they’ll never really get better." Choke is populated with characters who stroll sex addicts anonymous class for partners, randomly abuse a variety of substances, and who can spew an endless variety of bizarre med school tidbits. On the other hand, this doesn't seem to be the novel that will break Palahniuk through beyond his already limited audience. There are a couple of scenes that are simply juvenile, even scatalogical (graphic bowel humor, a flossing scene with flying tidbits that lasts too long, etc.) In all, I think Chuck Palahniuk brings to the table all the trappings that people wanted to pin on Bret Easton Ellis a few years back. In my opinion, though, Chuck is funnier, riffs better in his prose, and speaks with a clearer voice...
Rating:
Summary: Ho hum, another fan hopelessly devoted to the latest Morsel
Review: Probably all the reviews you'll read for this book are going to be exuberant and massively enthusiastic. I'm going to try to keep this as level as possible, but the fact is that Choke is a fantastic read, wickedly funny and, though not heartbreaking, it often manages to touch a raw nerve. If you're looking for the same kind of jet-black humour present in his other books, you will not be at a loss here, as the humour springs from the page right from the very start as the author insists that you, the reader, should go and do something else. After all, you're not getting any younger. Time will tell if this author's work will be held in a high literary regard, but even if it isn't, this novel deserves to be read and appreciated for the sheer pleasure alone.
Rating:
Summary: What would Chuck Palahniuk NOT write about?
Review: If you would like to have your belief structures and social conventions challenged by one of the best new voices around, I highly recommend this book. If you want to be spoon-fed conventional blubber, stick with the bestseller list. By his fourth novel, Choke, Palahniuk further refines themes suggested in his earlier books, while employing new (and to an extent previously taboo) subjects as the context within which his slightly-off characters frolic and suffer to our delight. Vincent Mancini, the protagonist of Choke, wrestles with such of life's little complications as sexual addiction, Alzheimer's Disease, and the emotional need for validation, salvation and personal transformation. Those who enjoyed Invisible Monsters, Fight Club and/or Survivor will find familiar comfort in Palahniuk's sound-bite linguistic style, which frantically drives the book toward whatever conclusion is in store. I read the book in two sittings, insatiably curious as to how (and if) the pieces fit together. My thanks to Chuck Palahniuk for making life a little more . . . err . . . interesting. Here's to hoping that he is presently scheming away at a new novel.
Rating:
Summary: A Chokehold on the American Dream
Review: Palahniuk's brilliance is the poetry that leaps out of his blatant vulgarity. He pounds out such amazing analogies and ridiculous realisms, it is easy to get lost in his satirical world. Choke is a perfect companion to Fight Club and Survivor. Palahniuk nails the creepy recesses of the male psyche like no other author. I devour these books and eagerly await the next.
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