Rating:  Summary: Somewhat of a disappointment Review: I have read all of Palahniuk's books, and this is probably the weakest. I found the story to be unfocused, predictable, and, despite the putative daringness of subject matter, trite. The ending was especially hackneyed and, surprisingly, melodramatic; like most writers, Palahniuk doesn't know how to end his novels satisfactorily or originally. Palahniuk might be an adequate writer for modern times, but his works hardly function as great literature as they are utterly devoid of style, rest solely on gimmicks, and only serve as a forum for his recycled philosophical aphorisms. All four of his books feature an identical protagonist, with this same antihero placed in four different circumstances, and each time reacting in the same nihilistic fashion. Palahniuk also fails to truly develop any of his characters; they are completely one-dimensional, and any depth which he strives to give to his characters is superficial and almost seems to be an afterthought. Thus, Palahniuk makes that most egregious and unforgivable error of accentuating plot over style. His main concern only seems to be to rattle off these quasi-perspicacious one-liners (placed arbitrarily in some character's mouth) that condemn modern life in the United States. Some of the points he makes are relatively provocative, but Palahniuk's occasional moments of vision hardly rescue his fictional endeavors from a complete aesthetic failure. In short, Palahniuk's four novels are essentially only four chapters of the same book, so alike are they in their underdeveloped characterizations, in their lack of stylistic innovations, and in their delivery of a handful of oh-so-insightful aphorisms. While a glimpse into Palahniuk's world is not entirely unrewarding, his first novel , Fight Club, is bound to satiate any appetite for this immature writing. I am sure many people will respond that Palahniuk's writing is intentionally stripped down. That may be true, but that still doesn't make for great art. I still find him to be too derivative. Read Joyce, Kafka, or Nabokov for a truly aesthetic portrayal of nihilistic characters.
Rating:  Summary: Palahniuk is easily one of the best writers of our time Review: He is witty, silly and poignant all in the same sentence. Invisible Monsters does not exceed or even match the brilliance of his previous work, but in absolutely no way disappoints. Its a great read. Much more memorable than most pretentious drivel that gets acclaim. check it out.
Rating:  Summary: Who is invisible? Review: Like his other books, he starts at the end and retells what led up to the point everyone is at. Each character has their own invisible monsters that they hide. Throughout the book, you learn their secrets and oftentimes you feel ridiculous that even though it was so obvious what the secret was, you had not caught on to it until Palahniuk told you. Unlike his other books, the ending at first did not leave me wondering. Later, I was telling a friend about the novel and realized that, yet again, he had not given the reader closure, enabling the reader to decide for themselves what was to happen. Everything is not what it seems, yet, it is so obvious when it is revealed. Palahniuk takes you on an incredible ride from the first moment. This novel was written on two separate levels; it went much deeper than his two previous books and left out more than it told. Even though you were flooded with facts and information about the characters, there is still so much that is missing, allowing your imagination to take over. I had to re-read it to completely grasp his brilliance due to the subtleness he presented it in. I haven't been dissappointed by him yet and I have just ordered "Choke" and cannot wait to read it.
Rating:  Summary: awesome! Review: This book is a great trip. It takes a while to make sense of everyone in the boo, but once you do it is a awesome.
Rating:  Summary: Identified. Review: this book is amazing of twisted turny stories. this book made me wonder how complex complexity can be. the title really induces irony, lives in the word 'Invisible'
Rating:  Summary: absolutely brilliant Review: I could not put this book down. The characters just take hold of you right from the start and then you're off and running. The book moves so fast you can't put it down I finished it one day. The twists are great and they work, a bit outlandish but so are the characters. Everyting in this book is so vivd Chuck Palahniuk pays attention to detail so you feel like you're riding along in the car with the charaters. I highly recomend this book it's fun it's fast and when you think you've got it figured out it throws you for another loop and you just keep spinning!
Rating:  Summary: Chuck has created the perfect work of fiction Review: All my life i've searched for perfection and in all of Chuck's books he amazes me with his insaine wrighting prowice I think this novel in perticular takes the cake. A totaly unexpected and wildly origanal work of art, a literary work of art.
Rating:  Summary: For Palahniuk fans, but not others Review: This is go-ahead Palahniuk. Whereas Fight Club and Survivor struggle to introduce us to Chuck's "Baudrillardian" take on modern American life (cuckolding Delillo in the process), Invisible Monsters assumes one knows where Chuck's coming from, leaving him to focus on the characters. And Palahniuk's characters are always self-aware, but in IM they transcend that awareness by focusing on the beauty of ugliness and the ugliness of beauty-- thus, they become "monsters" who are "invisble" to themselves. But, like other works focusing on self-reference, ultimatly the book offers nothing-- it closes the loop on itself, and the reader can only gaze, as at an odd-shaped cloud formation. Beautiful, unique, but just another cloud, and no better than any other, more plain cloud, at explaining how the weather works. Read this if you like Palahniuk. Read this if you don't. But of your ambivalent, read something else first.
Rating:  Summary: Half faced Review: Invisible Monsters is a book of elegantly crafted prose, that takes us through the mind and life of a super-model gone wrong. After getting shot in the face, meeting Miss Thang Brandy Alexander, becoming a monster...Shannon, the narrator/supermodel/monster takes the reader on a journey through misinformed parents and the aftermath of a suicidal brother. Overall, the book is created to tease and surprise, much as other Palahniuk novels.
Rating:  Summary: ...though "invisible monsters" does contain its witty moments... Review: ...though "invisible monsters" does contain its witty moments, it strongly resembles the anti-corporate, chopped up style of "fight club" and "choke". in the end, i'd rather jump off a building than read this book again.
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