Rating: 
Summary: Hitting bottom
Review: A popular them in all of Chuck Palahniuk's book. The idea that in order to move beyond society we must hit bottom and do exactly what we are not suppossed to. Whether or not this actully works for anyone (Chuck's characters included) - it's hard to tell. This book in particular uses elements of the fashion world and the famous. A product to the core, the narrator finds herself in search of a personal identity, beyond society and labels, but first she must confront tragety and sacrifice, she must do what she doesn't want...
Rating: 
Summary: Visible Disapointment
Review: Palahniuk starts his third novel with the same structure as his two previous works, and, for someone who adored the first two books, this felt a little like Palahniuk had found a formula for writing a novel and thus decided to stick to it rigidly. Elements of the novel are good, there are some hysterical set-pieces (the best one being around the dinner table with the narrator and her parents), but otherwise the rest of the novel fell too easily into the same sort of pattern that 'Survivor' and 'Fight Club' developed. The predictability of the narrative also tends to annoy, and because my hopes for a third consecutive brilliant novel were so high, this novel really left me feeling a little cold. Thankfully, Palahniuk's forth novel (which I finished last week) is a masterful return to form.
Rating:
Summary: Maybe the most important book i've ever read
Review: it should be anyway. While maybe not the most entertaining, definitely the most socially accurate and insightful of chuck palahniuk's books. It brings forth the ideas of "what is really necessary in life?" and why people have their lives summed up in one word? Great narrative, too, with the usual immoral hilarity.
Rating:
Summary: My fav of his Three so far!
Review: WOW! This is one heckuva book! Among, Fight Club and Survivior this book is alot more complete. it has more twists and turns then you'd expect, and the characters are alot more sympathetic and you really end up caring for the main character and her group of really weird, drugged up, perverted friends, Brandy Alexander and Ellis. Its a wild ride, with no real clear cut story, and I really liked the "jump to" thing, it keeps things running at a good pace. I'm a writer and that style really takes care of alot of narrative problems authors face when writing. This is the best of the three so far, mostly because its themes are a bit unclear at first, and they unravel so beautifully. Chuck creates these psychos and you're surprised you end up caring for them so much. Especially the main one in this book. Its not very PC so reader beware, if you're too sensisitive. But go ahead and dare to enter this world of invisible monsters.
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable! I read the whole thing in two days!
Review: As much as I loved Fight Club, this is even better. Chuck does it again, man, he is one twisted *$#%@$&! The second you pick this book up and find our narrator in another situation, which only Chuck can come up with, you have to continue to read to find out not only what happens next, but why the heck our protagonist is in their situation to begin with. Give me another book soon Chuck, Flash. Give me the gritty details, Flash. Give me a hero, flash...
Rating: 
Summary: Messed Up People
Review: The thing that I liked about this book was that it is very emotional. It will have you laughing one minute, only to find out the next that what you are laughing at is so tragic that it makes you want to cry. The problem I have with it is that it doen't have a plot so much as an idea. The narrator tells her tragically redemptive story in such a way that reveals vital information to the reader in surprising ways. There really aren't any "plot twists," because the characters know everything when the book begins, it's simply the way that it's presented that makes it surprising to us. This way Palahniuk continually pulls the rug out from under us tends to get a little old. Other than that, it's a good read filled with vivid, off the wall characters as screwed up as you could want them to be. Ultimately it is a redemptive story, and that's what redeems the book itself.
Rating:
Summary: Don't listen to that other guy
Review: This IS the best from Chuck. The plot twists were brilliant, the story was great. And the end... the conclusion,(sniff) brought a tear to my eye Definitly recommended
Rating:
Summary: Astonishing
Review: Recently I have found it harder and harder to be truly affected by a book. I have recently been on a binge of off-beat, philosophically advanced novels, but have found it hard to find more than and a handful that don't suffer from lumbering, pseudo-intellectual pretensions (House of Leaves was an exception; a book that was aided by the sheer level of audacity and pretentiousness). After feasting on the double delights of Fight Club and Survivor, I eagerly anticipated the release of this, the first work written by Palahniuk. Palahniuk has written a novel that accomplishes a rare feat. It takes over-the-top characters and a totally ludicrous plotline, and manages to resound as one of the most affecting, bitingly satirical novels I have read in some time (Survivor managed this as well). This novel takes on the views of contemporary America in a cunning way. Instead of taking on the concepts of, and reactions to, beauty in a cynical story about beautiful people (there are more than a few of those), this book gives a unique perspective. The main character is involved in an incident that leaves her without the lower portion of her face. She goes from being a model who attracts everyones attention to someone so hideous that people can't bring themselves to look at her for more than a brief, curious moment. Add to this a drag queen with a hidden past, whose goal in life seems to be to attract as much attention as possible on her quest for perfect beauty. This book takes on those who say "beauty is on the inside" and then contradict themselves by ascribing to contemporary or trendy views of what beauty is. A glorious creation, this book has a resounding impact that has lingered with me for several weeks now, with no end in sight.
Rating:
Summary: Guns, Drugs, Beauty, and Ugliness Take the Road.
Review: Robert Altman did "Ready to Wear". Woody Allen did "Celebrity". Jay McInerney did "Model Behavior". Bret Easton Ellis did "Glamorama". Now Chuck Palahniuk explores the new age worship of beauty and glamour in "Invisible Monsters".The recent popularity of the view of celebrity worship has been done many times in the past few years, but this is by far the most twisted, dark, and almost violent (Glamorama) exploration of this theme. The narrator is an ex-fashion model who is disfigured and incapable of speech after a freeway "accident." She goes from being a fashion model to a case photo in a medical book. The narrative is explained in the first few pages after the patented Palahniuk begginning at the end story structure. The narrative is self explanatory though. Jump forward. Jump back. Flash. In his other novels he follows the timeline of End, Beginning, back to the end of the end. In this novel the story is a collage of twisted life experiences that "jump" out sporadically everywhere and going in every direction but ultimately working to build an impression of who the narrator is. It tells us what is going on in our times. It touches on our obsession with beauty from an angle never taken before. There is the better or worse self mechanism embodied by the character Brandy Alexander, the better or worse self that philosophizes about life and how to lead it. The rants are very reminiscent of "Fight Club". The small pieces of strange information that is reminiscent of all Palahniuk's work is also present. What this story has is satire and funny situations that are hilarious to a point that none of his other novels reach. The humor is so John Waters "Pink Flamingo". It is disgusting and disturbing to the faint of heart, and darkly hilarious to the post post modern art enthusiast. The exploration of the human spirit in reference to love is all here. We all say I love you but do we really mean it? This book takes the stance that those three words are truly one of the three greatest lies. The device of the narrator not being able to speak pounds that theme perfectly. Without those words what is love? And the narrator, not having those words finds out what love is in actions and feelings. The narrator finds out what love is through the examination of her life and road trip of a lifetime. In a world devout of love and a person who society can't love, we find an ultimate product that at first seems idealistic but when the reader "Jumps back" and takes note that the narrator is not a fly on the wall, her conditions, her perdicament, that the idealism becomes as socially deviant as the main characters of this novel. This is a take on modern beauty worship, the true meaning of love, identity, and the most morbid road trip novel ever written.
Rating:
Summary: Much was explained...
Review: When I found out this was the first book Palahniuk ever wrote (although it's the third to be published.) It certainly has the major Palahniuk theme; the two extremes, in this case of attention, either everybody loves you or no one will look at you. Duality also plays a role. When I first read this, I thought Palahniuk was slipping a bit; "Fight Club" is a classic and "Survivor" is pretty close. It's not quite as strong as those two, but since it's his first, that can easily be overlooked. If you go for darkly humorous fiction with a lot of potential shock value, this is the book for you.
|
