Rating: 
Summary: Corruption et cruauté en pleine chasse aux sorcières
Review: J'ai découvert l'univers de James Ellroy par le film L.A.Confidential et en lisant Le Grand Nulle Part, j'ai été abasourdi par le style Ellroy qui atteint pour moi son paroxysme dans l'un des meilleurs romans noirs. Merci à James Ellroy !!
Rating: 
Summary: Horrific, compellingly so.
Review: I thought this was a great book. My introduction to Ellroy came via a university tutor who truthfully told me the story of the Black Dahlia would make me sick but keep me reading. True. 'The Big Nowhere, is, I think, even better. The plot twists and turns without relief and I was forever foraging through previous chapters to try and pick up the thread once more. Realistic, disconcertingly flawed, totally compelling - Ellroy's characterization has to be his forte. The fate of Deputy Danny Upshaw will linger long in my memory. To those readers who complain of the gory brutality of this novel; this is pure Ellroy people, I warn you never even to contemplate picking up a copy of 'American Psycho', the scenes of rape, torture, murder and necrophilia will undoubtedly put you off your dinners.
Rating:
Summary: Ellroy's best book.
Review: After reading Black Dahlia (Good not great) and White Jazz (impossible to follow) I was about to give up on Ellroy. Sure the NOIR had its allure but I still didn't see what the fuss was all about. Alas, The Big Nowhere proves once and for all why JE is one of the best contemporary writers of his time. Oh, and yes Capt. Dudley Smith does make an appearance here.....
Rating: 
Summary: Better than Black Dahlia
Review: The plot hangs together better than Black Dahlia and the Red Scare theme is inherently interesting. I think ellroy is too cartoonish to be a great writer, but I do keep reading his books.
Rating:
Summary: Rediscovered Greatness
Review: I read this book originally in the '80s after reading Ellroy's "Blood on the Moon" (part of the late and unlamented Sgt. Lloyd Hopkins series). I have reread it again resently and reminded myself why TBN put a hook in me for Ellroy's work. Rich of prose and complex of plot this book describes a series of interwoven lives that are one by one destroyed by deeply concealed secrets and past actions. At the end of the novel the dense plot simply falls in on itself. Isn't that the way good noir is supposed to be ?
Rating:
Summary: One helluva book!
Review: Man, dig this crazy book! This book is beyond fantastic and is truly epic in format. Unlike L.A. Confidential which covers several years, this book covers only one month in early 1950, and yet, it is as effective if not more so than L.A. Confidential. Ellroy's characters are extremely likeable and it's easy to get caught up in their problems. All in all, a very good book! If there were six stars, i'd give it ten!
Rating:
Summary: Good writing, but rather too long
Review: I'm a big fan of Ellroy's writing, but this particular story is not as clever as THE BLACK DAHLIA, and not nearly as original as AMERICAN TABLOID. I guess the bottom line with this novel is that it's ploughing territory that the author has been over before. I also think the story is just a little rambling, progresses too slowly and has too many names and characters to follow to make for first class entertainment. Not Ellroy's best, but still better than most.
Rating:
Summary: danny upshaw rules
Review: compelling cop chiller ~ and a graphic depiction of what every cop has to do to stay ahead in LA, including deception and murder ~ good-ish cop danny upshaw just wants to get on with decoding a serial killer's blood splash patterns and forget about his passion for his high school mate tim ~ if only ellroy hadn't killed upshaw off two-thirds of the way through ~ does the character appear in any of his earlier work?
Rating:
Summary: Addictive and gritty to the last page...
Review: Although this book may take a little while to get into (To the reviewer who only read to page 50, I had the same reaction, keep reading, it's worth it!) it is eventually compelling and quite rewarding. Ellroy's ability to shock you and then challenge you with your own compliance to the horror depicted on the written page is skillful indeed. A fun read, although the police brutality and constant epithet-slinging can get tiring. The ending is also a bit of a throw-back to Hitchcock's "Psycho"-- in which a therapist explains, quite patly, the pathology of the killer. A fun read, and definitely worth it.
Rating:
Summary: BUY THIS BOOK!!!!
Review: I love Ellroy. His style and use of the written word are unlike anything i've ever seen or ever will see. TBNW was a book that adds to the Ellroy myth. Read it! You'll thank me. Later
|
