Diary

Rating:
Summary: More Subtle, More Subdued
Review: Palahnuik is one of the few who can write subversive and satirical material that still qualifies as literary art. In a style all his own, he has tweaked the lines of fiction to create stories that resonate with our generation. "Survivor," "Fight Club," and "Lullaby" are some of my all-time favorite novels.

That said, I got "Diary" with high expectations. As some have noted, Palahnuik's unique voice has started to become an echo in each novel, and I hoped he would break his own mold.

He does. For good and for bad. Although "Diary" has themes that seem tamer and more polished in delivery, they are aimed more precisely than in some of his other works. The style is more subtle, more subdued. I read entire chapters waiting for one Palahnuikism to jot down in my memory banks, but few showed up.

In "Diary," Chuck steers away from clever sentences and goes for a clever overall picture. Just as his characters discover that art is birthed through pain and suffering, we the readers discover the beauty here by overcoming more obstacles than in his other novels.

Overall, I loved the theme of art inspired by pain, but never felt deep connection with any particular character or setting. I respect an artist/author willing to shift gears mid-career--U2 did so in the early 90s and fumbled back to greatness--and I believe Palahnuik will do the same. Here, he reinvents himself. "Diary" is his turning point. Though he might not connect with everyone, I believe he's taken a step toward bigger and better things.

Rating:
Summary: Not his best work
Review: First off, I consider myself a Chuck Palahniuk fan and have read all of his previous novels. Therefore, I was rather excited to start reading this one. However, once I got into the book a bit that quickly changed. The plot basically centers around an island conspiracy to save a rich-but-soon-to-be-poor island by finding and procuring a tortured artist. The artist will evidently be the savior but these twilight-zone like episodes will be repeated over and over with new reincarnations of this tortured artist character. Sound confusing? Anyway, in his other books I always found Palahniuk's best trait to be his lively and entertaining (if not eccentric) characters. In this book we basically have a vegetable-of-a-man who tried to kill himself, the tortured artist Misty, Misty's daughter Tabbi, and a few other minor island characters. In other words, who cares? These characters are extremely dry and boring. The book itself doesn't contain the bits of Palahniuk wisdom that you'll find sprinkled throughout works like Fight Club and it is a chore to complete. I had a very difficult time motivating myself to plow through it. The book does contain some similarities to other Palahniuk books as far as writing style but it appears his ghost showed up to complete it. I still consider Palahniuk a good and talented writer and hopefully he will rebound to his true form in the future. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Rating:
Summary: 1st Chuck Book - Very Good
Review: No doubt, much like many people here, I loved Fight Club (the movie) and at some point noticed it was also book (a short one at that). I checked Fight Club out of the library and, for no particular reason, Diary as well. I swear I did not read a darn thing about the book before I started reading, I didn't check out Amazon and I didn't read the inside covers, I just read. I was enthralled and drawn in to a very interesting style of writing and it wasn't till about page 40 or so that I actually figured out what the heck the book was about. This is a good thing. Too often with books and movies there are too many expectations and prior knowledge that doesn't allow the writer (or director) to take you on the journey the way he intended.

Anyway, it was a very good book but not great. If you're already reading a review i'll tell you, the ending was a little disappointing, so allow for it, it is the reason i'm giving 4 instead of 5 stars. I don't know this man's writing so I don't have overly-heightened expecations, but it's a quick, interesting read.

As a side note that has nothing to do with this book: I read and obviously write some of these reviews on Amazon, but I encourage everyone to just pick up a book they know nothing about and just dive in, more often than not you'll be excited and interested by what you did not expect. Amazon is not an alternative to your local library, it is extension to furthering your joy of reading.

Rating:
Summary: Horrific, but mesmerizing!
Review: The story is of how the elite of Waytansea Island sustain their wealth. It's predestined...and in Grace Wilmot's red leather diary. Grace has one son, Peter, who meets his wife Misty Marie in art school. Peter makes a living as a carpenter. During the course of his contracted jobs, he seals one room in each house and inscribes bizarre messages on its walls. When homeowners discover that they are missing a room, lawsuits start pouring in. Misty is called to investigate and take responsibility. Peter cannot respond to these calls because he lies in a hospital bed in a vegetative state...the seeming result of a suicide attempt gone wrong.

The author gives us a very convoluted plot with many twists and turns. At times, it's not always so clear what is happening. This is part of the mystery of the story. The book reads like a horror novel with rhythm. Because the story is so quick-moving and the writing so colorful and creative, it is a (chilling) pleasure to read. Be prepared to be entertained and disgusted at the same time.

Rating:
Summary: Tightly written but lacking depth-
Review: This book is typical Palahniuk. He loves to horrify, and his fluctuation between a repetitive, visceral description of the wrinkles in the human face and constant pity and seeming degradation of his characters creates often shallow individuals who are stuck to the fate that has been given to them. His books tend to leave me simpering in the misery of the plight of humanity, and yet I am drawn to them as addictive, intense reads that play out very cinimatically.

I did enjoy this book, if "enjoy" is even applicable here. His pacing is outstanding, even if I did, as another reviewer mentioned, get sick of the weather forecasts and almost-dippings into an anatomy textbook. These are tools to achieve a certain unity and cohesiveness, and the book is very tight and well written. His story develops around his convention of flat, pitiable characters, people who were created to fail, to shed light on the shocking traditions of Waytansea Island.

Palahniuk writes Misty, his main character, as a convnetional woman with conventional dreams, and although she has aspirations of high art, ultimately she is only to be used by people of an island which is used by rich, stereotypical tourists. He takes on Misty's character and sort of kicks her half-alive, bloated corpse around in a way that is meant to be disturbing, but is only mundane.

Palahniuk jumped to the forefront as a writer in the vein of John Waters. Like Waters, his new works hinge on mediocrity as his audience is bludgeoned by a society that is increasingly unable to be shocked.

Diary lacks depth, but is entertaining and skillfully constructed. If you already like Palahniuk, don't be deterred from buying this book, but read Choke if it's your first by him.

Rating:
Summary: More of the Same from Chuck P
Review: Chuck Palahniuk's first novel was the bitter, cynical, diatribe called Fight Club. It is the story of young males who are so disenfranchised by materialistic American culture that they must beat themselves silly to feel anything. It is a scathing review of a society that numbs its members with consumerism. They characters become nihilistic in their views and begin destroying all that society deems worthy, including themselves. It spoke directly to a generation of males (and many females) including myself. It is a theme that permeates his following novels.

After seeing the excellent 1999 movie based on Fight Club and reading the book, I planted myself firmly in fandom of it's writer. I began reading his subsequent books in no particular order (other than what I could find at the library.) I made it through Survivor, Invisible Monsters, Choke, Lullaby, and most recently Diary. Each of these stories follow the same basic guidelines. An assortment of odd and often disturbed characters move through an increasingly absurd amount of crazed plot lines. There is the former cult member on a plane to his death (Survivor) the faceless ex-model on the road with a transexual (Invisible Monsters.) You get a man who intentionally chokes on food in crowded restaurant so he can bilk his saviors out of cash (Choke)and an involuntary killer who can summon a culling song of death at will. And finally a coma Diary "written" by the wife of an attempted suicide. Each of the novels are filled with jabs and slashes at societal norms. All of the characters go through extreme changes and end with a shocking twist. Unfortunately, they wind up being mostly the same.

Diary tells the story of Misty Wilmont, a once promising art student, who now waits tables at a sea side resort while she writes a coma diary to her husband. It seems her husband, Peter, whisked the young artist to the resort tourist island of Waytansea. Throughout the story Peter is in a coma from an apparent suicide attempt. All is not well on the once quaint Waytansea island and Misty quickly finds herself being locked in a hotel room by her mother-in-law and daughter, being forced to paint picture after picture blindfolded. I won't give anymore of the story away, because it is filled with the usual Palahniuk twists that are have the fun of reading his stories. Once again this book is filled with, mostly true factoids, and a biting cynicism towards all things culturally held dear. The problem, here, is that we've heard it all before.

Try as he might, Mr. Palahniuk, has been writing the same story novel after novel. Oh, he gives us different characters and more outlandish scenarios, but his central themes remain the same. I read this one just waiting for the new twists to occur. But even the twists seem more of the same. I wasn't expecting the actual twists to occur as they did, but I was expecting the twists, and that knocked half the shock out of them. The characters seem less real, and more as a cheap device to rattle off more nihilistic castigation.

Palahniuk is a talented writer. I just wish he'd get off his philosophy and get to writing something new, something fresh, something that Fight Club was when it first arrived in book stores.

Like this review? Go to www.midnitcafe.blogspot.com for more.

Rating:
Summary: A New Direction for Palahniuk -- But Still Good:
Review: Do you ever get the feeling that you have been in a certain situation before? Have you ever learned something so quickly and easily that it seemed like you were remembering it, not struggling with a new concept?

Welcome to one of the central themes within Chuck Palahniuk's newest novel, Diary. Almost all of us have had these feelings before. There is even a word for the concept, Déjà vu. So the theme, in and of itself, is not original.

What is original is Mr. Palahniuk's take on the idea.

Diary is the story of Misty Willmot. As you might expect, the story is written in the format of Misty's diary. Misty is struggling to support her daughter and mother-in-law as a waitress. Her husband lies in a coma after a nearly successful suicide attempt. And all the formerly rich residents of the island she inhabits won't stop pestering her to resume painting, which she abandoned when she was a young woman.

You might be thinking that this is not a terribly exciting story. And you would be right. However, this is Chuck Palahniuk's writing, so you can rest assured that things won't stay predictable or routine for long.

Along the way, you will learn a lot about famous artists throughout history. You will learn about some of the unfortunate afflictions that can strike coma victims. And you will learn about odd habits of building contractors such as writing on a wall before it is painted. You will see this taken to an extreme, as Misty's husband vandalized rooms in the houses that he was remodeling and sealed the rooms off. And you will learn just what his haunting, insidious graffiti means. Finally you will understand the tremendous feelings of deja vu Misty experiences on Waytansea Island, from the island houses that she painted perfectly years before setting foot on the island, to the all-too-accurate comments written on the page of every book she opens at the library.

The style of this book is clean, concise, and potent. Palahniuk makes the most of every word, reminiscent of a boxer that does not throw a lot of punches, but whose punches are precise. As such, the novel weighs in at just 261 pages, but every last one of those pages is a punch that lands with crushing force.

I find it hard to relate my overall feeling about this novel. I found it to be a very easy read, and finished the book in about six hours. I was riveted the whole time. At the end, after the final piece of the puzzle was revealed, I found my eyes getting watery from the sheer perfection of the completed tale.

I also get the feeling that there are more themes, and levels of understanding, which will reveal themselves after a second or third reading. Thank goodness this book is actually compelling enough to read several times.

Be prepared for plenty of biting social commentary. No Palahniuk book would be complete without this element. However, this book continues the trend which began in Lullaby, with far more subtle ideas interlaced within a fantasy/horror storyline. This appears to be a distinctive second stage in the works of Palahniuk, apparently having moved beyond the transgressive fiction that originally gained fame in such books as Fight Club and Invisible Monsters.

I highly recommend this book. That being said, this is a Chuck Palahniuk book, and is probably not suitable for kids or anyone who wishes to avoid writing that touches upon "unpleasant" subjects. Pick up a copy! And while you're at it, I need to recommend another recent novel I truly loved: The Losers' Club by Richard Perez. I picked up a used copy (apparently this book is very hard to get) off Amazon -- and it really knocked me out. Worth the $7.00 bucks and how.

Rating:
Summary: Not worth reading...
Review: Even in the most twisted, misanthropic characters Chuck Palahniuk creates, there is generally something fresh and likeable about them. Unfortunately he falls far short of his past precedent in Diary. The main character, Misty, is miserable in her life, and miserable to read about. I had trouble finishing the book, and when I did I was glad it was over. The recurring thought that came to mind was, "Who cares?" I didn't. The story, in general, was uninteresting, and unbelievable. If you haven't read much by Chuck Palahniuk yet, read Survivor and Invisible Monsters, but don't waste your time or money on Diary.

Rating:
Summary: where do you get your inspiration?
Review: Dark, nihilistic and at times, distressingly funny, Chuck Palahniuk's Diary is a searing tale about fleeting immortality, rich snobs and conspiracies.
At its worst, it's repetitive horror.
But at it's best, Palahniuk masters an ambitious story that shines darkly with wit and cinematic terror.

Rating:
Summary: The king of cool novels
Review: Every time we start a Chuck Palahniuk's novel, one can be sure of some things. He has sharp prose, inventive plot --with even more inventive twists-- black (but not always cynical) sense of humor and a huge love for mankind. The last part may come as a surprise. But it takes a humanist like him to write about people in general and always save them.

Palahniuk's work is always dealing with saving people usually form a dead-end existence. In "Diary: A Novel" it is Misty Winston's turn to be save and, at the same time, save the day -- or not. It all begins with her comatose husband lying in a hospital bed after trying to commit suicide. Her husband was a contractor and now, many of his clients are having problems with their houses -- rooms are simply disappearing. Once a promising painter, now Misty works as a waitress in a hotel and she has seem all her dreams of becoming a famous painter disappear.

But things are about to change! Misty talent suddenly returns and she starts to paint again. And make lots of money -- what makes everyone in the island where she lives pretty happy. But like everything else in life, it has a price -- and it is not a cheap one. That's where the biggest plot twist in "Diary" lies.

As Palahniuk's plot unfolds, his novel starts to resemble Ira Levin's "The Stepford Wives". There are many things in common -- like the isolated community, the search for an ideal of perfecting and enhancement, and the horror setting that makes us feel that something bad is about to happen all the time.

Like all his previous works, "Diary" is filled with interesting information that is cool to be used when you are chatting with your friends, just to make you sound smart and cool. If in "Fight Club" we learned a lot about soap and human fat, in "Diary" there is lots and lots of information about graphology, Carl Jung and something called Sthendal Syndorme. It Palahniuk is making everything up -- or if he's been doing a lot of research to write about those things -- is just a detail, because every little detail he writes about is so cool that you don't care he is telling the truth or not.

Again, his characters are more archetypical than regular human beings. But, then again, this is cool in his novels. I wonder if somebody can write and create alternative worlds like he does. I doubt we can find another writer just like him. He is unique and this is what makes us love his books -- even when we think he's being a little repetitive. Who cares? It is cool to read and quote Palahniuk. It always makes you sound smart and modern. A great achievement that not many people are able to reach nowadays.