Rating: 
Summary: still an enigma
Review: Saw the movie with my daughter and couldn't figure out the end. We said "what?!! was it real or wasn't it?" So I decided to read the book and find out what the end meant.
Ha! Just as ambiguous as the movie.
I read the first half, mesmerized by the detail and fascinated by the writing style. By the time I got to the last third, I had to skim. The depravity was unbearable. And I am an aficionado of horror films.
I would like to find out more about the author. It frightens me that anyone who can imagine such horrible things is walking around on this earth. The beauty of the first part is wiped out by the perversion of the last. I wonder about his other books.
My recommendation? Read the first half; rent the movie to see the rest. (The movie is of course censored a lot.)
Rating: 
Summary: Gatsby on acid
Review: Brett went to Bennington in the 80's.
Rating:
Summary: A Chilling Classic -- But You Decide!
Review: I decided to read American Psycho after hearing the title whispered in social circles. It's so violent. Too graphic. What's the point? Comments only fueled my desire to read the novel Bret Easton Ellis tried to get published in 1992, without great success, for some time.No matter the genre, a novel is successful if it makes the reader think, pause and re-assess the world. Ellis' novel offers a satirical look into the pampered New York elite through the eyes of an original and sociopathic main character. What Works Narration: The first-person narration captures the reader instantly, introducing Patrick's innermost thoughts and fastidious rituals, such as cleaning his body with more products than your local Rite-Aid. Patrick takes the reader along to trendy, cover clubs, scouting for "hardbodies" and lamenting about cheap drugs sold on the dance floor. Ellis has made a wise choice using Patrick as the narrator. As you read, you are engaged, participating. What is interesting is how the reader is both involved, and detached simultaneously (bringing me to the next point...) Characters: Are sufficiently flat and underdeveloped, working both to keep the reader from empathizing too greatly with a victim, while also serving to support the satirical edge that in life, nobody gets too close. Patrick's monotonous lifestyle of work, working out, renting videos and spotting Les Miserables posters is all too familiar. He (as so many other characters in the book) cannot tell one acquaintance from another. Everyone in Patrick's world looks alike, corporate paper dolls with trophy wives/ lovers. Structure: Easton uses run-on sentences and fragments to simulate the breakdown of Bateman's mind. Some chapters will end with an incomplete thought, others will explode with angry stream-of-consciousness. Satire: The violence in the novel is not simply a gruesome, gratuitous tool. Granted, Bateman conceives of some of the most "innovative" murder scenes around, yet Bateman is raging against his deadened society, trying to "feel something." Bateman's actions mock everything our capitalistic society holds dear--wealth, status, the rat race, the American dream. What Doesn't Work Real or Illusion? Readers wonder if Ellis has created a scenario where all of the events are completely fabricated in Bateman's mind. Some ambiguity in the plot leads to this conclusion--a maid cleaning his apartment after a slaughter and "not noticing anything," dry cleaners ignoring repeated bloodstains on dress shirts, a realtor selling an acquaintance's apartment after Bateman left a grisly tableau behind (which is later unexplicably cleaned & unreported to police--by whom?) This uncertainty may frustrate you--if you read the novel, write a comment and let me know what you think. So now when I hear "It's so violent, too graphic, what's the point?" I wonder if it refers to the innovative novel, American Psycho, or perhaps life itself? You decide.
Rating:
Summary: Rich vs. Poor
Review: To me this book has always been about the widening gap between the Rich and the Poor, in american culture. It expresses the contempt the big dog has for his little brother, and the main character puts that contempt into action, literally. I'm not going to pretend to know anything more about this book thatn the author, but American Psycho is truly a masterpiece in my eyes. Plus it's got a kick-@ss cover.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting concept, some problems...
Review: I don't know how to take this book - as a satire whose time has passed, as a timeless satire (I can think of arguments for both), as the hyperkinetic, fictionalized musings of a troubled mind (I understand Ellis was going through a bad emotional spell when he wrote this). Truth is, in the final analysis, it doesn't matter, because this book succeeds on all of those levels, and more that I don't have the space to go into. I do fault the book for being overlong; while I have forgiven much of the length as necessary to fully display Bateman's accellerating decompensation, I still believe this point was rammed into the ground about 100 pages before the end. Oddly enough, I think ALOT of the dialogue could have been edited out, and the book would not have suffered for it. I am usually a staunch advocate dialogue, but much of it in this book simply didn't matter. While I am sure that was the point, to a degree, it was not the best way that the point was made. Also, while I found the music "commentaries" amusing, these quickly lost their edge, and I actually skimmed over each one a couple of times to make sure I didn't miss anything. This is a shame, because I think the whole concept behind these commentaries was compelling and could have added much more to the book.
"American Psycho" certainly hasn't converted me to the Church of Ellis - in general, I find this type of quasi-intellectual post-post-modernism to be the self-indulgent exercises of culture whores with too much time and not enough imagination or respect for language. However, I think that this very problem that seems to characterize Ellis and his kind was perfect for this PARTICULAR book. In the end, I recommend it to anyone who will not cringe from the more graphic scenes, and anyone with a little patience. I think this book is worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting - but lacking
Review: Generally, I enjoy Bret Easton Ellis. I will confess that I was first introduced to "his" work when I watched the 1987 movie "Less Than Zero" which I absolutely loved, and still do. I was intrigued by the subject matter, and the story, so I bought this book and several others by Mr. Ellis. I do enjoy reading stories or articles that delve into the minds of serial killers, and the part of this book that focuses on Pat Bateman's day-to-day existence in the world, while his nights are focused upon his grislier interests. I UNDERSTAND what Ellis was "going for" when he describes every single thing that Bateman wears and puts on his body, and showers with. I GET why he mentions the name of every skin cream, cologne and four-thousand-dollar suit that Bateman puts on. My problem is that this type of narration got old for me. I understood that the character had expensive taste, and purchased only the best *everything* money could buy, but sometimes I was just anxious to get on with the story! Alas, the 80's; a time of indulgence and excess; are behind us now, and it is enjoyable to read about them with longing. I think this book could have been GREAT in my eyes, but I've accepted it for what it is, not what I wish it had been. I'd definitely skip the movie adapation of this book, and rent the new "Less Than Zero" DVD which was just released. It has absolutely *nothing* (save the names of the characters) in common with the book of the same name, but it is a beautifully-crafted display of poignant, incredible acting on behalf of Robert Downey, Jr. and the rest of the cast, put to gorgeous cinematography and stunning musical score orchestrated by Thomas Newman (of "American Beauty" and "Six Feet Under" fame).
Rating:
Summary: Horror Show
Review: To say the least, American Psycho is one of the most intense novels I have ever set eyes on. It fascinates me how Patrick Bateman (the psycho) can go from an elite, well-off, respected white-collar worker, to a madman on the outskirts of the most sickest of fantasies. The creation of Bateman's character is phenominal, and you will enjoy flipping along with his crazy mind. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK
Rating:
Summary: Marry me, Bret Easton Ellis.
Review: There is nothing I love more than American Psycho. I've thought about it, and yes, it is true. So I am proposing to Bret Easton Ellis, though if he does accept, my parents could prosecute him, for I am underage. Hey! Maybe I could steal him and lock him in the guest room of my house. I could give him false hopes of the outside world if he just writes me another novel. This is how much I like American Psycho. Patrick Bateman is just awesome. One of my favorite characters. And think, those of you who are planning to read this beautiful, wonderful, marvelous book, "is the violence real, or is it in his head?"
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting and Somewhat Thought Provoking
Review: I spent months pondering what the meaning of "American Psycho" was. I watched the movie and used it as a resource. I still remember that I was halfway through the movie when it hit me. Patrick Bateman had been imagining all of the killings. If you can remember there was even a particular line in the book where he said that he was slowly having trouble determining what was real and what was fantasy. I may add that this point is gotten across more clearly in the movie compared to the book. Another observation that I made is that the reason why Patrick Bateman wanted to be and have the best in everything is that somehow it would make him stand out in a crowd where everyone was the same. If you remember, everyone practically dressed the same, all made a lot of money, etc. That's why everyone sometimes got mistaken for someone else. Patrick on numerous occasions got called someone else's name. It's because no one could tell anyone else apart. This is just my interpretation and I know that many others can dispute what I'm saying. Overall though it was an interesting book.
Rating:
Summary: patrick bateman as one of us
Review: American Psycho is Patrick Bateman, the man of today. The character tells his daily story through tableaux depicting an outside made of wasting wealth, fashionable appearance, and absolute lack of any concrete relation and feeling. His inner world is one of total psychosis generating rapes, murders and perverted torture.
But you can't blame him thoroughly, he needs love as everybody do. Through the means of the first person narrator, Ellis succeeds in avoiding a moral point of view, and he makes talk the monster-character with his voice. You read his story, and you early replace your reproach with the voids of American culture and the dramas of global society.
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