Lullaby

Rating:
Summary: This book sucks
Review: Being a fan of Chuck Palahniuk's previous works I was looking forward to reading this. The problem with this novel is that it is way too farfetched. Culling songs are not only retarded, but unrealistic. As a previous reviewer noted, this would have been great if it was made into a short story.

Rating:
Summary: Captivating
Review: In very much the classic Chuck Palahniuk style, Lullaby focuses on many human frailties. Carl Streaton, an investigative reporter, is assigned to write a five-part series on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. During his investigation, he discovers a poem that grants a power many people have often wished for: the ability to kill with a thought. The idea of corruption that comes with power has been documented thoroughly and is well known, but Palahniuk presents it in a truly creative and entertaining way. While Palahniuk's style may be hard to get used to, the book gets difficult to put down once the plot picks up. In addition to being a captivating read, Lullaby is also a deceptively short read for being 260 pages. Great for a long trip or a few nights of leisure reading, Lullaby only heightens my respect for a brilliant writer.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining but not Tight
Review: A journalist researching a story on "crib-death" makes some scary connections between a series of infant deaths and a book of poems from around the world, leading him and a small crew of odd companions on a nationwide quest.

I can't say I really liked Lullaby, but I can't say I didn't either. It was entertaining, and it moved at a good, fast clip. I was always interested. But then there were a few things that just didn't sit well with me. There were times when the characters failed to act in ways we had been taught to expect them to act. Then events start lining up "Hollywood" style; things happen because, well, that's what needs to happen next. It was all too convenient.

Regarding the magic, Palahniuk falls into the ancient trap of letting his magic go unrestricted. All fantasy readers know magic needs to be controlled or it will ruin a good story, so Palahniuk casts his spells then waves his hands to keep us from asking too many questions, which, if he were pressed to answer, would force him to rewrite some chapters and come up with a new ending.

Entertaining, but not very tight.

Rating:
Summary: Better than Invisible Monsters, not as good as Fight Club
Review: This is a good, solid Palahniuk novel. Oddly enough, this foray into the realm of magic is more believable than the incredible string of coincidences in another novel by the same author, Invisible Monsters. Basically, it answers the question, "What would you do if you had the power of a god?" The answer, as anyone who has read Palahniuk will know, is not pretty. It doesn't quite measure up to the mind-blowing Fight Club, but then not much does.

Rating:
Summary: Overrated
Review: I can understand why Chuck Palahniuk has next thing to a cult following. Chuck's writing will definitely appeal to those who appreciate the offbeat and different. And there are parts of Lullaby that are laugh-out-loud hilarious. There are also great thoughts about subjects like noise. But underneath it all, there's this constant thread of I'm-more-clever-than-you. Sometimes it feels like writer's snobbery, and sometimes it's more of an Aren't-I-Simply-Too-Precocious-For-Words thing. I'll admit it. Palahniuk is certainly clever, but I don't think anyone will ever appreciate that nearly so much as he does. Besides that, the ending to Lullaby was just a mess. Blood and guts and unconnected fragments that simply did not make for very good reading.

I have other books of Palahniuk's, and at some point I will get around to reading them. But I won't hurry.

Rating:
Summary: Chuck is Chuck
Review: Chuck Palahniuk is if anything predictable. His books seem to always explore the big picture through details. He seems to take the normal and dissect until it is absurd. Lullaby is his standard example and innovated brilliance in as much of a combination as you can get. For those of you who watched Fight Club and enjoyed figuring out how soap making could degrade social destruction by way of the essence of male bonding; you will enjoy how a detail oriented reporter can degrade to mass murder by way of a the essence of dysfunctional nuclear families. This was Chuck's funniest book, like watching someone meltdown because three-bean salad is not a vegetarian dish. However, reading three of his books in six months became a little repetitive for my tastes.

Rating:
Summary: Social Commentary at its Best
Review: Chuck Palahnuik's Lullaby was one of those reads where you imagine every detail because every detail is examined within the story. Lullaby is a story about greed, control, power, and in contrast of those, the path of redemption. Carl Streator is a detective who has a past that haunts him. When it comes back to bite him in the butt in the form of a culling song (an ancient poem that kills intended people when read), he must put his past and the poem to rest. With the aid of an over-the-top woman, a young wiccan, and an overbearing know-it-all, Carl must destroy all copies of the poem, and reach redemption before damnation takes over him.

Palahnuik captured the essence of his main character, and kept you involved with him from beginning to end. The same goes with each of these characters as we meet them and see each of their own downfalls. I must admit that the beginning of the novel is a bit confusing, but it all comes around in the third chapter, and from then on any mystery/suspense lover will be involved until the end.

What really kept me involved is how the novel is much like a social commentary. The undertones of how much power can control one's self is shown in each character. That's how it is in real life with people. Once power is given to someone, they want more. I won't get deep with this, but it's just an extra goodness of the book.

This is my first book by Chuck Palahnuik, and it's sparked my interest for his other novels.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful for the most part.
Review: I absolutely loved this story. It is strange, but in an interesting way, it just kind of makes you think. The only reason I give it four stars is the last thirty or forty pages were awful (in my opinion). It finished the book off in twisted, dissatisfying way, that made my cringe at times. So, my advice- read it, but forget about how it ends. You don't want to know.

Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: I loved this book, and couldn't put it down once I started. Interesting book that rips into the "new age" philosophies that have run rampant in the last decade and exposes those who espouse them for what they basically are: people looking for more power. At least that's what I got from it. Like his other books, it peers deeply into our modern psyches without getting too serious. Pick it up and read it, its good for you.

Rating:
Summary: Hard to put down
Review: Lullaby is fantastic. I had read chuck's Fight Club before picking up Lullaby, and I thought it was just excellent. Chuck writes very dark yet humorous prose. At times, very gruesome....probably the grossest stuff I've ever read...yet it makes it hard to put down. His plot twists are amazing, and I sat with my jaw dropped at times! All of the characters are so interesting. The premise is fascinating. What if someone could kill by just thinking someone dead? What would that do to a person's psyche? I highly recommend this book...it really made me think...unlike a lot of other authors.