Rating: 
Summary: America,Look In The Mirror.
Review: I read this book and then read it again. I found it shocking and repugnant, bleakly comic and truly saddening. It is the most important social satire since William Burroughs' "The Naked Lunch". Those readers who find it needlessly, repetitively violent are missing the point entirely. In an age where a rich power elite can act above the law, where murder and mayhem in our neighbourhoods is an everyday occurrence, and where such degrading crassness as Jerry Springer passes for entertainment, Bret Easton Ellis's book cannot be accused of heavy-handedness. Patrick Bateman IS America in the form of a man, with all its glamour, violence and spiritual poverty. If Jonathan Swift were alive today, perhaps "American Psycho" is the book he would have written.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but too long.
Review: This could have been a very good book. The theme is interesting, the main character is fascinating and horrible at the same time, the atmosphere is ghastly and the moral of the story makes you think. Unfortunately the book is too long and contains numerous boring scenes. 100 Pages less and I would have been worth 5 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: PICK IT APART AND ENJOY!
Review: Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho is a brilliant adaptation of obsessive materialism in 1980's American urban culture. The novel revolves around the life of Patrick Bateman, a rich advertising executive that believes himself to be naturally superior. This is only to due the cushion of American capitalist society. This high status allows him to transcend rules that minorities and lower classes must follow and live by. Bateman feels the need to fit in society of 1980's bland-facelessness, which is why Ellis dedicates many pages to describing the dress of every single character and their social status. There is also a relatively large portion devoted to giving the history of a popular 80's band- Bateman must fulfill the role of a trendy New York City yuppie. This holds true in attempting to make reservations at the trendiest restaurant, Dorcia. Another great example is when Bateman shows off his newly-printed business card, only to be beaten by a fellow co-worker who has a much more impressive card. Bateman strives to be the best, while being a vicious sociopath trying to fit in. He has such a demanding desire to kill because of his hidden desire to establish an identity for himself and detach himself from the rest of the hollow souls in his world of materialism. Bateman has it all- money, incredibly good looks, gorgeous tan, expensive clothes, a building shared with Tom Cruise-yet he still wants more, so he murders. No one else notices he does this, despite witnesses and direct "confessions", which is because everyone else is so caught up in themselves and their lives. Patrick Bateman embodies the essence of greed, power, intelligence, and capitalism. Ellis demonstrates this his powerful novel, capturing the reader in a such a way that will create a lasting impression of dark humor and twisted anti-humanism. It is clear that American Psycho will become a classic, as it is indicative of the current state of American Literature.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent! Well done!
Review: I thorughly enjoyed this book and thought it took horror to a whole new level. Was written at the same calabre as Stephen King's books are! I was shocked and horrified at the gruesome scenes dipicted in the book. It was distgusting but horrifiying all at once and it made me want to read more! A great read! First rate!
Rating: 
Summary: this book is about the people who give this book 5 stars
Review: okay- we all know that self-centeredness and materialism is bad and frequently leads to greater evils. that's nothing new. so there's nothing terribly original in the so-called message of this book. what this book truly demonstrates is how desensitized and vicious our society had become- that people read graphic scenes of torture of women and LOVE IT. because, lets face it, this book lingers on the sadism much more than is necessary for it's literary message. the fact is that people in america enjoy reading this kind of thing so much that many of them have described the torture in they're reviews here. as a culture, we need to focus on leaving this kind of thinking behind. all this book accomplished was to make me disgusted with this people of this nation for loving this kind of cruelty. maybe that's the point- in which case, isn't everyone who says this is a genius work just buying into the heartless and senseless culture the book supposedly condemned?
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing Internal Look at the Ego of Capitalism
Review: It seems that the object of this novel was to capture the obsessive materialism of 80s American urban culture and point out the inherent racism and sexism of the business world. It does this very well, even if it leaves the reader often bored by the repetitiveness of the narration and the excruciatingly gory scenes. Patrick Bateman has an apparent Raskolnikov-complex believing himself naturally superior. However, he obviously is not due to his unfailing efforts to remain superior within the circumscribed world of the upper class. What really allows him to maintain his superiority is the cushion of our capitalistic society. His status allows him to transcend the rules that the lower classes and minority groups must live by. Not only social rules, but physical rules as well. His status allows him to accomplish super-human feats. Yet, it is never clear if these accomplishments occur in reality or the complex realm of his poisoned psyche. Not a light 'Now a Major Motion Picture' read, but a painful thought-provoking one.
Rating:
Summary: American garbage
Review: Okay, I read it and boy did I have to force myself to do so. In short, a pointless book full of nothing with gore and blood to make it seem something. After all, without the gore this poor excuse for a book would have never seen publication. I can't believe wall street types act this way and if they do, I'm sure its a small minority. As for the poor depicted in this book, they were so wooden and stale that no shock could truly be derived from their deaths. My only regret after finishing the book besides wasting my time was that Evelyn never got killed; I was sure Bateman would have snuffed her out. Not recommended; move on to something better like Patterson James or Richard North or even try the latest Star Wars book, now that's true suspense.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good book that seems unfairly criticized in this forum.
Review: I just finished reading AP, and I thought it was brilliant...people need to REALIZE that the book isn't about GORE...there are relatively few scenes of grotesqueness, which, by the way are all very interesting. It's about the mind of someone who feels the NEED to FIT IN in the world of 1980's American Capitalism and Bland-facelessness (which is why so much time is dedicated to suits and Whitney Houston).I abhor violence, but there wasn't anything that was gratuitous or unnessicary...this is Patrick Bateman. He is a seriously interesting character, and we can all relate to his vicious need to fit in (the busniess card scene is fabulous)...that is why I kept reading. He has moments of absolute evil and absolute emotion, sadness, remorse...very crazy, but very human. I would give the book five stars, but I found a few of the chapters near the end repetitive, and I wish Ellis could have focused more and trimmed it down a bit, but this is really a minor quabble. Good Work!
Rating:
Summary: An incredible work that defies the human imagination
Review: I read this book in about three days, after I had bought it at the bookstore. The fact is, I have never before found a novel so capitivating, and yet, at the same time, incredibly repugnant. The actions of Patrick Bateman, the man through which we see the dark day to day life of a Wall Street businessman, are vile to the utmost degree, yet Ellis' writing works to make it into a form that is digestable for anyone willing to see beyond the incredibly graphic sex and violence. There is much more to this book than cheap thrills, it is a brutal testament to the state of our times, seen through the eyes of the type of beast that we fear most in humanity. And Ellis takes it further. We don't just observe, but we become part of the novel, feeling pity and sorrow for the man who feels alone in his tower of psychosis, whose crimes we will never know are truth or fiction, and ultimately, who we see lost in a world that does not care about him, a world that he does not care about, and I world that is totally removed from the reality of New York City. A city that lives, breathes, and pulses with the darkness and greed of the 1980's thanks to Ellis brilliant language. One of the greatest novels I have read to date, and indicative of the current state of American Literature.
Rating:
Summary: beware
Review: prepare yourself. this book is about a psychopath. it is also about how incredibley shallow and self absorbed people can be. AP is a fun a quick read as long as you skim over the killing scenes. written in 1st person, it allows you to analyze patrick bateman and the world which he creates for himself, which is fun. overall this book was good because it was a challenge to figure out the pysche of a serial killer. the writting is intelligent, Ellis never sways from his original intention. only read this book if you have a strong stomach.
|
