Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely chilling examination of 1980's culture..
Review: I loved this book. I thought it was an excellent portrayal of greed and vanity that was the 1980's. I did have difficulty reading some of the really greusome parts, however, they kept me on edge and made me want to read even more. I think the fact that Ellis places a lot of emphasis on what people are wearing throughout the book is really key. He would say something like "Today I am wearing an wool and silk suit by Armani...". This really showed how people placed so much emphasis on how they looked in that era. The writing is also very on point. The language that Ellis utilizes really exemplifies how people spoke and thought during that time. I would rather see people looking at this book and realizing that it is a true examination of how things were in the 80's rather than saying that its just a book filled with violence, sexuality and terror. That part of the book is there to show exactly how disturbed this individual is and how well he is able to cover it up. Bateman, the main character is meticulous in concealing his secret life. Its a book about wearing masks rather than just a disgusting rant. Also, much of the book is spent talking about the rampant drug use that went on and how this affected people. Overall, an excellent book.
Rating: 
Summary: Initially Boring, Eventually Engrossing
Review: I recently purchased _American Psycho_ after perusing the reviews offered by other readers through Amazon.com. I must say that the book itself accurately describes the superficial nature of life during the 1980's, although the author could have spared a few details on the wardrobes of various characters. I found the portrayals of violence to be almost comical. By this I mean that Ellis seems to overwrite and lose any impact he may have wished to convey. The true horror in this novel comes not from descriptions of death, but from the all too real possibility of a Patrick Bateman among us. Patrick seems quite callous, deriving pleasure from pain...sounds like virtually every serial killer mentioned in the novel, and those we see on the evening news. As the novel progressed it seemed to become quite psychological in nature. One could see Patrick's descent into madness and his realization that his facade was crumbling. It was at this point in the novel that i began to appreciate it the most. Ellis seems to dawdle initially, but as time passes one sees the complexity of Patrick Bateman and ultimately, the true sickness of indifference.
Rating:
Summary: very graphic, easton must be the psycho to write like that
Review: this one of the best books i have ever read, if it wasn't for it's graphic content it would be compared to the likes of "the catcher in the rye" and "the great gatsby". easton must be psycho himself to be able to express the thoughts of Mr. bateman. slept with one eye open for a week. recomend to all with a strong stomach.
Rating:
Summary: Horribly addictive
Review: My comments may come some time ahead of those posted here but lets face it, what is worse, kids killing kids in schools?? Southpark?? The actual Jeff D's?? This book is strictly fiction although slightly touching too true to our already sick and dark sided society. Bottom line if you want to be afraid in the middle of the night or capture that old feeling of slowly turning your head behind you at every falling footstep, then read this book. Lets face it, if you came this far or your friends told you of this book then you probably are not as innocent as those readers here who are trying to impose their morality on us!! (he, he, but then again what do I know??)
Rating:
Summary: A Little Too Realistic...
Review: I'm not normally one for transgressive fiction- cheap thrills and shock value don't do much for me. Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho, however, is a book I finished a long time ago and wont be able to forget any time soon. The graphic violence/sex scenes are intense, but what disturbed me the most about this book is the physical reaction it produced in the reader. A friend and I read this at the same time, and we were amazed at how Ellis's writing could make us sick, make our palms sweat, make us FEEL the book. Still more disturbing is that despite the unspeakable acts Ellis's anti-hero commits, he is able to make the reader sympathize with him. This book gets into your head. It changes the way you walk down the street at night or the way you look at strangers in a restaurant. I would not, however, say that it is for everyone. If you're reading these reviews, you know what you're getting yourself into. If you don't want to- don't go there. But if you do, remember, THIS IS NOT AN EXIT.
Rating:
Summary: If you question "society," read this book.
Review: This book isn't simply about a serial killer or his grotesque methods. It is about how a person like this can not only walk among us, but can also be treated as a popular figure by individuals who want to accept a glib facade. The book, in reality, examines how shallow society has become, particularly during the fast money, discard the ethics '80's. I have read several reviews below where the readers have quickly written off the subject matter as depraved and the chapters on the musical bands of the '80's as "pointless." This is not the case. There is no doubt the book is graphic, but this only serves the point of showing how utterly perverse a person can be, yet because society only seems to care about the surface, he can walk among the "normal." Further, those "pointless" chapters on Genesis and Madonna point out how shallow the mindset of "society," particularly in the '80s, had become. When Ellis has the protagonist characterize Genesis' "Illegal Alien" as a cutting look at politics today, Ellis is really saying,"Look at what popular culture in this country values as quality political insight."As the book develops, more and more of the central character's problems leak out. His killing becomes more and more reckless, and he even tries to tell his friends and girlfriend that he has become a "@#$!&$ psycho," yet every time he mentions something, these people simply carry on with their conversations-- only wanting to deal with the surface issues of clothes and business cards, and avoiding anything of substance that might make them look a little deeper into somebody. The end result, Bateman (the Psycho) is never caught and could still be among us. The last impression: how comfortable are you with "society?"
Rating:
Summary: This is how it will end...
Review: At the beginning we are told to abandon all hope. At the end we are told THIS IS NOT AN EXIT. Words, actions, and violence have never been so boldly, shockingly, and profoundly captured behind the wall of prose as American Psycho has been. Bret Easton Ellis, the superb author of Less Than Zero and The Informers, gives us one of the best novels of the decade about the decade before. The 80s, a time when superficiality and materialism were at the grand heights of culture, existed upon a barren landscape, an utter wasteland of walking yuppies and the crawling poor. In American Psycho, Ellis revels in this landscape, and brutally brings the very essense of the "who-gives-a-f**k-about-anybody-but-themselves" attitudes that were bountiful during the years between 1980 and 1989. The lessons are disturbing, because as his final words tell, there are no exits. The point of all this, of all the fuss and acclaim (or the disdain), comes to focus when we read the quotes that open the novel. From Notes From the Underground we are told that the author of these Notes must exist in a society like ours. Looking around, from person to person on the street, I have no doubt this is true. And the Talking Heads have it right... as things fell apart, nobody paid much attention. This is the book, the bible, if you will, of what happens when society becomes ill-aware of their neighbors, and aware of only themselves...
Rating:
Summary: Whoa oh whoa oh oh oh oh oh
Review: Whoa-oh, whoa-oh, Oh-Oh-Oh, whoa Go Inside a Wall Street mind a psycho lurks Lines of cocaine cut in Hell Obsessive hands gently grab your neck Compulsively you'll die... I hate people Whoa-oh, whoa-oh, Oh-Oh-Oh, whoa-oh Struggling to breathe, go The sweet asphyxiation and dismemberment Sex puts me in the mood to make you die Obsessive hands gently grab your neck Look into sick eyes... I hate people Whoa-oh, whoa-oh, Oh-Oh-Oh, whoa-oh Struggling to breathe Go - A machine of penalty Go - The sweet insanity Go - Fade to black tranquility Go - You're looking through the eyes of a psycho, whoa-oh An American Psycho, whoa-oh An American Psycho, whoa-oh An American Psycho Psycho Inside a Wall Street mind a psycho lurks Lines of cocaine cut in Hell Obsessive hands gently grab your neck Compulsively you'll die... I hate people Whoa-oh, whoa-oh, Oh-Oh-Oh, whoa-oh Struggling to breathe Go - A machine of penalty Go - The sweet insanity Go - Fade to black tranquility Go - You're looking through the eyes of a psycho, whoa-oh An American Psycho, whoa-oh An American Psycho, whoa-oh An American Psycho Psycho, psycho, psycho, psycho
Rating: 
Summary: Nytol has nothing on this book
Review: This book is depressing. Not because of it's "violence," but because a publisher would slump to incredible new levels of depth to make a fast buck. Ellis missed such a golden opportunity to examine a serial killer's mind, but instead he relies on mindless descriptions of products. Good thing he did, or else he might actually have to rely on writings skills to get him by. His prose, well, I shouldn't call that laughable gibbering he writes prose, looks like he wrote most of the book in breaks while he was on the toliet. After a few hundred pages of no plot, no character development, no stirring of emotions, no ending, pointless chapters on musical groups, the only thing left was his even more pointless descriptions of violence. He even freely admits to studying police reports of other serial killers. Good writers do not need to go into specific details on how someone murders someone else, but we are talking about Ellis here. If this is what passes for "Fiction" in this country now, maybe that low groaning sound I keep hearing really is Hemingway, Steinbeck, and Faulker rolling over and screaming "No!" in their graves.
Rating:
Summary: A chilling, riveting read
Review: The first half of the book began to bore me (all the name-dropping), but really it was just a setup for a second half that's utterly amazing in terms of its non-stop brutality and horror. I really like the way Ellis evokes the banality of the central character's life. His brain is like a sharks's. It exists to home in on certain targets (haute couture, victims), and has no other function. A great book. I read this book in French, my second language, and I'm glad I did so: my vocabulary didn't extend far enough to allow the book to turn my stomach completely.
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