Choke

Rating:
Summary: another great one
Review: Choke is different from other books by Chuck Palahniuk in certain ways. It did not start at the end. Less emphasis is paid to consumerism. But it is definite Palahniuk, no one can argue about it. Victor mancini is modern day saviour and he lives up to it in certain ways. The most impressive character is his mother, Ida mancini. Mr Palahniuk is definitely one of best writers alive. Atleast he made me buy the hardcover. I can't even remember when was the last time I bought hardcover fiction.

Rating:
Summary: Good book vs. good ending
Review: Ever since I carried my jaw out of the theatre from "Fight Club" I've been a fan of Chuck's (even though he didn't make the movie.) After readig Choke, I'd have to say it's his most entertaining book since...well since Fight Club, of course. But don't expect this book to be Fight Club 2, because Choke's structure is the complete opposite of Fight Club. Fight Club was only great because of its ending, yet Choke is great because of everything but the ending. Choke was one of the only books I was able to read without looking to see what page I was on. I enjoyed reading every page. The chapters are extremely short (about 4 pages), each bouncing back and forth between situations which I found rather refreshing. As I approached the last two chapters, I was afraid he might try to tie the book up into a drastic ending like Fight Club, but, instead, it ends without really having an ending at all. This might sound like a waste of time to read, but I would, personally, rather enjoy 250 pages than a 5 page ending.

Rating:
Summary: Could've been a lot better.
Review: I have read all of Palahniuk's previous books and was looking forward to the release of Choke. However, I was a little disappointed when I read it. Is worth the read but definitely not one of his best books. Hopefully the next one will be better.

Rating:
Summary: Running out of steam?
Review: I was heartbroken when I got about fifty pages into Chuck Palahniuk's latest novel, Choke. The entire novel seemed more an awkard and hastily pasted together collage of leftover ideas from his three more powerful, and more intriguing earlier novels than a novel itself. Although, by the end, the reader has the sense of some point being reached - of something more than just under-processed ideas and philosophies - the book just doesn't hold together as a whole. Before even thinking of reading this novel, all Palahniuk fans should read Invisible Monsters, by far the best work of this writer. I only hope that Choke isn't a sign of a writer out of ideas

Rating:
Summary: interesting, but...
Review: palahniuk has an interesting, sad, and depressingly accurate vision of his surroundings... so accurate that it forces you to laugh. it isn't really going to blow your mind with anything new, screw with your head the way fight club did when you first read/saw it, or make your top 5 favorite books list, but his skill is hard to ignore. an enjoyable and fast read.

Rating:
Summary: Hilarious, couldn't stop reading
Review: I was laughing out loud reading this book. Palahniuk's deadpan humor is at it's best in this book. His writing and insights continue to be similar to all his books, so you either love him or you hate him. I recommend this book highly.

Rating:
Summary: tasty, but hard to digest
Review: "Choke" demonstrates Chuck Palahniuk's strong points in full effect--namely a flowing, involving narration combined with harsh bits of truth-telling about modern life. This, like any of his other novels, is the type of book you whip through in a frenzy, although once the end is reached it feels unfulfilling.

But for a while, "Choke" is very excellent. It's the tale of Victor Mancini, a con artist who fakes choking spells in public restaurants to make any given person feel heroic (he's also in it to exploit people's generousity for $); he views himself as a saint, and with the assistance of an alleged doctor and his dying mother, he's convinced that he's the second coming of Christ, put on the earth to do good. But at a certain point he begins to resent this and has no desire but to be the dirtiest SOB ever, something he achieves through sex with a succession of loose women and a growing lack of remorse.

Palahniuk's approach to religious themes is anything but subtle; he's at the pulpit, belting out line after line of faux-derisive, faux-uplifting platitudes. The last hundred pages, especially, are hampered by an over-saturation of this Bible-thumping hooey.

The strongest points in "Choke" involve flashback scenes of Victor as a child, being carted from adventure to adventure by his loon/hippie mother; in these passages, Palahniuk offers up refreshingly liberated viewpoints on life and all that could be, without being schmaltzy. Also, the scenes which take place at Victor's job (a historical reenactment park) are priceless--right down to his description of what drug every employee is on.

But alas, Palahniuk's key problem is bringing up too many subjects and not giving them an equal amount of attention. Not to be trite, but he seems to be biting off a bit more than he can chew with "Choke." A subplot involving a friend of Victor's who collects rocks to build an obscure sculpture is too dull to provide any lasting symbolism. An extended passage about sex in airplane bathrooms seems out of place and goes nowhere. And the scenes which show off Victor's addiction to sex--while often very funny--feel almost gimmicky.

And in keeping with the twists that occur in the last 20 pages of "Fight Club" and "Invisible Monsters," Palahniuk somehow feels the need to tear down everything at the end of "Choke," as well. Only here the revelations aren't as exciting as they are trite and manipulative of the reader's intelligence.

For what it's worth, "Choke" is a novel that flows beautifully and can zip by quickly, and furthers Palahniuk's status as a more intellectual and eloquent version of Bret Easton Ellis. The man can write well, there's no doubt about it, but he needs to work on evening out the rough edges before going to print.

Rating:
Summary: Reality
Review: This book follows Chuck Palahniuk's style very much. It is entertaining, yet I think the story gets lost at times with all the underlining messages. All things seem to reflect our society as in his other books. It still is good and woth a read.

Rating:
Summary: same song, different charactes
Review: I'm a fan of Chuch Palahniuk. I've used Fight Club in my freshman level lit class. Unfortunately, Choke confirmed my fears: Chuck P. is a singer of one song (so far, anyway). Other than substituting sex for violence, the themes (and characters) are no different from FC (except FC is far superior). For example, in Choke, Victor refers to his boss as "His Highness" and "His Lord High." Tyler uses a similar "tone" when referring to the president of the union: "Mister His Honor." These comparisons may sound minor, but, reading Choke, I couldn't help but to think of FC and Survivor, to a lesser extent.

No new ground is covered here. If you have never read Palahniuk, buy Fight Club or Survivor. This book is little more than a "re-tread" of his previous works but done with less brilliance.

I do think that FC is a modern classic. I just hope that the author will move on to new territory and explore some other issues of modern life.

Rating:
Summary: Choke
Review: I thought this book was great, but after reading Chuck's other recent work I am begining to expect this level of straight forward social satiare. If you are always asking why, to social problems that no one seems to see or care about you will love Choke. Choke and Fight Club are perfect examples of what happens when one has hade enough, but is talented enough to get those in the mainstream and those just below the mainstream to listen. If you are searching for a book with as bold of a message, but speaks to the twenty something crowd or want to better understand the twenty something crowd then try Glorious Failure by Ben Jonjak