Rating: 
Summary: EXCELLENT READ! I'VE NEVER READ ANYTHING LIKE THIS!
Review: Thanks to Amazon.com reviewers, I picked this book up and was instantly swept away in the story.
You don't have to be a bodybuilder to get into this greatly told tragic story about taking your body to its limit.
This author takes all the fat out and tells it like it is. (no pun intended)
The authors streamlined writing takes center stage and lets you inside a bizzarre world of muscles, enhancing drugs, and redemption.
The ending was just the bomb! This is a must for anyone who just wants to take a walk on the wild side...
Rating: 
Summary: A good fast read
Review: I thought this book would be appalling and that I would have to challenge myself to get through it. This belief was based on reviews I had read about it. Perhaps I have a high shock threshold, and therefore, the book was interesting but not entirely disturbing. The references to sex are mild and not thoroughly played out. Actually the most disturbing part is the excessive use of drugs and steriods that are referenced throughout the story. I read it all in one day and found it went quickly, but it left me wanting more from the characters. I think this is a good first work.
Rating:
Summary: What happened?
Review: This book was an extremely quick read. I don't know if that was because the book is relatively short or because it is so captivating, but probably more of the latter. This book may not be as funny as Fight Club, but it's pretty close. The relationhips between characters are so perverse. The emotional damage these people wreak on each other is priceless. I don't think I'll ever be able to watch the female bodybuilders at the gym or on television the same way.
Rating:
Summary: chemical and so artificial...
Review: I have read Mrs Arnoldi's novel because it was highly recommanded by Chuck Palahniuk.The book itself is disappointing : it stands as an honorable screenplay but the characters lack dimension (Charles is a poor Norman Bates, Aurora almost speechless...).
If you want to learn about bodybuilding, chances are you'll also be deceived : these athletes take drugs and go through a lot of pain... We are not surprised by Mrs Arnoldi's revelations, nor by the world she described in few details. I have heard that Fight Club author is at working on getting the novel transformed into screenplay. Let's hope he succeeds in injecting vitamins into this body of work...
Rating: 
Summary: Revolting, but in a good way
Review: They say this book is Palahniuk-esque, but I don't know. I'm a big fan of Chuck Palahniuk's work, which is how I found this book in the first place, but the prose style that makes Palahniuk's books so amazing is not to be found here. Which is not to say it's poorly written - it's not, not at all. Arnoldi has a very straightforward narrative style, much sparser than Palahniuk's, but it serves her story perfectly well. I think the comparison comes because to the non-bodybuilder, Arnoldi's characters seem as bizarre as Palahniuk's, and their lives a little surreal. And certainly this book is Grotesque. But I've Been There Done That, and the characters in this book are not bizarre creations of Arnoldi's mind, they're completely real, or at least, there really are people just like them. The author says so herself, and you can take her at her word. As a former bodybuilder, although not a pro, I recognized Arnoldi's characters instantly. There's the superior attitude toward "normal" people, who jiggle when they walk; the tendency to pose naked in front of the bedroom mirror; that odd separation of self from body; but most of all, the ultimate paradox of women's bodybuilding: bodies that scream strength and power, but which are in fact under the complete and unquestioning control of a male "sponsor" and/or trainer. Aurora, like all fine young bodybuilding women, needs help. Aurora wants to be the best, and she has the genetic gifts to do it, but she needs the right drugs, the right diet, and a way to finance the gym rat lifestyle. Bodybuilding is more than a sport and more than an art. Dieting and drugging have been elevated to a precise and deadly dangerous science, known only to an elite few and affordable to fewer. Aurora's an amateur and she's broke. Her only chance is to find a sponsor. And so, Aurora gladly turns herself over to Charles, a wealthy, weasely, bodybuilding aficionado, when he offers to make her a star. All she has to do is give up her personal freedom and all control over her body. Charles and the trainer he hires, Henrik, walk her through every day up to the big contest, controlling her eating, drinking, training, and shooting her up with a dizzying cocktail of drugs from human growth hormone to insulin. They treat her like a prize heifer, and if they are aware of her on a human level, it doesn't show. This ugly dynamic is what makes the book brilliant. The fact that it is extended into the bedroom, where Aurora performs the *dirtiest* acts for Charles' amusement and Henrik runs a bodybuilder prostitution ring, drives the lesson home. She might look strong and independent, but it's an illusion - her body is the product of patriarchal exploitation at best, sickening perversity at worst. But all through this book the male proprietary nature of women's bodybuilding pops up. Her first "trainer," Skip, takes her under his wing and talks about "peeling" her (making her leaner) and giving her shoes that make her calves "pop." His joy in taking control of her body, beginning with its shape and attire and culminating in the sexual act, illustrates the tendency of men in this book to strive single-mindedly for ownership and domination of women's bodies. There is even a revolting scene where in return for an affectionate peck on the cheek, a mentally disabled man begins to grope and rub against her. Everything Aurora touches seems to turn to dirty sex.
This book follows not so much Aurora's bodybuilding career, as her ironic loss of control over her life and body while exercising a level of physical discipline few people will ever know. The big question, of course, is just how far she is willing to go, and the book provides a very satisfying answer. There are a lot of good things that I remember about my own time as a bodybuilder, and this book made me wonder what the heck they were. It's a one-sided vision (the sleazy side), for sure, but I loved it anyway. I only wish it had been longer.
Rating: 
Summary: Promising, but falls short, quite weak
Review: I was initially drawn to this book as it was claimed to be a Chuck Palahniuk-esque book. While the subject of professional women bodybuilders didn't really interest me, I tried it anyways. Now that Im finished, I noticed it's only somewhat like a Palahniuk book. Arnoldi doesn't write in the same style as Palahniuk, which is what I assumed. The theme is what is most like Palahniuk, but even then, the theme is barely similar to his themes. My major gripe with the book is that the climax of the book is extremely weak. At the end, I was thinking, "this is it? this is the end?" and was expecting more. At first, I didn't even think there was a real climax. However, I did somewhat enjoy the chemistry between Aurora, Charles, and Aurora's daughter, Amy.
Rating:
Summary: The weird world of female body building
Review: I came across this book on the website of author Chuck Palahniuk, author of "Fight Club." Supposedly he is going to write the screenplay. What a movie it would be. I don't want to give away the story at all, but "Chemical Pink" is one deeply disturbing trip through the world of professional female body building. Drugs, sex, and more drugs. It is written in a very engaging, moving style that keeps you going - sort of like reading a thriller. Which was strange, considering the storyline. But, what the heck, it was a great book. Fans of Chuck Palahniuk will enjoy. Highly Recommended!
Rating:
Summary: GREAT IF YOU'RE INTO IT
Review: I'm into bodybuilding so this book was a great read for me. There is so much information about the drugs behind the sport that I had a hard time putting it down. If you're not into the world of bodybuilding however, there is a decent story there for you. The book is written with a style that is fun and very quick to read. I wish that it had ended with one more chapter, but other than that, I say that Katie Arnoldi did a good job on her first novel and am looking forward to the next.
Rating:
Summary: Stained Pink
Review: This is the type of book that leaves you feeling a little dirty, brings you down a few notches to wallow in the sickness. I really enjoyed it. "Chemical Pink" is a whirlwind ride through the darkest corners of obsession. The characters are few and well formed, never providing a dull moment. Short, hard hitting chapters make this one of the quickest reads I've ever had.
This is the closest thing I've experienced to reading a Chuck Palahniuk book without actually reading a Chuck Palahniuk book. That's not to say that Mrs. Arnoldi doesn't have her own voice, but if you like any of the four masterpieces that the creator of "Fight Club" has brought us, then you should definitely give this book a look. You may be a little grossed out but I guarantee you'll be entertained.
Rating:
Summary: The Muscular Metamorphosis of Powerlessness
Review: Socioculturally, the 1980's and early 1990's thus far represent the peak of the American maniacal and obsessive quest for power. Men and women transmuted this search into an ostentatious external appearance. For some, it was gaudy gold chains; for others, it was fast, luxurious cars; yet for others, it was excessive muscles. This book arises from the bodybuilding world of this era. Psychologically, Aurora and Charles compensate for their mothers' emotional abandonment with the narcissistic pursuit of physical prowress. When Aurora's mother disallows her from having an abortion, she removes her daughter's control over her own body, thus, ignoring her feelings. In an attempt to gain back control, Aurora takes up the independent sport of bodybuilding. Charles' offer to free her of monetary concerns and help train to her to championship is one more step to taking back control. She chooses to move to California with the seemingly good intentions of bettering both her daughter Amy's and her own lifestyle. There, her mother continues to show Aurora little compassion as she repeatedly crticizes Aurora's decision to move. Charles' mother shunned his affection and interacted with him only in terms of respecting her material possessions. He likely saw his mother as a rigid powerful figure and has sought to reenact his submission to her control by having female bodybuilders dominate him. So, Charles supplies Aurora with the financial and chemical means to overachieve physical autonomy while Aurora supplies him with cold, affectionless sexual diversion. In the end, Aurora does reflect about how her muscular metamorphosis has done little for her to regain self-control and done alot to distance the relationship she has with her own daughter Amy. Charles, regrettably, remains emotionally stunted, unable to break free of the cycle of powerlessness. The author captures the fragile psychological complexities of these players in the muscle-building arena as well as some abhorrent sexual imagery. I was often appalled yet appreciated the glimpse into this world.
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