Rating: 
Summary: Have we seen the best of Bret Easton Ellis
Review: As someone who thought that 'Less Than Zero' was one of the best novels of the 80s, I was somewhat disappointed by 'Glamorama'. I still think that Ellis is one of the more interesting writers around today. However, he seems to be repeating himself. Instead of a crazed serial killer obsessed by what people were wearing in 'American Psycho' we have a reluctant terrorist obsessed by celebrities (and what they wear, of course). The scene where Victor and Chloe spend time in California was very close to the time the main characters spend in Palm Springs in 'Less Than Zero'. Here's hoping that Bret Easton Ellis finds something new to say with his next novel. I will buy it regardless.
Rating: 
Summary: WORST BOOK I EVER READ
Review: Probably one of the worst books ever written. This guy thinks that he speaks for a generation, when in reality all he does is pilfer conversations from any cool place he's ever been to and namedrop, namedrop, namedrop. The main character, Victor, is such a jerk that you wish someone would push him off the runway so he landed on his head. Whatever. Dumb and poorly written with pseudo Tom Wolf-ish aspirations. Not. Doesn't get much worse than this. And to think that I spent $25.00 on this garbage in an airport in Italy.
Rating:
Summary: You can tell where this one is going from about page two
Review: Some people will enjoy the repetitive, predictable, aren't-the-beautiful-people-truly-shallow-and-aren't-I-sensitive-for-pointing-this-out droning that comprises this "novel." Different strokes for different folks, etc. But anyone who expects any real human or social insight, truly creative and incisive prose, complex characters, or an intriguing plot concept should skip this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Ellis is back baby !
Review: I'm a big fan of Brett Easton Ellis and this book is one of the greatest he wrote ! There's a lot of feelings in it and a great suspense... I still think American Psycho is his best book, but this one is the sign of a big return of Ellis !
Rating:
Summary: Not Worth The Paper On Which It's Printed
Review: I've enjoyed every one of Ellis' other books. While they have always had vapid characters, I always had the sense that their lack of a center had a purpose: namely, to convey Ellis' outrage at the decline of morality in our society. That sense was totally missing in Glamorama. Instead, I got the impression that Ellis was trying to mock the shallowness of popular culture. The only problem with that approach is (like U2 discovered on its most recent tour) that when an artist tries to make fun of this shallowness, they only expose their own role in perpetuating it. This book is a major disappointment on all levels. The main character is incredibly unsympathetic. The plot is a mess. And, the writing is definitely below the level that Ellis can perform. To put it simply, having song lyrics as dialogue for the characters is not good writing; it's the writing of someone who thinks they're cleverer than what they are. One can only hope that Glamorama is a one-time stumble for a very talented author.
Rating: 
Summary: The closer you look, the more you see, baby
Review: A good friend of mine recommended this book to me, knowing I would like it, and I am so glad I read it. It was... well, different from what I've read so far. This book left me with so many questions and I loved it! Some bits made me laugh a little out loud and please know that I mostly read while traveling, so I got some funny looks. When I had about 200 pages to go (my copy had 550 pages) I could not put it down anymore and stayed up all night to finish it. Reading this book makes me want to read more of what BEE has written, and judging from the reviews here, those will by far not be disappointing at all!
Rating:
Summary: Better than Am. Psycho.
Review: Amazing book from our finest writer. Ignore the bad reviews you see here; those people have no concept of what makes great literature great.
Rating:
Summary: If you like reading lists...
Review: This is the worst book I've ever read my entire life. It is merely a series of lists-- lists of celebrity names, restaurant names, fashion designer names... The story doesn't really seem to start until page 285, forcing the reader to hash through 285 pages of drivel.
Rating:
Summary: Stuck in the middle with you.
Review: Well, Glamorama is not a bad book. Not bad at all. But since BEE is known for his controversial writing he should know that his readers have big expectations every time he publishes a new book. I can understand that a lot of BEE-lovers were highly dissappointed when they finished Glamorama. Just like me. The book is stuffed with flat-characters and the story developes very slowly. There is hardly any humor in it and the book isn't very bizar either. But BEE knows how to write so you probably won't hate Glamorama. If Glamorama was the debut of a unknown writer, people would look forward to his next book. Hoping the beginning writer increased his writing skills when it comes to surprising themes. But for the readers who read American psycho too, Glamorama as a whole is not a satisfying novel. So don't run to the bookstore to get it, walking is fast enough.
Rating:
Summary: Nice bounce, no cigar
Review: I just finished "Glamorama" a couple of days ago, and I'm still debating to which side of the debate raging here and elsewhere I should lean - is it utter drivel or a work of genius? There are plenty of arguments for either: yes, it often seems like a luke-warm rehash of "American Psycho" - there's the deluded, shallow, drugged-up, and possibly schizophrenic protagonist, there are the acts of unspeakable horror perpetrated by the least likely candidates, and so on. Yes, the graphic sex and violence seem completely gratuitous on occasion as they neither serve the advance of the plot nor to drive home a defined moral point, as is the case in other Ellis novels. And yes, the recurring themes (the cold, the physical numbness, the smell of sh**, the confetti, the camera crews) somehow fail to be satisfactorily resolved. And any book published this close to 2000 will bear the dreaded "millenial angst" stigma. On the other hand, Ellis has retained his mastery of microscopic analysis and his grim sense of satire, and consequently pursues both with little regard for the subject matter at hand (and little mercy for the reader) - be it a party or a torture scene. And just as Victor might quite possibly be very deliberately deluding his environment as to his real role and personality, the narrative itself might be deliberately confusing, echoing the insanity of a society obsessed with vacuity, glamour, sex, drugs (mostly prescription, oddly enough) and violence. The message is clear - keep watching MTV, buy cool stuff, party on, but don't be surprised if you get your a** blown off in the process, baby, because the surreal is what's real... But ultimately, the main criticism I have is that he has tried to squeeze too many ideas into this novel, which make it lack focus, giving the impression that, like its protagonist, it's too doped-up on Xanax and Halcyon to be able to properly concentrate on anything. Many of Glamorama's themes have been treated more exhaustively elsewhere - for the dissolution of the individual and terrorism-as-media-event you can do worse than read Don DeLillo, and for the dangers of digital media manipulation, read Michael Larsen's "Uncertainty". Any criticisms of absence of plot could be countered with the fact that Ellis, amidst the swirling chaos, usually keeps a very tight rein on his narratives, so he has, as far as I'm concerned, the benefit of the doubt on this one. Maybe a re-read can clarify things, but the incentive to do so isn't very great right now, and as the novel is so topical that it comes with a use-by date, a re-reading in a year's time might just make it look dated. So, while "Glamorama" certainly isn't a bad novel, and even has moments of true genius, Mr Ellis has been better.
|
