Glamorama

Rating:
Summary: How to "Get It" and possibly enjoy reading BEE
Review: Take a hit of acid, drink some strong coffee. Pick up a People magazine and look at the pictures. If yer educaded tri reedin it, tu. When you come down, retrieve your copy of Glamorama, admire it's "edgy" cover and give it another read. If you run into a confusing part refer back to the People magazine. You can also use Vogue, Details and USA Today as additional support materials.

Rating:
Summary: Ellis' Best to Date
Review: I was unsure about this book, but it is classic Ellis... his lyrical style is excellent, the characterization is meandering and empty, but that's the whole point. If you liked any of his previous works you'll probably like this one... it pays a little bit more attention to plot.

Rating:
Summary: I hated this book!
Review: Bret E. Easton is the most over-rated author of our time. This book was convoluted, bloated, extremely graphic, and violent. I will never read anything by this author again. Don't believe the hype on this guy.

Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointing
Review: It seems it's hit or miss with BEE. American Psycho was ingenius but this sloppy heap of steaming dung, which took an unbelievable 8 years to push out, really stinks. The problem I think is that Ellis is recycling his ideas, or should I say, idea, too often. Sure, it has impact, it's a very provocative and distinct voice that he's found, but enough already. Whereas he used his voice to marvellously eviscerate Bateman for us, Victor Ward is a lobotomized Bateman, about as interesting as my big toe. There is a searing explicit attack here on our worship of "the surface of things" of course, which was done already in all of his previous books, and I guess the problem is that nothing new has been added or gained with Glamorama. At least, I didn't get anything new out of it. There were several signature Ellis episodes though, from what I remember, the airplane crash, Chloe's death...the depiction of violence is excruciating, but already, typical BEE, I'm already bored. (Maybe this is why it's important.) In terms of it's literary quality, it has none. It's sloppy, uncensored, unrevised (it appears that way), mediocre...basically bad writing, very different from American Psycho, which was written in a much more mature, disciplined, and literary manner. In any case, I would recommend it only for loyal Ellis readers, of which I consider myself one, just so that you don't miss anything in this very very important and provocative writers' d/evolution.

Rating:
Summary: PURE GENIUS
Review: I just finished Glamorama today and I will never look at another fashion model or fashion magazine cover in the same way again. Once again Ellis has superbly criticized our world as we know it, or, as we think we know it. Just like Less Than Zero and American Psycho, it will take a couple of years or so for the general public to completely understand this work of pure genius. And then he will probably produce another controversial, and misunderstood satire on our 'modern' world. Mr Ellis, wherever you are, please keep writing.

Rating:
Summary: How utterly, utterly fab-oo
Review: Oh but my dear, you simply *must* buy Glamorama, it's all the rage this season, my goodness, some people have even claimed to *read* it, can you imagine? Ellis is so tres, tres je ne sais quoi. He even manages to make models look positively dunderheaded. Can you imagine the *effort* that went into such a satire? Making celebs and other partiers look silly? Why he must have spent *afternoons*, absolute *afternoons* on the manuscript. I think even *I* am mentioned in there somewhere. (I'd never speak to the boy again if he hadn't.) Oh aren't I too, too wicked?!

Rating:
Summary: Anagram: See L.A. Snob Litter
Review: More unintentional laughs from the Jackie Susann of my generation. As long as people never tire of reading about how tough the beautiful, rich and/or famous have it over the rest of us, writers like Ellis will always find a book contract; his tendency toward endless streams of "ironic" name-dropping and product-placement ensures that he will be taken seriously in publishing circles. Ellis novels are the kind of novels that characters in Ellis novels might read--or at least have displayed on their Phillipe Starck coffee tables; mere decoration, they remain untouched and unread.

Rating:
Summary: Glamorama proves that Ellis is one of our great writers.
Review: Many might find the content of the novel a bit too much for their taste. Ellis' prose is not of the modern day writer, nor of writers of the past. He is in my opinion a true original. I cannot think of any other writer of my generation who takes what he knows about a world in which we all are interested, yet are not a part, and presses play on the remote and lets us be entertained. And entertained we are and with very little work on our part. I do not say it is simplistic in its approach...I say it is an absolutely terrfic novel for my taste. I will continue to live in circle of peers who can appreciate this quirky and highly accomplished writer....Life should be a bit edgy....

Rating:
Summary: Good Beach Book ... already 5 minutes old
Review: Glamorama kept me entertained while I was on vacation. Part I was interesting and quite comical because most of his observations were true and not exaggerated. However, the places and people are already outdated from this scene which demonstrates the irony Victor's lifestyle: Everyone is yesterday's news. Part II, I found purely unbelievable although entertaining. Part III and the ending could not completely bring the whole story together and offered an unsatisfactory conclusion. Basically, Bret Easton Ellis wrote two different stories in this novel. I think a series of books titled the "Adventures of Victor Ward/Johnson" should have been more appropriate.

Rating:
Summary: Ellis' perspective will be respected in time.
Review: Time will pay homage to Ellis' unique perspective of culture. Glamorama may seem tawdry and shallow, but quite the contrary. The brilliance is the depth to which the viewer becomes immersed. Names are dropped, cel phones are advertised, scenes are described in a Warholian adjective factory, and the people bring new meaning to the word 'vapid.' Social commentary is not always easy to swallow, and this book performs the task like a bulimic. Enjoy.