Glamorama

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfull, will be misunderstood
Review: Many people wont be able to understand that this book is a satire of what he is writing about, he is making fun of 90's culture. It is extremly well-paced and complex, but once you are on ellis' plane the story just takes off

Rating:
Summary: wouldn't you like to live in that world of Ellis?
Review: my problem with all ellis books is that, rather than reading them, i always liked the idea of living in them. and that makes me the perfect reader, because i never question anything in these books. i am one of the faithful.

Rating:
Summary: Once Again Ellis Writes Another Page Turner
Review: Bret Easton Ellis is one of my favourite writers. I have read all of his books. Glamorama is another masterpiece from such a gifted writer. If anyone can get through American Psycho and still be able to grasp what Ellis was trying to convey, they can get through Glamorama the same way. Ellis writes about the great things we all loved and hated about the 80's. A great, great book.

Rating:
Summary: Utterly engrossing, disturbingly funny...look in the mirror
Review: It has been a long time since I have read a book that chilled me so. But at the same time made me laugh out loud. Ellis has managed to make the ultimate "movie" of a society of excessive narcissitic "it" boys and girls.

Rating:
Summary: entertaining and challenging (which scares some people off)
Review: Most writers today seem faced with the choice of writing somthing original and intelligent or writing something entertaining. With Glamorama, Ellis does both. The book challenges and confuses the reader with odd plot twists, strange symbolism, and an idiot for a narrator. But few people seem to recognize the admirable feat Ellis has accomplished in pulling this off - how do you communicate a relatively sophisticated message through the medium of shallowness and stupidity? Ellis seems to have found the answer, and has polished his novel with the satiric and often macabre humor that seems to be characteristic (those readers who have read American Psycho will not be disappointed with Pat Bateman's brief appearance). That said, Glamorama is not for everybody. It's a book to be read not so much for its plot - Ellis' writing skills outstrip his talent for fictional invention - as for the other things: writing style, characterization, symbolism and metaphor, and (most importantly) humor. Plus Ellis can end a book, which is a rare skill even among the greatest writers. Don't reject it right away - give it a chance, and then see what you think.

Rating:
Summary: Me thinks thou doth protest too much...
Review: This book is a poorly disguised laundry-list of everything (yes, maybe actually everything) within the popular culture. And just what would happen if these mind-numbing blocks of affectation were removed from the novel? There would be nothing left - just a meaningless, horrific existential nothingness. Ohhh...I guess that's the point, huh? Well...Guess what? It's not. That's just a cheap-trick by a "clever" writer. Ellis is trying to "pull a fast one" and, remarkably, he may get away with it. He gets an extra star for this monumental con job - truly ambitious.

Rating:
Summary: Plagio-rama
Review: I think I understand why Ellis, and his soul bro' Jay McInerney, are so obsessed with models: they desperately need figures to whom they can feel superior. Ellis may have to look even harder. Glamorama blandly recycles entire dialogue, scenes and situations from his previous formulaic books, and in at least one instance early on completely plagiarizes a routine from THE BRADY BUNCH MOVIE (1995). I refer to the "hilarious" bit where a model repeatedly says "Guess," referring to Guess jeans, and Victor repeatedly tries to "guess" what she means. That's right, folks, Mr. Annointed Satirist steals his material from Hollywood comedies. I'm calling your bluff, Ellis.

Rating:
Summary: What a Mess
Review: Glamorama is a mess. Lacking logic and form, this novel races to its absurd finish without ever looking back and asking why. I did enjoy the first 150 pages or so...the fast and furious name dropping was amusing, and the dialogue was off-center and fun. I don't know what happened to Mr. Ellis after that. There are passages of disturbingly gratuitous violence and torture. I have a pretty strong stomach, but some of this was too much to take. And finally, as a twentysomething reader, I found little if anything to identify with in this book. Two stars.

Rating:
Summary: When will Ellis hang it up?
Review: This guy keeps on writing and being published even though he is known for his utter lack of style and insight, and for being the ultimate hack of his generation. It's amazing what good connections can do. And a sorry state of affairs that this is what publishers pay money to produce. Ugh, enough already!

Rating:
Summary: halfway through, I gave up...
Review: I like a witty turn of phrase, a decadent moment,and a little bad sex as much as the next guy. But suddenly Mango said NO, and I put the book away and started rereading Great Expectations. Is that all they do in Disney's New York these days? Smoke cigarettes? I like Bret Easton Ellis's style but I wish he would choose life and cheer up...