Rating: 
Summary: The life and times of the 80's...
Review: Bret Easton Ellis, I thought did a GREAT job writing American Psycho. Yet some of the things in this novel are very graphic; the sex and the killing scenes. Yet, when Ellis was writing this novel, it took him a week to write the killing scenes. Bret also did some research on serial killers for the killing scenes that Pat Bateman does in the book. The book is pretty much like a diary, Pat Bateman is a successful Wall Street worker who is making lots of money, but Ellis refuses to say what Patrick really does, but all we know is that he works for P&P, and everyone he hangs out with, dresses the same (and Bateman painfully describes what they are wearing and what they are eating) and every paragraph starts out with 'I'm wearing an Aramani shirt with a Polo sweater, with cashmere gloves, and a Gucci suit.' kind of talk. Yet I suggest that you skip the first 100 pages because NOTHING happens during the first 100 pages of the book. Don't worry you are not missing anything. On one chapter, Ellis writes a 5 page paragraph describing Bateman's apartment. Yet Bateman spends his night either with hookers, or killing them with chainsaws, ripping out their arms, and having sex with their dead bodies. There are some funny parts that Ellis writes in there when he is describing the so-called 'hardbodies', oh Bateman and his friends are heavy coke users, and go out to clubs to try to pick up women, but yet the story does put out the issues of the 80's; the yuppies, MTV, Ronald Reagen, and the social deterating with homeless people and the poor being turned out on the street by the thousands.
American Psycho is very orignial, but yet very disturbing. Some of the violence scenes would make Scott Ian of Anthrax and Rob Zombie proud of Ellis because he describes the death scenes like you are right there. The book is rather well written, and definitely worth reading. Take my word for it.
Rating: 
Summary: A chilling satire with bite
Review: Brett Easton Ellis' "American Psycho" is an acute, perverted insight into the satiric lifesyle of Patric Bateman, paragon for all virtues of 1980s capitalistic, consumer-driven America. Ostensibly, Patrick may come across as an unduly haughty white-boy raised in the lap of luxury and now permanently frozen there, condescending anyone who crosses his eyes, constantly feeling the most callous and lurid thoughts imaginable, while seemingly hiding behind a mask of bitter detached indifference. By night, Patrick becomes slightly more deleterious, stalking everyone from prostitutes to young children, and with an insatiable appetite. The things he does will shock you. Ellis has an amazing talent for concocting empty characters who are so devoid of meaningful purpose, but yet so complex at the same time, that it is enough to give you shivers. After reading some of the grotesque, almost surreal murder and sex sequences in the novel, it is no surprise that it was recived so coldly upon publication, with scathing reviews and feminine protests excoriating the book and calling it an affront on decency; yet, I think that to not appreciate the psychological acuity that Ellis so pointedly possesses would be an untoward shame. Read this book if you want a tongue-in-cheek excursion into the fantasy world of a lost and deeply disturbed individual.
Rating:
Summary: Indictment of '80s yuppie culture mixed with gore galore.
Review: Ellis has created the ultimate indictment of '80s yuppie culture. Admittedly, Patrick Bateman is an evil presense and there's gore galore, be wary. But the importance of this book is its contribution to a literary history of our changing culture, its mores and cliches, a microscpic slide allowing us to examine from clinical distance a sad and soulless time in the American Dream slash Nightmare. The scene, New York - late '80s, the cast - the young, upwardly mobile, the venues - the clubs, restuarants, bars and 'in' joints at the height of their popularity, oh and the clothes, can't forget the clothes, don't worry, Patrick never does. In the chronical of the life of a pathological, psychopathic killer Ellis has attempted neither to explain nor excuse Bateman's devastating and deranged behaviour but rather, avoiding playing the popular blame game brought to the fore during the time described, he has instead merely laid out the conditions in which this behaviour became possible, conditions which in fact exacerbated the madness of one Patrick Bateman. American Psycho is a read highly recommended as a warning to the future on how to avoid... wait, no one ever learns from the past, do they?
Rating:
Summary: Make Up Your OWN Mind
Review: I decided to read American Psycho after hearing the title whispered in social circles. It's so violent. Too graphic. What's the point? Comments only fueled my desire to read the novel Bret Easton Ellis tried to get published in 1992, without great success, for some time.
No matter the genre, a novel is successful if it makes the reader think, pause and re-assess the world. Ellis' novel offers a satirical look into the pampered New York elite through the eyes of an original and sociopathic main character.
What Works:
Narration: The first-person narration captures the reader instantly, introducing Patrick's innermost thoughts and fastidious rituals, such as cleaning his body with more products than your local Rite-Aid. Patrick takes the reader along to trendy, $25-cover clubs, scouting for "hardbodies" and lamenting about cheap drugs sold on the dance floor. Ellis has made a wise choice using Patrick as the narrator. As you read, you are engaged, participating. What is interesting is how the reader is both involved, and detached simultaneously (bringing me to the next point...)
Characters: Are sufficiently flat and underdeveloped, working both to keep the reader from empathizing too greatly with a victim, while also serving to support the satirical edge that in life, nobody gets too close. Patrick's monotonous lifestyle of work, working out, renting videos and spotting Les Miserables posters is all too familiar. He (as so many other characters in the book) cannot tell one acquaintance from another. Everyone in Patrick's world looks alike, corporate paper dolls with trophy wives/ lovers.
Structure: Easton uses run-on sentences and fragments to simulate the breakdown of Bateman's mind. Some chapters will end with an incomplete thought, others will explode with angry stream-of-consciousness.
Satire: The violence in the novel is not simply a gruesome, gratuitous tool. Granted, Bateman conceives of some of the most "innovative" murder scenes around, yet Bateman is raging against his deadened society, trying to "feel something." Bateman's actions mock everything our capitalistic society holds dear--wealth, status, the rat race, the American dream.
What Doesn't Work:
Real or Illusion? Readers wonder if Ellis has created a scenario where all of the events are completely fabricated in Bateman's mind. Some ambiguity in the plot leads to this conclusion--a maid cleaning his apartment after a slaughter and "not noticing anything," dry cleaners ignoring repeated bloodstains on dress shirts, a realtor selling an acquaintance's apartment after Bateman left a grisly tableau behind (which is later unexplicably cleaned & unreported to police--by whom?) This uncertainty may frustrate you.
So now when I hear "It's so violent, too graphic, what's the point?" I wonder if it refers to the innovative novel, American Psycho, or perhaps life itself? You decide. Pick up a copy! Another book I need to recommend -- completely unrelated to Ellis, but very much on my mind since I purchased it off Amazon is "The Losers' Club" by Richard Perez, an exceptional, highly entertaining little novel I can't stop thinking about.
Rating:
Summary: A study of evil
Review: I don't think I have ever read a better character portrayal than the one presented in American Psycho. Ellis is so skilled at bringing Patrick Bateman to life that it can be disturbing to read. I wouldn't be surprised if this book has become a standard text for criminologists at FBI training centers. On one level, Bateman is the embodiment of evil, on another, he is representative of a superficial mindset that Ellis obviously knows and has studied very well. Ellis is out to have some fun by forging these two aspects together in one person, explaining homicidal rage as an extension of vanity and pathological materialism. Bateman's crowd is the smart set, not exactly hip, at the top of the social rung of Manhattan; they are young, rich and educated. The conversations Ellis records are very funny. He exaggerates manners and employs a style that approaches slapstick. The conversations are so convincing, so well wrought, that they have a life of their own, echoing those of our own world. It is a powerful satire that strikes at the very core of our being. We have all encountered these people at one time or another and have probably even acted in similar fashion ourselves. It is worth reflecting on to understand why Ellis made the choices he did in writing this book, why he chose a serial killer to analyze this pathology and why he includes several graphic passages of unimaginable cruelty. To say the book is a criticism of 80s Wall Street greed is simplistic; Wall Street is Wall Street, the same then as it is now and always has been. Ellis is making a much larger indictment of society, and the Wall Street characters are merely the most convenient targets, and perhaps the best (worst) exemplars of what he wants to illustrate. The conclusion is obvious: when man worships mammon, he loses his humanity. The extreme case is Patrick Bateman, the American Psycho, and although we may not all become serial killers, the American obsession with brands is a dehumanizing pathology. This is the reason Ellis describes in detail the attire of each character on every occasion in the book (he does this perhaps a hundred times, rattling off the designer or brand name of four or five articles of clothing), as well as going into detail about restaurant names and many, many other objects. The repetition of these pricey brand names is important so as to hammer home his point over, and over, and over. He wants our attention. It is crucial to understanding the book. Where else in the narrative is there this kind of repetition? It is in the brutal murders with the gory details. Draw your own conclusions.
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I expected.
Review: I had heard a lot of hype about this book and expected a lot out of it. After forcing myself to read the first 1/4 of it, about 100 pages, I am done reading. I understand the author trying to show how people strive for just too much and that people with power can get away with quite a lot, but there is just too much talk about what everyone is wearing. Half of what I've read so far is whining about what clothes people wear and how everything tastes bad etc. This may be true to how a good deal of rich people act (the stuck-up part, not going insane), but it was really just a drag trying to get through what I did. There were exciting parts when they did show up, but I suppose I've lived to o "plain" of a life to even listen to 1 word about clothing and food taste, let alone half a book.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious, compelling and thought provoking
Review: I haven't read all of Ellis' stuff, but from what I have, and what I've heard about the rest, I strongly suspect that this is his masterpiece. It is alternatingly disgusting and hilarious. It's highly entertaining, a real page turner and manages to provoke thought on our culture. Ellis seems to have a gift for capturing eras and places, and 80s Wall Street is wonderfully illustrated in this work.
While the emptiness and artifice of his characters works beautifully here, it's a shame that he seems unable to create ANY characters with depth.
Rating:
Summary: A unrecognized American, modern existential novel
Review: I read the novel about 5 years ago, and I continue to read bits of it once in a while. I treat it as novel about modern day alienation--living in a city that exists on chic-ness or fashion trends or materialism--and how difficult it is for the protagonist to reach out to anyone who will listen. Bent on murders, cannibalism, and also good clothes and looking just plain good, Patrick Bateman lives as an American IB drone during the day time and lives in a demonic world during the rest of the time; thus, he becomes a solitary figure living in New York City, lonely and perhaps desperate for some humanist attention.
I could go on, but I suggest reading the novel as an existential treatise.
Rating:
Summary: An unforgettable experience
Review: I was surprised at how fast I read this book, but then again I've never read another book like American Psycho. While reading this you are transported into the mind of a lunatic, & it is deeply disturbing. It amazes me how many people think the movie "American Psycho" is too violent when it is like a Disney cartoon compared to this book. Music, clothes, eating, sex, & killing. This is the world of Patrick Bateman. Because of the graphic (& I do mean GRAPHIC) violence, I can easily understand why some people don't like this book. However, it challenges your mind (& your nerves) like no other book, and I think it should be required reading for college English classes. Looking back, I'd say this was better than all the required crap I had to read in high school put together. If you can stand the violent content, then I suggest you read this amazing novel. You will never forget it!
Rating:
Summary: THE book of my life
Review: I've said on numerous occasions that the book I just read might be the best book that I've ever come across to. But always, afterwards, and after reading yet another book, I've taken my words back.Not after reading American Psycho. I think I just met the greatest single novel I've ever seen. It's such a fine piece of literature it makes me mad with jealousy. There's not a single aspect in American Psycho that doesn't please me. Ellis is a marvellous writer and the main character Patrick Bateman is truly captivating. Despite all his racist opinions you actually dig the guy, until he commits yet another barbaric act of murder. And then you feel pity, you are afraid of him, you hope that he doesn't repeat what he's just done, only to find out next time will be worse. What many critics have failed to do is to see beneath the gory and porn-filled surface, to see the satire, the strong criticism of the 80's yuppie lifestyle, the community which init's all surface no feeling -ideology allows monsters such as Bateman to exist. AP consist basically of descriptions of horror, sex and expensive products--which some people have found simply boring, I loved it--and dialogue often so funny you can't help but laugh aloud. There was not one moment I didn't like American Psycho. At times I was disgusted as hell, but all of it fits into the story perfectly and seamlessly, and as a whole AP is something I'll probably read again in no time. Which is my personal record, by the way, as there are few books that I've read twice...
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