Rating: 
Summary: Palahniuk's first triumph
Review: I was braced for this book by having seen its film adaptation about seven times before I read it, but I can only imagine what reading this book must have felt like for the uninitiated. Much like the bare-knuckle brawls its characters stage, "Fight Club" is a no-holds barred look at the nihilism that lurks just beneath the facade of our modern society. With American culture now obviously placing heavy emphasis on consumerism and status, it's interesting to see what one man thinks it may be breeding. And I can't think of a better man to deliver the message than Chuck Palahniuk. As most now know, "Fight Club" centers around a group of disillusioned young men who pummel each other on a regular basis in order to fight the numbness of living in a superifical society. And as this and all of Palahniuk's subsequent novels prove, he has a gift for creating both striking sentences and memorable characters. The most memorable character here, of course, is Tyler Durden. He's a one-man wrecking crew of sorts, using Fight Club to aim at nothing less than the total destruction of society. In Tyler's view, the world is so far gone that there's nothing left to do but start over. Countering his extreme pessimism is his alter ego, the narrator, who obviously symphathizes with Tyler's beliefs but can't quite commit to his methods. The struggle for supremacy between these two personalities forms the crux of the novel, with the fate of American civilization perhaps in the balance. By the end, the book has gotten a little out of control, but the read getting there is about as compelling and thought-provoking as they come.
Rating: 
Summary: Postmodern society breeds intolerant brainchildren.
Review: When I watched the movie, I was in midway through my Sociological Theory class. When I walked out of the movie, I was smiling and shivering at the same time -- this is truly a phenomenal story that Palahniuk has written! The themes are "original" for the time period, but if you are a student of classical sociological literature, you will discover that these themes are parallel to classic ideology - Marx, Weber, Durkheim, to mention a few classic sociological thought masters were the first to originate the ideas of the unsatiated lifestyles created by overstimulation, bureacracy, and consumerism...it's neat to see that their predictions are correct with Fight Club as a testament to their life's work.Now..I read the book months after seeing the movie. I don't know if it would have been better to read it first, or vice versa - either way, both are excellent. The book gives you more of a feel for the narrator (the lead, Ed Norton's character, "Rupert/Cornelius") including his struggles and emotions. Some of the themes are also more emphasized in the book - such as the analogy between searching for a father and God. I don't necessarily agree with the narrator's ending and satirical comments about God and the afterlife, but I thought that some of the more mature themes (and non-existentialist) were right on (i.e., the commodification of life - Palahniuk's comments on "tiny life" were hilarious, and the loss of meaning in what-has-become a Godless and spiritless society). I also LOVE how Palahniuk attacks today's ridiculous ideals of "individualism" - an issue that concerns the younger "generation x" today. Everything is NOT about YOU and your bank account, and your hair, and your wardrobe, and your desperation to get on MTV. Stop being counterproductive and start giving back to a society that has given you so many freedoms - Freedom is not anywhere near being free.. Anyway, went off on a tangent. Palahniuk is onto something, and I highly support his work!
Rating:
Summary: fight club
Review: Fight club is a very exciting book it has lots of action in it and its definitely a guys book. Its about 2 guys who start a fight club in there basement. Now people go there to learn how to fight then they go and fight each other and who ever loses they don't get to come back. I would recommend this book to people because its not boring, whenever I read a boring book it makes me bored. Also it has lots of bad words and drug references.
Rating:
Summary: The First Rule of Fight Club is That You Don't Talk About It
Review: After having watched the interesting movie, I wanted to read the novel and compare the similarities and differences between the two different mediums. I find the movie to be superior, but the book is interesting nonetheless. FIGHT CLUB is the type of novel that won't make sense if you're just looking for a good story. To begin with, it's a novel that deals with all kinds of complex issues (the enslavement of materialism, what is reality, etc.). However, besides that is the fact that the story is told in first person, but the narrator has some serious problems and his storytelling style seems more in place in a Faulkner novel than in a modern day pop cultural literary novelty. Still the story is semi-coherent and there are some great scenes and quotes ("His name was Robert Paulsen") that you will find yourself saying over and over. However, the novel does have one serious flaw. The writing is just plain horrible. Contrary to what Palahniuk says, he does not write the way that normal people talk. It doesn't even seem he writes in the way that normal people think. Instead, his prose is a run-off of post-modernistic deconstructionism that distracts rather than attracts. Still, if you can stay with it and understand all the meaning behind the words, FIGHT CLUB is worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite contemporary novels
Review: I'll admit that I'd never heard of Fight Club before the movie, but I'm incredibly glad I found out it was a book first. This is an amazing piece of fiction. I agree with one of the previous reviewers in saying that I wish I had read the book before seeing the movie, but what the hell, they're both awesome. If you don't know anything about the story, there's this guy (no name is ever given) who goes to support groups so he can sleep at night (he has insomnia). He meets a man named Tyler Durden, then his house blows up. So he moves in with Tyler, and before long the two are totally embroiled in the underground organization they create called Fight Club. Fight Club evolves into something more dangerous, and the narrator starts to question, but he can't find Tyler. It's a really quick read, but it's awesome. The movie is great too, but if you haven't seen it yet, read the book first. The movie follows the book pretty closely, although the endings are a bit different.
Rating:
Summary: a cult classic
Review: This book could be called nothing other than a cult classic. It inspired one of the greatest films of all times (another cult classic), and while it isn't as good as the movie, it is a pretty great book. Full of satire, political commentary and philosophy. A book well worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Great Reading
Review: I didn't read this book until after I saw the movie, and I loved the movie. What I really like about this book is how easy to read it is. The story moves along more quickly than all of Palahniuk's other novels, which I suppose helped in its translatioon to the screen. There is less build up and a simple plot. This is one of those books that every once in a while I pick back up and read again, just because it is fun and easy. The major messages about society and work and modern life are slap-you-in-the-face obvious, but that fact doesn't take away from their validity or from the more subtle points about friendship and relationships.
Rating:
Summary: fight club will leave you wanting a black eye
Review: I had seen the movie Fight Club and really loved it, then I saw the book in the library. At first I thought, "Well I've seen the movie so I've ruined all the surprises." A few days later I was still thinking about the movie and decided to go check out the book. Not to use a cliché but you won't be able to put it down. Even if you have seen the movie, the book is so much more in depth that it will just consume you.
This book covers so many topics that it is hard to place it in a specific genre. It talks about materialism, love, conformity, bad parents, and more. Because Fight Club covers so many topics I think it makes it a great read for everybody form teenage and up. After I read the book I was suggesting it to tons of people but many of them kind of looked at me like, yeah right. But really this book isn't just about a Fight Club. it has deeper meaning.
This book also has really smart humor. I am just going to share one little quote describing the safety pamphlets on airplanes:
"In another picture, people as calm as Hindu cows reach up from their seats toward oxygen masks sprung out of the ceiling.
This must be an emergency.
Oh.
We've lost cabin pressure.
Oh."
The first chapter jumps around a lot, but keep reading as it just gets better as you go. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating fictional subculture
Review: Hard to say what I loved most about this brilliant book: the sharp, stylish writing; the clever, made-up subculture of disaffected white males; or the overwhelming feeling of angry malaise, which is so common in this country today. (Chuck Palahniuk trivia: Chuck was a student of Tom Spanbauer, the well-known Portland (Oregon) writer and teacher. You might want to check out books by other Spanbauer students: Jennifer Lauck, Joanna Rose, Rodger Larson, Jackie Moyer Fischer, and Kathleen Tyau.)
Rating:
Summary: Instead of the Bible:
Review: This is one of the few enlightened books I have read, along with ones like Catch-22. Reject dogmas, think intelligently. In my view the only guiding principle is the golden rule, and I think Fight Club brings this home in a realistic, violent way. It smashes your perceptions of what matters, and what the truth of the world is. Tyler Durden is free, but he enslaves others in the same way as those pulling the strings of our society. Knowing this allows you to recognize when you are free, and when you are letting others be free at the same time. This actually guided me towards Buddhism. I had no qualms with the writing style, it worked for me, plus it is aligned like the Narrator thinks - and sometimes it flowed with the way I think, other times it didn't. Tyler Durden said true things that worked sometimes, and sometimes it went against rational thought.
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