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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Everything in pure Palahniuk style is amazing, but this is the best thing I've read in a while.
Innocence, humor, corruption, violence and love in a book about sex addiction.
Innocence, humor, corruption, violence and love in a book about sex addiction.
A touching book despite itself. Basically gets into what some people do or trick themselves into believing to find purpose in their existence. Victor is a sad-sack if there ever was one, and he lives a life of equal parts desperation and apathy. Though I must say: this book has a sense that more should come from what is started than actually does. Break it down to what it actually is and much of the book is (like the central character) suffering from its failed opportunities. There is a lot of good in this book, but it doesn't have the strength of some of his other books
I'm really tired of assholes. It seems like much of popular culture is caught up in asshole characters at this moment. The particular asshole character I'm thinking of is a subset of the "bro" character--the guy, whatever his age, that seems stuck at 15. I bring this all up because Victor, the main character of Choke, seemed like an asshole for much of the book. And for much of the book, I think he is an asshole. After all, the title stems from Victor's money-making scheme: pretend to choke, allow someone to save him and then milk that person and the emotional bond created for cash over the years. This is definitely something an asshole would do. Beyond that, there are a few paragraphs wherein Victor's character strays into some gendered rant, usually along the bent of how women have it all and its unfair. This literally made me gag. Its hard to read something like that at a time when women still make 75 cents for every dollar men make; when we're still debating the definition of rape. Furthermore, its hard to like a book that makes you gag. Hard, but not impossible.
I read this book while home sick, and if I hadn't been sick and without energy to do much besides read, I probably would not have finished. As it is, I am glad I finished the book. Palahniuk knows how to tie a story up well. Choke is no exception. And the book did have some redeeming qualities. The main character works at a historical park, like historic Williamsburg, and so spends the workday living in 1734. Some of these scenes made me laugh aloud.
When I finished the book, I was impressed with Palahniuk's writing and his ability to weave a story together. But I'm also always unsettled after a Palahniuk book. The world he creates in his novels are dirty and unsettling to me, they always feel unfamiliar. What keeps me reading Palahniuk is that I'm not sure these are bad things. After all, books aren't always meant to comforting; literature at its best should step on the toes of the reader. Or, in Palahniuk's case, stomp on your whole damn foot.
I read this book while home sick, and if I hadn't been sick and without energy to do much besides read, I probably would not have finished. As it is, I am glad I finished the book. Palahniuk knows how to tie a story up well. Choke is no exception. And the book did have some redeeming qualities. The main character works at a historical park, like historic Williamsburg, and so spends the workday living in 1734. Some of these scenes made me laugh aloud.
When I finished the book, I was impressed with Palahniuk's writing and his ability to weave a story together. But I'm also always unsettled after a Palahniuk book. The world he creates in his novels are dirty and unsettling to me, they always feel unfamiliar. What keeps me reading Palahniuk is that I'm not sure these are bad things. After all, books aren't always meant to comforting; literature at its best should step on the toes of the reader. Or, in Palahniuk's case, stomp on your whole damn foot.
Ideas striving a bit on the edge, but nothing that isn't true in some sense or conditions. As I understood from the interview with the author at the end of the audiobook, the author has actually based this in research, which once again gives the book some value even though the overwhelming sexual content was not my cup of tea.
I learned some things: jamais vu; pocket full of posies has a plague origin; probably more things I'll recall only upon hearing them mentioned.
Having finished an audiobook-lecture about sociology of sexuality, which was more like theory, this book felt like a view of real life practice of it - at least the 'variety' or 'deviance' of sexuality.
I learned some things: jamais vu; pocket full of posies has a plague origin; probably more things I'll recall only upon hearing them mentioned.
Having finished an audiobook-lecture about sociology of sexuality, which was more like theory, this book felt like a view of real life practice of it - at least the 'variety' or 'deviance' of sexuality.
Cynical and brazen! I loved it. Not a book your mother will love (unless she has a pretty jaded sense of humor). The main character can be found hanging out in sex addict recovery meetings just so he can land a date. He regularly pretends he's choking in restaurants so that he can con money and attention out of do gooders. It is hilarious! For the cynical, a must read!
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
While I feel a sold 30 pages of “rambling” could have been taken out of this book, I found this book as brilliant as I do everything else by Palahnuik. A bastardized version of a character study on addiction and how it effects our lives and relationships, some laughs at how useless introspection can often be, and what being an overall bad person looks like made for a fun yet enlightening read. It helps that his satirical writing style scratches my brain in the best way!
challenging
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
O lo amas o lo odias, a mi me ha encantado. No es una lectura para todos ya que palahniuk junta lo peor de la sociedad y te muestra su resultado.