American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis BOOK REVIEW
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- Опубликовано: 11 янв 2018
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Why Modern Men Can Identify With Patrick Bateman
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Thanks, Cliff, now I need to return some videotapes.
Jo Ro i think I might need to take out body double again
Likewise: I need to check back in at the Clinique counter. I think I need to purchase a slightly more intense scruffing cleanser. I highlights my tan particularly after a session with my deep pore cleanser lotion.
I said that to my gf walking out the house. And now I’m sleeping in my car
The “Better Than Food: Book Reviews Show” today was about American Psycho
I love the sentence structure variation in this book. The way Batemen goes on for lines without adding a full stop just makes him seem even more inhuman.
That’s Ellis’ signature stream-of-consciousness style, I believe. He’s used it since Less Than Zero. I find it very clever, however, in American Psycho when the narration of the book suddenly shifts from first-person to third-person to convey Patrick’s dissociation. I found that to be both very inventive and also really effective and unsettling.
@@BareBandSubscriptionthose were the moments that I read the book for. I feel I slogged through the damn near traumatizing scenes of murder, so I could get those moments of real psychopathy illustrated in the between moments.
Some very interesting literary devices and motifs established and executed well. It’s a unique book, but I’m not sure if I’ll ever read it again. I read over the course of 3 days and I was very captivated, so who knows.
I also wish I was more cultured to understand the nuances of designer wear, music from that time, or themes that I don’t fully understand having never lived in that time period. Definitely a book one would enjoy better if they lived in those Wall Street times.
@@carlosdiaz4322
I don’t think you necessarily need to understand the different references to clothing, music, pop culture, etc. The idea, as I’ve come to understand it, is that Patrick keeps up with this endless sea of brands, trends, media, etc just for the sake of fitting in, and yet the tedium and emptiness of it is driving him mad and, combined with his decadent lifestyle, causes him to seek out stimulation is the form of murder, and I think that’s very much how the book is supposed to feel at times. It often feels like a tediously detailed list of things that don’t matter and it wears you down until you’re practically begging for some kind of stimulation, which the murder and torture sequences most certainly overfulfill. One of the most troubling sequences in the book to get through for me, believe it or not, was the chapter of Patrick very meticulously describing his home stereo set-up in the most excruciating detail imaginable. It was so absolutely mind-numbing to read, it actually got under my skin a bit and had me actually yearning for another over-the-top sequence of awful violence just for the sake of something cathartic happening, and I was so relieved once that stereo chapter was over. That book can really get to you in a way that I find very interesting and, as you said, captivating. It’s hard not to read it even when it feels like too much. And like I said, it’s just inventive in a way I enjoy. Ellis has another book called The Rules of Attraction that isn’t as refined, I don’t think, but is probably the most inventive and playfully constructed book he ever wrote, and like American Psycho, those ideas serve a purpose. It’s worth checking out purely for those elements alone. It’s also nowhere near as depraved or violent as AP, so it’s easier reading despite having its own fair share of darker content.
@@BareBandSubscription Faulkner and Joyce: "Hold our beers"
The film didn't make much of an impression on me. I'm glad I took the time to read the novel. It is the most hilarious satire and, simultaneously, the most sickeningly gory book I've ever read. I loved it.
The movie doesn’t make much sense because, as Ellis puts it, American Psycho is a literary experience. It’s not about plot or character development, things that usually make a movie work.
@@kanava1119 in my humble opinion, the movie doesnt need those things to me awesome. I personally love it. But honestly I didnt read the book so I can't talk that much.
@@BTBAM819 The film has its value, Bale is perfect cast, funny moments, it’s well shot (love the celluloid from that period), so it’s not all bad. In fact, long time ago i used to like the film, then i read the book and came back to it and it didn’t work. To each their own, but i highly recommend the novel, it tests your patience but it’s certainly an experience you don’t get from the film.
@@kanava1119 yes luckly I found a copy of the book online so I will def read it. They say it's pretty gory and gruesome, way more than the movie, so I'm curious about it.
@@BTBAM819 Yes, but only a few pages in total include violence. Most of it is him going crazy, which Bret shows well through his numbing prose, very Hemingway -type stuff.
My God your impression of Patrick Bateman was phenomenal!!
This book is a mood. I love getting wrapped up in his routine of brands, pointless banking work, dinner and bars with friends , phone calls the gym. I always find something new each re read. I love the passage where they have a group call and constantly put each other on hold
Yes! That part is so good
That question in the "Tries To Cook And Eat Girl" chapter: "Will I ever do time?" still haunts me at night.
The absolute best way to 'read' this book is to listen to the audiobook . The rhythm of the internal monologues and the otherwise dull sounding lists of Bateman really come alive and resonate brilliantly as you start to hear them the way they were intended to sound. AP is one of my all time favourite books (if the scene with the jellyfish doesn't have you equally grossed out and dying with laughter, then sure, it probably isn't for you) but most people come to it wanting to read about the gruesome, grisly stuff - which of course they'll find - but the process of reading (listening to) it provides as much of a release to the reader as the action seems to help Bateman. It's like the violence that acts as valve of pressure to allow Bateman to make it through another desperately mundane, depressingly materialistic day, becomes an outlet for us the reader and our frustratingly mundane days. Love, love LOVE this book.
Bad-Girl Bex Fantastic summary. I enjoyed the book but I know others that came in with the same idea you mentioned and found it boring.
Wow, didn't know the author narrated a version. Looks like the only one Audible has is narrated by Pablo someone.
@@brianrunyon266 Pablo Schreiber of Den of Theives and American Gods fame is the narrator, and, I think, is pretty damn good at bringing the book to life. This is the best version I could find:
ruclips.net/video/fng29MgqSNc/видео.html&ab_channel=MichaelScarborough
Agreed. His narration is excellent.
i read it without one but i think i got a similar experience just by reading really quickly in my head as if it was being rushed lol
Top tier intro. Also, would absolutely love another Bolano review sometime in the future! Your 2666 review kick started me reading again and Bolano has become my all time favorite author because of it. Keep up the great work Cliff!
Great analysis. Just finished the book recently myself; many different feelings about it. However, the passage where it flips from 1st person to 3rd person mid-sentence completely threw me off for a few moments. Keep the books coming man.
Yes, but I was thinking his mind was cracking right there and seeing himself from a distance. Also, it threw me at the start of the book in the mind of Tim then at the first party we are now in the mind of Pat!
Yes. That was a very clever and effective way of portraying Patrick’s dissociation during that sequence. It’s simple but kind of brilliant.
The book opens on April Fools day, which I think is a wink from Ellis that it's not real. That and the fact that the violence is taken to cartoonish lengths. Bateman seems the be the embodiment of a psychotic male fantasy from someone working a vacuous office job around people they hate.
The April foolsday never popped out for me. Thank you!
April Fool's Day, huh? I didn't catch that. That's what make sthe book so interesting, no real clue if everything's all in his head or not.
A Deftones fan?
Bateman is a cocaine addict. The violence is all part of his cocaine psychosis accompanied by his dissociative disorder.
The book is definitely real, I've read it, or have I?
I highly recommend listening to the audio book. There are two videos on RUclips with all eight hours. Definitely helped me considering I probably can't pronouce most of the high dollar swag that Pat describes in detail so much throughout.
you re a God!
Better to buy it on Audible, just because it's, I don't know, ethical and legal to do so.
My Better Than Food mug just arrived and then I noticed this upload... excellent timing Good Sir.
THIS IS NOT AN EXIT
All ye who enter here, abandon all hope.
What did that MEAN???
@@AdaraFukuchi last sentence in the book
@@fabianweber6937 no shit sherlock. i was asking what it MEANT not what it WAS
@@AdaraFukuchiif I can remember correctly there apparently was some existential play that takes place in hell or something of that nature to illustrate like Frederick Nietzsche said, "Hell is other people" and to illustrate the corrupt nature of humanity all around. In the play there was a sign that read "This is not an exit." Well, if hell is other people and if hell is inescapable this checks out since you can't get away from people. Even if one were to successfully get off the planet to another planet, he, she, would still need food and water to live. Meaning they need the rest of the human race to survive. "This is not an exit" is a reference to the existential play.
Fantastic review! Your description had me following the amazon link after just 2 minutes-I’m very excited to begin this.
Dude I’ve been subbed for a long time, and your videos have gotten better. Good job, I enjoyed this a lot.
This review is absolutely spot on mate, great job.
I don't know how, but you always manage to make a review about a book I read or I want to read. Thanks as always. I'll read this as soon as possible.
Amazing review that summarises the gestalt of this novel perfectly.
Just lent this book to my grandma this week. Forever one of the funniest books Ixve ever picked up
man i love your channel so much! i've learned a lot..
I love your videos! I wasn't planning on reading this, but now I want to!
The review was very concise but informative thank you for making a review on this book
This is the more insightful review to this book I have even seen.
Something that really stuck with me in the book is at the end of a chapter where he's trying to turn girls into sausages, he breaks down and admits he's never cooked before. 27 and has never cooked, owns plenty of kitchen equipment which he lists but never uses... Maybe used a microwave once.
Several other men in my life have praised me for the fact that I can cook (not well, good enough to feed me), and expressed shame in not knowing or learning how to cook.
I learnt because I used to help my parents cook when I was a young girl. Although I can't say for certain, maybe there was something misogynistic going on with the fact that I helped with cooking more often than my older brother.
I can say for certain that now I've been a transsexual man for several years: The gender expectations on me have changed. While I still help with cooking more than my brother (something which I would now put to me having more cooking experience than him), I am not expected to. I'm not pressured to be a presentable young woman anymore, I am expected to be an emotionless and empty man. This manhood is expected to be insufferable for men, this gender has to be a prison.
Below here I'm gonna get on my political correctness soapbox for a sec so maybe stop reading if it's gonna make you seethe all day:
The kind of man Bateman is exists. He's the guy who my sex worker friend met once, locked out of his car naked and reluctantly agreed to have sex in a hidden but public area, he was violent when they voiced their distress. He's the brothers of my bisexual femboy friend, pretending to not be related at all because that's somehow better than having a queer brother. He's the guy who hollers and gropes my femme friend, just because they're the only black person in that group of girls. He's the reason why someone homeless is crying in pain. He's the guy who raped and murdered Brandon Teena. He's the kind of man I fear because he blindly hates me for what I am. This is not a man to idolize.
Such a great review, damn
Great review mate, going to have to read this!
I enjoyed the book. I found myself wanting to come across the violence as the first half is a slow burn. Then when it gets into the torture and killing finding myself wanting to get passed them as they are pretty disturbing but as soon as they were over wanting the next one haha. Film was great as well, saw that first so was interested in checking out the book.
Wow, great review!
Wow great intro, and great review.
Recommendation: Growth of the soil by Knut Hamsun. It's my favorite book, but I haven't seen a review of it on YT. You already enjoyed Hunger, and I'm certain you would love this one.
As much as the book disturbs me and put me off at certain parts, I have to kind of say I love it. There’s something about Bateman that’s almost mythical. Like this vessel of a human being, completely occupied by the bleakest darkest part of human nature. The scene in particular where he’s at the zoo before he kills the child and mentions that he sees a woman breast-feeding her baby and it brings out something horrible in him. It’s like he witnesses something beautiful but he’s the complete antithesis of this and he feels this irresistible need to destroy human innocence. Hard to stomach but completely fascinating
"A portrayal of inner-post rock bottom." Poignant phrasing. Cheers.
Subbed! Really well-made, thoughtful review. Thanks for your effort!
Much appreciated, thank you for watching.
@@BetterThanFoodBookReviews ''Why modern men can identify with Bateman''
This is another attack on male character. And men take it by saying to themselves - ''yeah, it's the new generation who is like this. This has nothing to do with me''.
This is an inevitable outcome when men validate their existence by getting the girl. The standard is to increase your social status beyond other men, get the attractive partner, then lie back in the ''greatness achieved''.
There is no great war to bind this generation of young men together. No villain. No ''other'' to fight.
Great review 👍🏻👌🏻
amazing introduction. subscribed immediately.
The Brothers Karamazov! Worth reading for the "The grand inquisitor" alone
subscribed, this was amazing
The most memorable part of the book, for me, is the chapter about the rat. God that was something else, in the worst way.
Sodacake killing child at zoo was traumatic
Jamie meh the child got the best of it compared to his other victims
Jamie that part was shocking as well as the killing dog chapters
I remember breaking out into a sweat reading the part of the rat. Never had a book disturbed me this much.
It was the worst for me too.
I'm a little late to the show and a new subscriber, but I have to say, you are an exceptionally fine specimen of a man.
Awesome review of one of my favorite books.
Fantastic review of a stunning, timeless novel.
Apart from the really gruesome and sadistic bits, which made me want to vomit, I found this book very interesting and unique. It's an accurate reflection of our materialistic world and how certain wealthy people live. I also found the book hilarious (like the fact he always needs to return videotapes and uses it as an excuse to leave). I like the fact that we don't know if Patrick actually committed all these crimes or if they were just figments of his imagination.
what a great review good job, i think i liked the movie better but i did watch the movie before reading many times and i love christian bale as an actor so its hard to see past the great job bale did to portray bateman. But the extra depth the book shows of bateman makes it a tough choice both so good
Great intro!
First time viewer and getting a subscribe from the intro alone
This was PERFECT. Everything was just spot on. Good job. You look smack like Christian Bale too. Well with the facial hair. But wow that was very pleasing to listen too.
Thanks for the awesome review Cliff! I too do love the film of course and bought the book a few months ago. Which one would you recommend more, American Psycho or Less Than Zero? Also on a different note what is your opinion on Michel Foucault? I think you've mentioned him once briefly. Jordan Peterson obviously hates him :D
Your opening was epic!! But for some reason it has filled me with a nameless dread, that I cannot describe
The descriptive murders in this book made me feel dirty, as if I had stumbled upon actual snuff gore.
When I am looking for a pessimistic read (and that occurs quite frequently), I turn to your channel.
Very nicely done
I just subscribed! Great Review! I'm currently reading The Woman In The Window by AJ Finn Cheers!
Nice Review! I needed the sobering thoughts after finishing this book just some minutes ago.
One thing that irked me about your video was the extremely frequent cutting mid sentence.
I get that this is a very common video editing style on the tubes, but I don't think it fits very well with your kind of content.
Found the audio book version through Audible, loved it.
I have a question when you're reading Novels is it necessary to read the details with concentration? like theres a lot of details like the color of the suit or the shape of characters face? I am reading american psycho and i tend to get fed up when reading too much detail like what type of suit someones wearing :/
I randomly picked this book up a month ago and finished it. Some of the killing parts were so hard to read lmaooooo but I can’t lie it makes the book quite interesting. I never watched the movie or anything so I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. Interesting is an understatement
I had to stop the audiobook version of the novel several times. To get the right mind set, to be shocked or mind blown. Listening to it for a second time, now..
I read the audiobook. Loved it.
I wish I could buy one of these mugs, but I live in Brazil and that's is just sad :( Keep the awesome channel Cliff! And if I may suggest, there's a book I think you ought to read, it's called Anguish by Graciliano Ramos
just finished it and it was truly a thought-provoking read.
That intro was amazing
I found it a little off-putting how many Clothing brands at strange types of garments I recognized throughout the novel. Perhaps being raised in Manhattan has its downsides along with the convenience and luxury.
Greetings from Mexico, I would love your review about "women" of Bukowski and hopefully read "The King of Havana" by Pedro Juan Guitierrez. I love your videos
it's Bradley Cooper on prozac
Don’t do him like that 😂
That intro was genius!
A good critical analysis, too many people on RUclips seem to think critically reviewing a film/book is telling you the plot. You don't do that, I appreciate it.
paraphrased but i loved the line when one of bateman’s friends said “i don’t think this is possible but the void is widening”
I like the new cover soooo much more than the original one.
Yes thats nice and all, but what was on the Patty Winter Show this morning?
sometimes would make me think profoundly sometimes made me laugh and sometimes made me feel like throwing up, a well-rounded read i’d say!
" this confession has meant nothing " I heard the book is so violent that even the squeamish had to put the book down. I think the movie is a masterpiece and bale is brilliant in it for a relatively young actor at 26. Three of his books take on a theme of apathy depravity. He starts with less than zero about high school kids going into freshman year. Then he wrote rules of attraction based in a small liberal arts college who are all spoiled depraved kids. Then to after college American psycho . He takes the self absorption and not caring to the next level. Less than zero Ellis hates bc he said the 3 leads were supposed to be beachy blondes. He also said the only think the movie has in common with the book is their names. I heard he spends pages just to his apt layout .
Thanks for your review, couldn't have put it better. It's sad that it's still so applicable today. I've met quite a few guys who are unironically the very essence of Pat Bateman and his pals and it's depressing af to see.
No.. No you havent, you just want to come off as somewhat succesful and have some relative wealth yourself.. Your lying..
@@albionpatterns3986 ?
@@candide311 Reply to what I wrote in my comment.. Unless words are too tricky for you to deal with?!
@@albionpatterns3986 Have a nice day
Hey Cliff,
I was wondering if you have read any of Thomas Pynchon's works and ,if you have, what is your opinion on the author?
Does he fall, in the same pitfall as DFW, that it doesn't resonate with you?
Would be very interesting to hear your thoughts on both Pynchon's early works, especially Gravity's Rainbow, as well as his later works, like Mason and Dixon, Bleeding Edge, Vineland.
Thank you very much for the time you put into this, it is truly a pleasure to watch and listen to you.
Read AP with the opening quotes in mind. I never really noticed them before I read it for like the 15th time. When you have all the long reviews of stuff like Huey Lewis or food, you can tell they are not his opinions but things he read in magazine. One thing I just considered, is are the sex scenes real? I treat them the same as the murder scenes. Is this real?
Great book.
Read the book for a challenge of the mind and literature skills put to the test
Watch the movie to be entertained
the John Milton - Paradise Lost comparison is absolutely mind blowing. You need to claim that idea if it is not already claimed through articles or peer reviewed works. It's a really tough read for people without strong stomachs, but I honestly think the book is better (completely over looked) and in some ways should not have been a movie (still glad it happened for memes). I'm pretty sure people are trying to copy the movie adaptation more for visual reasons.
Yeah the parts when hes just repeating the stuff over n over is so difficult to read past (reminded me of bartleby the scrivener for its slow pacing and repetitive approach) , but I'm still glad it made it in because the emotion you feel is kind of meta and breaking the 4th wall. I'm sick of reading this same thing, buying into the same brands/ watching the same shows /listening to the same music. That blending of fiction with real life things makes it all the more important for what the book is trying to comment on our lives overall. Took me awhile to read as well, but I think that is how everyone should read this book (books these days are mostly about drawing the reading in so you are reading it all in one day). I'm not saying that books that are entertaining enough to read in one day are bad, I just like to switch it up sometimes read, reflect what I read and then pick it up again when I am ready. This book almost forces the reader to do so.
I actually loved American Psycho, very messed up but I really enjoyed it. Is Less Than Zero also good, for those who have read it?
Great review as always
Less Than Zero is also good. Maybe not as good as American Psycho, but arguably even more nihilistic.
I really liked Less than zero. It feels less polished though (it was his debut novel).
I love American Psycho. One of my favourite books.
Can anyone tell me which chapter is that passage that he read out from?
Did anyone watch The Patty Winter Show this morning?
I thought you were gonna follow that “so” at 12:30 with a “keep your eyes open.”
Is that a copy of Fanged Numena on your wall?
Epic intro
I wrote a book report on banned books. I must say that those people put an emphasis on the violent scenes. This novel was more than that. It was about his insanity due to his way of living.
Even the my other three class mates that were in my group did not really understand the point of the book. When it came to the presentation, it sounded like they took everything from one perspective.
coldplay261021 it takes about 150 pages to get to the excessive brutality so it’s obvious none of them read the book because if you had you’ll know there’s a great deal of fucked up comedy
Muito bom!
Have you read Onetti?
the weird and random things that would make him cry always made me laugh and then just think about if it was another imagined moment for him
I was gonna watch this but I have to go return some tapes
i absolutely love the idea of this book, but its prose (hats off to ellis; its probably on purpose) i cannot stomach.
Best. Intro. EVER
You should make a video talking about authors you hate and why.
26*
I love the introduction of this video haha
Please do a horror novel, like true horror,not vampire and shit, I haven’t read any horror other than hp lovecraft, would love to read what you are reading
I JUST finished the book.
I came here to see if there was an explanation about the ending wich im not surr i understood. Did he remmain forever unpunished?
You do realise that he never actually killed anyone and it was all in his head right?
@@aidencurl2532 that's a subjective theory. not a fact. there is no truth in the book.
@@AdaraFukuchi okay you're right but it's heavily alluded to you must admit, all throughout the book not just after the murders take place.
@@aidencurl2532 sure. but there's no concrete proof. personally, i think he murdered SOME ppl. not EVERYONE he says he did. like that higher up that when to europe he didn't kill.
@@AdaraFukuchi yeah I agree I think he probably killed the homeless people but not the prostitutes or the other wall street guys.
irvine welsh review maybe?
I gave a like for the perfect intro, but stayed for the content.
I've seen many of your videos (but not all). It seems like you often discuss books by male authors and with male main characters. So I'm really curious if you can recommend any female authors.
Bruh great! Thank you. I'll check her work out. :)
thanks
I'm 14 years old and I am looking for a good book unlike those teen drama books nowadays. For Anyone reading this, do you recommend this book?
No, I don't think you should read it until your 20's. I'd start off with Jorge Luis Borges and Mark Twain.
Thanks i was reading some of the comments and it seems pretty intense and your video describes mature themes I might not understand. However, once im old enough i will definitely get this book, you've sold me enough.
No kiddo. It’s too graphic and simply inappropriate for your age
Pastor Cliff even hit the move