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 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.
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.
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!
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
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.
@@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: th-cam.com/video/fng29MgqSNc/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=MichaelScarborough
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!
I highly recommend listening to the audio book. There are two videos on TH-cam 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.
@@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.
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.
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.
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.
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
" 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 .
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
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..
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.
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.
@@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.
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
A good critical analysis, too many people on TH-cam seem to think critically reviewing a film/book is telling you the plot. You don't do that, I appreciate it.
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.
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.
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 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
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
I think I have never ever felt so ambivalent about a book before turning the last page of this one. Reading this book has been a fucking rollercoaster. I started interested at the very beginning, then sick to my stomach, then outraged by the gory details of Bateman's tortures, then taken aback when he kills the cild at the park. At the end, like a sick joke, I felt pity for him when he talks about being doom. No one should "like" this book, yet you can't help it but recommending it to evey damn person you know
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
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.
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.
@@sk69to96 I love Hubert Selby Jr's work! I have read three of his works including 'Last Exit to Brooklyn' which is the book I would love to hear reviewed on this channel.
I saw Bateman as iconic when I started a government job and had to wear professional attire. I rejected that when I realised that wasn't the real world, that wasn't me, and I realised that my community was the people who work good jobs and are covered in tattoos, piercings, and eternally rapidly diminishing optimism.
Ana V The book drives home the point much better and the movie is missing it. It ignores cause and just takes us into the life of a guy with weird priorities who kills people.
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.
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?
@@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.
I think the film really missed a trick by failing to portray how pathetic Baitman is. Without being able to see that same level of sheer panic whenever there isnt a reservation, or his absolute terror of his hair being messy infront of his ex, or that hes really failing to come to terms with the fact that hes in his late 20's and isnt really one of the youngesters anymore, without all that, it really increases the odds that people will idolise him. In the film, hes funny, charismatic and played by Christian Bale. He doesnt do shit like picking up a random jellyfish and eating it, or failing to make a canibalistic meatloaf because hes literally never cooked before, or getting mugged by a cabbie. It really changes a lot of the tone for me.
I was outraged as I just finished the book. (Ok, if I was outraged I’d not have read it all) It was well written, pornographic, violent, unexpected (Album reviews). Admittingly, I had to scan past the last 100 paragraphs of what-are-they-waring, and eating. I get it! I found it funny that critics wondered if Ellis is gay. He says he is bi, years later addmitting to being gay. All I know is anyone that reads the first 50 pages of American Psycho will be totally sure he is gay. (Not that anything is wrong with it). No one straight could of written those early party scenes.
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
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 “Better Than Food: Book Reviews Show” today was about American Psycho
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!!
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!
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
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:
th-cam.com/video/fng29MgqSNc/w-d-xo.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
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.
That question in the "Tries To Cook And Eat Girl" chapter: "Will I ever do time?" still haunts me at night.
I highly recommend listening to the audio book. There are two videos on TH-cam 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.
Just lent this book to my grandma this week. Forever one of the funniest books Ixve ever picked up
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.
This review is absolutely spot on mate, great job.
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.
This is the more insightful review to this book I have even seen.
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.
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
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.
The descriptive murders in this book made me feel dirty, as if I had stumbled upon actual snuff gore.
"A portrayal of inner-post rock bottom." Poignant phrasing. Cheers.
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.
The Brothers Karamazov! Worth reading for the "The grand inquisitor" alone
Dude I’ve been subbed for a long time, and your videos have gotten better. Good job, I enjoyed this a lot.
it's Bradley Cooper on prozac
Don’t do him like that 😂
Awesome review of one of my favorite books.
Fantastic review! Your description had me following the amazon link after just 2 minutes-I’m very excited to begin this.
Great review 👍🏻👌🏻
man i love your channel so much! i've learned a lot..
" 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 .
When I am looking for a pessimistic read (and that occurs quite frequently), I turn to your channel.
Wow, great review!
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
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 thought you were gonna follow that “so” at 12:30 with a “keep your eyes open.”
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
Such a great review, damn
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.
First time viewer and getting a subscribe from the intro alone
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.
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
Your opening was epic!! But for some reason it has filled me with a nameless dread, that I cannot describe
Great review mate, going to have to read this!
That was a great Bateman impression at the beginning
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.
...needless to say, I subscribed. Such a good job this video! Thank you!
A good critical analysis, too many people on TH-cam seem to think critically reviewing a film/book is telling you the plot. You don't do that, I appreciate it.
I love your videos! I wasn't planning on reading this, but now I want to!
That intro was genius!
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”
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.
That intro was amazing
just finished it and it was truly a thought-provoking read.
Great intro!
amazing introduction. subscribed immediately.
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.
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 :/
subscribed, this was amazing
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
Yes thats nice and all, but what was on the Patty Winter Show this morning?
Fantastic review of a stunning, timeless novel.
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.
I like the new cover soooo much more than the original one.
Found the audio book version through Audible, loved it.
Did anyone watch 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!
I read the audiobook. Loved it.
Very nicely done
I love American Psycho. One of my favourite books.
Can anyone tell me which chapter is that passage that he read out from?
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).
Is that a copy of Fanged Numena on your wall?
Listening to the book is better when it comes to the lists.
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
Pastor Cliff even hit the move
I think I have never ever felt so ambivalent about a book before turning the last page of this one. Reading this book has been a fucking rollercoaster. I started interested at the very beginning, then sick to my stomach, then outraged by the gory details of Bateman's tortures, then taken aback when he kills the cild at the park. At the end, like a sick joke, I felt pity for him when he talks about being doom. No one should "like" this book, yet you can't help it but recommending it to evey damn person you know
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
Have you read Onetti?
The book is a throbbing pain between my eyebrows
I love the book and the film. Both are singular.
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.
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.
Please can you review a 'Hubert Selby jr' he is a personal favourite!!!
The Demon
Definitely.
@@sk69to96 I love Hubert Selby Jr's work! I have read three of his works including 'Last Exit to Brooklyn' which is the book I would love to hear reviewed on this channel.
@@kaylemkerr6989 I have yet to tackle Last Exit, but I hear great things about it. Hopefully not far from now I'll soon be getting to it. : )
I saw Bateman as iconic when I started a government job and had to wear professional attire. I rejected that when I realised that wasn't the real world, that wasn't me, and I realised that my community was the people who work good jobs and are covered in tattoos, piercings, and eternally rapidly diminishing optimism.
"American Psycho" is one of the rare examples of a moment I liked the movie more than the book. Somehow, the book didn't carry the same impact.
Ana V The book drives home the point much better and the movie is missing it. It ignores cause and just takes us into the life of a guy with weird priorities who kills people.
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.
That book is the only reason I know brands.
I just subscribed! Great Review! I'm currently reading The Woman In The Window by AJ Finn Cheers!
Epic intro
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.
I think the film really missed a trick by failing to portray how pathetic Baitman is. Without being able to see that same level of sheer panic whenever there isnt a reservation, or his absolute terror of his hair being messy infront of his ex, or that hes really failing to come to terms with the fact that hes in his late 20's and isnt really one of the youngesters anymore, without all that, it really increases the odds that people will idolise him. In the film, hes funny, charismatic and played by Christian Bale.
He doesnt do shit like picking up a random jellyfish and eating it, or failing to make a canibalistic meatloaf because hes literally never cooked before, or getting mugged by a cabbie.
It really changes a lot of the tone for me.
God its so good to finally find a decent book reviewer on youtube and not young girls talking about Harry Potter.
Best. Intro. EVER
I was outraged as I just finished the book. (Ok, if I was outraged I’d not have read it all) It was well written, pornographic, violent, unexpected (Album reviews). Admittingly, I had to scan past the last 100 paragraphs of what-are-they-waring, and eating. I get it! I found it funny that critics wondered if Ellis is gay. He says he is bi, years later addmitting to being gay. All I know is anyone that reads the first 50 pages of American Psycho will be totally sure he is gay. (Not that anything is wrong with it). No one straight could of written those early party scenes.
Bonus points for actually looking a bit like Christian Bale.