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red_alex's review against another edition
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
marcaurele's review against another edition
2.0
Bon retour sur la télé réalité et à quel point elle est peut être stupide, et que la stupidité revient réellement au télé-spectateur qui la regarde car si il n'y a pas de demande il n'y aura pas d'offre.
outoftheblue14's review against another edition
3.0
I read Sulphric Acid by Amelie Nothomb some time ago, but have never got around to write a review. I have some mixed feelings about this book, so I'll do an interview-review sort of thing, answering to the questions I was asked in my Weekly Geeks #12 post.
Bybee asked: I really hated Nothomb's other book, The Book Of Proper Names, but can't help being curious about Sulphuric Acid. Is this a short novel as well? Does it plunge into absurdity? Does it have anything to do with science?
Yes, this is a short novel, too. And yes, it plunges into absurdity. But no, it has very little to do with science. It's about reality shows and television and contemporary society.
Book Zombie asked:The plot sounds truly bizarre but also seems to embody the way that our media is heading (wanting to see so much pain and suffering in order to make our lives seem more normal). Do you think that this book was written as a social satire of our current media? And why do you suppose this book was a best-seller in France, but not so much in North America?
Yes, I do think the book was written as a satire of our current media, but there is more than that. For those who are not familiar with the plot, Sulphuric Acid deals with the ultimate reality show: people are taken from the streets to take part, whether they want it or not, in Concentration (as in "concentration camp"). Some play the part of the prisoners, while others are the kapos. However, Nothomb's focus is not only the satire on reality-obsessed TV viewers, who enjoy being the witness to other people's pain. The author writes is mostly as a story of obsessions and relationships: the obsession of one of the kapos, Zdena, for one of the prisoners, CZ114 (alias Pannonique).
I suppose Nothomb is much more popular in France than in the US. First of all, she writes in French, so her books arrive in the US only through translation. Therefore, I guess in France she's so popular that every one of her books turns into a bestseller, while its' not the case in the US.
As I mentioned above, I have some mized feelings about this book. I enjoy Nothomb's plunges into absurdity and satire, but I feel this wasn't her best book at all. It has nothing of the sparkle and wit of The Character or Rain, or The Book of Proper Names. So I'm not sure I would recommend it to others.
Bybee asked: I really hated Nothomb's other book, The Book Of Proper Names, but can't help being curious about Sulphuric Acid. Is this a short novel as well? Does it plunge into absurdity? Does it have anything to do with science?
Yes, this is a short novel, too. And yes, it plunges into absurdity. But no, it has very little to do with science. It's about reality shows and television and contemporary society.
Book Zombie asked:The plot sounds truly bizarre but also seems to embody the way that our media is heading (wanting to see so much pain and suffering in order to make our lives seem more normal). Do you think that this book was written as a social satire of our current media? And why do you suppose this book was a best-seller in France, but not so much in North America?
Yes, I do think the book was written as a satire of our current media, but there is more than that. For those who are not familiar with the plot, Sulphuric Acid deals with the ultimate reality show: people are taken from the streets to take part, whether they want it or not, in Concentration (as in "concentration camp"). Some play the part of the prisoners, while others are the kapos. However, Nothomb's focus is not only the satire on reality-obsessed TV viewers, who enjoy being the witness to other people's pain. The author writes is mostly as a story of obsessions and relationships: the obsession of one of the kapos, Zdena, for one of the prisoners, CZ114 (alias Pannonique).
I suppose Nothomb is much more popular in France than in the US. First of all, she writes in French, so her books arrive in the US only through translation. Therefore, I guess in France she's so popular that every one of her books turns into a bestseller, while its' not the case in the US.
As I mentioned above, I have some mized feelings about this book. I enjoy Nothomb's plunges into absurdity and satire, but I feel this wasn't her best book at all. It has nothing of the sparkle and wit of The Character or Rain, or The Book of Proper Names. So I'm not sure I would recommend it to others.
edvesan's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
lidotchka's review against another edition
1.0
★✰✰✰✰ - Did Not Finish
I tried. I really tried.
The back cover was promising something amazing: in an alternative future, they start using old concentration camps for reality shows. People chosen randomly are the prisoners while others are the guards whose mission is basically to mistreat the prisoners.
Yet, this book was really bad: the fact it's a short book was a problem here because I wasn't even concerned about what happened to the characters. We don't learn to know them, don't learn to love them so we just don't give à f*ck to what can happen to them.
There isn't a single character that was developed.
The style is a nightmare: short sentences, sometimes complex vocabulary used for absolutely no reason, no detailed description of what's happening. All this leads to an incredibly bad book. I didn't even finish it because my reading was so boring and painful (yeah, I didn't even finish a 120-page book).
I usually love [a:Amélie Nothomb|40416|Amélie Nothomb|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1457300466p2/40416.jpg]'s books, I think they're always so well-written and interesting. This one is sadly a big NO for me. Don't read it. Don't trust the catchy back cover.
I tried. I really tried.
The back cover was promising something amazing: in an alternative future, they start using old concentration camps for reality shows. People chosen randomly are the prisoners while others are the guards whose mission is basically to mistreat the prisoners.
Yet, this book was really bad: the fact it's a short book was a problem here because I wasn't even concerned about what happened to the characters. We don't learn to know them, don't learn to love them so we just don't give à f*ck to what can happen to them.
There isn't a single character that was developed.
The style is a nightmare: short sentences, sometimes complex vocabulary used for absolutely no reason, no detailed description of what's happening. All this leads to an incredibly bad book. I didn't even finish it because my reading was so boring and painful (yeah, I didn't even finish a 120-page book).
I usually love [a:Amélie Nothomb|40416|Amélie Nothomb|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1457300466p2/40416.jpg]'s books, I think they're always so well-written and interesting. This one is sadly a big NO for me. Don't read it. Don't trust the catchy back cover.
reneeronny's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
3.25
Voor Frans op school
fanini's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.75
vsoulas's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lauryz's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25