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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i feel like i need to take a shower after finishing this book. it was genuinely so much fun and one of the craziest books i've ever read, and I felt like I was on acid the entire time. according to my search history, I searched on safari 6 different times for the names of drugs mentioned in this book, some of which i didn't even know were used recreationally. hunter s thompson's writing is so erratic but satisfying, and his use of profanity was oddly so good despite how often it appeared (for context, the word "fuck" is written 84 times and "shit" 59 times throughout this book. mind you, "fear and loathing" is only 200 pages long).
however, there is so much more to this novel than cataloguing a week-long bender with two of the worst people you'll ever meet; there is so much interesting commentary on crime, the american dream, and america in the 1970s subtly appearing in the story. as someone who visited vegas just last week, I can confirm with hunter s. thompson's musings that it may be the worst tourist attraction in the country. this book is an absolute masterclass in irony: there's something so amusing about raoul and gonzo telling another man in a vegas bar about how los angeles is full of drug-crazed criminals, while they themselves are high out of their minds and drinking whiskey. also, the part where they asked a diner waitress to help them find the "american dream", only for her to direct them to a nightclub that burned down at the end of the 1960s, serving as a clear metaphor on the state of america moving away from the psychadelic, countercultural era. i enjoyed myself thoroughly and plan to read another of his books soon.
however, there is so much more to this novel than cataloguing a week-long bender with two of the worst people you'll ever meet; there is so much interesting commentary on crime, the american dream, and america in the 1970s subtly appearing in the story. as someone who visited vegas just last week, I can confirm with hunter s. thompson's musings that it may be the worst tourist attraction in the country. this book is an absolute masterclass in irony: there's something so amusing about raoul and gonzo telling another man in a vegas bar about how los angeles is full of drug-crazed criminals, while they themselves are high out of their minds and drinking whiskey. also, the part where they asked a diner waitress to help them find the "american dream", only for her to direct them to a nightclub that burned down at the end of the 1960s, serving as a clear metaphor on the state of america moving away from the psychadelic, countercultural era. i enjoyed myself thoroughly and plan to read another of his books soon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcohol
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think the movie is actually better, it’s almost word for word the same story as the book with not too much missing, and the visuals and performances add a lot.
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Happy Valentine’s Day, Hunter S. Thompson. I’m glad I was able to spend it with you.
This is a 204‑page, weeklong drug trip written in gonzo journalism (I had to look up the meaning of that), which gives you an inside look at Las Vegas and, really, America during the early '70s
This is a 204‑page, weeklong drug trip written in gonzo journalism (I had to look up the meaning of that), which gives you an inside look at Las Vegas and, really, America during the early '70s
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
Love the illustrations, Thompson has some great one-liners in there. Absurd.
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is unlike anything I've read before. It's a roller-coaster ride from beginning to end. The primary allure of this book, for most people, will lie in its sheer absurdity, and nothing more.
However, through the unreliable, crass, slur-ridden accounts of Raul Duke, Hunter S. Thompson often provides incredibly sharp and harrowing insight into the state of Vegas in the 70's, the dangers of various substances (many of which the reader has likely never heard of), the harsh cultural shift levied by the hand of the Nixon administration, and the trajectory of the US as a whole.
The book's subject matter indicates a read is not for the faint of heart, not for children, and certainly not for someone raised in a traditionally religious household. However, I am inclined to disagree. Through Duke, Thompson slices through the curtains drawn in by those in places of power, opening misguided and meandering demographics to an entirely new perspective; one that, despite the delusions of the narrator, is closer to reality than most.
However, through the unreliable, crass, slur-ridden accounts of Raul Duke, Hunter S. Thompson often provides incredibly sharp and harrowing insight into the state of Vegas in the 70's, the dangers of various substances (many of which the reader has likely never heard of), the harsh cultural shift levied by the hand of the Nixon administration, and the trajectory of the US as a whole.
The book's subject matter indicates a read is not for the faint of heart, not for children, and certainly not for someone raised in a traditionally religious household. However, I am inclined to disagree. Through Duke, Thompson slices through the curtains drawn in by those in places of power, opening misguided and meandering demographics to an entirely new perspective; one that, despite the delusions of the narrator, is closer to reality than most.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Violence