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miles03's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
iahk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
2.25
regrettably unimpressed by this one. I tried to warm to the writing style but found it too tedious and almost cringeworthy more often than not, although there are the odd really fantastic paragraphs here and there which motivated me to keep reading. not only did I find the narrator obnoxious - not because of his depravity, actually, but because he often times reads like a teenager with a contrarian complex (oh, wait…). I’m also really not sure whether the inventiveness of both the “marbled swarm” and the labyrinthine structure of both the narrative and language is grossly overexaggerated or not. I don’t find the gruesome aspects of the book worth remarking on - in the sense that although I enjoy reading “”disturbing”” books, I’m largely indifferent to whether it elevates the story or not.
and to be fair, I am not that familiar with the works of, say, De Sade and Bataille (Cooper’s literary heroes) yet, and maybe The Marbled Swarm really isn’t an “inferior” version of a similar sort of story and the problem lies with me.
fiendfull's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to like this book more than I did - it has a load of interesting elements like Dennis Cooper writing about Emo kids and cannibalism, and some weird layers of narrative and language - but I just found it a bit boring at times. One thing I like about Dennis Cooper's books usually is that I find them easy to get into and to grasp the narrative voice, but as The Marbled Swarm is purposefully not like that, I found my attention drifting. I did like the playful narration, but I don't know enough about French literary styles or France in general I feel to really enjoy this one.
magenta_menace's review against another edition
2.25
yoooo what the fuck!!
but actually, this book’s gratuitous violence, bizarre organization, and peculiar linguistic structure of the title concept almost made it a dnf for me. i did appreciate the level of grotesque that cooper was able to achieve with this one, and i know the narrator was meant to be irredeemable and his level of depravity knows no bounds, but i just couldn’t get into it.
but actually, this book’s gratuitous violence, bizarre organization, and peculiar linguistic structure of the title concept almost made it a dnf for me. i did appreciate the level of grotesque that cooper was able to achieve with this one, and i know the narrator was meant to be irredeemable and his level of depravity knows no bounds, but i just couldn’t get into it.
pudo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Kidnapping, Death, Cannibalism, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Violence, Incest, Rape, Body horror, Blood, Confinement, Sexual content, Trafficking, Physical abuse, and Torture
faynebrio's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
funny to say this about dennis cooper as if it isnt always sort of this way but: hard to get through! i sense that it would be worth revisiting though. it deserves note taking and an attentiveness i cannot give to library books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, and Child death
joejoh's review against another edition
3.0
As much as I wanted to love this book, the narrator is just too much of a monster. In the end, I found him convincing, but too terrifying to relate to. There are no soft edges to grab, and so every encounter with the book made me both disgusted and nauseated. I love the work of Dennis Cooper but I found nothing redemptive, and in the end, the book is both empty of meaning and heart. I'd give the book 3.5 stars if I could, but only because of the incredibly high quality of Cooper's prose. I could only recommend this book to Cooper completists.
heleneb's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5