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hilikus_00's review against another edition
4.0
This is actually 3.5 stars!
HM! I join the chorus of other long-time Palahniuk fans in saying that while this is no Fight Club, Choke or Invisible Monsters, Damned surely beats out Tell All, Snuff and Pygmy with flying colours. This seems like more of a return to old times, but not quite. The premise of the story was great and so were the characters. I found myself liking Madison a lot by the end of the story and even liking the quirks of some of the other characters and *dying* to know how they themselves ended up in hell. The twist in this one doesn't hit so hard in the gut as some of the other stories but I kind of appreciated that. Some other reviewers are saying that this book feels more mature than Palahniuk's others and I tend to agree. This story, despite being narrated Judy Blume style by a thirteen year old spoiled brat, and despite some truly grotesque imagery akin to 'The Swamp of Partial Birth Abortions', this story just feels more grown up.
The one complaint I have is the voice. While the story is narrated, like I just wrote, by a thirteen-year-old girl, I don't think Palahniuk has quite pulled it off. The narration is Tyler Durden-esque with sharp criticisms of the upper class consciousness (or lack thereof). I didn't think the voice matched the character. That being said, I still liked her.
AND if you haven't heard yet, this is the first in a trilogy. THAT is exciting and I can't wait to see what Madison gets up to in the next book.
HM! I join the chorus of other long-time Palahniuk fans in saying that while this is no Fight Club, Choke or Invisible Monsters, Damned surely beats out Tell All, Snuff and Pygmy with flying colours. This seems like more of a return to old times, but not quite. The premise of the story was great and so were the characters. I found myself liking Madison a lot by the end of the story and even liking the quirks of some of the other characters and *dying* to know how they themselves ended up in hell. The twist in this one doesn't hit so hard in the gut as some of the other stories but I kind of appreciated that. Some other reviewers are saying that this book feels more mature than Palahniuk's others and I tend to agree. This story, despite being narrated Judy Blume style by a thirteen year old spoiled brat, and despite some truly grotesque imagery akin to 'The Swamp of Partial Birth Abortions', this story just feels more grown up.
The one complaint I have is the voice. While the story is narrated, like I just wrote, by a thirteen-year-old girl, I don't think Palahniuk has quite pulled it off. The narration is Tyler Durden-esque with sharp criticisms of the upper class consciousness (or lack thereof). I didn't think the voice matched the character. That being said, I still liked her.
AND if you haven't heard yet, this is the first in a trilogy. THAT is exciting and I can't wait to see what Madison gets up to in the next book.
nicknicknicknickismyname's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
lauraborkpower's review against another edition
2.0
I like what Palahniuk's done with Hell. He creates a landscape--From the Sea of Insects and the Dandruff Desert to the Great Ocean of Wasted Sperm and the Swamp of Partial-birth Abortions--that is rich with human waste of all kinds. But though I liked his wasteland I think he spent too much time developing the imagery of giant black flies swarming over piles of dirty popcorn balls and candy corns and doing the historical research to fill his world with proper demons and the damned, and not enough time developing his main characters.
I liked Madison, certainly, but she felt a bit flat and not really believable, and the only other character who showed much of a spark was Archer. The others started out interesting and then didn't have too much to do, so they just kind of hung around as plot forwarders for Maddy's arc. Which, truth be told, felt rushed and more a result of Palahniuk's idea than of her own personality or motivations.
And I think that's my main problem with the last couple of Palahniuk's books. Although I always appreciate and enjoy what he does with narrative voice and how he imagines new and wonderful (sometimes wonderfully grotesque and horrific) narrative landscapes--and Damned is no exception--I feel that he has a great idea and writes that idea into a novel as quickly as his little fingers can type. And then, other than some embellishments and edits, it's finished. Now, I don't know if that's really his process, but it's books like this one, Pygmy, and Tell All that give this impression. I wish he'd given me another hundred pages in the middle of this book to really follow Maddy's character change.
And (THIS MIGHT BE CONSIDERED A SPOILER), I find it a cop-out to finish your novel with "To Be Continued..." Really? Really.
So read it because it's Palahniuk and the play on Blume's classic YA novel is fun. Enjoy the Hell he's created and Madison's snarky self. But don't expect too much more than that.
I liked Madison, certainly, but she felt a bit flat and not really believable, and the only other character who showed much of a spark was Archer. The others started out interesting and then didn't have too much to do, so they just kind of hung around as plot forwarders for Maddy's arc. Which, truth be told, felt rushed and more a result of Palahniuk's idea than of her own personality or motivations.
And I think that's my main problem with the last couple of Palahniuk's books. Although I always appreciate and enjoy what he does with narrative voice and how he imagines new and wonderful (sometimes wonderfully grotesque and horrific) narrative landscapes--and Damned is no exception--I feel that he has a great idea and writes that idea into a novel as quickly as his little fingers can type. And then, other than some embellishments and edits, it's finished. Now, I don't know if that's really his process, but it's books like this one, Pygmy, and Tell All that give this impression. I wish he'd given me another hundred pages in the middle of this book to really follow Maddy's character change.
And (THIS MIGHT BE CONSIDERED A SPOILER), I find it a cop-out to finish your novel with "To Be Continued..." Really? Really.
So read it because it's Palahniuk and the play on Blume's classic YA novel is fun. Enjoy the Hell he's created and Madison's snarky self. But don't expect too much more than that.
knik's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
ahollofcats's review against another edition
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
olivia795's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 - it's funny and I really enjoyed some parts. Other parts I just had to get through.
agentbookly's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ezrasupremacy's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 ⭐️ rounded up
i think out of all of palahniuk’s books that i’ve read this far (seven in total) this was my least favourite, but because it’s palahniuk even my least favourite is still one that i enjoyed greatly.
one thing that palahniuk does better than any other writer i’ve encountered is that he makes is characters feel real despite them being complete caricatures of “real humans”. that was definitely still true in this one, and i adored and despised each of the characters as i do in any of his books.
the one element that i missed here, which is what makes me say this was my least favourite this far, is palahniuk’s ability to come up with a completely ridiculous plot and then somehow make it feel like you’re reading the best plotted detective novel of your life. nothing is more satisfying to me than getting to the end of a palahniuk novel and seeing all the different insane plot pieces come together to form one cohesive picture, which i like to refer to as “puzzling” (verb, not adjective).
nonetheless i enjoyed this book tremendously and i’m excited for my copy of the second book to arrive so i can see how maddy’s store progresses.
i think out of all of palahniuk’s books that i’ve read this far (seven in total) this was my least favourite, but because it’s palahniuk even my least favourite is still one that i enjoyed greatly.
one thing that palahniuk does better than any other writer i’ve encountered is that he makes is characters feel real despite them being complete caricatures of “real humans”. that was definitely still true in this one, and i adored and despised each of the characters as i do in any of his books.
the one element that i missed here, which is what makes me say this was my least favourite this far, is palahniuk’s ability to come up with a completely ridiculous plot and then somehow make it feel like you’re reading the best plotted detective novel of your life. nothing is more satisfying to me than getting to the end of a palahniuk novel and seeing all the different insane plot pieces come together to form one cohesive picture, which i like to refer to as “puzzling” (verb, not adjective).
nonetheless i enjoyed this book tremendously and i’m excited for my copy of the second book to arrive so i can see how maddy’s store progresses.