Reviews

Popcorn by Ben Elton

jonathan_mangiapane's review

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3.0

It's a kinda fun read.
The characters feel cut and paste, which may be with purpose to show how in the end all these people from different places in society are ultimately the same. It becomes so mundane, however, that I think it ends up muting the point rather than exemplifying it.
The book is telling an important message of "Who is responsible; we all are"(As it will tell you itself multiple times), but gets so caught up in being a satire that it never actually gives itself the chance to properly address the issue. Ending with the book just getting on top of itself.

sharonlynette's review

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dark funny 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? It's complicated

3.75

sweetbea's review

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tense slow-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

1.5

alexandracpedro's review against another edition

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3.0

Algo confuso de início mas estou feliz por não ter desistido porque foi melhorando sempre.

Não confiei o suficiente no autor porque não entendo como ele adquiriu os conhecimentos necessários para as suas opiniões tão fortes... Foi por isso que a minha experiência de leitura não foi tão boa como poderia ter sido. Mas vou relê-lo no futuro para tentar retirar o máximo dele, porque acredito que haja muito para retirar.

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[EN] Quite confusing at the beginning but I'm glad I didn't gave up because it got better and better.

I didn't trust the author enough because I'm not sure how he got the required knowledge to express these strong opinions... That's why my reading experience wasn't as good as it could be. But I'm going to reread it in the future in order to make the most out of it, because I believe there's a lot in it.

buncie's review

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adventurous dark funny tense fast-paced

3.75

mylonite's review

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dark funny tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

An OK read, kept me turning the pages. An interesting ending but a tad on the nose. 

missnicelady's review against another edition

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1.0

Couldn't finish this satire of Tarantino-style filmmaking. The constant threat of sexual violence was not actually funny to me. Go figure.

sillychicken's review against another edition

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5.0

I know this book was pulp. I loved it anyway.

scorwin's review against another edition

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4.0

Access: Gifted (Harry Harthog)

Picked this one up and polished it off after a two-week reading hiatus due to a veritable clusterfuck of uni work. My brain is firing at best, a quarter neuron right now, so any attempt at sophisticated literary critique will be a meagre one.

This one fires on damn near every cylinder for me. Heavy pop culture references, dark comedy overtones, social satire, erection cream - what else could a guy want? Ben Elton's twisty narrative culminates to a finale of both stark political indictment and hilarity - a delightfully delicate balance. My only notable criticisms are a universally underdrawn character pool, but I'm willing to forgive this aspect, given the pulpy nature of their environment. Ben Elton has won me over with this one - I'll be back for more.

My Pomodoro timer is ringing - guess I oughta return to my studying...

spacyduck's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted tense fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0