Less Than Zero

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It's a hit!

This book haunted me with the same feeling I had a long, long time ago. It illustrates how much more painful it is to numb oneself than it is to fa... (show more)

This book haunted me with the same feeling I had a long, long time ago. It illustrates how much more painful it is to numb oneself than it is to face the emptiness of one's life. The more one ignores his or her pain the more it grows. It only dies when he or she begins to care. (show less)

 

 

by Facebook User

No, it's a flop!

I think because I have been a fan of American Psycho for so many years, I did not find this book to be rewarding for me at all. Not that that was i... (show more)

I think because I have been a fan of American Psycho for so many years, I did not find this book to be rewarding for me at all. Not that that was it's intention.
It was very well written and quite disturbing at times, but it didn't move me like I was expecting it to. I wasn't aghast at anything, I wasn't surprised by what occurred.... I mean, I get that Clay was totally numb, just a vessel with eyes -like an inanimate camera recording, but never feeling or judging. But, I am not that, and I still didn't feel disgusted. And I do think that that was part of Ellis' goal -that is what he does.
I just read this for the first time, and maybe it would have disgusted me years ago before I was so jaded. Maybe I should have read it in the 80's when I was young and innocent. But now, it just didn't do it for me. (show less)

 

 

by Christine Howe

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  Great book. Honestly, it is very reminisce of The Catcher In The Rye, but personally I thought it was better. Catcher is definitely a classic - there's no doubt about that - but Clay's feelings of nostalgia and melancholy are so vividly expressed that they made me miss my own childhood, something I never experienced in the five or so times I've read The Catcher In The Rye. Ellis manages to draw his reader in, and provokes that slightly disgusting feeling you get when you feel that you can't d... (show more)

  Great book. Honestly, it is very reminisce of The Catcher In The Rye, but personally I thought it was better. Catcher is definitely a classic - there's no doubt about that - but Clay's feelings of nostalgia and melancholy are so vividly expressed that they made me miss my own childhood, something I never experienced in the five or so times I've read The Catcher In The Rye. Ellis manages to draw his reader in, and provokes that slightly disgusting feeling you get when you feel that you can't do anything. I'm not saying the book is depressing - it's certainly not - but it is extremely meaningful. The messages of the corrupt teens in LA and the fact that Clay is essentially dead inside make you really consider the issue at hand and I truly sympathise with Clay, even though he is presented as an empty figure.
  Although Less Than Zero is not as gritty and exciting as, say, The Rules of Attraction, it should definitely be commended, and is a very deep piece of writing, especially considering Ellis wrote it and published it at the age of 20. (show less)

   

   

  by Mischa Michelle on Dec 05, 2009 at 02:58AM

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  More like a novella than a full true novel Less Than Zero is kind of like Fight Club in that it's a book that's meant to be read in a couple sittings or just straight through. It's a very well written book especially for a debut. For being a little 21 year old at the time of writing it Bret Easton Ellis already seemed to understand the folly of youth and spoiled rich kids. I've had many Christmas vacations, but none like the homecoming young Clay had going back to Los Angeles for four week... (show more)

  More like a novella than a full true novel Less Than Zero is kind of like Fight Club in that it's a book that's meant to be read in a couple sittings or just straight through. It's a very well written book especially for a debut. For being a little 21 year old at the time of writing it Bret Easton Ellis already seemed to understand the folly of youth and spoiled rich kids. I've had many Christmas vacations, but none like the homecoming young Clay had going back to Los Angeles for four weeks. It shares lots of the common themes of that age group like Rules of Attraction, but this book seems to attack Los Angeles as the culprit for breeding these types of West Coast yuppies. The book focuses entirely on Clay's family and the old friends he had and how their lives had changed during the four month absence of his first semester of college. Not as good as the other books I've read so far from him, but is still excellent and set the stage for his style and future characters. Full of depression, drugs, mindless sex and expensive clubs, houses and cars it shows the true underbelly of Los Angeles and it's elite class. A really great read. (show less)

   

   

  by Facebook User on Dec 04, 2009 at 02:00AM

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