Bret Easton Ellis advice wanted

I have been wondering about Bret Easton Ellis. I read American Psycho a couple of years ago and I was pretty shocked by the raw violence and sadism. It's one of those books I wish I could 'unread'. I noticed there are more Ellis books on the list. Are they both like American Psycho or are Glamorama and Less than zero a bit milder perhaps?

Vonini, IMO, nothing he's written is even close to American Psycho. There's the slightly disturbing, debauched edge to most of his work but I think you'd be quite safe with the others not being in the same ball-park as American Psycho.

Less Than Zero is his first book and ostensibly about a summer home from college for the lead character. It's loaded with drugs, language, sexual content, but I doubt it has the level of any of these as American Psycho.

I should also add that I truly loathed the book, both in style and content, but it was short, on the list, and I read it.

I have read both Less Than Zero and American Psycho in that order.

Less Than Zero left me feeling very down, it was so hopeless and so uncaring. There was one very shocking scene involving underage sex/rape/abuse but the rest of it was not so violent as American Psycho. It just presented a generation as selfish, unfeeling and lost.

It put me off reading the others but then I read a passage from American Psycho in the John Sutherland book Where Was Rebecca Shot and decided to give it a go. Again it was completely bleak but so much more violent and sickening in parts.

*****Possible Spoiler for American Psycho******

The Sutherland book offers the theory that the whole story is nothing but a final hallucination as Patrick Bateman overdoses and dies, which was what interested me in it in the first place. He bases his idea on the fact that a book so heavily promoted and edited would not have made the 'mistake' of having Patrick wear two ties at the same time (in the lift with Tom Cruise I think), so must instead be a clue to either Patrick being a liar or in a drug induced hallucination.

Less Than Zero is definitely less graphic, although it is indeed bleak. I noticed you gave A Clockwork Orange five stars, so I'm guessing "raw violence and sadism" is acceptable as long as it's not described in excruciating detail? If so, Less Than Zero shouldn't be too offensive. Glamorama has more graphic violence than Less Than Zero, but Less Than Zero is about disaffected rich college kids and Glamorama is about a terrorist conspiracy involving vapid supermodels, so I guess that's to be expected. Neither compare to American Psycho. I'd start with Less than Zero; I know it's become fairly common in many college lit courses.

Thank you for all the advice. I think I might try another one of his books

>5 panaranjado: panaranjado

I did think A Clockwork Orange was excellent, despite the violence. It did bother me some, but I felt the story itself redeemed the violence. In American Psycho it was just all about the violence (and indeed, I had a lot of trouble with the excruciating detail).

Vonini,

I read Less Than Zero and American Psycho. I also saw both films.

I also see you have references in this thread to A Clockwork Orange. I haven't read that novel (I want to soon though) but it is one of my favorite films.

That's my background.

Here's my opinion:

American Psycho is the most horribly violence novel I have read. I liked certain aspects of it. Here is my review:

http://media1001.diaryland.com/book_0836.html

Less Than Zero is much less violent, but I agree with the posts here: it is a desperate view of rich youth.

A Clockwork Orange is a brilliant film. I agree with you about violence as a tool for the story. No gore for gore's sake.

Hope this was helpful.

-- M1001.

thankfully, only Psycho remains on the list now it's been revised... on second thoughts... that's hardly something to be thankful for

see Arukiyomi's blog for the revised list details
http://johnandsheena.co.uk/books