Finally got round to reading this dark and glittering rough gem of misanthropy - prompted by a desire to read it before watching the BBC adaptation.

I was a bit surprised at how chaotic the novel was. I had expected the plot and the prose to be slicker, cleaner. But I think that's purely about expectation - I'm sure that Amis was precisely in control of this novel.

To me, it feels a little dated now - obviously the setting is nearly 20 years old, but that's not the main thing (to a large extent, if you threw in a few mobile phones it could easily serve as a parable for the early 2000s). No it was more the writing - the slang that Amis invented, the pre-figuring of major plot points, the post-modern, self-referential plot and the rambling first person - that feels very familiar by now. But I suspect it feels done because it has been so imitated in the intervening years.

I do wonder what I would have made of it as a teenager, when I passed up Amis in favour of McEwan and Winterson. I suspect I may have rejected its misanthropy, and found John Self too thoroughly dislikeable to enjoy it, even as a cautionary tale. While, now, I enjoyed the book hugely, I rather think my teenage self would have had a point. ( )

Amis's fiction drips with cynicism. John Self is a debauched anti-hero whose relationship with money is the critical conflict here - money can buy sex, booze, drugs, and access - but in the end it is as fleeting as the tide. Self's relationship with Martina seems to be as close to love as Self can muster in the emotional vacuum he lives - here is a "woman of quality", well-read, cultured, and inevitably jilted. John can't fulfill her (or himself) sexually, but her influence seems to change his focus from money and the pleasures of the flesh to the life of the mind, which requires some sobriety. ( )

Classic Amis with a seedy character with few redeeming features ( )

When I bought Money I thought that it would be the tale of someone who work in the stock markets and that John Self would be the character that Patrick Bateman is in American Psycho. I always try to avoid reading too much into the details of a book before reading it. I find that ruins a lot of the storyline for me and in this case, not knowing much about it was a huge bonus.

Unlike a lot of people who have read this, I didnt find it hilarious but there is a lot of dark humor in the writing. The story is like the life of Self, very messy, jumping around and chaotic. There are gaps in the story which only come to life later because Self is often drunk and forgets things easily. This can make it a little sketchy in places but really adds to the character and the narration of the tale.

Given the underlying nature of the story it couldn't be more appropriate given the current state of affairs in Europe and America. Excess spending (of money that isnt really there) ties very well into this along with over eating, total consumerism and sexual irresponsibility. I also really liked the brand names that Amis uses, Self's car is a Fiasco in name and deeds for example.

I'm looking forward to reading some more by Amis now even though I didnt find the book to be a real page turner. I tend to read in many short burst and every time I finished a mini stint I found myself mulling over what I had read and wondering where everything was heading. It was a steady burner for me, keeping my interest engaged but not to the extent that I couldn't put it down. A decent read. ( )

I only heard of “Money” by Martin Amis from reading about the Dire Straits song, “Heavy Fuel”. Prior to that, I don’t think I’d ever even heard of Martin Amis.

Overall, I struggled to read this novel. I kept dozing off during it, the book falling out of my fingers as I fell asleep. But the plot and the main character kept me interested enough to pick it up again when I woke up, or the next day each time.

The story follows a fellow named John Self who directs TV commercials as he’s brought to New York City by a movie producer to direct his first feature film.

Self is a serious alcoholic, and an obnoxious drunk. He’s a terrible womanizer and treats almost everyone he’s around pretty poorly. All in all, Self is just a very unlikeable character.

He does get a little better in the latter third of the story, when the real work of making the film is going on and he drinks a lot less while in a relationship with a smarter, more stable woman. During that portion of the book I was able to read it for longer periods, too, without dozing off.

Most of the story takes place in New York City, with a little bit in London when he makes a few trips home. I’m glad I’ve read it now that I live in NYC because I know the geography. When Amis writes about Self going to bars on 42nd Street, I know where that is, when he walks to one on 28th Street, I know the geography. When he goes to the Upper West Side I can visualize it, as well as when he describes a bad tooth being on the “Upper West Side” of his mouth, I know just what part of his mouth he means…

Overall, I didn’t like the book much, but once in it I still wanted to get to the end. ( )