Glamorama

By: Bret Easton Ellis

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Length: 20 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

From his first novel – Less Than Zero – published when he was still a college student – to his most recent – the fierce American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis has been a powerful and original presence in contemporary literature, whether giving voice to a previously inchoate generation or provoking a controversy that raged throughout the culture.

Now he takes a quantum leap forward: an awesome reckoning of the American Century at endgame. In Glamorama, a young man in what is recognizably fashion and celebrity-obsessed Manhattan is gradually, imperceptibly drawn into a shadowy looking-glass of that society, there and in London and Paris, and then finds himself trapped on the other side, in a much darker place where fame and terrorism and family and politics are inextricably linked and sometimes indistinguishable. At once implicated and horror-stricken, his ways of escape blocked at every turn, he ultimately discovers – back on the other, familiar side – that there was no mirror, no escape, no world but this one in which hotels implode and planes fall from the sky.

Time and again, the novel confounds one's expectations of it, and Bret Easton Ellis accomplishes the transitions from comic to surreal to horrific to humane with astonishing confidence. Matching ambition with artistic maturity, Glamorama is at once hilarious, savage in its worldly observation, and compassionate in its vision: a defining novel of our times.

As an added bonus, when you purchase our Audible Modern Vanguard production of Bret Easton Ellis' book, you'll also get an exclusive Jim Atlas interview that begins when the audiobook ends.

Listen to more Audible Modern Vanguard titles.

©2000 Bret Easton Ellis (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"One of the passing delights of Glamorama is to imagine how scholars of postmodern fiction will explain it a century hence... Ellis invests a fresh hell on every page... [And] through all this mayhem the style remains mysteriously elegant." ( The New Yorker)

"Impeccable... cold and pitiless and modern... [Ellis] captures a cultural moment of racial dandyhood, where distinctions of sexuality seem less important that whether you look like a model and wear Prada." ( The Village Voice)

"His best work to date... He remains a laser-precise satirist but the wit now dominates. " ( Esquire)

excellent but bloated

the story is overall engaging and definitely takes crazy turns throughout. had me riveted at many times, but also bored at others. you could probably cut 9 hours out and still have a cohesive story. either way, it's definitely an Ellis novel

Great narration, great story

If you are a fan of Ellis, check this one out. The story was captivating, loved the characters, and it had some dark and interesting plot twists.

Incredible audio performance

I like a number of Ellis's works. American Psycho is just brilliant, but Imperial Bedrooms did nothing for me. This definitely edges towards the American Psycho side of the fence. Not as good, but close.

I have to say though, part of what made it so great was the narration by Davis. Holy Cow. I've listened to about 5 books narrated by him since and he's incredible. Absolutely perfect for this book.

This was harsh and dark and funny and some of the time I was confused, and I'm still not entirely sure what happened, but I loved it nonetheless.

Incredible reading of an insanely good book

I’ll try to keep this brief… but probably won’t…

I’m a long time Bret Easton Ellis fan and while I’m probably in the minority here, Glamorama has always been my favorite of his novels. It’s such an utterly absurd & insane story that I’m not even gonna try to get into all the details of it. But it is worth noting that this is the first book he wrote that has much of a plot to follow (good luck with that btw 😂) but as is the case with the rest of Easton Ellis’ best work, his dialogue and his use of different techniques and willingness to bend or break various literary rules. The way he uses long run-on sentences throughout the whole book is especially effective. And I’m not sure I’ve ever read a writer who describes the actual physical feelings that accompany emotions like anxiety, dread, paranoia, etc. quite as well as Easton Ellis does. His descriptions of those feelings really cut deep and put you right inside the head of the narrator. I will go ahead and warn anyone that’s uninitiated as far as Easton Ellis books go, most of his books contain lots of sex and a few, this being one, contain lots of violence, and his descriptions of sex and violence are, well, ummm, let’s say they’re vivid to say the least lol 😂 so heads up to anyone who finds such content unappealing…

For the reading of the book in this particular case, I have to say that in all honesty this is probably the best job I’ve heard yet. I had no idea who Jonathan Davis was before I had listened to this, but he is definitely a name I will remember and look for going forward as far as narrators go. He does an excellent job in all respects, his narration is perfect for the tone and style of the material, and he is even better reading the dialogue. He has a voice for every character and there all distinct and don’t sound labored or inauthentic. Really, just an absolutely fantastic job by Mr Davis.

So, in short, this is an awesome novel that is brilliantly brought to life in this excellent audiobook.

if it wasn't for Victor....

I gave this book an overall of 3, because the only real reason I continued to isten to the this 20 Hour audiobook was Victor's inner monologue. This particular element of the book is raw and organic. I gave the story a 2, because the addition of the terrorist groups, the fighting, the action, knives, and guns created an oil and water type affect. I'm sure there's something there and I am still a huge Ellis fan. I just didn't understand this one as well as I wanted to.

The Fever Dream of Fame

Where does Glamorama rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Performance wise, 'Glamorama' is among the best, with outstanding narration by Jonathan Davis that perfectly matches the chaotic beat driven by Ellis' masterful writing. It is difficult to stay with the story at times, much because of the nonlinear narrative of the work, but Davis maintains a spectacular vocal approach to the beast and never ceases to let any characters dry out.

What other book might you compare Glamorama to and why?

Definitely compares to other Ellis novels, most particularly 'Lunar Park,' but as a narrative work 'Glamorama' seems quite incomparable to anything else that I've read so far.

Which character – as performed by Jonathan Davis – was your favorite?

Victor (Ward) Johnson, without a doubt, but also Jamie Fields and the mysterious Palakon.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Fame Is a Fever You Can't Sweat Out

Any additional comments?

Though not my favorite of Ellis' work, 'Glamorama' was an experiential listen that I would highly recommend to patrons who enjoy Ellis' violent beauty in nonfiction.

Wow

I was not expecting this to be so similar yet so different.

American Psycho was good. But this book was a masterpiece.

I felt transported back to the 1990s. The absurdities of 90s consumerism contrasted with American Psycho focus on the 80s is perfect.

Great story if you cut out about 40 hours

I was completely absorbed in this book multiple times.....during my 2 weeks of reading. Ughhhhhh. Why would you make something so good drag out so poorly? I recommend the story to any hardcore fans of the writer, or anyone who wants a really long book, but it was too much for me. I enjoy difficult reads, not tedious ones. I give it a "meh," which is a shame, because it could've rocked

Riotous, as funny and brutal as American Psycho

I pondered over much time if I should get this book. "American Psycho" is one of my favorite books because of the humor and the unflinching brutality in it. Glamorama was just that for me, Victor Ward is a male model whom lives his life with paparazzi following him and celebrity obsessed himself, until later in the book which I won't mention. The narrator does an excellent job keeping it fresh and cool. If you enjoyed "American Psycho" then you're bound to enjoy "Glamorama"

It is definitely Ellis!

I have been a huge fan for years and years now, but I didn't have this book.
I love it, as with all his work, pure amazement.