American Psycho

I haven't even finished this book yet, but I must say that I have to agree with the other reviewer. This book is quite well written. But, man is it a shocker! Makes you question even the author's sanity. How can he grasp such a sick side of human depravity? I have to say this book is brilliant but DISTURBING! Don't read it if you have a weak stomach. Sexual scenes are MUCH MUCH harder core than any other book I have seen labeled "fiction" on Audible. So be warned! I don't really know if I can finish it.

It took a couple of days after I finished the book to begin to appreciate it. It is true that some of the content contains some extremely hard core violence and sex but moving past that, admittedly not easy, there is another level to this book. Is Patrick Bateman guilty of crimes or fantasy? The excessive description of the clothing although annoying serves a purpose of showing the reader that the characters are all focused, to the point of obsession, on all the wrong things.
When the critics are comparing his work to Dostoyevsky you have to expect depth and tragedy.

This is a book you will either love or hate. I have to admit I grew a bit tired of having to hear what everyone was wearing throughout the book, however, it eventually became humorous. This book made me laugh out loud at times and at others actually wretch. Having seen the movie I knew the general storyline, that being said the movie was as distrubing as an After School Special in contrast to the book (not for those with weak stomachs). The audio quality and narration were outstanding and I only hope to hear this narrator again as I felt he nailed an incredibly complex character.

I have one tip for those of you considering buying American Psycho: if you start it, commit to finishing it, no matter how it might make you feel.

See, you will get a few hours in and wonder what Ellis and his protagonist, Patrick Bateman, are rambling on about. You???ll hear about every outfit anyone wears, what it looks like, what it???s made of, what label it carries, and possibly where it was bought. You???ll meet a lot of unpleasant people trying to one-up each other with restaurant reservations and other signs of status, and you will probably care about none of them. Well, maybe Jean the secretary. But that???s it.

There is a point, I promise. What better way to illustrate a society so wrapped up in itself and its greed? In the midst of all this excess, a man can casually admit over dinner that he tortures and murders people, and no one even notices. Conversation goes on as before.

You???ll get through that, and then the killing will start. It is relentless and nearly unbearable. You will think, ???This is vile, hateful stuff. It???s misogynistic. It???s misanthropic. It???s nothing but torture porn.??? But it???s not torture porn. No one writing a book intended merely to titillate would dedicate 20 minutes to a detailed monologue on the recordings of Huey Lewis and the News. No way. There???s more to this book.

If you make it to the end, you will be rewarded. The last few hours are where Ellis shows you what a masterpiece this is. There is a scene, one of the most riveting I have encountered in my life, between Bateman and a sinister real estate agent, Mrs. Wolfe, that will scare you senseless and knock your socks off. And with this one scene, Ellis turns the narrative on its ear. You will wonder if Bateman is really the monster he makes himself out to be. If he is, he is not the only monster in this book. And if he???s not, then what???s really going on? Is Bateman a psychopath, or is he experiencing some sort of psychotic break? The whole story comes a little unhinged before coming to an end that satisfies without clarifying a thing.

There were times when I thought I???d never make it to the end. At certain points, I was convinced it was the most unnecessary book ever written. I???m glad I stuck with it.

The book speaks for itself, so no need for me to touch on that AT ALL. However, this audiobook version is VERY well done. With the exception of only a few MINOR mistakes made by the reader, he is able to completely catipult you into the world of Patrick Bateman. By changing his voice, using different inflections and accents, and being knowledgeable of what Ellis was (probably) trying to get across, Pablo does a fantastic job reading this book aloud.

American Psycho tells the story of Patrick Bateman through his own eyes. He is label obsessed, narcissistic, and keen on satiating his desires no matter the price in human emotion or physical harm. The story follows his progressive insanity from mere mentions of his exploits to detailed encounters, meticulously described by Ellis. American Psycho is certainly not for everyone and will probably repulse more would be readers than attracts; however, I thoroughly enjoyed its entirety. It allows a glimpse into a life that is privileged with wealth, beauty, and intelligence but depraved of all real human emotion that a 'normal' person might possess. "I'm utterly insane" sums up Bateman and his exploits. If you do not wish to delve into this wild, seldom spoken about path in the character's life then American Psycho isn't for you.

all i am going to say is this is a must read book.

Unbelievable. At times I thought I couldn't go on, but like a train wreck, I couldn't turn away. I can see how some of the other reviewers quit listening. The mundane details were a bit tedious at first, but toward the end I really grew to appreciate that part of the story. The graphic scenes were so revolting. The humorous scenes, so hilarious. The depiction of Patrick Bateman's obsessions so intense. The book as a whole is such a masterpiece of horror and superficiality. There are scenes that will stay with me forever. Oh my.

The story was intense and interesting though at times it seemed to drag on endlessly and never got to a point. The real downfall was the fact that there was no (spoiler alert) big day off in the end. It leaves sitting there saying...HUH????? I bought the audiobook hoping it would explain the movie and get me some sort of resolution in the end. It did give me a greater insight into Patrick Bateman but it never establishes why he started doing the things he does. You are just thrown into the book and he has always been this way with no explanation as to why. Don't get me wrong, it enjoyed it. At times when I was listening in the car I almost had to pull the car over because I couldn't believe what I was hearing. But at other times I just couldn't see the point of the information being given to me.
I still just wish there was a payoff in the end and some sort of establishing back story.

This book was very good the narrator was great. he did it perfectly. The only thing I didn't like about the book was the constant description of the labels of the clothing