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)

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"

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

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.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

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.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Dated abd Dull

American Psycho is still on my "to-read" list but after this and Less Than Zero I wonder if it's time for me to give up on Bret Easton Ellis. The "Wealthy Americans Are Often Vapid" theme is barely enough to sustain Less Than Zero and that's a pretty slim novel. Glamorama is LONG and lots of it is just pages and pages of celebrity names. I guess it was sometimes amusing to scan the memory banks trying to remember which of the names dropped were made up and which were actual celebrities that burned out in the '90s, now almost forgotten. And I did think the narrator did a good job with a very unsympathetic character. But ultimately I was often bored. Also, isn't there an award of some sort for writing bad sex scenes? Glamorama deserves all the awards in all the categories.

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.

A Long Winded Mess

What disappointed you about Glamorama?

I was a fan of the author’s first novel, “Less Than Zero,” so I chose this novel to listen to. I must say, had I been reading the book, I would have probably quit reading a third of the way through. I finished the entire thing because I had to drive long distances and at some point, I continued listening because I wanted to figure out what was going on with the convoluted plot. Sadly, I don’t think I ever got that answer.

What was most disappointing about Bret Easton Ellis’s story?

There are many artfully written passages full of rich detail and celebrity name dropping. Listening to the narrator, sometimes it becomes hypnotic and poetic. The story itself is a mess. The main character, Victor Ward is highly unlikable. A narcissistic, vapid male model who’s constant, “baby, baby” dialogue is so annoying, I felt sorry for the narrator having to constantly repeat it. Most stories have a structure where a character is transformed by the end of the novel, having survived a trial by fire. Not so in this case, the character is basically the same vapid person in the end of the novel.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

At some point the novel delves into surreality and you wonder if the character is actually dead and in some kind of purgatory. Three constant themes run throughout the novel: confetti, freezing cold, and the smell of shit. I think I get what the confetti represents, but not too sure about the other two. There is a big climactic scene where you think the novel must be coming to an end, but no - it goes on for over 20 more chapters. The epilogue is boring, confusing, and ultimately maddening. I don’t know if the author was trying to write his own version of “Ulysses,” because the novel is just as impenetrable.

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.