|
Rating:  -
This is a post-modern waste. Full of catchy and titillating drivel that goes in circles until it feels like you, not John Self, are the one with the hangover. Might have made a good short story; instead we've got this bloated thing.
The reviewers who say this captures the spirit of the Reagan/Thatcher era read the blurb on the back cover if nothing else. There is nothing in this book that remotely resembles a depiction or criticism of 80s culture. The book isn't even about money (though Amis tries to make it so by inserting the word as much as possible, often without any sensibility) or greed or culture or society. It is about a very boring man who drinks constantly. Crude does not equal interesting.
Shameless post-modern cliches and neo-beatnik romanticism of excess drug use...for nearly 300 tedious pages. Read Pynchon instead.
Rating:  -
Amis's "Money" has one major strength and two major weaknesses. The strength is that it is extremely funny at times--it's one of the very few books that have caused me to laugh out loud. Unfortunately, 1) It drags in the middle. The book would've been better if the middle hundred pages had been condensed into about ten or fifteen. And, 2) the postmodern element, which unfolds toward the end (and which I won't describe in any detail, in order not to give things away), comes across as tacked-on, overly clever, and even an affront to the reader. If you like postmodern musings on the relationship between subject and object (the writer and the things and people he/she writes about), read Paul Auster's "The New York Trilogy", where this postmodern theme comes through with care and excellent craftsmanship. For Amis, it's just something to tack on in order to seem clever and "with it". (His interviews corroborate that he's much more interested in winning awards and seeming intelligent than in providing a pleasurable reading experience.)
This is a good book to read if you're an aspiring writer; it showcases a talented writer making mistakes. Better to learn from the mistakes of others than your own mistakes, wherever possible!
Rating:  -
the book you finish reading turns out to be NOT the book you read. Beware. Very clever yet not contrived.
Rating:  -
To paraphrase that great American hero, Tony Soprano, if there are any flies on Martin Amis, they're paying rent - at least with respect to this novel.
I can't praise it enough...enconiums (enconia?) like "best novel of the 80's" (it is, by the way), "scathing treatise on the dehumanizing effects of money and fame" (true too) don't do it justice...It's just aburdly entertaining, start to finish, and Amis makes all of his extremely cogent points through the tragicomic exploits of our hero, John Self...It's like listening to some jazz immortal, like your Coltrane, your Miles, at their peak...Amis is completely in the pocket: every joke hits, every wicked truth makes you wince...he's completely "in the pocket"...
I even agree, I think, for once with that armpit sniffing nerd, GM, though I couldn't tell you what trainspotting, onanistic nonsense he's blathering on about. I'm guessing he actually understands the star system and was trying to convey approval...
Rating: -
After the first few chapters, I really started to dislike this book. The lead character is loathsome, the plot contains some really twisted moments, and the language is a bit more flowery than I normally prefer. However, like the title of my review says, STICK WITH THIS BOOK - it is worth it in the end. John Self (the hero/anti-hero of the novel) really started to grow on me. I actually began to sympathise with him and care what happens. While this was my first Amis novel, I doubt it will be my last.
Television Show
Collectibles
Movie Searches
|
|
|
Search for posters,
art prints, photos, collectables, merchandise, toys, t-shirts
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Join the Nielsen//NetRatings Research Panel and you could win a new car, a dream vacation, a dream home makeover or $50,000 Cash!
TV Guide
Program listings, celebrity profiles, industry
gossip, movie reviews, puzzle.
More
Entertainment
& TV Magazines
This site is
Hosted
by Bluehost
Read
my Bluehost Review
Original Superhero & other designs for t-shirts, bumper
stickers, prints, mugs, and other cool merchandise. |
|
