Less Than Zero - Bret Easton Ellis BOOK REVIEW
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- čas přidán 12. 11. 2015
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I love authors who expose the dark parts of human psychology and Ellis is a master of that.
I've lived Less than Zero in LA for a very long time. I got out not without tragedies, went to school and now have a great career. It's a dark place to be in a town chasing gratification. I dug deep, really deep and found myself. I am emotionless too just like Clay. I've seen it all and it's very dark.
I feel that
Did you regain some of your emotional world since?
@@Pranjli yes I actually have thank you for asking. Still I am changed
@@justinnardine8564 yes
@@angiel2710 that's amazing to know, do you ever feel a pull towards the dark side? Resorting to old habits?
I read this book years ago, and i feel like every year that goes by, the book becomes more and more optimistic for me. People will always be and maybe always have been detached... but then there are those of us who aren't. The fact that it's easy to compare this to 2015 and it was written thirty years ago means that this is a human nature thing. Like you said, It's only technology that has changed. I think it would be interesting to compare Ellis's characters to Gatsby and crew.
Also, I absolutely love Ellis's writing. I'm a fluffy language kind of person, but he's so deadpan and manages to make me feel so many things. Quite the accomplishment.
Love your reviews man!
+21stefari Thanks!
The line sums up the book for me...
"...I realize that the money doesn't matter. That all that does is that I want to see the worst."
I love less than zero. It is literally my favorite book of all time. The subject matter is cool but what draws me in is the staccato writing style. It's so good. Many people hate the book. I think they judge it based on the subject matter not the voice. I love the way he constructed the prose. When American psycho dropped I picked it up on day one and read it complete in 2 days. I liked the voice but not as much. Less than zero is like music playing in my ears.
Another very good concise review. Thanks. My first Bret Easton Ellis novel. It was a quick read and you have captured the essence of the book. Looking forward to reading more Ellis novels.
This is next on my to-be-read list. It's waiting on the bookshelf. Really looking forward to it.
Cliff this is one of my favorite reviews by you. This book had a real impact on me when I read it in the late 80's. I was living in LA then and it really helped inform my perspective of what was going on around me with the drug culture which I was a part of for a time. I had expected more from Ellis after this novel...
I read this book when it came out. I was 25, and I understood it immediately. It has remained with me ever since. As you say, plus ca change, mon ami.
Loved what you said about Hemingway, which I hadn't thought of but, yeah, the beautiful (apparent) simplicity of Ellis's writing. Many have tried...
Good assessment of the book. One of my all time favourites.
I think you'd like Almost Transparent Blue by Ryū Murakami if you haven't already read it. Very similar amoral debauchery.
You should definitely try lunar park by Ellis, I love Ellis myself and it's one of my favourites of his along with less than zero, love all your videos man, thanks for the uploads.
Lunar Park is his Opus honestly. I mean that by definition. Even if it isn’t my favorite of his, or what I consider his greatest, it encapsulates everything he’s ever trying to convey in his entire career so perfectly. The fact that this is couched in a fascinating meta story about a cracked mirror version of his own life only further speaks to his brilliance.
Awesome review of "Less than Zero" review, + a very insightful reflection on our society and where each one of us choose to stand in it. Great work. Thanks again. Kind regards from Denmark :-)
Excellent review. I especially liked the part about "you know these people..." Too true. Gonna recommend Leonardo Padura's The Man Who Loved Dogs. Trotsky, Cuba, pups... its got it all. I'm in the middle of it right now and it's great.
Love that John Hughs quote.
I'm always abit wary when I don't see a book case in a house.
Just subscribed.
Also read the sequel, Imperial Bedrooms. It's good shit. My personal favourite by Mr. Ellis is Lunar Park.
I had moved to a tropical paradise almost 20yrs ago after a horrific tragedy that happened, got involved in dangerous extra curricular activities, saw lots of people die along the way, met many many lost souls and became one myself.. saw this movie years ago on hbo when i was a kid but after becoming an adult i can identify with this story more n more.. what doesnt kill us makes us stronger they tell me, good shit
I recommend you to read two seminal books that I regard very highly: Mans search for meaning and Wittgenstein's mistress.
Seconding Wittgenstein's Mistress. Lowkey read some Wittgenstein also. You'd probably really dig Philosophical Investigations. Philosophy man here so any questions are welcome.
Thank you so much. This helped me with my book report
It's true Los Angeles has and will always be a vapid wasteland. Hollywoodland indeed. We are a city who are experts in the creation of fantasy, we built sets with empty backlots and L.A. is very much this way. The internet seems to have only accelerated this meta modernist machinery as we juggle our private and public personas on the daily until they too bleed into one another. Bret summarized the nature of Millenials or Lost Youth succinctly, a presage to the world we inhabit today. And the very fact that this critique and discussion is taking place in a detached manner ala the internet is fitting.
+RYK I notice how you say Los Angeles, but the truth is that the world is starting to look more and more like an extended Los Angeles. My favorite city of all time, Seattle, is starting to shift into the Los Angeles life style for the worse.
Viva Angelenos of doom. Global gobble-lization.
I remember reading the book when I was about 18. My Dad was an English teacher and very knowledgeable about literature. He didn't like it because he said the author had no moral basis. I argued that a book didn't have to have a morality behind it, Ellis was merely describing a rather dystopian reality. They were good discussions but he just didn't get it. I was 18, just after it had been published. He was 30 years older and a different generation, I guess. One of the most horrific images that stuck with me for forty years was the girl's murder later on in the book. She had been mutilated and amputated and candles had been placed in her body.
im a couple videos into your channel. great videos. im definitely picking this up.
I enjoyed this book, as a fan of American Psycho too. It was like the reader was a fly on the wall just observing the life of Clay's lifeless journey.
Cliff, are you familiar with the work of the poet Philip Larkin? He's a touchstone for me, as he is (or was) for Christopher Hitchens, Martin Amis, Clive James and John Banville. I wasn't surprised to find him referenced favourably by Thomas Ligotti. Anyway, if you haven't read him, pick up the recently published collection edited by Archie Burnett and immediately read Aubade, The Old Fools, The Whitsun Weddings and Church Going. Once you've done that, settle down for the day with the rest. FInally, please could you add am Amazon UK link for those of us stuck on this dreary little island? I want to pick up a copy of Submission and send some pennies your way in the process.
Thank you for this. Really enjoyed this. I think I'm gonna pick the book up when I get paid next
What is hope when you know the abyss is awaiting you?
Also more ice coffee in the videos please.
+DinosaurFilms presumably thinking there is something worthwhile doing before you reach the proverbial abyss.
A good friend just bought me this book. If the book is anywhere near as good as you make it sound in this review then I'm in for a good christmas.
+BillyMcGonageull A depressing Christmas, but a good one, I would hope.
I'm halfway through Less Than Zero now. I recently read the sequel Imperial Bedrooms first because I couldn't resist the cool cover and title. So far I like Imperial Bedrooms a little more. Looking forward to seeing where the second half of Less Than Zero goes.
Question. Did Julian just die from the accumulated damage to his body or did he take an intentional overdose in the bathroom before getting into Clay's car, choosing death rather than life? Thanks.
Man coming back to this review is fucking golden! Thank fuck for this channel.
Hey Cliff, have you read anything by Calvino? Would love to hear your thoughts on him if you have.
It's been a long while since I looked at a Easton Ellis novel.
And I did a dumb: read American Psycho before Less Than Zero and the intensity of the former totally nullified (ironically) my response to the latter. But I liked that comment you made about rock bottom; one can always dig deeper and deeper. That's the stuff literature is made of--being hopeless enough to consider making something literary.
You captured the essence of this book perfectly.
I loved this book so much when I read it, also I love your reviews your great man 😘😘
I love your reviews!
Have you ever read Trainspotting? It's right up your alley and a hell of a lot better than the film
I don't necessarily agree with that. I believe the book is a classic and so is the film. It captured the spirit of the novel very well
Didn't enjoy this book at all, felt indifferent to the characters, spoiled rich kids who are numb to the world, so what? I do agree with Cliff that there is a modern timelessness to the book. Great review.
Chelsea Wolfe live is an amazing experience I recommend you try to see her dear sir. What did you think of her album Abyss?
+Juan Perez Dug it. That first track was a doozy.
Fantastic! Cliff, could you do a review of David Wojnarowicz's "Close to the Knives" if you've read it?
Fantastic book
Also living in L.A. I can say these people are still VERY prevalent though they've evolved slightly, since you know, the communication age and all that jazz. Really disgusting, but very poignant at the same time.
It is worth noting that Wallace, in Although, of Course, You End Up Becoming Yourself, described Less Than Zero as "powerful." He's not just a BEE naysayer.
This is my new favourite channel, have a sub, sir!
What did you think of the movie they made about the book?
Can you link that David Foster Wallace interview?
I am still on the fence with this one. I have received a free copy and I also have American Psycho on my book pile. Still wondering if he is worth the time...
But I do appreciate the review!
I need to read this book.
Can you review imperial bedrooms BetterThanFood : Book Review
Ellis is going on my list. Thanks.
just subscribed due to this video. looking forward to more, sadly I watched the film less than zero first, I'm just now starting the book such I hear is 1000 times better than the movie, and different as well.
I just finished the book right now. And... It has a very beatiful ending. Didn't even notice until the end, it was almost a love story told. I liked it alot. I am glad I saw your video review of this book. Btw, I noticed later Bret Easton did American Psycho as well. You can clearly see his style here.
+u4n I just finished the book too, I don't get what you mean by the ending being beautiful or the book almost being a love story. All the ending did for me was make me want to kill myself.
Hm that sad to hear. I refer the end Clay and Blair sitting in the restaurant. The first real talk they had. Even it was the last one. And there was the scene the both of them where in this old house of Clay's familiy? Pure love was discribed. But maybe it's Ellis's intention, the book is open for interpretation?
+u4n oh I got that, but I felt like even though it was one of the only real conversations they had, he ends up shutting down again making it useless
I still think it's kind of a lovestory. Even it's an akward one. That's the beauty reading this kind of stories: We face them everyday ourselfs, but people say it's hollywood-ish. And maybe, think about it that way: Clay isn't able to love, maybe he's just tired? Even he's this young?
***** I do get what your saying, It's a Tragic story none the less.
Have you seen the movie Rules of Attraction? Great stuff. Anyways it'd be cool if you could do a video on you favorite books of all time.
Well done
Great review. Hope I am gonna find this piece in german.
"As he lights an American Spirit..."
Tell me that's a Johnny Hobo reference
I think you once said something along the lines of "literature can't stop death but it can cure alienation". This book is a prime example of that
This book is in my top 3 simply superb writing
Sorry haven't watched yet, do you or any of the comments mention the second bloc party album?. Bit of of trivia, if no one has yet.
have you read american psycho?
excellent review so true!!!!!
Despite the extreme graphic nature of "American Psycho", it is still no doubt, very funny and a seriously entertaining satire. I would go as far as to say 'Less than Zero' is a far more bleak and depraved text in comparison.
What is that beverage ?!?
Fuck man, you always hit the jugular & get to the marrow of what you review. Do you write as well? "The floor in this case is also a wall where you can break through & go down even further, rock bottom isn't the end." Amazing shit, really.
I tried reading it before American psycho but couldn't complete even 2 chapter but now after reading American psycho and this review. I'm fucking dying to read it now
Check out "The Day of The Locust." Far superior to this as an "LA" novel and a meditation on themes still relevant to this day.
this is one of my favourite books.
I have always felt envious of clays and batemans detachment of reality. To just 'dissappear here'
Must read this book.
I"m glad I found this, I need stuff to read that's not fantasy
Read The Shards
Cliff has a shit-hot taste in music ngl
+Adrian Steele Nah, his music taste sucks zebra ball sack.
dont B meen fam
+Adrian Steele i like your profile pic
Less then zero was like going inside of a supper rich kids mind. this is probably how rich/celebrity children that grew up in Beverly Hills behave
If you become a book depository affiliate Australian's will be able to help your channel. Amazon charges for shippings whilst TBD doesn't.
Ditto.
imho his peak. way better than american psycho
"We've all met these people." I haven't.
There is a line in a poem by the poet Hölderlin, that stuck with me: "When you are looking into the abyss, the abyss is looking into you."
+rjd53 That's Nietzsche.
I think it's really interesting that, for you, David Foster Wallace essentially fails. at about 7 minutes into this video, you talk a lot about the point of what Ellis depicts in that it takes you on the journey until bottom, and then makes you stare it in the face to determine if you choose to change or to continue on. While I won't try and convince you that you're wrong about DFW, because your taste is your taste and I respect that, the thing that FOR ME works in Wallace's fiction is that, especially in Infinite Jest, Wallace takes you to that place of literal rock bottom and makes you face it in a multitude of ways. From the rock bottom of suicide, drug addiction, burning out, or just breaking down, Infinite Jest covers it all. The thing that Wallace does, in my opinion, that Ellis doesn't, is he offers at least a semblance of a possible way to fix this rock bottom, vapid, modern, consumer shit.
I understand like I said before, that it doesn't work for you, and that Ellis's approach is more your style. I just thought perhaps you would find value in the perspective of someone who connects with Wallace in a very intense way.
Regardless of all that, I really enjoy your videos (which I've just found), and I'm making my way through them all right now. Please keep up what you do, it really matters.
Really? Must read it again - I got the impression that the protagonist doesn't give a toss!
hence the title. His friends rape the girl and although he does not engage, he does not save either - Clay is less than zero.
I kinda like the contrasting views about this subject though.
Yeah - I will definitely read it agains soon to see if he still comes accross as indifferent, rather than traumatised. Do you see it as a prequel to American Psycho? I think I read somewhere one or two of the characters are vaguely linked to characters in American Psycho.
sod-off tax-dodging gits most of bret's books are set in the same world. Clay makes a cameo in Rules Of Attraction. As you know Rules Of Attraction features Sean Batemen who is Patrick's brother. So they are all connected in a sense.
Imperial Bedrooms is a sequel to Less Than Zero but takes place in the "real" world where the less than zero movie was made and Clay knew Easton in school (a jealous guy) who wrote a story featuring him. lol
Kinda confusing but interesting.
If you're not listening to the podcast already, I highly recommend it.
podcastone.com/Bret-Easton-Ellis-Podcast
Better Than Food: Book Reviews Oh cool, thanks for sharing.
youre cute when you talk about books :)
I DO know people like this....
I hate everything about coke except the way it feels •
American Psycho!!!! :D:D:D. Dunno if better than food for ya, but hey if Salo was... whahahahah
Amazing how many highly evolved people who were like this but now they’re not there are in the comments. You must draw a miraculously changeable audience to your reviews.
Either that, or they’re all just full of shit.
i disagree...i dont think this book is based in reality....i think it is a closeted pansexual fantasy....in the novels hey day....we couldnt see this, but now that Ellis is out of the closet, its very obvious....i can also see it in American Psycho....when i hear Ellis audiobook....i have to let out a big Ick...this is psychopathic homosexual OCD
Hey Cliff, have you read anything by Calvino? Would love to hear your thoughts on him if you have.