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Journal Entry 1 by tqd from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Friday, June 27, 2008
 Registering this one to send to livrecache for July's Southern Cross Exchange. Of course, I just have to read it first!
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Journal Entry 2 by tqd from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Saturday, July 19, 2008
A very interesting novel! I know I had lots to say about it, but I finished it ages ago, and have just been too flat out to write a review, and now I've made some time, I can't remember what I was going to say! It was a great, page-turning read, and an amazing first novel.
I did see the movie before I read the book (before I even knew there was a book, or even a Chuck Palahniuk, to be honest), but some time ago, so I spent a lot of the book wondering if incidents I was reading about where in the movie and I'd forgotten, or if they'd just not scripted it. I must rewatch the movie now!
The main difference (from my faulty memory) between the book and movie adaptation is that the protagonist in the book is never really much of anyone. In the movie, I remember him being more heroic (maybe that's just the Edward Norton influence, rather than a Hollywood tweak, however), while in the book, even with Tyler Durden wreaking havoc, he never really does anything much except wring his hands.
And I could deal with some of the more outrageous statements better in the movie (where I took them with a grain of salt, or as tongue-in-cheek) but when written down, things like "we are the first generation of men brought up by women" (inexact quote, but I can't find it in the book) just put my nose completely of joint. I don't seem to remember hearing about men in previous generations really taking that much interest in child-rearing.
I did like the ending of the book, however. Nicely ambiguous.
I keep on biting my tongue on saying at work meetings "the first rule of fight club is...". I might get funny looks. It was one of those books with great lines all through it. (Great lines if you're not weak of stomach, I might add.)
...I really wanted to put a bullet between the eyes of every endangered panda that wouldn't screw to save its species and every whale or dolphin that gave up and ran itself aground.
Don't think of this as extinction. Think of this as downsizing.
For thousands of years, human beings had screwed up and trashed and crapped on this planet, and now history expected me to clean up after everyone. I have to wash out and flatten my soup cans. And account for every drop of used motor oil.
And I have to foot the bill for nuclear waste and buried gasoline tanks and landfilled toxic sludge dumped a generation before I was born.
Angry. Angry young man. Yet remarkably ineffectual. There's probably a whole thesis that could be written about our protagonist's anger but lack of ability to act. Unlike Tyler Durden, who has both a name, and more than enough action.
While I positively cheered on sections like that quoted above, I didn't really agree with a lot of what was said. Damnit, I am a special unique snowflake of special uniqueness. But that didn't stop me enjoying this book quite immensely. (Well, bits of the book. Other bits are quite gross. But that is Palahniuk for you, I'll be very disappointed when he writes a book that fails to shock me.)
I'll get this one in the mail to livrecache asap. It's been a ridiculously busy month! I'm so behind on everything! Meeeeep!
UPDATE 21 July 2008: And an unexpected burst of efficiency! This is now in the mail to livrecache. Happy reading!
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Journal Entry 3 by tqd at Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Monday, July 21, 2008
Released 3 yrs ago (7/20/2008 UTC) at Sydney, New South Wales Australia CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Popped in the post to livrecache. Happy reading!
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Journal Entry 4 by livrecache from Hobart, Tasmania Australia on Thursday, July 24, 2008
Oh, I didn't for a minute think this would be the book! I am thrilled. We've had the DVD for a couple of years, and my son kept telling me I'd love it. With a title like that, I thought not. A bit bloke-y, I thought. I finally watched the film with him (fairly) recently and I thought it was fantastic! Then I saw it was based on a book by Chuck Palahnuik, whose work I've been meaning to read. So then it went on my wish list. And here it is! Thank you, thank you.
My son and his girlfriend watched me open the package, and Emily said that it was an awesome book. Josh, whose reading consists of the sports section of the paper, and anything about music or musicians, just about wrenched it out my hands. 'Mine!' I said firmly, echoing the first words Josh mastered after 'mum' and 'dad'. I'm safe - for tonight. He's just gone out for band practice.
I can't wait to read this!
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Journal Entry 5 by livrecache from Hobart, Tasmania Australia on Saturday, August 09, 2008
I thought this book was great. I I finished it last night. I'm not sure how I would have felt about the book had I not seen the film. (And I do have to re-watch the film again now.) It's a really edge-y writing style that I really like. I'd like to write more, but I'm still thinking about it. I'll watch the film tonight while other people are watching football, and I'll probably have more to say then. Stay tuned.
I'm getting Choke from freelunch shortly. I'll be interested to see how much I like the author's style, and how much I was influenced by my memory of the film.
Now I'll let Josh read it.
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Fight Club
