http://startnarrativehere.com/2010/01... ( )

Examines the empty lives in a society lost in too much money and self attention/loathing. In retrospect, this is the perfect warm-up to American Psycho. I had trouble warming up to any of the characters, though. ( )

very impressive for a first novel of a like 20 year old. He sticks to his strengths, painting little scenes and developing characters through snapshots of the culture rather than over arching plot, and overall I like writing about drugs and sexuality being turned into a hideous (or, alternatively, impotent) force so that appealed to me. very bleak. ( )

What can I say about this book that wasn’t said while I was still in diapers? Probably nothing, but I’ll still give you my opinion.

Less Than Zero usually gets compared to Catcher in the Rye, but the book I always think of while reading it is Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises. In both books, the characters wander around like ghosts, imbibing various chemicals (alcohol in Hemingway and drugs in Ellis) to either give themselves the illusion that they’re still alive or to numb the pain of being alive (I still haven’t decided which). There is such a sense of despair to both books that after reading them I always feel empty.

Even though I find no joy in its pages, I still find myself re-reading Less Than Zero at least once a year. Perhaps out of a desire for catharsis? Anyway, I highly recommend. For added pleasure, try reading it over Christmas. ( )

While I love Ellis's style, I just couldn't get into this book as easily as the other two I've read by him (American Psycho and Rules of Attraction). I would read an entire page and realize I had no idea what just happened (although it's rare that anything ever did happen). Still, though, there were parts of this book that were redeeming, and I plan to read more of Ellis's work. Just a note: if you've seen the film, it is NOTHING like the book. ( )