Libro che ha la capacità di trascinare in un vortice temporale diretto verso gli anni ’80: inizia come un mix fra Afterhours di Scorsese e alcune delle migliori pagine di Bret Easton Ellis, continua come Office Space di Mike Judge per poi trovare una sua via originale che va oltre e supera tutti questi riferimenti. E per forza: sono tutti successivi al 1984 di questo libro. In questo sta la grandezza di McInerney: nell’aver messo su carta, prima di tutti, un immaginario fatto di cocaina, modelle e vuoti interiori che ha influenzato e influenza tantissimo la percezione “narrativa” di quegli anni. Il libro procede per quadri staccati ben delineati dai capitoli e nel farlo ha i suoi alti e bassi, ma è dotato di coesione e coerenza rare, impreziosite dall’efficace uso della seconda persona. Peccato per la traduzione italiana non sempre calzante (col senno di poi, consiglierei di leggerlo in inglese). Nota a margine: tratto dal libro c’è un film del 1988 di James Bridges con Michael J. Fox - pare non sia granché ma penso comunque che lo cercherò. Ah: il titolo originale è Bright lights, big city, preso da quello dell’omonimo blues di Jimmy Reed.

P.S. poi il film l'ho visto e non è così male, a parte alcune scelte di casting poco centrate. ( )

So, wow. This is why I love reading- having a book surprise you. Because of everything I've heard about this book I thought I knew what it was going to be. The type of book it was. I tried to read it years ago but the the second person narrative was hard to get into. But it actually has heart. It's not just about some 1980s coke induced nyc partying. There is that but there's much more. It's a quick read once you get going, just a continuous progression. I recommend it to anyone who has ever felt lost in their lives and maybe got turned around a bit, and I recommend reading it on a park bench or a train, preferably in Manhattan. ( )

I'm not sure where I picked up the recommendation for this book but it would have been a list somewhere. From what I can tell this is held in some regard and liking a good dose of debauchery I couldn't wait to get stuck in.

For some reason it just didnt really work for me. I found the writing style, especially the fact that it is written in the second person to be quite entertaining. The story moves along at a good pace and it kept my attention throughout. Despite this I felt that something was missing for me. For this kind of story I much preffered Junky by William S Burroughs.

I can see why it is really tied in with American Psycho, another book that I really didnt like although for different reasons.

There isnt really anything for me to add, it was ok but no more. ( )

I have NO idea what to make of this week. I felt that it ended halfway through the novel. I'm hoping the main character had some sort of inner peace, because man, was he screwed up.
I mean, this book had one of my favorite tropes: character being incredibly selfdestructive, thinking that none of his loved ones are noticing, only to run scared when they do notice and then being forced back to health by tough love. That was good.
For the rest, it seemed a lot of manpain. ( )

Captivating! ( )