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fleeceknots's review against another edition
Bit off more than I could chew. Want to retry knowing it’s as heavy as it is
nyssahhhh's review against another edition
3.0
His other novels are much better... less scattered.
Section of note:
270: "We begin, simply enough, with a man watching television. Quite possibly he is being driven mad, slowly, in stages, program by program, interruption by itnerruption. Still, hew watches. What is there in that box? Why is he watching?"
"The TV set is a package and it's full of products. Inside are detergents, automobiles, cameras, breakfast cereal, other television sets. Programs are not interrupted by commercials; exactly the reverse is true. A television set is an electronic form of packaging. It's as simple as that. Without the products there's nothing. educational television's a joke. Who in America would want to watch TV without commercials?"
"How does a successful television commercial affect the viewer?"
"It makes him want to change the way he lives."
"In what way?" I said.
"It moves him from first person consciousness to third person. In this country there is a universal third person, the man we all want to be. Advertising has discovered this man. It uses hi to express the possibilities open to the consumer. To consume in America is not to buy; it is to dream. Advertising is the suggestion that the dream of entering the third person singular might possibly be fulfilled."
Section of note:
270: "We begin, simply enough, with a man watching television. Quite possibly he is being driven mad, slowly, in stages, program by program, interruption by itnerruption. Still, hew watches. What is there in that box? Why is he watching?"
"The TV set is a package and it's full of products. Inside are detergents, automobiles, cameras, breakfast cereal, other television sets. Programs are not interrupted by commercials; exactly the reverse is true. A television set is an electronic form of packaging. It's as simple as that. Without the products there's nothing. educational television's a joke. Who in America would want to watch TV without commercials?"
"How does a successful television commercial affect the viewer?"
"It makes him want to change the way he lives."
"In what way?" I said.
"It moves him from first person consciousness to third person. In this country there is a universal third person, the man we all want to be. Advertising has discovered this man. It uses hi to express the possibilities open to the consumer. To consume in America is not to buy; it is to dream. Advertising is the suggestion that the dream of entering the third person singular might possibly be fulfilled."
mendelbot's review against another edition
5.0
A strange book comprised of two non-strange books. The two halves don't completely mesh, but I think that's the point. Perhaps a bit dated, it's still a remarkable portrait of a character in a specific time and place. It's quite reminiscent of Mad Men, especially the first half which is set in the world of New York television. Delillo's prose is both stand-offish and intimate, creating a sense of impending doom, either for the protagonist or the world in which he lives. There is a sense that at any moment in this book someone could begin shooting people or a nuclear war might break out. It's a weird, unsettling novel that still exists, almost rigidly, in a relatable and contemporary world.
baileyrenalds's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
bethan_grace's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
greenblack's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
adamz24's review against another edition
4.0
DeLillo's debut novel is all about the real (hyperreal) stuff of America and Americana: its image(s). He still hadn't worked out the magnificent prose style of most of his later work but this book's got it's own mojo working. The major themes of this novel were revisited, in various different ways, in many (most?) of DeLillo's later work, but this novel really tears into Americana. It's like Two-Lane Blacktop and David Lynch collided head-on with, well, Don DeLillo. It's a nightmare, and nightmares, lest we forget, are dreams. Like most seriously notable lit, this is distinctly of its time but still relevant, and real perceptive and prescient.
a quick note: parts of this really hammered home the parallels and similarities I'd already noticed between Don DeLillo's work and Mad Men. Perhaps a coincidence, but I wouldn't be surprised if Matthew Weiner has read many a DeLillo book.
And Conor Oberst is a colossal prick, but he's the only writer I know of who's described the conditions for reading DeLillo with maximum aesthetic impact: "Don DeLillo, whiskey neat, and a blinking midnight clock." Yes. Too bad the whiskey gets me into trouble after I put the book down...
a quick note: parts of this really hammered home the parallels and similarities I'd already noticed between Don DeLillo's work and Mad Men. Perhaps a coincidence, but I wouldn't be surprised if Matthew Weiner has read many a DeLillo book.
And Conor Oberst is a colossal prick, but he's the only writer I know of who's described the conditions for reading DeLillo with maximum aesthetic impact: "Don DeLillo, whiskey neat, and a blinking midnight clock." Yes. Too bad the whiskey gets me into trouble after I put the book down...
agnestyley's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
wayyyyy too avant garde for me, it may have been trying to make a point but however I did not know what it was and frankly the plot was shite
end scene was incredibly disturbing not a fun bday read that one
end scene was incredibly disturbing not a fun bday read that one
freewaygods's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
One hell of a debut novel. DeLillo's protaganist David Bell sets out to create a film that ends up encapsulating all the themes that would go on to preoccupy his later work. It's incredible how strong this novel is, the clarity of DeLillo's vision and the cutting precision of his prose. Americana has immediately become one of my favorite of his. Absolutely recommended as a starting point for DeLillo, or for fans of his to see his earliest work.
annabella82's review against another edition
2.0
To start off, this wasn’t my favorite DeLillo novel; it felt like something was missing.
I was initially intrigued by the concept of the novel and found it insightful, but then I got lost. It was so hard to keep reading this novel because after every chapter I was really hoping the story would go somewhere….but it never did.
By the end of the novel, I didn’t even care for any of the characters anymore. I was just glad that I had finished reading and could put the book away.
I was initially intrigued by the concept of the novel and found it insightful, but then I got lost. It was so hard to keep reading this novel because after every chapter I was really hoping the story would go somewhere….but it never did.
By the end of the novel, I didn’t even care for any of the characters anymore. I was just glad that I had finished reading and could put the book away.