Choke

First Book I Have Read

This was the first book I have ever read by Chuck Palahniuk and I have to say I will never forget it. Sometime last year a friend gave me a list of books, one of the books happen to be Choke. She told me that the book was by the same guy who wrote Fight Club. I never new the movie Fight Club was based off a book and I thought because I enjoyed the movie so much I would give Choke a try. I found that this book was nothing like I have ever read before. It was so disgustingly enjoyable, I found myself lost in a world that I did not want to enter. Taboo isn't the right word, but it's the first word that comes to mind. After I finished reading this book, I could not figure out if I really liked it or not. The book had a refreshing originality to it, but I was not sure I would want to read it again. I continued to think about the book for the next following days, then it hit me: its not whether or not I like the book, it is that fact that I am still thinking about it. I think this is what Palahniuk was truly going for, he didn't care whether people liked it or not it was that people were thinking about his book. I still think about this book today and I am still not sure whether i really like it or not. However this is what makes it wonderful, I love not being able to explain things and define them. I have decided that this is one of my favorite books not because I like or don't like it but because I can't decide.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

It just doesn't connect.

The title is Choke, but really, the focus of the story is sex, sex, sex. The back cover summary and the title are very misleading about the whole plot of the book.

The book, however, is full of allusions and witty lines, but they don't make the book amazing.

The introduction sets the reader up for one hell of a ride, but the rest of the book just doesn't deliver.

By the end of the story, you'll be sick of his repetitive sentences.

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Palahniuks book not hard to swallow

From the very beginning of the novel Choke, by Chuck Palahniuk, we are instantly warned, "If you're going to read this, don't bother." This warning should be discarded immediately for this book was great. The main character, Victor Mancini, a med school drop-out, is a character that you really shouldn't like, but you do. You really can't help it! His perception on life is one to really think on, and by the end of the book you don't really want to leave his twisted world.
Palahniuk's diction is simple and easy to understand, yet, the way he strings them together, create a picture unlike any other. Palahniuk certainly has a way of reaching into our minds, disturbing us and all the while making his readers beg for more.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

First Chuck Palahniuk book I read

Thoroughly enjoyed this read. Although I have not yet read the book it reminded me a lot of Ed Norton's monologues in Fight Club. The pattern of the story also reminded me of Fight Club. If you're looking for a book to make you feel happy I would suggest something else.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Another Offbeat Selection From Palahniuk

I really enjoyed Choke. Out of the Palahniuk books I've read (others being Lullaby and Diary) it was definitely my favorite. There were many different parts of the storyline: St. Anthony's, Colonial Dunsboro, flashbacks, and the restaurants, where the title comes from. I found all of these different sections and Victor's views and experiences on each of them equally interesting to read about. In interviews Palahniuk comes across as very proud of his research into his books, and it is clear why. His medical knowledge and references are appropriate and interesting. They also add to the book, and aren't simply there for the sake of showing off.
I really liked the characters. Even the characters like those at Colonial Dunsboro, and the hilarious Cherry Daquiri, who are fairly two-dimensional, were fun to read about and added a lot of texture to the setting. Eva, and the other elderly characters at St. Anthony's who project their past traumas onto Victor gave the story poignance to contrst the sarcasm preeminent in Victort's attitude. Victor's mother was an interesting character too, especially in the flashback sequences. Last but not least, I loved Victor and Denny. The only character that really fell flat for me was Paige Marshall. She struck me as off, and not in the way that the character is supposed to be. Her appearances seemed removed from the rest of the book. They didn't quite fit, and I felt like Palahniuk put her in for one of his famous twists, and not to serve any real purpose. But all in all, I really liked the book, and would recommend it to anyone, as long as they can laugh at its subject matter.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

um....

Well, Choke was the first book by Palahniuk that I've read, and I now want to read all of them. Choke was very different from anything that I've read before. The ending is very VERY surprising. It made me laugh, it made me cringe, it made me want to keep reading.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Choke

If you can not pronounce the author¿s last name, do not despair, neither can 95% of the rest of the population. What matters here is that what you are getting in this book is some of the nitty gritty you saw in Survivor and not the watered down stuff you saw in Haunted. This book, has gone on to become my favorite Palahniuk book, though I still think Fight Club may be able to dethrone it, once I frigging read it, for now this one wears the crown.

It is the messed up story of a lonely guy who works as a Colonialist¿he basically dresses up old school (literally) and plays the part of a Colonial Era citizen in a Museum-type town. I visited a place like that up in Georgetown. Kind of creepy, those places, like the renaissance festival without the turkey legs. Anyway, this guy is really messed up and lonely, taking care of his mom at an old people¿s home and getting his sexual kicks as well as his economic woes by choking.

If that does not send you rushing out to the bookstore, I do not know what will. But I do warn, beware of the sex and the language and the plain messed up ideas this man will put into your head which are entirely un-washable. Still, I gobbled this up in a weekend, because it is one of the most original and actually touching stories I have read in a while¿and its actually sort of a love story. Seriously.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Coming Soon: Autogenerated Palahniuk

No new ground broken here. Take the same Palahniuk plot elements - borderline psychotic/delusional main charater(s), a counter-cultural movement/statement as a bonding mechanism for those characters, mix well with oddball factoids, and voila, you've got your very own Chuck Palahniuk novel. Its getting to be that you can generate these novels using software. While the book was generally enjoyable, Palahniuk desperately needs to break out of his template. Hopefully in his next book (don't worry Chuck, I'll still preorder it nothwithstanding my disappointment with Choke), Palahniuk can show us something new.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Oddly entertaining.

If you liked his other writing, such as Fight Club, you might enjoy this book. It is a dark, sometimes humorous, and sexually charged story. I read through this book in one week and I do not have much free time available for things I like to do.

Interesting story, gets better near the end

It's a fairly good read, kinda sags in the middle and isn't really as believable as Fight Club. Writing style is extremely similar to the point where it feels like the same narrator in places, but the actual story and characters are fully unique and interesting and all the weird stuff comes together well in the end.

Love it

Great book

Great read

This is another awesome book by one of the worlds most talented writers

Good and fast read. Not my favorite, but worth the time to check it out.

Not too bad

Not his best work, but still compelling, sexy, and interesting.

READ IT

I have read this book three times already, every time I get something new out of it. Just absolutely amazing

Worth the read

As powerful and thoughtful as fight club

good story

Good book. Good story. Definitely would recommend. Easy read and keeps you wanting more!

Loved it

I watched the movie a few years back, and even though I didn't remember it perfectly, it was enough to spoil the twist for me. But still, fantastic book by a fantastic author. I love the writing style, the characters, and overall just a great read.

Just Okay - not his best

This book was just okay. In fact, I almost gave it 2 stars instead of 3, but I truly believe that the author is brilliant; I just didn't see it in this book. If you really want to see his talents shine, read Survivor instead. This was a disappointment, not exactly the word I mean, but it's the one that comes to mind.

This is a GREAT book!

I really liked this book, obviously. Chuck is a great writer. The only thing I would say I didn't like was usually at the end of his books there is some crazy awesome twist but I didn't feel that awe factor with this one. It was just a story. I loved it either way.