Saturday, May 8, 2010

Book Review: Tell-All

Title Tell-All
Author Chuck Palahniuk
Rating ***
Tags experimental fiction, movie stars, murder, humor 


This is the sort of experimental fiction some readers love and some don't. I'm in the don't category, so the fact that it is a short book quickly read was one of the high points for me. It is the fictional story of movie star Katherine Kenton, one of the biggest stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood, as told by her servant who is also her teacher, Hazie Coogan. It is deliberately reminiscent of Sunset Boulevard, though rather as if Sunset Boulevard were being staged by someone on acid.

The name dropping that occurs on every page is rather fun, and one could spend some pleasant time looking up the names one doesn't know. It is also a funny device, and it must be admitted that the book is funny, especially when all the roles Kenton has played are mentioned and add up to a large percentage of the famous women in history, or at least the wives of famous men. We so rarely see Mrs. Genghis Khan mentioned.

I had not read Palahniuk before. He is perhaps most famous for Fight Club. I don't plan on reading him again, but he is obviously more to some people's taste.

Publication Doubleday (2010), Hardcover, 192 pages
Publication date 2010
ISBN 0385526350 / 9780385526357

Posted via web from reannon's posterous

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