Fight Club: A Novel

by Chuck Palahniuk

Book Overview

Chuck Palahniuk showed himself to be his generation's most visionary satirist in this, his first book. Fight Club's estranged narrator leaves his lackluster job when he comes under the thrall of Tyler... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393327345
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: W. W. Norton
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.47 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 0.7" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Movie is better but still worth reading

One of the rare instances where the movie is better than the book but it's still worth reading. Fun, wild, and thrilling, even though I know what's going to happen. I'll probably read it a few more times in my life and I'm definitely reading more of Chuck Palahniuk's stuff after this.

Amazing writing and excellence message

I read this thinking it wouldn’t be very exciting but I came out of it loving the book! The way the author handles very intense to almost silly scenes is so impressive, I will definitely look into more of his books.

I loved this more than I love the movie and that’s…crazy

I bought this because I had nothing else to read and I wanted to know how this differed from the 1999 film and although there are minor differences and changes in scenes, it stays quite true to the book. I’ll probably re-read this and I recommend it to anyone that’s interested!

I love this

I absolutely loved this book. It was better than the movie to be honest

Action on every page.

Every page is action packed. I didn't see the movie so I went into this blind and I loved it. I read it in 1.5 days. It is a little on the short side. However, they turned a just over 200 page book into a 2.5 hour movie. It is revolutionary. My only complaint is that I HATED the ending, it seemed pretty anticlimactic in correspondence with the rest of the book. Still a fantastic read!

A classic must-read!

Even if you've seen the movie, I would definitely advise reading the book. The two hold separate and unique feelings and while the book and movie follow a similar path (with the movie being an almost beat for beat adaptation unlike any other scene) there are still moments of the book that will surprise you. Even knowing the twists and turns this novel took me for a ride, with the ending providing a new look on this story.

Makes you think about society

The book and the movie were both amazing. It's humorous, very serious, a little sad and overall great. I especially loved the comments like "I'm Joe's gallbladder." It is indeed very deep, and the ending was great. I'm not very good at reviews, but oh well.

One of my favorite books

The book is really deep, and the level of detail really makes the book an interesting read. Would recommend to young adults and older, as there are many mature themes in the book. Overall, the plot keeps the reader interested and my favorite thing to do was finish the book and then watch the movie! Another book that I read, kind of like this book is called Apathy and Other Small Victories by Paul Neilan

I have been a fan of the movie since 1999. Decided to read the book considering how much I love the movie. Read it in one day. I adore the book but think the movie is way better. Apparently the author believes so too. I would recommend the book to anyone either way. Its a must read. Thought provoking and irresistible.

"This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time."

Like many, I had heard of the book "Fight Club" after seeing the movie. As soon as I found out that it was based on a novel, I remember thinking to myself;How could this be a book?Is that even possible?The movie alone was so unbelievable that if it were done wrong, it would've been a horrible mess. But it was done just right, and the results were amazing.One of my friends had read the book and told me on many occasions, "You've got to read the book." I told him that I've already seen the movie, and again, he says to me, "You've got to read the book. It's great, and it's actually different than the movie in a lot of parts."That worried me, because I absolutely LOVED the movie. It's one of my favorites. I remember trying to read a book that another one of my favorite movies, "The Fan," was based on, and it was not an enjoyable experience. The book was COMPLETELY different from the movie, and not in a good way. I ended up never finishing it.So, I was hesitant at first, but about a year or two ago I decided to give it a shot. And am I ever glad that I did. "Fight Club" is an outstanding novel. The writing is so refreshing and shows us the mind of a promising new author, Chuck Palahniuk. This was his very first novel, and I found that so amazing. Because this was one incredible debut. I have read plenty of novels all from different kinds of authors, but I have NEVER read a debut as incredible or impressive as this.To give you a brief idea of what the book is about without giving away too much is it revolves around the narrator, an insomniac who can't get a grip on his life. With insomnia everything is a distraction. He can't focus on his job, he can't focus on people, and most of all, he can't focus on his life. Soon enough, he meets a slippery soap salesman, Tyler Durden, who is about to show our narrator a new outlook on life. And this is where they invent "Fight Club." It doesn't take long before everything starts to get out of control....WAY out of control, to one shocking climax and finale. (Don't think you have the answers because you've seen the movie. TRUST me on this one.)This is a humorous novel with some darkness to it. It is both funny and thrilling at the same time. The book is filled with some of the most memorable lines; some that were used in the movie, others that were not. This is dark satire at its finest.Know this; reading the book and watching the movie are two different experiences. Yes there are similarities, and there are differences. The only thing is that unlike "The Fan," the differences in the novel "Fight Club" really work and doesn't take away anything from anyone who was a fan of the film. It still stays true to the idea and story. Chances are you will enjoy the differences. That alone gives you a reason for reading, since you know it's going to be a different ride.After reading "Fight Club," I knew that Chuck Palahniuk had a unique voice and talent. And I have found myself to be right from

An exhilirating read

Usually great books are either turned into mediocre films or else great films are made from mediocre books (and we won't even get into the sordid details of the novelizations). Fight Club is one of the rare instances where a great film was made from a great book. It is perhaps unfair to mention the film version while discussing the book as they are actually two very different animals. (And animal is the right word -- perhaps uniquely amongst contemporary novelists, Chuck Palahniuk writes novels that seem to live in the reader's hands, often threatening at any minute to lunge for the throat.) While most of the film's incidents are in the book and much of the razor-sharp dialouge is reproduced directly from the page, the book actually has a far greater satiric edge than the film. Whereas the film used the story as a celebration of nihilism, the book is far too self-aware to allow itself to truly celebrate anything. As such, it becomes less a call to action and more a devastatingly real portrait of a society that has become so commercialized and codified that even the once primal act of revolution becomes just another submission to pop culture.Fight Club is the story of an unnamed narrator, an insomniac yuppie who spends his days helping insurance companies get out of having to pay their claims. He wanders through a meaningless life until he discovers the emotional release of attending therapy groups for people suffering from various deadly (and rather embarressing) diseases -- all of which the narrator pretends to have. When the arrival of another "faker" (the wonderfully dark Marla Singer, whose role is far less central in the book than in the film), the narrator finds even the shallow comfort of testicular cancer self-help groups has been taken away from him. Luckily for him, he happens to meet Tyler Durden around this time. And it is Tyler who introduces him to the concept of fighting. What starts as a few rounds in a bar parking lot soon transforms into the nationwide movement known as Fight Club. Every night, yuppies gather together and proceed to beat each other up and get in touch with the pure destructive instinct that society has forced them to suppress. From this violent but relatively benign concept, Tyler sets out to build up an even more extreme movement and our narrator finds his own life suddenly spiraling out of control. To go into any greater details would be unfair to those who have seen neither the film nor the book. All that need be said is that the story never goes where you expect it too and the final twists -- while seeming a bit outlandish at first -- ultimately make a great deal of somewhat sickening sense. As complex as the plot eventually becomes, Palahnuik handles it all with a sparse, deceptively calm style that makes this book the literal epitome of a "page turner" -- once you start reading, you are hooked and it is truly impossible to exit the hauntingly and humorously dark world he's created until you

The Bible For All Space Monkeys

This is what those new age self-help books don't teach you. They don't REALLY show you how screwed up the world is with you trapped in the middle. Let Tyler Durden show you why your life is so screwed up. Is it because we've become obsessed with a corporate-infused lifestyle? Part of it. Is it because people have some sort of sick desperation in their lives? Yes. Is it because corporations have taken over our lives? Yes. Is it because people are scared to prove they're alive? Definately.The plot basically revolves around an insomniac. Our unnamed protagonist goes to support groups to cure his insomnia, until another faker, a woman named Marla, begins faking her way through these groups. After his condo was blown up, he goes to live with Tyler, a man he met on a nude beach. Tyler's only request is that the two of them start a fight. When fight club becomes boring, Tyler decides to take it up, and fight club becomes Project Mayhem. If you've seen the movie, you need to read the book. While the movie mainly focuses on the fighting, the book goes into a lot more detail about project mayhem. The movie probably skips about a third of the book. Plus, the book explains the true definition of what a space monkey is, the formula for homemade napalm, and the real secret formula for Tyler's soap. Only after you've read the book and viewed the key scenes in the movie does the philosophy of Mr. Durden become clear. Even if you think you know the movie, read the book. The first rule of fight club may be that you don't talk about fight club, but you will after reading the book.

Palahnuik Gets It Right

After seeing the movie based on the book, I didn't wait more than an hour to grab the book. A quick 208 page read, where everything the movie couldn't explain in detail is revealed. Once finishing, I sat down and sighed thinking "This is one damn good book." Ever since, I've been a cult follower of Palahnuik.Fight Club is a blazingly fast novel focusing on a depressed man just sick with his life and wants to change it, somehow. While on this "spiritual" journey he meets Tyler Durden, a guy who ends up being everything the narrator wanted to be. From there, the narrator explains his rollercoaster ride of a life in great detail and examines exactly what life meant to him. All in all, Fight Club is a masterpiece, despite anything other people say. It is well-written, engaging, and thought-provoking to say the least. The book compared to the movie? The book is certainly better, especially the ending. The last five pages make much more sense than the movie's ending. Additionally, Palahnuik proves his own secular answer of "Where is God in all this mess?" with this last chapter. Fight Club's characters are some of the most intriguing people I have read about. The narrator, Marla, and Tyler all have their personality quirks that draws in readers in a couple words. Philosophies toward consumerism, materialism, and life are not as prevalent as one might think. But its always a good thing to read a book twice to get much more out of it.

One of the best pieces of modern literature out there...

I got this book because I was curious. I knew the movie was coming, and it was being praised as a gutsy piece of filmmaking (turns out it wasn't; go to my review of the DVD for more on that.) So I ordered it from the bookstore of a good friend. Within two months I'd read it five times."Fight Club" is a truly rare book, a fast-paced thriller that's also got some very deep points to it, yet is as technically clean and sharp as a laser-cut diamond. The structure is nothing short of amazing. Read it a few times and you realize Palahniuk has created a book that's all most perfectly balanced; everything ties into everything else. As an example; early in the book, Tyler Durden tells our narrator that "a moment is the most you can expect of perfection." Later on, this line is repeated, and you realize, for a moment in our protagonist's life, he had perfection and now he's losing it.There are dozens of other examples (this book is a goldmine on how to foreshadow and flashback), and I could go into an analysis of the deeper themes, but I'll spare you the English lecture. Even if you're not a fan of J.G. Ballard, even if you think you'd be turned off by this book, read it anyway. You really will not find a better written book from the last decade.