Not his best, but certainly a good book.

books:


	• Lullaby Chuck Palahniuk Thorndike Press, 2003 - 412 pages average customer review:based on 261 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

A killer lullaby and a vegan road-trip

When I first heard the premise behind "Lullaby", I thought it sounded rather flimsy: there exists a lullaby that causes anyone who hears it to drop dead as soon as they fall asleep, and it is, thus, the cause of all SIDS deaths. I could work out how a book with such a concept could begin, but I couldn't figure out anything beyond that. This is why Chuck Palahniuk is such a great author. He did, and he came up with such a convincing and exciting story that it kept me wondering what was going to happen next right to the end.

Here is a more detailed synopsis of the plot, for those with the same doubts as I had: after being assigned to write a series of human interest articles on SIDS deaths, journalist Carl Streator discovers that the one linking factor behind all of these deaths is a particular lullaby in a book of children's poetry. Then, along with a real estate agent who specializes in selling haunted houses, the real estate agent's Wiccan secretary, and the secretary's Wiccan boyfriend, Streator embarks on a road trip across America to locate every copy of the poetry book, and the original magic book from which they believe the lullaby came from, and destroy every one of them.

Yes, the premise of this novel is far fetched (and that's just the parts of the book that I've told you - wait until you get read the end) and yet, every character within the novel's reality behaves in a thoroughly believable way. This is one of the most original books that I have read, and as a result, it is virtually impossible to guess the next twist of the plot.

This if Palahniuk's fourth novel, and the first of his trilogy of "horror" novels, along with "Diary" and "Haunted". I have now read all of Palahniuk's novels, with the exception of his latest book, "Snuff", and I would consider "Lullaby" to be among his best. I used to be able to rank all of the Palahniuk novels, but the more of his books I read, the more I realize that he has written so many good books, that I find it impossible to pick just one favourite, and even a bad Palahniuk novel is better than most of the novels that are being published at the moment.

for more information click here

Not entirely what I expected

While I do feel like this book was well written, it left me feeling a bit cheated. I wanted to be a little more scared, a little more surprised and shocked by plot twists. It may have been that I expected to much out of my first Palahniuk novel, but frankly, I was disappointed.

I felt that Lullabye lacked in plot and focused too much on social and political commentary. It was a quick and fairly easy read, keeping me entertained enough to finish in 2 days but I kept waiting for something more to happen...and then the book ended.

I enjoyed his style and will most likely try another one of his novels, but if your new to Palahniuk, don't read this first.

for more information click here

Of note about Lullaby

There's a lot I could say about "Lullaby," but some of these reviews have covered it. I would just like to note a couple of things:

-The writing style is very lyrical. The author returns to the same phrases again and again, often in different contexts than the first time he used them. It's a creative way to give the story a sense of theme, of being tied together, and it's also a creative way of twisting some seemingly benign sayings.

-The book is rich in real (and often morbidly fascinating) facts, which usually feel like a natural part of the story, rather than seeming strung together. The main character is a journalist and the author researches like a journalist. By taking certain elements of a journalist's behavior and using them to write the book, he makes the main character compelling.

for more information click here

Lullaby

Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk *****

Lullaby is not UpChucks best but it sure is close. It is easily among the best of his work. Better than Choke, Haunted, and Diary. On par with Fight Club, Invisible Monsters, and Survivor. The story is just absurd enough to almost kind of believe and gives insight into why UpChucks work is in a league all it's own.

The story of a man who works a a journalist and has a current assignment on the subject of S.I.D.S. or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. As he begins his assignment he realizes a trend across the country, as all of the parents of the children who died had read them a poem from page 27 in a book of poems from around the world; a culling song. An old African chant used to send the dying to the other side. This is all by mistake that the parents harm their children of course but once the poem falls in to the wrong hand it shows that people have a serious issue with tolerance and self-control. As the main character scourers the country in search for every copy of the book he realizes he has undertaken more then he bargained for.

Lullaby is a insightful (as is all UpChucks work), a page turner, and one that will have you transfixed on what is coming. Palahniuks signature style shines bright here and makes for one of his best novels.

for more information click here

Not his best, but certainly a good book.

I found that a lot of the criticism heaped upon this story by several of the other reviewers is partly misguided. Although, when compared to his other books, this one does lack a lot of the shocking imagery, it still manages to provide an entertaining narrative in the same theme and tone of those other works. And that is what I think gives his stories value: not the disturbing imagery, but the creative look at common themes many people have seen with regards to our culture.

This story deals with power and control. Who really has it? Does it even exist? How should we exercise it? And, ultimately, do the answers to those questions even matter? While yes, this story is more conventional and straightforward than Palahniuk's previous work, I do not think "Lullaby" is disappointing in the least. I enjoyed it thoroughly and look forward to reading "Diary".

for more information click here

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

A New York Times Bestseller

Carl Streator is a solitary widower and fortyish newspaper reporter doing a series of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. His investigation uncovers an ominous thread: the presence on the scene of a book of poems opened to an African chant or "culling son." This song turns out to be lethal when spoken or even thought in anyone's direction -- turning Streator into an involuntary serial killer.

hot or not? What's your opinion? Write a review and share your thoughts!

recommendations

White-hot thrillers!

search for books
lullaby

Impressum / about us