The Day of the Locust

from chlebo

An intriguing story about the unfulfilled promises of Hollywood in the 1930s. There does not appear to be a plot, but West's writing is so skillful and precise that you keep reading just to see, truly see--because his images ate so vivid--what he will describe next. Had to read this for school, b...

from dickmanikowski

I could have sworn I'd read this book forty years ago, but reading it now disabused me of that notion. The early chapters seemed vaguely familiar, but soon the plot seemed totally new. I'm glad I I dipped into it for a second time. It's a great exploration of the decadence of Hollywood in the ear...

from datrappert

West's grotesque tale of the dark side of Hollywood still resonates--but like a bell with a crack in it. Nothing seems quite real, as the author depicts an artist, a retired hotel bookkeeper, a former vaudevillian reduced to selling silver polish, the vaudevillian's beautiful but intensely strang...

from AlexAustin

Fairly well-known, The Day of the Locust is a slim, funny, caustic novel about Hollywood's poisonous promise to the little people, actually and figuratively. Less well-known, Miss Lonelyhearts tracks the eponymous advice columnist as he reaches out to the cripples, broken-hearts and unbalanced wh...

from krbrancolini

It is often difficult to separate the film version of a book from the work itself; this is the case for me with "Day of the Locust." I have tried not to compare the two, but unfortunately I rewatched the film about a week before I read the book. I had seen the film version (directed by John Schle...