Set in Los Angeles, in the recent past. The birthplace and graveyard of American myths and dreams, the city harbours a group of people trapped between the beauty of their surroundings and their own moral impoverishment. This novel is a chronicle of their voices.

What a lovely surprise!! Went to the post office expecting a bookring book (incidentally I wonder why that one hasn't arrived yet... although it was coming from WA) and picked this up instead. Thanks so much, peggysmum! It's definitely one for the summer reading list!

When, o when, will I manage to leave hunnyb's house without picking up a swathe of books?

Thanks for the loan :)

It's hard to know how to rate this book numerically. I think, qualitatively, it's one of those I'd categorise under "makes me feel physically sick but I can appreciate the writer's style".

I initially tried to keep up with the web of characters interlaced and introduced with each chapter, but in the end gave up, realising that coherence and convergence are not really the point of this book. I enjoyed the pointed eighties references, although if Ellis described a character as "tan" instead of "tanned" once more I was going to throw the book across the room!

A xenophobic intolerance of Americanisms. I apologise. (Particularly as the book cover is a reference to the American flag - I can't say I wasn't warned!)

This is certainly not the most soothing bedtime reading, but it does have quite compulsive qualities about it. Thank you to hunnyb for the loan. It will be ready for our Sunday meetup :)

PS. Oops. Pressed the wrong button and tagged this as "Permanent Collection". Don't know how to fix it. Hunnyb, I'm not trying to hijack your book!!

Back with me now :)