Has anyone here at SO ever read Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Eliis? The book was published in 1986 and was adaptated into a 1987 film with Andrew McCarthey, Jami Gertz and Robert Downey Jr. I've always loved the movie so I decided to read the novel. Last night I read the first half of the book and it is simply awful. The book has no plot at all, not to mention that is is nothing like the movie at all. I was just curious if anyone else had read this book and what they thought about it.

Has anyone here at SO ever read Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Eliis? The book was published in 1986 and was adaptated into a 1987 film with Andrew McCarthey, Jami Gertz and Robert Downey Jr. I've always loved the movie so I decided to read the novel. Last night I read the first half of the book and it is simply awful. The book has no plot at all, not to mention that is is nothing like the movie at all. I was just curious if anyone else had read this book and what they thought about it.
no

never heard of it

Has anyone here at SO ever read Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Eliis? The book was published in 1986 and was adaptated into a 1987 film with Andrew McCarthey, Jami Gertz and Robert Downey Jr. I've always loved the movie so I decided to read the novel. Last night I read the first half of the book and it is simply awful. The book has no plot at all, not to mention that is is nothing like the movie at all. I was just curious if anyone else had read this book and what they thought about it.


personally, i don't understand the above two posts: if this is a proposed discussion of a book by people who've read it, why are people posting "NO" AND "never heard of it"?


yeah, i read the book back in the day, before the movie was made. you're right, it's awful, but i tore through it in record time, soaking up all the tabloid sleaze as fast as i could. when i finished, i felt as if i'd eaten too much junk food, all greasy and sickly.

i give the author credit for churning out such a page-turner at such a young age but beyond that, its just slick trash for a largely-illiterate society (who consider sports coverage and People Magazine reading) so I'm not surprised it did so well.

the film actually came off better, due to amazing performances by Robert Downey, Jr. and James Spader!

brett easton ellis certainly took his lumps along with his piles of cash, especially in the early 90s, when he wrote the amazingly evil "American Psycho," which is a much better written novel and not a bad film, either.

I haven't read the book, but during the movie isn't there a lot of drugs?

never heard of it

Me either. Guess now I don't want to. :lol:

I haven't read the book, but during the movie isn't there a lot of drugs?
There is alot of drug use in the movie, as well as the Bangles song Hazy Shade of winter.

I actually never knew this was a book first.

I finished Less Than Zero earlier this evening and I have to say that it is without doubt the worst book that I have ever read. I just don't even see what the point of the novel was. There is no plot, hardly any story and the characters are all paper thin.

The movie had more plot and better defined characters that at least had some humanity to them. Both Robert Downey Jr. and James Spader gave good performances and Jami Gertz never looked more beautiful then she did in this movie.

The only books of his that I have read are The Rules of Attraction and American Psycho, although I had been meaning to pick up Less Than Zero. Never read the book but I've seen the movie several times, and I like it.

The only books of his that I have read are The Rules of Attraction and American Psycho, although I had been meaning to pick up Less Than Zero. Never read the book but I've seen the movie several times, and I like it.

In my opinion, Kate, you should just forget the book. It isn't worth spending your hard earned money on it.

In my opinion, Kate, you should just forget the book. It isn't worth spending your hard earned money on it.

Sucks that, this time around, the book is worse than the movie. :(

Thanks Michael, I appreciate the heads up. :)

Originally Posted by DAX
Has anyone here at SO ever read Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Eliis? The book was published in 1986 and was adaptated into a 1987 film with Andrew McCarthey, Jami Gertz and Robert Downey Jr. I've always loved the movie so I decided to read the novel. Last night I read the first half of the book and it is simply awful. The book has no plot at all, not to mention that is is nothing like the movie at all. I was just curious if anyone else had read this book and what they thought about it.I have heard of it but I havent really read it.. I dont read books often...

Might be worth trying to find a cassette that reads this to you.. I think they call those TALKING BOOKS... I might not mind that.. I just dont like having to concenrate and look @ the small print...