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Fight Club Audiobook
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(4.00) - 169,926 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
THE FIRST RULE about fight club is you don't talk about fight club. Every weekend, in the basements and parking lots of bars across the country, young men with whitecollar jobs and failed lives take off their shoes and shirts and fight each other barehanded just as long as they have to. Then they go back to those jobs with blackened eyes and loosened teeth and the sense that they can handle anything. Fight club is the invention of Tyler Durden, projectionist, waiter, and dark, anarchic genius, and it's only the beginning of his plans for violent revenge on an empty consumer-culture world.
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"I read this book because a) I loved the movie and wanted to read the book to see how it would compare, what would be different, what would be the same, how much more I would like reading it, etc, and b) I had to pick a novel that was on a high school reading list or young adult level as my semester-long project for an adolescent literacy course I'm taking at college. I noticed that this book had been kicked OFF of a few high school reading lists, so figured that it was a good way to kill two birds with one stone. I don't regret it. The book was phenomenal, and really got my mind going. I think the hardest part will be to figure out how to teach this in a classroom! I love the gritty way that everything is approached, how real it is, how the characters have to actively try to reach rock bottom before they can build themselves up again into something that is better. I really loved how, throughout the entire novel, you can tell that the only way to be your best is to fight - this is something that I've encountered time and again. The constant struggle that is life, never ending until you give up and die. I thought that might be a good message to send to the high schoolers - the message that, though it may seem bad, you can't give up; you have to keep fighting and fighting and trying to be better until you are better, and even then you're not going to be at your best... but sometimes, you have to reach rock bottom before you can go any higher. Additionally, I loved the anonymity. This way, I think, there can be a fight club in any place in the world and nobody would know it, there could be a Tyler Durden anywhere, anyone could be Marla Singer... it can literally take place anywhere. This can be played around with so much, and there is so much that a person can get from the novel, I really thing that it is worth reading and thinking about. Though, you may need to read it more than once in order to really get everything."
— Britnie (4 out of 5 stars)
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“[A] rousing narration by Jim Colby…Jim Colby delivers a raw intensity that is spot-on for the twisted mind of the protagonist. As the evil Tyler Durden, Colby is astonishing, capturing every inch of the character’s darkness while still projecting his sense of humor. The result is a performance that draws its inspiration from Palahniuk’s well-crafted characters…Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile -
“A powerful, dark, original novel…A memorable debut by an important new writer.”
— Robert Stone, New York Times bestselling author -
“Fight Club offers diabolically sharp and funny writing.”
— Washington Post Book World -
“An astonishing debut…Fight Club is a dark, unsettling, and nerve-chafing satire.”
— Seattle Times -
“Caustic, outrageous, bleakly funny, violent, and always unsettling, Palahniuk’s utterly original creation will make even the most jaded reader sit up and take notice.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“This is a dark and disturbing book that dials directly into youthful angst and will likely horrify the parents of teens and twenty-somethings. It’s also a powerful, and possibly brilliant, first novel.”
— Booklist -
“This brilliant bit of nihilism succeeds where so many self- described transgressive novels do not: It’s dangerous because it’s so compelling.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Awards
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Selected for the 2005 Barnes & Noble Discover Award
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An Electric Literature Pick of 9 Toxic Friendships in Literature
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
Fight Club Listener Reviews
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" Absolutely loved it! The plot is fantastic as well as the way the book is written. A big fan of Palahniuk and would recommend to anyone who is up for an interesting and messed up read. "
— Aleksandra, 2/14/2014 -
" If there's anyone who can write some really sick shit, tack on a Hollywood ending, and make it work, it's Chuck. This should be required reading to receive a high school diploma. "
— John, 2/12/2014 -
" Not seeing the movie first made this book a phenomenal read (I say this only as other reviews state the reader could not bifurcate the two in his / her mind while reading). Of Palahniuk's best, if not THE best. Read it in about 4 hours, non-stop, was that good. "
— Dani, 2/7/2014 -
" fantastic! brilliantly written and of course, brilliantly made into a movie. New afterword by author is totally worth the read. "
— Shirley, 2/2/2014 -
" I didn't really get much from it until after the first five chapters, but after that, it was pretty okay. It didn't exactly live up to my expectations, honestly, with almost everyone giving it high ratings and all, but I liked the message the book was trying to give us. I think I would like the movie better. "
— Echo, 1/22/2014 -
" This was a great book that makes you think. "
— Matthew, 1/18/2014 -
" I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and kept me engaged even though I already knew the premise and the twist from the movie. "
— Michele, 1/9/2014 -
" One of my favourite book. Every man should read it. "
— Hasanm, 12/7/2013 -
" Very interesting read with cool twist. "
— Poomsei, 12/4/2013 -
" I made the mistake of watching the movie before reading the book, however, apart from the ending being spoiled it was still easy to read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. "
— Duncan, 11/9/2013 -
" This book lived up to all the hype and then some, as good, if not better than, the movie, but in some strikingly different ways. I absolutely loved it. "
— Ashley, 11/2/2013 -
" Perhaps influenced by seeing the movie first, I found the book good in theory but jumpy and unfocused in a way that I don't love in that medium. Still, I rate it for it's content Moreso which we can deny is great. "
— Kenneth, 7/30/2013 -
" Similar to movie with a few minor differences, slightly darker ending "
— Mark, 4/8/2013 -
" Amazing. The prose is brilliant, the plot is epic. What more could you want in a book? "
— Laura, 1/25/2013 -
" If you loved the movie, then you would definitely enjoy this. I find this book as a must read if you want to take a break from love stories and make believe creatures ;) "
— Luigi, 1/19/2013 -
" Somewhat different in parts from the film, but no less compelling. Subversive poetry at its finest. "
— Andy, 11/9/2012 -
" I really wish I had read this before I watched the movie. Nonetheless I really loved the book and was very impressed with how much more the book had to offer. I would be mis-information committee. :p "
— Kristofer, 12/19/2011 -
" A fun read, but one of the few times that I come down on the side of the movie over the book. I found Tyler Durden much harder to "enjoy," than his on-screen version. Overall, a very enjoyable read that really turned me on to the rest of his work. "
— Chip, 11/21/2011 -
" hmm. how long can a trend last? "
— John, 6/21/2011 -
" one of the most entertaining books from him. i definitely can see this turned into big screen. it's very palahniuk. very pop. "
— Rizal, 6/21/2011 -
" I enjoyed how the book explores religion, cults, and miracles in an urban setting, but what really pulled me in is the narrative. Undoubtedly the best Chuck Palahniuk I have read. "
— Azzi, 6/17/2011 -
" Started off well, but as soon as all the quasi-celebrity nonsense started, the book felt so contrived it was almost unreadable. "
— Ashley, 6/16/2011 -
" Nice book , lazy writing chuck! "
— Raul, 6/11/2011 -
" This is my other favorite from Chuck. Rant is my favorite book from him, but this was a close second. It starts off slow, but crashes and burns near the end. "
— Dan, 6/11/2011 -
" Survivor is a wickedly strange book. If your looking for something to ponder about, Palahniuk's voice captures the dark of humanity. You could really hear the narrator of Fight Club coming through on some pages. "
— Michelle, 6/10/2011 -
" This was my first ever Palahniuk and it was great. It had some gross stuff but not too much as I've been warned most of his books do. It was a clever story with a great ending. "
— Lorraine, 6/7/2011 -
" made me laugh till the end of the page. "
— Marco, 6/5/2011
About Chuck Palahniuk
Chuck Palahniuk has been a nationally bestselling author since his first novel, 1996’s Fight Club, was made into the acclaimed David Fincher film of the same name. Twelve of his works have made the New York Times bestsellers list, and his work has sold millions of copies worldwide.
About James Colby
James Colby is an actor and Earphones Award–winning audiobook narrator.