Paint It Black (Abridged): A Novel Audiobook

" this book had it at the beginning. i am wary of oprah's book club, but in the beginning, this book was pretty on. then, sadly, it lost it completely at the end. i felt totally dissatisfied and thought the author could have gone in a different direction and penned a much richer, more layered, book - but what do i know. i got my copy for free, it's a galley copy and if someone wants it, let me know. "

" I expected more. Maybe I didn't care for this because I couldn't relate to the character. "

" Didn't care for this book. "

" I love Janet's floral vocabulary and writing style but this story was lacking true depth. Read White Oleander instead. "

" She beautifully captures self loathing and redemption. Great read! "

" This book is terrible!! "

" I give up. Today, at page 171, I am deciding to stop reading this book. This is something I don't do all that often and don't do without a degree of discomfort (guilt even?) Funny thing is, it isn't completely horrible. I just can't seem to care about it or look forward to reading it. It may be that I don't have an appreciation for the L.A. life, but I mostly find Josie's character and her world to be a bit much. And maybe even unbelievable. The story is told through the eyes of Josie, and she is both cynical and emotionally immature, yet she makes these profound and hopeful and insightful observations. I recognize we are all full of contradictions, but I didn't find her credible. The depiction of grief, which seems to be an attempt at portraying the raw grit of it all, came off as heavy-handed and relentless. I have not read White Oleander, which I am told is much better. Perhaps I will give that a try someday. "

" The Bell Jar gets all the press for being among the most depressing tales ever, but I think this novel is arguably the most depressing work I have ever read. I can relate to both her desperation and her impulsive "voddy" fixes. "

" I was expecting it to be as good as White Oleander. Didn't care for it too much. Didn't hate it. Just was kind of blah and whiny. "

" Um...just don't read it. Honestly. You will be disappointed. I wanted to like Josie, I wanted to like the plot, I wanted to find the art in the prose and really feel for the characters, but alas, I did not. Dark, dreary, not well executed. Sorry. "

" Not as good as White Oleander... but what is? Janet Finch's next book- story of a girl whose boyfriend dies suddenly, and she realizes she has more in common with his mom than she ever thought possible... or does she? "

" i couldn't finish this book (even though i had only two chapters left!) it was convoluted and lame. "

" I love the way Janet Fitch writes, she is one of my fav authors. "

" Same author as White Oleander, just as freaky a story. Amazing descriptive story telling. A bit raunchy, but you really felt like you were there. "

" I was sooooo disappointed in this book. I loved White Oleander, and I was very excited for Fitch's next novel. This was poorly written, cliche, and just plain uninteresting. "

" I LOVED White Oleander by this author so I thought I'd love this. But I have re-read the first few chapters a few times and can get no further. So boring. What a disappointment! "

" i read white oleander a while back and was amazed by its fluid beauty. paint it black is a stark contrast to that. it is abrasive and painful and vulgar. i was amazed how much life michael had even though he was dead for the whole novel. the ending was perfect. very sad. "

" couldn't even finish it was so bad. "

" This book is so beautifully composed it is practically an entire fictional work of poetry. "

" Although this book was at times painful to read, it was a powerful & beautifully written novel. "

" Dark but interesting book on subject ddnt know much about. "

" Good book a little slow "

" This book is very dark, which makes it a harder read. "

" I liked this one more the second time. "

" too weird, trying too hard, repetitive, "

" I probably shouldn't even classify this as "read" since I gave up about one-third of the way throught it. It was terrible, which was so disappointing because Janet Fitch's book White Oleander is one of my all-time favorites. "

" I had high expectations for this book after reading White Oleander and it did not disappoint. The character were complex and flawed in all the good ways and the story was dark, layered and captivating. Line by line a lovely read and a story that will haunt you after the last page. "

" Could not get into this book at all, read first few pages and that was it. "

" A very dark book, but very well written. "

" Great, dark, cool book. a mix between Factory Girl and Bell Jar. "

" This book is really dark. I loved White Oleander by J. Fitch so I thought I would've liked this book more. Love her style of writing though. "

" Kind of a dark story, but still a good one. :) "

" It's Janet Fitch, what do you need to know? She is my favorite. Her language alone can change your life. If she published a book of her shopping lists I'd buy it and love it. "

" Janet Fitch had me hooked with White Oleander. This book fell very short. Her characters were just weak in my eyes. I never felt connected to them, I didn't care if they prevailed or not. Certainly never a good sign. "