Customer Reviews

Catwoman

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This thing is so bad, I truly do not know where to begin. I give it one star only because 0 or negative numbers of stars are not possible.

It is true that the simply ridiculous script the author was working from was bad enough on its own; however, add to that the author's stilted, cliche'-ridden personal style and it quickly becomes unbearable. Nights are "black." Rivers are "raging." Roars are "deafening." No one merely looks at anyone or anything here; they "stare." There is not one shred of originality, or colorful powers of desciption anywheres in this thing.

This may be the most poorly-written book I have read since V.C. Andrew's "Flowers in the Attic"; but at least with that, there was a plot of some (admittedly disgusting) interest lurking under the horrific prose-style.

The plot here concerns Hedare Cosmetic's plot to take over the world by selling women a face-cream which turns women's faces to a stonelike substance; should use be discontinued, the flesh begins to rot off the user's face. Sound stupid? Trust me, it only goes downhill from there.

It is perhaps richly ironic that while the use of cosmetics and women's use of sex-appeal as a weapon is generally derided, the film's star just happens to be Revlon Cosmetic's head spokesperson, and that the lead character of this piece of dreck (I refuse to call her Catwoman; this is not Catwoman but a new character leeching off Catwoman's popularity with Batman fans) "empowers" herself by painting her face and donning a pseudo-sexy outfit designed to show as much skin as possible. Mixed messages abound. So much for social commentary!

Read this awful piece of garbage or go to see the accompanying film at your peril. You were warned.

This is my first Elizabeth Hand novel and definitely not my last. I think the limitations of the novel are in direct proportion to those of the script Hand had to base it upon. The book is a quick read, but an interesting one. Unlike the film, Hand incorporates a plot twist that takes the reader by surprise at the end.

"Catwoman" by Elizabeth Hand is the story of Patience Phillips, possibly the nicest person in the world. She works for a large cosmetic firm that's just on the edge of releasing "Beauline" a cosmetic that promises to be the "Fountain of Youth." Patience discovers the product is fatally flawed. Unfortunately, the Boss discovers her and she's killed by henchmen. A cat she'd saved from a ledge earlier that day comes to Phillips' rescue and reincarnates her as "Catwoman."

"Catwoman" swears to stop her former employer from releasing "Beauline". The resulting caper definitely tests Patience's resilience and nine lives.

The book is a worthwhile and short read, probably an airplane or doctor's office book.

Don't waste your time on this book or the movie. This is absolute garbage, that is a mere shadow of the character it is trying to represent.

Be a smart consumer. Know when you should stay away.

If you are a reader/movie go-er and are not interested in comic books please read: There has been much negative buzz around this book and movie due to the fact that it is not based on the original character from DC Comics. Fans will rate this poorly no matter if the book or movie really is good or not. Thought I should clear that up.

Catwoman is a story based on a shy and sensitive artist Patience Philips. She uncovers a dark secret about the company she works for: Hedare Beauty. Patience is then murdered and transformed into the sleek and stealthy creature Catwoman.

I really do enjoy this book. I understand the fans outrage against this film (I'm a Selina Kyle fan as well) but I found this an interesting take on the Catwoman character. I really connected with Patience. The character feels real, exerting emotions that we've all felt. A big plus for the book. The love interest, Detective Tom Lone, is a great supporting character. Sally, Patience's best friend, provides a lot of comedic relief. The story has great underlying messages, such as: Beauty comes from the soul.

I had to rate this 4 stars because the stories that Ophelia Powers wrote were very boring to me. I didn't enjoy them. Plus Warner Brothers should have at least attempted to make a Catwoman movie with Selina Kyle. Now, I've read the Daniel Waters script for the Catwoman movie with Selina Kyle (a story based right after Batman Returns) and it sucked majorly. I'm not kidding, but maybe they should have gotten a different writer to try their take on Selina. However, I'm not going to regret this original story because it is good.

If you are a fan of Catwoman from the Batman comics I would suggest to stay away from the book and movie. But if you're into action/adventure, a little bit of romance, and just love a fun, exciting read then this book is for you.

I bought this book not knowing nothing about the film. The story is interesting and fun! Her outfit is explained purrfectly, from the mask a "Symbolist version of a jaguar's skull", to the open-toed shoes. Everything in the outfit has a reason, and its all explained. After reading this book I'm super hyped to see the film.

Now this is one movie I cant wait to see! Buy the book, you'll fall in love with it, just as I did.

One star is way too harsh! First rule of mine is entertain me and please don't bore me. Hand did entertain me. It's just a fun summer film, come on! Not the greatest but worth a look. Hand does a nice job of putting us inside the head of Patience/Catwoman and that's more than a bigger name author did for a novelization of another film that disappointed me. I also think this is the sort of book that younger (teen) readers and older readers can both enjoy.

I have read some bad books over the years, and they have usually been movie tie-in books. This is one of the worst.

I thought the Catwoman movie was a fun bit of fluff, but it also left me wanting more. People have made some exceptional superhero movies lately (Spider-Man, X-Men, Batman Begins), and this one could have been right up there. Unfortunately, the film relied more on Halle Berry's body than Catwoman's soul, and that weakened the entire film.

I found this novel on clearance at a local bookstore and thought maybe an author who had won a major SF award like Elizabeth Hand had done could provide some much-needed depth to this character. Instead of bringing out Catwoman's soul, however, this author relied on the cheap puns and minimalist stage direction from the script. It was like she lifted entire portions out of the script and turned them into book-length narrative -- and flaccid narrative at that. How many times do we have to hear Catwoman make some cheesy pun ("Cat got your tongue?") before we realize that this novel does nothing more than show off the script's original weaknesses?

To top it all off, the writing itself felt rushed. I lost count of how many times I had to go back and re-read entire paragraphs just to figure out that a major character had done something simple -- like left a room; or I had to re-read passages of dialogue just to decipher which character said what.

Enjoy the movie for what it is -- a silly popcorn flick that could have been so much more. Unfortunately, this is not the book to show you what more this story could have been. If you want to read an exceptional movie tie-in book, find an old copy of Orson Scott Card's "The Abyss." That will show you how much depth can be gained from a well written movie book.

this is a pretty good book. i enjoyed it very much. It has a good storyline to it and Elizabeth Hand details the book very well.


If you liked this book check out the movie, Video game & Soundtrack

While I generally tend to avoid book adaptations of movies (especially if I've already seen the movie) I thought I'd give "Catwoman" a shot. It seemed like a quick read and since I liked the movie, I figured why not. I ended up liking this book a lot. I had fun with it and I was entertained, and that is its purpose. No, it won't go down in history as a classic, nor will it win the Pulitzer Prize for Literature. But it's a fun read and serves as a nice companion to the movie. Elizabeth Hand has done a commendable job in transferring the feel of "Catwoman" into a novel. Recommended to any fan of the movie, or anyone who just wants some entertainment.

I AM A HUGE CATWOMAN FAN AND IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOVIE SINCE ASHLEY JUDD WAS SUPPOSE TO PLAY THE PART. AS SOON AS I SAEW THIS BOOK I GRABBED IT AND READ IT. IT WAS AWESOME, IT CONTAINED A GREAT STORY, CATWOMAN WAS TRUE TO HER CHARACTER, AND TWO GREAT CHARACTERS WERE CREATED IN THE FORM OF PATIENCE PHILIPS AND TOM LONE. SO SHE'S NOT SELINA KYLE, GUESS WHAT,SHE'S JUST AS TRUE TO THE SELINA KYLE CHARACTER AS MIICHELLE PHIEFFER'S CHARACTER WAS, ONLY WITH LESS TIME FOR CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT PATIENCE PHILIP[S MIGHT BE BETTER. BESIDES, SHE DIDN'T GET THE NAME SELINA KYLE UNTIL THE MID TO LATE 50'S BEFORE THAT IN BATMAN 3# SHE HAD THE NAME ELVA BARR. AS FOR THE COSTUME, LOOK AT THE COVER TO NINE LIVES OF THE FELINE FATALE, SHE HAS HAD ELEVEN DISTINCTIVE AND TOTALLY DIFFTERENT COSTUMES. AS I SAID CATWOMAN STILL HAS THE SAME WHY BE SERIOUS I';D RATHER HAVE FUN PERSONALTY AND PLAYS IT WELL, BESIDES THE COSTUMES SHE WEARS LOOK A LOT LIKE THE ONES OF CATWOMAN AFTER JAIL AND BATMAN YEAR ONE. THE ONLY THING I DIDN'T LIKE WAS SOME OF THE WRITING AND DIALOGUE WAS PRETTY SUCKY. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THIS MOVIE (OR BUY THE ADAPTION).