11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Minor Amis, January 29, 2004
I think the other reviews here for this Martin Amis novel are very apt. "Dead Babies" is a glib, superficial novel, not up to Amis's usual standards and obviously written early in his career. Characters are barely developed, the plot is obscure at best and at times completely incomprehensible, and Amis's disgust and nastiness (always present in his writing) is undisciplined here and overshadows everything else.
However, that said, even less than stellar Amis is fun to read, because he has a writing style that is so unquestionably unique and he writes phrases that pop like firecrackers. He's also scathingly funny, if your sense of humour leans a certain way.
The complaints about Amis's shallow treatments of Americans in this novel are justified, but his treatment didn't bother me too much, since he doesn't paint a much rosier picture of the English.
Like others here have said, if you've never read Amis before, I probably wouldn't start with "Dead Babies," as you might not want to read anything else. However, if you're an Amis fan, this novel lends an interesting look into the early development of a great writer.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Compelling, dazzling, grotesque., November 10, 1997
By A Customer
I gave this book to a friend of mine, and she said it was the only book she'd ever read that made her physically ill. But she finished it. This book chronicles the adventures of some English twentysomethings sharing a house during the 70s. Of course there's the typical sex and drugs, as well as bizarre art movements, a family of dwarves, physical violence, and murder; but the real star is Amis' style -- vibrant and horrifying, never letting you respond any one way at any particular time. His control over the language is astounding, his authorial voice ever-elusive, and his moral sense is omnipresent and yet never simplistic or heavy-handed. This book is not genius, but it is an early work by a wunderkind who would realize his genius in "London Fields". Read it for the fun, the style, and the stomach pains.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliance on paper, April 6, 2000
This book is thoroughly stylish, threatening while seemingly light-hearted and funny. Although written awhile ago the characters are all around us. The drugs, sex and life of such amount to an emptyness so vast the mind boggles and Amis has done a supreme job ripping the heart out of the illusions. Amis goes deep and then even deeper. It has been an absolute pleasure translating this book.
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