Customer Reviews

God Hates Us All

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Debauchery, self-loathing and self-destruction, sex, drugs, and rock and roll are all well represented with various happy and not-so happy endings throughout. It's a quick and fun read that creates a nice reference for the Californication universe for fans. This novel wouldn't receive the same level of recognition in the real world as within the show, but it's not bad. I enjoyed it and would recomend it to non fans as well.

As a big fan of the show, Californication, I had to pick this up. I couldn't put it down from the second page. The book, although not the masterpiece it is in the show, is a really good read. If you like the writing of Californication you will absolutely love this book. This is a short novel that can be read in a day or so. I'm hoping that more Hank Moody books will be published in the future! It really is a good read, and you should check it out even if you don't watch the show.

This book arrived this morning and I finished it before dinner.
A great read all around.
Interesting story with a solid flow.
If you like Brett Easton Ellis, you will like this book.
God Hates Us All seems like it was written by Ellis or someone who has read and enjoyed his work, but without the violence, rape, and other elements you may find in his work.
I highly recommend this book.
I am a huge fan of Californiacation and I believe this book could have been Hank Moody's vehicle to fame.

I was surprised to find this book at all. A late comer to the show I was looking for season 3 on DVD and found this.

The writer did a great job of capturing the voice of Hank Moody; I am guessing the screenwriter(s) penned the book. I can hear the words on the page coming out of Duchovny's mouth without hesitation. But Moody's voice doesn't work as well in black and white as it does on the small screen. And the book doesn't seem to say anything to merit it being as big of a hit as it is in the show.

Overall it was fun, but only because I am a pretty big fan of the show.

Hank Moody is America's favorite prime-time underground novelist. Everyone loves his personality, whit and style. He's extremely cool, and yes, we were all secretly wishing that he actually existed so that we could read his books.

The business minds (who never seem to miss anything) at Showtime considered this and thought, "Hey, everyone likes Hank Moody! Let's hire a writer to write his fictional novel and publish it under his fake name. People would totally buy it!" And...they were right. I did buy it. And I read it. But here's the thing:

I was originally under the impression (and yes, it's my fault for not doing the research) that Tom Kapinos was going to be writing the novel. I mean it makes sense, right? He's the screenplay writer for the show so in a way he actually IS Hank Moody. "Hey," I thought. "If he can create a character like Hank and write every episode as well as he does than maybe he can write his novel too." Right? Maybe, but as it turns out, he wasn't chosen as the author.

That's right, they hired someone else; someone other than the guy who actually created Hank Moody, to write his novel. Instead they chose this guy: Jonathan Grotenstein, whose other works include ghost writing some how-to poker books and a book on dog-training, wrote Hank Moody's God Hates Us All--The supposed novel of the decade. I really don't understand why they would choose a guy who has never written an actual novel for this job. I'm guessing that all the real writers out there laughed these Showtime clowns out of the room when they were approached.

Needless to say, the book was awful. In a nutshell, the story was an adolescent narrative told by a pretentious sounding jackass who closely resembles a Holden Caulfield with a splash of whit and swag. The story was unconvincing, unmoving and unreadable.

Do not buy this book. And if you do, just remember that you're reading a novel by a guy who (ghost) writes poker and dog training books. I just hope that they don't start making fake movies with "Vinny Chase" from Entourage. At least in that case they'll be able to get the same actor as in the show...

There are some very funny parts in the book which made me laugh out loud.
Although I would never aim for a career in drug dealing, the story definitely made me think about how exciting life can be by just letting go and start going with the flow.
It's a quick and funny read and I would buy the sequel anytime.

You will probably like this. It's got the same mix of sex drugs and remorse that make Californication what it is. And it's got the same lovable self-loathing protagonist who manages to become sexually involved with every female character that find their way into the storyline. Honestly though, Amazon recommendations putting this next to a Bukowski novel seems a little optimistic. If I were to compare it to anything, I'd say it's an incredibly debauched retelling of Catcher in the Rye. Incredibly debauched. It's a good storyline, easy flow with witty pop culture wordplay, but it should be appreciated for what it is: a very long episode of Californication

I live in Venice, California. I frequent some of the spots Hank does on Californication. I like Hank Moody the character because he is ironically satisfied with much of the west LA nonsense you find in the hood.

This book is not Hank Moody. Yes, I know Hank Moody doesn't exist and therefore could not have actually written a book. I get that. What I don't want to read is some watered downed Brett Easton Ellis wannabe scripting some drivel in an attempt to sound like Moody.

To be quite frank, I bought this more for shelf decoration because I am pretentious and vain and can relate to Hank Moody the character, but when I finished reading this book in a local bar, I handed it to the bartender and told him he could have it.

If you want a book with a cool cover that let's people know you watch a cool tv show then buy this but don't read it. Reading it will only make you want to give it away.

If you are a Hank Moody fan, then you will enjoy this book. It does seem like a book written by the character in Californication. I read the Kindle version on my IPHONE and it made for a great commute to work for a week.

Like the majority of other purchasers of this book I'm a huge fan of Californication - Hank Moody especially. As a read, it's a good lazy afternoon session with the Kindle getting lost in the story.

Although it won't win a Pulitzer (or a Booker to put it in a local context here) it flows like a modern day Catcher in the Rye. You end up identifying with the narrator and wishing that all ends well for him - wanting him to live the life he wants with the woman he deserves, and cringing when he experiences hurdles on the way. He comes across as an innocent trying to make the most of what's available to him at the time.

But as a tie in to the TV series, that took a bit more of a leap. Having probably watched more Californication than would be considered healthy, I have developed - I believe - an appreciation and understanding of the vocabulary and tone of Hank Moody. The sharp and witty dialogue, with a healthy hint of cynicism, does not present itself as readily in this work as experienced in the series. That is unless his writing persona is different to his true one - a form of escapism I suppose - or he developed his current cynical view of life post-'God Hates Us All' (although the title alone would argue otherwise). Also it's hard to imagine this book being adapted to a feel good movie titled 'A Crazy Little Thing Called Love' starring 'Tom & Katie'. The only part of this movie we see is the main stars sitting on a park bench with New York in the background looking all starry eyed - something that doesn't translate into this novel.

As a piece of story telling, it is pretty good and quite enjoyable. To picture Hank Moody sitting over a typewriter giving man-birth to this weighty tome - his own words - is a bit more of a stretch.

Do I regret reading it - not at all.