Customer Reviews

Vapor: A Novel

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book is cool; it's like entering a world filled with humor and surrealism. I laughed throughout the whole thing and was disturbed by some of the description in it.

I'm not an avid reader, but I couldn't keep this book down. I hope Miss Filipacchi is working on another novel. Please, Amanda, write another novel!

At first I thought:"So what's this all about then?" It seemed pretentious. But then, slowly but surely, I started adoring it! It takes you to another world. I couldn't put it down. Filipacchi's world is so perverse and magical and makes our world seem quite dull in comparison. Tell friends and family to read it, but don't give ANYTHING away about the plot (I myself just bought the book and knew nothing about its contents) Let it unravel to them slowly. I'd like to talk about this book, so e-mail me!

If your skills as an actress could be developed you could become a star. I could develop these skills, but you won't submit to my instruction. What should I do to make you my attentive pupil? In "Vapor" the man faced with this problem kidnaps the would-be actress, holds her prisoner in a cell, and physically abuses her when she resists his tutoring process. She becomes a better actress, but does this end justify these means?

This is a strange book. I should state at the onset that I like black humor, but this novel simply dismayed me. While weaving a tale that hovers between reality and fantasy Ms Filipacchi adds additional trauma through revenge, murder by torture, and various psychological abuses. The book often has a light hearted, floating manner that frequently crashes under the jarring weight of the characters in their horrendous psychological or physical mistreatment of each other. One man in the book has his girl friend, a model, suffer through repeated plastic surgeries in order for her to attain physical perfection - an end which, to her dismay, she never achieves.

It's like a roadrunner cartoon where life sort of happily goes on despite frequent mauling of the participants. I find it hard to understand why women -or men- like this book. Holding a person prisoner in a cage against their will for months, and torturing them for not complying with one's wishes is, to me, a repellent theme. I would not have thought this to be a modern woman reader's fantasy, but yet this novel reaps acclaim from such an audience.

The quality of the writing? It's fine. AF has talent, but I wish she would change her psychological frame of mind.

Amanda Filipacchi's last book Nude Men led us to expect great things from her and we are not disappointed. She has skewered modern society and its quest for fame in a marvelously innovative way and told us a wonderfully entertaining story to boot.

This is a funny book, really, and I don't mean the heading of my review as a slight. But it really reads as a bit of Freudian wish fulfillment: the ostensibly kind parents who nevertheless communicate with swords, keeping each other at arms' length; the young woman who pierces ears and works a Xerox shop for a living, yet lives in a doorman building by herself, in Manhattan (!) -- sounds like Ms. Filipaachi hasn't had to worry about her rent for a while! And all that bit about Anna being held captive, repeatedly hurt, locked up in an ivory tower by a rich, aloof, amoral and sociopathic genius who she falls in love with. Amanda, darling, just what are you trying to say? Getting in touch with your psychological motivations for creating these bizarre and not very believable characters would have greatly helped me enjoy this book more. The author has a very big talent, but I would guess has lived quite a sheltered life, in a way that is not altogether good for her writing.

Amanda Filipacchi is GOD! I had been anxiously awaiting her next book after I read Nude Men in 93. It took 6 years...and it was worth it! Vapor is an enthrawling story that entangles unforgetable characters that poke you at your sides, producing hellish laughter and eye-widening horror. You simply won't want to put it down. Its like a delicious piece of chocolate...you want to save it but can't help taking little bites. I never wanted it to end.

If you like clever writing, mystery, quirky characters and unbelivable plot turns...you'll LOVE THIS BOOK! Hands down. ...A little hint: IF you ar going to read this, abstain from reading any excerpts, reviews, or plot-revealing literature! I swear it will make a difference in how you percieve this story.

KEEP WRITNG AMANDA. YOU ARE THE BEST.

Oh, man! This book awed me! Could Amanda Filipacchi be any wittier? There is a lot of physical and mental torture in this novel. Anna Graham and Damon Wetly is the weirdest couple I have ever read. Still, this book is incredibly fabulous! But it is not for everyone. Make sure you know what you're getting into when you purchase this book.

I marvel at Amanda Filipacchi's originality. Her ability to turn people's stomachs and made them laugh out loud at the same time makes her quite unique. Vapor is a totally bizarre novel. We are introduced to Anna Graham, a neurotic xerox copy shop worker and ear-piercer who wants to become the best actress in her time. However, she has a difficult time getting into a certain character. Thus, her acting professor tells her she is "herself too much." But in a twist of fate, Anna saves a strange man from dangerous muggers on a deserted subway station on the same day her acting professor tells her that it would be wise for her to switch career goals. Her life isn't the same after her automaton heroic act. Damon, the eccentric victim, decides to show his gratitude in a strange and disturbing way.

It is not easy to describe the twists and turns in this novel. There are far too many of them. The characters are all quirky, including Anna's fencing parents, her boyfriend-slash-stripper-slash-etiquette expert-slash-Weight Watchers guru and the drop dead gorgeous supermodel who's in love with him. There is a lot of magical realism here, mainly centered on Damon's experimentations with his invention of bonsai clouds and with a liquid solution that helps him float like one of his clouds (very strange scenes), making the story and the characters come across as caricature. But said things make Vapor unique. Amanda Filipacchi must be quite an interesting person. You will laugh, you will cry, you will cringe, but you will mostly laugh. Filipacchi is extremely witty. There are various aspects of literature in this novel: mystery, romance, thriller, and magical realism all rolled into one. This is the fourth time I reread this novel and it still enthralls me from beginning to end. I highly recommend this book. And don't forget to also pick up Filipacchi's debut novel called Nude Men! That one is just as bizarre as this one.

i can't believe these people are gone from my life!!i am so in love with these characters!i stayed up til 6am this morning reading the book,which i had gone through hell to purchase(no store in my area had it on their shelves)it has been a long time since a book has touched me like this and although the plot may lean toward the fanciful,it was SO real!the only anagram i could make from whiterose was otherwise-i think at one point damon may have asked anna to "act otherwise"when she was held captive.maybe he's telling her that instead of acting like he's dead,"act otherwise,"indicating to her that he's alive(in one way or another??)curiouser and curiouser...please,please,please continue writing wonderful books ms. filipacchi!(one a week would be good;-)

This book is wonderful- I couldn't put it down- read it all in one night. It's so funny, so smart, so...true-despite it's fanciful nature! Anna Graham is one of the best heroines I've read in years- beats the pants off of Bridget Jones! It reminded me of a more surreal version of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City books. The author writes in a very similar style. So many little details that all fit together. I just can't understand "Otherwise"...does anyone know what that refers to...I'm racking my brain... P.S. Can anyone recommend other books of this type...I loved it?