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Chuck Palahniuk

Fight Club Kindle Edition

by Chuck Palahniuk (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

5,727 ratings

Book 1 of 1: Fight Club Series

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Every weekend, in basements and parking lots across the country, young men with good white-collar jobs and absent fathers take off their shoes and shirts and fight each other barehanded for as long as they have to. Then they go back to those jobs with blackened eyes and loosened teeth and the sense that they can handle anything. Fight Club is the invention of Tyler Durden, projectionist, waiter and dark, anarchic genius. And it's only the beginning of his plans for revenge on a world where cancer support groups have the corner on human warmth.

Print length

221 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Vintage Digital
Publication date

November 30, 2011
File size

3642 KB
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Books In This Series (1 Books)

Complete Series

Fight Club Series

Kindle Edition

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1
Fight Club: A Novel
Chuck Palahniuk

(5,727)

Kindle Edition

$9.49

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The only person who gets called Ballardesque more often than Chuck Palahniuk is, well... J.G. Ballard. So, does Portland, Oregon's "torchbearer for the nihilistic generation" deserve that kind of treatment? Yes and no. There is a resemblance between Fight Club and works such as Crash and Cocaine Nights in that both see the innocuous mundanities of everyday life as nothing more than the severely loosened cap on a seething underworld cauldron of unchecked impulse and social atrocity. Welcome to the present-day U.S. of A. As Ballard's characters get their jollies from staging automobile accidents, Palahniuk's yuppies unwind from a day at the office by organizing bloodsport rings and selling soap to fund anarchist overthrows. Let's just say that neither of these guys are going to be called in to do a Full House script rewrite any time soon.

But while the ingredients are the same, Ballard and Palahniuk bake at completely different temperatures. Unlike his British counterpart, who tends to cast his American protagonists in a chilly light, holding them close enough to dissect but far enough away to eliminate any possibility of kinship, Palahniuk isn't happy unless he's first-person front and center, completely entangled in the whole sordid mess. An intensely psychological novel that never runs the risk of becoming clinical, Fight Club is about both the dangers of loyalty and the dreaded weight of leadership, the desire to band together and the compulsion to head for the hills. In short, it's about the pride and horror of being an American, rendered in lethally swift prose. Fight Club's protagonist might occasionally become foggy about who he truly is (you'll see what I mean), but one thing is for certain: you're not likely to forget the book's author. Never mind Ballardesque. Palahniukian here we come! --Bob Michaels --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Featuring soap made from human fat, waiters at high-class restaurants who do unmentionable things to soup and an underground organization dedicated to inflicting a violent anarchy upon the land, Palahniuk's apocalyptic first novel is clearly not for the faint of heart. The unnamed (and extremely unreliable) narrator, who makes his living investigating accidents for a car company in order to assess their liability, is combating insomnia and a general sense of anomie by attending a steady series of support-group meetings for the grievously ill, at one of which (testicular cancer) he meets a young woman named Marla. She and the narrator get into a love triangle of sorts with Tyler Durden, a mysterious and gleefully destructive young man with whom the narrator starts a fight club, a secret society that offers young professionals the chance to beat one another to a bloody pulp. Mayhem ensues, beginning with the narrator's condo exploding and culminating with a terrorist attack on the world's tallest building. Writing in an ironic deadpan and including something to offend everyone, Palahniuk is a risky writer who takes chances galore, especially with a particularly bizarre plot twist he throws in late in the book. Caustic, outrageous, bleakly funny, violent and always unsettling, Palahniuk's utterly original creation will make even the most jaded reader sit up and take notice. Movie rights to Fox 2000.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

From Booklist

In the world of Fight Club, healthy young people go to meetings of cancer support groups because only there can they find human warmth and compassion. It's a world where young men gather in the basements of bars to fight strangers "just as long as they have to." And it's a world where "nobody cared if he lived or died, and the feeling was fucking mutual." Messianic nihilist Tyler Durden is the inventor of Fight Club. Soon thousands of young men across the country are reporting to their work cubes with flattened noses, blackened eyes, and shattered teeth, looking forward to their next bare-knuckle maiming. The oracular, increasingly mysterious Durden then begins to harness the despair, alienation, and violence he sees so clearly into complete anarchy. Every generation frightens and unnerves its parents, and Palahniuk's first novel is gen X's most articulate assault yet on baby-boomer sensibilities. This is a dark and disturbing book that dials directly into youthful angst and will likely horrify the parents of teens and twentysomethings. It's also a powerful, and possibly brilliant, first novel. Thomas Gaughan --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

From Kirkus Reviews

Brutal and relentless debut fiction takes anarcho-S&M chic to a whole new level--in a creepy, dystopic, confrontational novel that's also cynically smart and sharply written. Palahniuk's insomniac narrator, a drone who works as a product recall coordinator, spends his free time crashing support groups for the dying. But his after-hours life changes for the weirder when he hooks up with Tyler Durden, a waiter and projectionist with plans to screw up the world--he's a ``guerilla terrorist of the service industry.'' ``Project Mayhem'' seems taken from a page in The Anarchist Cookbook and starts small: Durden splices subliminal scenes of porno into family films and he spits into customers' soup. Things take off, though, when he begins the fight club--a gruesome late-night sport in which men beat each other up as partial initiation into Durden's bigger scheme...This brilliant bit of nihilism succeeds where so many self- described transgressive novels do not: It's dangerous because it's so compelling. (First serial to Story) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

Review

"An astonishing debut . . . Fight Club is a dark, unsettling, and nerve-chafing satire."
― Seattle Times

"Fight Club offers diabolically sharp and funny writing."
― Washington Post Book World

"A powerful, dark, original novel . . . a memorable debut by an important new writer."
― Robert Stone --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

Review

"An astonishing debut ... Fight Club is a dark, unsettling, and nerve-chafing satire." --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From the Back Cover

Every weekend, in the basements and parking lots of bars across the country, young men with good white-collar jobs and absent fathers take off their shoes and shirts and fight each other barehanded just as long as they have to. Then they go back to those jobs with blackened eyes and loosened teeth and the sense that they can handle anything. Fight club is the invention of Tyler Durden, projectionist, waiter, and dark, anarchic genius, and it's only the beginning of his plans for revenge on a world where cancer support groups have the corner on human warmth. As the narrator of Fight Club puts it: "If people thought you were dying, they gave you their full attention". Where does Tyler Durden come from? Why do his violent schemes so capture the troubled, insomniac narrator? What events bring them to the roof of the world's tallest building, wired to explode in ten minutes? What will the end of the millennium feel like? Readers of Chuck Palahniuk's brilliantly apocalyptic and unnerving first novel are going to find out. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

About the Author

Chuck Palahniuk is the best-selling author of more than eighteen fictional works, including Fight Club, Invisible Monsters, Survivor, Choke, Lullaby, Diary, Haunted, Rant, Pygmy, Tell-All, Damned, Doomed, Beautiful You and The Invention of Sound. He lives in the Pacific Northwest. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

From The Washington Post

"Fight Club offers diabolically sharp and funny writing." --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From AudioFile

Palahniuk's bestselling debut novel, which was made into a movie starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton, is revisited with this rousing narration by Jim Colby. With such memorable past performances from the two Hollywood actors, the challenge of breathing new life into this story is immense. Happily, Jim Colby delivers a raw intensity that is spot-on for the twisted mind of the protagonist. As the evil Tyler Durden, Colby is astonishing, capturing every inch of the character's darkness while still projecting his sense of humor. The result is a performance that draws its inspiration from Palahniuk's well-crafted characters and not from the memorable acting roles most will remember upon starting the first track. L.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0060MBJCK
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage Digital; New Ed edition (November 30, 2011)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 30, 2011
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3642 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 221 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #126,959 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #337 in Dark Humor
- #710 in Self-Help & Psychology Humor
- #19,369 in American Literature (Books)

Customer Reviews:
5,727 ratings

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Chuck Palahniuk

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Chuck Palahniuk's nine novels are the bestselling Snuff, Rant, Haunted, Lullaby and Fight Club, which was made into a film by director David Fincher, Diary, Survivor, Invisible Monsters, and Choke, which was made into a film by director Clark Gregg. He is also the author of the non-fiction profile of Portland Fugitives and Refugees and the non-fiction collection Stranger Than Fiction. He lives in the Pacific Northwest.

Customer reviews

5 star		79%
4 star		13%
3 star		5%
2 star		1%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Compelling

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2018

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I'm a grandmother and watching the movie didn't appeal to me because I don’t like violence until two male friends and my son insisted I had to see it. I was completely drawn in, especially when the real relationship between the protagonist and Tyler was revealed. To me, it was more of a psychological story. The musings about consumerism, the downward spiral of the main character, the creation of something that spins out of control, and the followers willing to do anything to be part of something were fascinating. His complicated relationship with the only female character who confounds, irritates and draws him is woven into a brilliant story. So I had to read the book. It’s a little different and the ending is different. But I was as drawn in to the book as the film. I also enjoyed the Afterword, which gave some background to the creation and aftermath of this book. Great writing and a compelling plot.

81 people found this helpful

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We've All Seen the Movie...Here's Why you Should Read the Book

Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2018

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It was nearly impossible for a movie or television show to upstage the book. With Chuck Paluhniak’s “Fight Club,” it was definitely a close battle.

As usual, though, the original product won. Nothing against the movie, which is one of my favorites, but there is no way to inject the rawness of Mr. Paluhniuk’s prose into the entire film.

The writing contains the power of this book, a first-person tale of one man’s battle with the futility of a life that is good, just not good enough. The author brings us into the story just as the main character begins his fall into the rabbit hole, dragging the reader along. It is interesting that the main character never uses his name, though as a plot device this reinforces the characterization.

For those wondering if the book can pull off an ending that can compete with the movie, I can attest the final chapter is very satisfying and is one more reason to pick up the print version. Five well-deserved stars.

58 people found this helpful

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John Barber

Fight Club - Red Pills before Red Pills

Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2019

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Fight Club in 1997 was a book way ahead of its time. It was the beginning of blowback against material excess, what it means to be a Gen X man, and the big questions of, “Why are we doing what we do? Even after figuring that part out, why do we continue? What is the point?” It’s funny and satirical. It may not be 100% relatable for those not appreciating sarcasm. Even tougher, relating to the characters in this strange new world we all now inhabit. One of the many lessons of the book, you can’t make your own reality. Gen X tried. Boomers before us. The ether is starting to wear off our Millennial friends. Life has repercussions that affect others and ultimately society itself.

25 people found this helpful

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Michael Michelini

So I Have Watched The Movie 10+ Times - Still Enjoyed the book

Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2018

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It is true, the book is always better than the movie. Watching this movie in 1999 in New York City Theaters and I remember how much influence on my way of thinking, to challenge the hamster wheel, just as I was starting college.

Of course the book is way cooler after you watched the movie, as you have Brad Pitt in your head and the other amazing characters from the movie - honestly I am not sure how much I would have enjoyed the book if I didn’t already have the amazing visual experience from watching the video.

Yet by reading the book, you get so much more depth and feeling. Those quick 5 second clips in the movie now are written out in pages and you get the more granular feel of what is happening in Tyler and the character’s head (whose name we never know!).

The ending is different in the movie and the book - and I saw that in the review when deciding to invest in reading the book or not - and that alone is worth going through it.

What was surprising was how close the book and the movie are! Some of the exact lines are right from the book, and for the most part it is fairly straight along the the same storyline.

As Fight Club is one of my favorite movies of all time, I of course will enjoy the book and it gives a new angle and dimension - I should probably watch the movie (yes again) to more fully compare the book and movie.

20 people found this helpful

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Steve S.

A great read! Completely changed my Perspective!

Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2018

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The central idea of the novel, “Fight Club”, is that aggression is an expression of the repressed subversion of the individual against systematic violence in a society where economic exploitation of the section of society has become institutionalized. Indeed, this literary work has affective appeal and quintessence of portrayal since Chuck Palahniuk shows how violence can truly be liberating as an experience. This cult novel goes on to utilize plot, characters, setting so as to bring out the effect of the story and the portrayal. The author uses the theme of the novel to engage the audience and portrays the central content in the face of systematic violence of society. The author portrays duality of human existence via the characters and society so as to present the intertwined relationship between violence and peace.

“Fight Club” is one of the most significant works of literature that resonates in the minds of the readers with the sheer idea of radical societal transformation. This transformation could bring immense change in global society where people presently suffer from the economic hardships and economic system. The author goes on to intertwine the plot, characters and setting so as to manipulate the readers into getting totally engaged to the narrative of the story only to understand how radical the film is in its idea and portrayal of the potential of inner duality of a common man. The cinematic adaptation has only worked to popularize the work of art to the world audience transcending the barriers of culture and communities. Indeed, “Fight Club” is one of finest works of art that talks about societal issues, seeks the identity of the individual, and dares to empower the commoner to be subversive about the entire societal system that is in prevalence. The literary work is truly an exploration of human identity.

28 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Luke Dennison

It's not about fighting

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 8, 2019

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This is one of those books that had me constantly thinking "what is this really about"? Yes, it's about blokes that fight but it's not REALLY about that. Some reviewers Seem to think it's about the rise of the lad culture, or that only blokes will understand it, that the author hates women or some other (to me) strange theory. What I think I took from it was disillusionment, shallowness, consumerism, cynicism, angst, confusion, displacement, humour, love, religion.....and fighting, on he's and rules. So, just a few things. I think the important thing to remember it's that once this book, this story, the film didn't exist and that somebody thought about this in their imagination, and that is simply breathtaking when you think about it.

15 people found this helpful

Susan

Refreshingly original

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 7, 2021

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I watched the film and decided to get the book to try and better understand the character of Marla. I like the way it’s written to me it’s poetical it’s got a lyrical rhythmic nature to it. It’s short and fast moving single line paragraphs carefully crafted. One sentence paragraphs midway between prose and poetry.
“Marla said she wanted to get pregnant. Marla said she wanted to have Tyler’s abortion. “ (page 59) Fantastic. How original.
I read online that Marla “is a variant of the name Marlene, which comes from Mary Magdalene”.
“walking through the beaded wet car silence of streets where it’s just rained” (page 75) I just love it.
I think it’s easier to follow the book than it is to follow the film.

3 people found this helpful

Nathik

Buy it but dont talk about it!!

Reviewed in India on May 21, 2016

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I don't know what this book is about, sir!!

112 people found this helpful

Neil Lennon

You Must Not Write About Fight Club

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 5, 2014

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"Fight Club" has become a hugely influential book, examining what it is to be a modern man. It's theme of mankind being unhappy because they are suppressing natural instincts for violence will strike a chord with fans of the anthropologist Desmond Morris.

Many people will know of "Fight Club" because of the film with Ed Norton and Brad Pitt. The movie does an excellent job of capturing the story and much of the dialogue is taken from this book. In written form though you get further insight into the mind of the unnamed narrator and his views on the world.

As a novel "Fight Club" explores a number of themes as its narrator struggles to regain his sense of identity in the modern world. There are a number of scenes of fairly shocking violence and criminality as the novel tries to break away from societal norms. As such the movie has attracted some mindless fans of anarchistic behaviour but reading the novel you see that while not encouraging such behaviour in the context of the novel it seems entirely justified.

This is a really important novel for the 21st Century as the media around us continues to tell us who we are and how we should behave. "Fight Club" is not telling people to copy its standards of behaviour but it is saying that people should think for themselves and re-evaluate what is important in life.

I am Jack's profound sense of unease.

16 people found this helpful

Felicity Bookwise

Such unusual structure

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 11, 2019

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It’s impossible, having seen the film, not to constantly compare the two. Truth is, I really like both. Yet the story and characters come across so differently. My hesitation about it is only the following: Tyler is less defined, more vague than I’d have expected. There are a few plot holes in some of the details of how things really work, that you’d only know from working in a specialist field. And the final impetus in the story seems quite random and disconnected from all the other characters. That aside, it’s a great tale of self-loathing and unlike anything else out there.

3 people found this helpful

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