Mark Z. Danielewski: House Of Leaves

[Stewart]

I've just ordered it.

[Crystal]

Originally Posted by Stewart

I've just ordered it.

you are funny, seriously.


As for the topic:House of leaves

The book was said to have touches of Borges and Joyce.

one at here, and one you need to find by yourself

[Martin]

Thanks, Watercrystal, for that great link. I loved the book as is, but apparently I completely missed a boatload of codes, which were lost in translation. Now I have a way of tracking them down.

Again, thanks.

Cheers

[Stewart]

I've been reading this on and off on the train in the morning and I'm enjoying bits of it. I like Zampano's story about The Navidson Record but the character of Johnny Truant is boring me to tears.

So, while reading about this never ending staircase and camping out somewhere in their house I am continually drawn back to this annoying character who talks incessantly about humping strippers and taking drugs without adding much, thus far at least, to the actual story.

Does he get any better? I'm not far off the section where the pages are a mish-mash of (what looks like) clippings - probably Zampano's.

[pwilson]

Sorry to tell you this but I didn't feel like his character got any better at all. Like you said, he was a huge and annoying distraction from what could have been a pretty good story. I though certain scenes of that book were completely mesmerizing but unfortunately it seemed like the author was so worried about being edgy and gritty that he lost his focus.

[Martin]

For what it's worth ..

For me the Truant parts were the least enjoyable parts of the book. They detracted too much from the main story.

That said, I found the book as a whole utterly fascinating. The intriguing story coupled with that odd layout was really really creepy - one of the few books I've read that was really scary in parts.

Cheers

[igkuk7]

Yeah, I agree. The guy got very annoying. Especially when he started rambling on for several pages. All I wanted to know about was the house. I suppose he added a lot to the story as these sidetracks built up the tension for when you finally got back into the house.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. Very twisted and complex with a lot of unanswered questions. That how I like my books, and my movies too.

[bethm]

Hi!
I thought this was a brilliant book - came across it by accident in the library the cover just attracted me,
agree Martin this was one of only 2 books which have ever genuinely creeped me out so's I had to take a deep breath before reading on!(the other was Stephen King's The Langoliers)

beth

[SHorn]

I started reading this book about 2 months ago and had to take a break. Understanding the story while referring to pages about another story and then the footnotes. I read up to page 90 and then read the notes from Johnny's mother...and then stopped. I don't think I was ready. Hopefully I'll be able to start it again next month.

[scooter13]

Glad to see that I am not the only won with a love-hate relationship with this book. I loved the "Navidson Report" part and literally stopped reading the "Johnny Truant" part.

I really liked the "documentary" feel of this and the idea of a movie being made of it. It gave it a scary-thriller feel, without scaring the heck out of me. Very cool idea.

[tommydarascal]

Hi everyone!

A book was recommended to me called 'House of Leaves'. They said it was scary but more of a physcological horror. I'm thinking about buying it, and if anybody here has read it please could you tell me if it is good or not?!

Thanks,

tommydarascal

[StillILearn]

Who wrote it, tommy?

(If you go up to the "Search" feature and type that title in, you will see some comments on a book by that name. is it the same one?)

[tommydarascal]

It is written by Mark Z. Danielwski (spelling?). Thanks for the tip on the 'search' feature I never knew it was there, the book mentioned on some of the forums is the one I am talking about.

Thanks!

tommydarascal

[corneggs]

I heard it was a good scary book too.

I want to buy it, but
a) is this book worth buying?
b) if yes, is it worth it to buy it in softcover ($20) or hardcover (and extra $20-->$40.)?

I really need to make a decision. Thanks!
And no, I don't want to buy a used copy.

[Libra6Poe]

It really is a great book! Personally, I would buy the hard cover if you don't mind the weight. I own the paperback and it started to tear. :(

Other threads on this
here
and here
and here