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"'It's always fun to take a journey inside her extraordinary Belgian brain.' Dan Rhodes"
Book Description
A satirical take on reality TV, from the enfant terrible of French literature.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is an incredible novella. Think Albert Camus meets Primo Levi, writing about 'Big Brother'.
The book's very premise is so horrifying, so obscene that I stopped for about ten minutes on page 12 to decide whether to continue, or whether to fling it into the wastebin. But the latter simply wasn't an option.
But as a comment on humanity, and on certain aspects of the times in which we live, it is amazing.
One minor gripe: the UK publishers use a quote from Dan Rhodes (himself an excellent novellist) talking about reading Nothomb as being 'fun'. That's the last word I'd use to describe this piece, despite its overall cynicsm and the occasional moment of astonishingly black comedy.
An absolute must-read.
The book's very premise is so horrifying, so obscene that I stopped for about ten minutes on page 12 to decide whether to continue, or whether to fling it into the wastebin. But the latter simply wasn't an option.
But as a comment on humanity, and on certain aspects of the times in which we live, it is amazing.
One minor gripe: the UK publishers use a quote from Dan Rhodes (himself an excellent novellist) talking about reading Nothomb as being 'fun'. That's the last word I'd use to describe this piece, despite its overall cynicsm and the occasional moment of astonishingly black comedy.
An absolute must-read.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the only Amélie Nothomb book I've ever read, so I can't really say whether it's better than her other books or not. I bought this book out of curiosity, because I'd seen Amélie Nothomb at a book signing in my hometown of Lille and wanted to finally find out what the big deal was about her.
'Acide Sulfurique' is disturbing to say the least, with a real-TV show based on concentration camps and candidates having to survive. I read it a long time ago, but I remember finishing it within an hour or so and even though I was not that impressed with Nothomb's writing, I found the topic interesting as far as our society is concerned. What we see on television is getting more and more obscene, and the human race never seems to learn its lesson. So could something so horrible ever happen? I think it is a thought-provoking book and it makes you question yourself and our world's ideology. And a book that makes you think can never be so bad.
'Acide Sulfurique' is disturbing to say the least, with a real-TV show based on concentration camps and candidates having to survive. I read it a long time ago, but I remember finishing it within an hour or so and even though I was not that impressed with Nothomb's writing, I found the topic interesting as far as our society is concerned. What we see on television is getting more and more obscene, and the human race never seems to learn its lesson. So could something so horrible ever happen? I think it is a thought-provoking book and it makes you question yourself and our world's ideology. And a book that makes you think can never be so bad.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Really more of a short story than a novel but one in which the author manages to cram more ideas into the 120 odd pages than some others manage in a whole series of books. First published in 2005 the subject matter of reality television is extremely modern but the feel of the story seems to owe more to the writing of the likes of George Orwell, Primo Levi and Alexander Solzhenitsyn.
The initial concept is deliberately shocking and all to easy to believe but the writers real strength is in her ability to create such intense characters and situations with the minimum of words. You get very little information on the majority of the characters, in most cases you don't even get their names only their designated number, but they are all extremely recognisable.
The very shortness of the book is however where its main weakness lies. All these fantastic characters, ideas and possibilities just aren't developed and there is a certain disappointment associated with this. What you are left with however is a modern cautionary fable that is guaranteed to make you think.
The initial concept is deliberately shocking and all to easy to believe but the writers real strength is in her ability to create such intense characters and situations with the minimum of words. You get very little information on the majority of the characters, in most cases you don't even get their names only their designated number, but they are all extremely recognisable.
The very shortness of the book is however where its main weakness lies. All these fantastic characters, ideas and possibilities just aren't developed and there is a certain disappointment associated with this. What you are left with however is a modern cautionary fable that is guaranteed to make you think.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Sulphuric alkali?
A large number of people are randomly incarcerated and their lives in a specially created death camp are televised for the viewing public in the latest reality TV project: working... Read more
Published 9 days ago by neverendings
Unreality TV
Sulphuric Acid is positively bubbling over with ideas.
A TV company has decided to recreate a concentration camp and populate it with prisoners. Read more
A TV company has decided to recreate a concentration camp and populate it with prisoners. Read more
Published 4 months ago by MisterHobgoblin
Sulphuric acid
not quite what i was expecting after i chose this book when reccomended by a friend. Interesting, but slightly depressing, sometimes a hard read if it isnt quite what you are... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Millyyy
a disappointment
A disappointment - given the enthusiasm of other Amazon reviewers and the other Nothomb books I have read (The Life of Hunger, Fear and Trembling), I had expected more. Read more
Published on 28 Aug 2009 by William Jordan
Tremendous
The idea of 'Big Brother'-type shows developing a lust for blood to satiate the audience is one that has been done often enough - from "Battle Royale" to 2000ad's Judge Dredd it's... Read more
Published on 25 Mar 2008 by Davywavy2
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