Thank you. It was hard to summarize, so I'm glad I managed! It is intimidating, but I made it one of my holiday goals, to force myself. And Yay, I'm so happy I did!
I commend you for reading this. I look at it on my shelf and I just walk away. At any moment did you find that this book was pretentious? Great review! It might be too creepy for me, but I'm going to try to get through it. Maybe I'll read it the month of October.
I've owned this book since christmas but haven't dared pick it up - you've convinced me - I shall read it in october :) I hope it doesn't take me too long to get through!
After watching this video I'm very tempted to pick it up. It's been gathering dust on my shelf for a while now, and although its monstrous size is a bit off-putting, I'm looking for something to really grip me to get me out of my current reading slump. Wish me luck!
My advice is read it in daylight and outside, that reduces some of the creepiness. I wasn't alone most of the time I read it ;) And now I'll go research Night Film, never heard of it!
I bought it a couple months ago, it is very intimidating though, I feel I need to be in a really determined mindset to even start this book, thank you so much for this review, now I am much more excited to read it!!
i'm so happy you did a review for this one! i do really want to read this someday, but i'm also a little afraid i won't understand it.. i do like weird and scary things though...
just about 20 pages left of this demon and I couldn't have picked a better time to read it than now. My mental health is in a constant flux. i'm getting better in a sence that my traumas are going away but my social anxiety is getting only worse. this book is reflecting my own psyche like a mirror. Other funny thing is that I haven't been able to read a book over 100 pages long for over a decade and this book felt now easier to read than any other book I've ever read.
Do, it does have these chapters where you only read analysis and it's difficult to keep reading, but after that something more interesting will happen. I do recommend thoroughly following all the footnotes, it breaks the drone of the analysis. The weirdness stays, though ;)
I am so interested and yet so terrified of this book lol. I loved Night Film which had that multimedia aspect and has been compared to House of Leaves. But I flipped through it in the store once and read a really disturbing letter. So I probably will face my fear and give it a shot because this was one fantastic review :).
For a while I was convinced Johnny was the young boy from the HouSE. The school fighting, the parental split, the death of his father. Was Zampano his father? Was Zampano Navy? At the end maybe not. Then again what was the truth? the whole thing was a lie. The HousE didn't exist, nor did Ash Tree Lane. But then it did. Johnnys hoUSe, didn't that not exist but a industrial yard did? Or didn't. Who was the editor. Who was P, was Johnny actually P with his yellow silky pills? I must admit I really didn't get freaked out by the house at all though, so it hasn't had that effect on me that some others have had reading it. Though I did Google the Navidson Report for videos! Was Gdansk man a minator constantly a threat creaping up on him?
@BenGRRR that is a new one, that Johnny might be Chad. Interesting! I think maybe Johnny was the baby at the end, and that his mother Pelafina wrote the book as part of her descent into madness with her grief and guilt. Where that leaves Zampano, IDK. The made-up old-age version of her husband / Johnny's father???
I have been thinking about reading this book for years, but have been so intimidated by the text format. It seems you enter this maze the narrator has created via the maze of writing format that the author has created! I've heard that the book is scary, which interests me very much. Your review was excellent, and I'm more determined than ever to read it!
I set out to get this of my shelf in my holidays, and it took half my holidays to read, haha. But such an achievement! I didn't feel it to be pretentious. I enjoyed how he kept mixing things and questioning his authors, and that there isn't anywhere a reference to M.Z.D., only on the title page. I think this was so well done! Not like Gould's book of fish - that was much more pretentious, written for writing's sake.
In some of those really long-ass footnotes that just list names, if you take the first letter of everyone's last name and write them down, there's a lot of nonsense but also it spells out Mark Z Danielewski at one point (I didn't do it, someone on Reddit did).
Thank you for doing this review. I heard amazing reviews on how creepy it is but I'm afraid I won't be able to understand it. But this book is definitely on my TBR :)
Great review! What do you think when Navidson is reading a book entitled House Of Leaves towards the end of the novel? Is this the same book the reader is holding?
@@1book1review He burned HoL to read it, yet we see in the appendix material some of the source notes for the book were burned... hmmmmmmmm. If Navidson and the movie don't exist, then it is ok for the book he is holding to be HoL, because it was a figment anyway. My question was, did Johnny exist and compile the book? Or is Johnny imaginary / dead too, and maybe Pelafina wrote the book.
I started reading it in 2011, gave-up. It caught my attention in 2012 so I started reading again and scared myself so bad! No joke, it is not bedtime reading. I made it a chapter past the first encounter with the Minotaur..... freaked-out.
Yeah, this will not get you back into reading. I had the feeling I was back at uni in my film classes, at times. And I'd lie if I said I payed attention to everything I read ;)
Danielewski (apparently) got a masters degree in film at USC right as I started undergrad there in an honors humanities program. While it may be true of all liberal arts colleges, I really was sometimes amazed at how pretentious people could get with their criticism of literary and film works. (I later switched to a science discipline). But I thought it was pretty funny how Danielewski is making a satire of literary / film criticism, yet his book is so enigmatic that here we all are, trying to find 50 meanings in it. Kind of like we're becoming part of his joke.
Thank you. It was hard to summarize, so I'm glad I managed! It is intimidating, but I made it one of my holiday goals, to force myself. And Yay, I'm so happy I did!
Better plan in some more time than usual, but yes, it's a perfect October book! Can't wait to hear your thoughts on it!
The size intimidated me, too, and it took longer to read than expected, but it's so worth it!
Will try although I don't well with creepy.
Well now that's a plug I can't ignore. Will try to start reading it in October. Halloween and stuff.... Thanks for the push!
I commend you for reading this. I look at it on my shelf and I just walk away. At any moment did you find that this book was pretentious? Great review! It might be too creepy for me, but I'm going to try to get through it. Maybe I'll read it the month of October.
Totally! Have you read any of his other works? Are they similar?
I've owned this book since christmas but haven't dared pick it up - you've convinced me - I shall read it in october :) I hope it doesn't take me too long to get through!
After watching this video I'm very tempted to pick it up. It's been gathering dust on my shelf for a while now, and although its monstrous size is a bit off-putting, I'm looking for something to really grip me to get me out of my current reading slump. Wish me luck!
Yes, it's a maze, but it felt so good to finish this big book! Plus I do love when books play with writing and reality like that!
My advice is read it in daylight and outside, that reduces some of the creepiness. I wasn't alone most of the time I read it ;)
And now I'll go research Night Film, never heard of it!
I bought it a couple months ago, it is very intimidating though, I feel I need to be in a really determined mindset to even start this book, thank you so much for this review, now I am much more excited to read it!!
Thanks for the warning, will do that!
I think you'll understand it. Whenever it got to scientific my mind blurred, too, but it doesn't stop you from getting the main gist!
i'm so happy you did a review for this one!
i do really want to read this someday, but i'm also a little afraid i won't understand it..
i do like weird and scary things though...
just about 20 pages left of this demon and I couldn't have picked a better time to read it than now. My mental health is in a constant flux. i'm getting better in a sence that my traumas are going away but my social anxiety is getting only worse. this book is reflecting my own psyche like a mirror. Other funny thing is that I haven't been able to read a book over 100 pages long for over a decade and this book felt now easier to read than any other book I've ever read.
There's nothing better than books coming to us at a perfect time in our life. Hang in there!
Do, it does have these chapters where you only read analysis and it's difficult to keep reading, but after that something more interesting will happen. I do recommend thoroughly following all the footnotes, it breaks the drone of the analysis.
The weirdness stays, though ;)
Good luck! Although I'm not sure if this is the best choice for a slump...but the achievement you'll feel after finishing it is high!
i picked it up just last wk at the library, it intreegs me but im not zure if ill ever read it. Great review xxx
I am so interested and yet so terrified of this book lol. I loved Night Film which had that multimedia aspect and has been compared to House of Leaves. But I flipped through it in the store once and read a really disturbing letter. So I probably will face my fear and give it a shot because this was one fantastic review :).
This book sits on my shelf and haunts me. I tried so hard to read it and got through chunks of it but just couldn't .... someday..... :)
It kept looking at me for some time, too. So I braced myself and took up the challenge. You'll get through it, too, someday :)
Perfect Halloween read!
For a while I was convinced Johnny was the young boy from the HouSE. The school fighting, the parental split, the death of his father. Was Zampano his father? Was Zampano Navy? At the end maybe not. Then again what was the truth? the whole thing was a lie. The HousE didn't exist, nor did Ash Tree Lane. But then it did. Johnnys hoUSe, didn't that not exist but a industrial yard did? Or didn't. Who was the editor. Who was P, was Johnny actually P with his yellow silky pills?
I must admit I really didn't get freaked out by the house at all though, so it hasn't had that effect on me that some others have had reading it. Though I did Google the Navidson Report for videos!
Was Gdansk man a minator constantly a threat creaping up on him?
Yes, that book just kept throwing things at you that had you question everything.
@BenGRRR that is a new one, that Johnny might be Chad. Interesting! I think maybe Johnny was the baby at the end, and that his mother Pelafina wrote the book as part of her descent into madness with her grief and guilt. Where that leaves Zampano, IDK. The made-up old-age version of her husband / Johnny's father???
I am really interested on this book and before this review I only heard bad comments about it, but now I'm really excited to get into it!
Oh thanks, I hope you enjoy the ride :)
I have been thinking about reading this book for years, but have been so intimidated by the text format. It seems you enter this maze the narrator has created via the maze of writing format that the author has created! I've heard that the book is scary, which interests me very much. Your review was excellent, and I'm more determined than ever to read it!
I set out to get this of my shelf in my holidays, and it took half my holidays to read, haha. But such an achievement!
I didn't feel it to be pretentious. I enjoyed how he kept mixing things and questioning his authors, and that there isn't anywhere a reference to M.Z.D., only on the title page. I think this was so well done! Not like Gould's book of fish - that was much more pretentious, written for writing's sake.
In some of those really long-ass footnotes that just list names, if you take the first letter of everyone's last name and write them down, there's a lot of nonsense but also it spells out Mark Z Danielewski at one point (I didn't do it, someone on Reddit did).
Give it a go, it is an adventure!
Haha, I know that problem!
that's good to know :)
I'm reading it now! My mind is blown.
Thank you for doing this review. I heard amazing reviews on how creepy it is but I'm afraid I won't be able to understand it. But this book is definitely on my TBR :)
Great review!
What do you think when Navidson is reading a book entitled House Of Leaves towards the end of the novel? Is this the same book the reader is holding?
I had that same thought, but couldn't come to a decision as my brain started to smoke trying to wrap around it. What's your take on it?
1book1review Probably is :)
@@1book1review He burned HoL to read it, yet we see in the appendix material some of the source notes for the book were burned... hmmmmmmmm. If Navidson and the movie don't exist, then it is ok for the book he is holding to be HoL, because it was a figment anyway. My question was, did Johnny exist and compile the book? Or is Johnny imaginary / dead too, and maybe Pelafina wrote the book.
@@katietatey oh, that's an idea. Unfortunately it's been to long since I read it to have good answer.
I expect I'll find it difficult to review! haha
I started reading it in 2011, gave-up. It caught my attention in 2012 so I started reading again and scared myself so bad! No joke, it is not bedtime reading. I made it a chapter past the first encounter with the Minotaur..... freaked-out.
Totally! I read most of it in a busy coffee shop in the middle of the day!
It can be rather confusing at times. Hope one day you'll be brave enough to pick it up!
I've always wanted to read this but always end up buying something else instead of this one.
That's funny, I read this book last October and thought it was the perfect book to read at the time haha... It must be a universal thing
Yeah, this will not get you back into reading. I had the feeling I was back at uni in my film classes, at times. And I'd lie if I said I payed attention to everything I read ;)
Danielewski (apparently) got a masters degree in film at USC right as I started undergrad there in an honors humanities program. While it may be true of all liberal arts colleges, I really was sometimes amazed at how pretentious people could get with their criticism of literary and film works. (I later switched to a science discipline). But I thought it was pretty funny how Danielewski is making a satire of literary / film criticism, yet his book is so enigmatic that here we all are, trying to find 50 meanings in it. Kind of like we're becoming part of his joke.
:)
I thought the footnotes were hilarious.
agreed!