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The Rules of Attraction

3.67 of 5 stars 3.67 · rating details · 18,993 ratings · 700 reviews

Set at a small, affluent liberal-arts college in New England at the height of the Reagan 80s, The Rules of Attraction is a startlingly funny, kaleidoscopic novel about three students with no plans for the future--or even the present--who become entangled in a curious romantic triangle. Bret Easton Ellis trains his incisive gaze on the kids at self-consciously bohemian Camd...more

Paperback, 283 pages

Published June 30th 1998 by Vintage (first published 1987)

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Aug 04, 2011 mark monday rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: time-to-come-of-age

Ellis is one of those authors that seems to grow in stature as time marches on. i see him on so many Favorite Author lists and i just have to roll my eyes a bit. personally, he'll always be the author i laughed at on a regular basis: hilariously pretentious and embarrassingly convinced that pretension equals depth. American Psycho? sorry, the film version was a better portrait of capitalist consumerism and had the intelligence to re-route the author's misogyny so that it existed solely within th...more

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Jun 12, 2007 Brooke rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: someone looking for a little dark comedy

Shelves: 2007, general-fiction

Although I've always intended to read Ellis' American Psycho, I read this book today in an entirely unintended way (my Little's fiance brought two books with him to Ohio State University's graduation ceremony and he let me borrow the one he wasn't reading). It's definitely a very interesting book, from its purpose to the way it's executed.

The Rules of Attraction mainly follows three members of a love triangle - Lauren, Paul, and Sean - while fleshing out the story with some interjections from ot...more Although I've always intended to read Ellis' American Psycho, I read this book today in an entirely unintended way (my Little's fiance brought two books with him to Ohio State University's graduation ceremony and he let me borrow the one he wasn't reading). It's definitely a very interesting book, from its purpose to the way it's executed.

The Rules of Attraction mainly follows three members of a love triangle - Lauren, Paul, and Sean - while fleshing out the story with some interjections from other characters. It takes place during one semester of college, although going to class takes up very little of the students' time. They're mainly concerned with getting laid, high, and drunk. It's extremely different from any other sort of teen comedy, since characters in movies such as Van Wilder or American Pie are generally pretty likable and often experience poignant moments during their depravity. Lauren, Paul, Sean, and their classmates seem to operate on one level - extreme narcissism. The characters' differences in perspective about the same events sharply highlights how self-absorbed and unable to connect with anyone they are. Everyone is madly in love with someone (and that 'someone' changes weekly), but no one ever talks, and beauty and fuckability are tantamount to being loved. At the end of the novel, each character notes that he or she hasn't changed, which flies in the face of normal fiction, where characters are dynamic and their journeys serve a purpose. Major events - abortions, a suicide, the death of one parent and the divorce of another - have absolutely no effect on these people.

This complete unlikability might leave the reader turned off, but the way Ellis handles it redeems it. An unsubtle reading of it might miss the dark humor (which none of the characters are aware of, of course). Ellis seems to be both mocking and mourning the characters as he writes about them, and the fact that Camden College is modeled on his own college suggests he's commenting on things he witnessed firsthand.

Two notes - the book both starts and stops in the middle of sentences (which threw me when I opened it, convinced it was a misprint), and Sean's older brother Patrick pops up later as the main character in the well-known American Psycho. (less)

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Mar 20, 2007 John rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Another reader mentions that this book has no center, I'd say he's on target and that it may have been intentional. I enjoyed it. I reads like 20 somethings who are trying hard to be everything they aren't as they try on different attitudes, life philosophies, designer drugs, sexualities. High school and college years tend to spin by too quickly and are remembered in spurts like the friendships made, the crushes that came and went, the crisis of the moment that pales in comparison to anything pr...more

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Mar 04, 2009 Joe rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: college students

This was my introduction into the world of Bret Easton Ellis, and I fell hopelessly in love.
I couldn't believe that someone could put together a written work, which not only emanates the characters hyper-sexed-over-zealous-self-conscious-unaware-searching-for-love-not-knowing sadness, but uses language to reinforce its themes. It would seem confusing, but at my first read, it was what I was feeling at that moment (minus the drugs, those came later). Rules of Attraction, at its base, is a novel a...more

11 likes · like · see review

Jan 10, 2009 Christina Stind rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: peders-books, 2009, fiction

And here I thought all New England had to brag about is the Patriots - turns out they have some really happening colleges - or at least had in the 80s, where Brett Easton Ellis' story of sex, drugs, rape, abortion and suicide takes place.
The story is told from a lot of different perspectives, but mainly we follow Lauren, Paul and Sean. Lauren, who has dated Paul but after Paul and Sean are no long dating, dates Sean - but still they all 'see' other people. In the beginning, it's hard to figure o...more

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Oct 16, 2011 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars

The following is a true story.

I was staying over at the boy's house. We were post-coital and all of a sudden he remembered he had to go to a friend's house and party with him for four hours. I opted to wait for him in his bedroom. This was uncommon because whatever, it was just sex, we didn't wait around for each other. But I was in between places, so I didn't have much of a choice. I went down to the kitchen and found The Rules of Attraction on the stove. I opened it up in the middle while eati...more

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Jul 18, 2008 Catkinson82 rated it 1 of 5 stars

This is the most depressing, nasty book I've read in a long time. I read it all in one go last night, since I have a hard time not finishing books once I start them, but I couldn't stand the thought of having to come back to it. There may be some literary merit to the book that I can't appreciate it because I'm so repulsed by the characters, but I rather doubt it. The book certainly captures the complete lack of affect and total self-absorption of the characters, as well as the compulsive, endle...more This is the most depressing, nasty book I've read in a long time. I read it all in one go last night, since I have a hard time not finishing books once I start them, but I couldn't stand the thought of having to come back to it. There may be some literary merit to the book that I can't appreciate it because I'm so repulsed by the characters, but I rather doubt it. The book certainly captures the complete lack of affect and total self-absorption of the characters, as well as the compulsive, endless consumption without any enjoyment or desire, which characterized a certain set in the 80's. The description of shared events changes from narrator to narrator because they are all flattering themselves and are thoughtless of others. The narrators almost never describe the setting, the reader gets almost no picture of Camden college, because it doesn't matter to these idiots. Beauty, nature, architecture would fail to move them at all. (Victor's trip through Europe is a prime example of this) Also, everybody they know already knows Camden back to front. The college is taken utterly for granted, certainly has nothing to do with learning, it is just the faded backdrop for their repetitive evenings of drinking and screwing each other. Nobody really has real friends; they aimlessly, reasonlessly do things that should hurt their friends, but the friends don't really care about anything either, so no one is hurt. They are all numb. As a few of them say, "Nobody ever knows anybody." Nobody has goals or direction, no one even gets anywhere by accident, nobody has any hope. They don't even really care if they live or die, as evidenced by the casual attempts at suicide now and again.
The fact that there is even the barest trace of a resemblance between my life and the lives of these characters is deeply disturbing. I can't imagine wanting to read this book, if my life was like this, and I can't imagine wanting to read this book if my life was (thankfully) nothing like this. It's all just too ugly.(less)

6 likes · like · see review

Mar 24, 2013 Misal rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2013, read-with-caution

At first glance, this book is pointless. It's an endless loop of drugs, sex, and parties. It has no plot, it begins and ends in the middle of a sentence, there are too many characters strewn about, too many labels, too many songs, too many places. You finish the book and for a moment you think 'wait - what? That's it?' but you realize yes, that is, in fact, 'it'. The apathy Ellis invokes in his readers, shows in his characters, is still masterfully done. He breezes past topics like suicide and a...more

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 18, 2011 Antonia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, modern-favourites

my particular edition came with several quotes from reviewers on the cover and back. one of them said it was inspired and a wonderfully comic novel and another that the book was a tour of the heart of darkness.
let's say i lean more toward the second quote. i found it deeply disturbing. the mindlessness and vacuousness of the characters makes me very unsettled and unhappy indeed. their lives revolve around sex and drugs. period. nothing more. stuff just happens, it just flows... life, death, all...more

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Jun 24, 2008 H.nauen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I admit it. I first saw the movie version of Rules of Attraction because I had a thing for Ian Somerhalder. I know, I know. But now that I've seen it, and consequently read it immediately after viewing, I love it for its true literary qualities! I'm one of you now =]

Anyway, I still love and read this book constantly. The characters inspire such mixed feelings of disgust, annoyance, and pity. They're not perfect (far from it) but whenever you think that Sean can't get any more shallow or caustic,...more

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Jan 10, 2008 Patrick rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People who loved and miss the 80s

I loved the Roger Avary film version of this book, so I felt like I owed it to myself to read it. That said, the two are very, very different, and as much as it pains the book snob in me to say it, the movie was far superior. Maybe it's because the setting of the book (the mid-80s) feels so obviously dated, or because the characters seem so schizophrenic, but I just felt like the movie was a little more...real.

Honestly, it probably hurt to have gone into the book having seen the film many, many...more

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Mar 11, 2008 Charity rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Gen X and Ellis fans

Shelves: wtf

Hmmm. I'm not sure what I expected from the book, except that I had seen the movie a few years back and that the intertwining of the characters was very interesting. However, the movie veers very far from the book.

The Rules of Attraction is more or less an homage to the 80s. It is set at a small liberal arts college (Camden) in New England and centers around three main characters, Lauren, Sean, and Paul, with occasional side character POV used to flesh out the story. The characters are pretty on...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 17, 2009 Ashley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite

One of the best books on insight ever written. The setting makes this book even more pleasurable-a college campus in the 80s. We've all contemplated simple questions like "Does my best friend secretly hate me?" or "Does my boyfriend think about someone else when he's sleeping with me?". This book makes your insides squirm with embarrassment in the most hilarious form. There's so many great things about this book-the ending, the graphic sex scenes and how Victor is really a boring piece of shit....more

5 likes · like · see review

Jun 01, 2013 Shirley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: bad-romance, books-turned-movies, contains-boyfriend, favorites, fucking-love-triangles, look-at-your-life-choices

To be perfectly honest, I only read this book because I saw the movie adaptation (and I watched the movie only for Ian Somerhalder...I know, I know) and got wrapped up in the story and the characters. Because the book is better than the movie 99.9% of the time, I had to get my hands on the book. So here we are.

I have to wonder if I would feel differently about the book if I hadn't seen the movie because the movie was a sort of primer for the book, at least for me. Even so, I would get confused a...more To be perfectly honest, I only read this book because I saw the movie adaptation (and I watched the movie only for Ian Somerhalder...I know, I know) and got wrapped up in the story and the characters. Because the book is better than the movie 99.9% of the time, I had to get my hands on the book. So here we are.

I have to wonder if I would feel differently about the book if I hadn't seen the movie because the movie was a sort of primer for the book, at least for me. Even so, I would get confused about what was happening and who it was happening to while reading and have to re-read a passage or two. However, I wouldn't let that discourage me from reading it (nor should you let it discourage you!). Anyway, the point being, there are a lot of differences between the written story and the film adaptation, but the spirit remains the same.

I love that the book begins and ends in the middle of a sentence. Ellis makes interesting writing choices which I think makes sense for the characters he portrays. While the switching back and forth between character POVs can get confusing, I enjoyed seeing how different characters viewed the same situation and how easy it is for them to misunderstand each other's words and actions while in drug-induced hazes. That, to me, is one of the best things about the writing. It is also very real. There is even a passage all in French and then there are the unlabeled passages voicing the thoughts of the girl who wrote those notes to Sean. All of it seems to underscore what Lauren tells Sean and then Sean tells Paul: we can never know each other.

The Rules of Attraction is a book (and movie) that seems to divide people into two camps - they either really really love it or really really hate it. I love it. The writing is masterful in creating a feeling of apathy and malcontent. Ellis builds a college campus setting that feels real and embodies the general attitudes of a select slice of life belonging to disconnected substance-abusing college students of an era. It feels like Camden College could be a real place, but at the same time, you are grateful that it is fictional because hardly any of the students are likeable.

I have a hard time reading books where the characters are loathsome and unrelateable. Yet, even though the main characters in the story are terrible and self-absorbed, I felt a sense of camaraderie. I may not get high off of cough syrup, sex up everyone I meet, and skip class all the time, but I get it. I can see why Lauren would be all "woe is me" about Victor and then end up sleeping with Sean despite not liking him. I can see how Sean got to become as caustic and reckless as he is. Mostly though, I love Paul. He is as shallow as the rest, but I love him anyway.

Rock 'n roll. Deal with it.(less)

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Apr 03, 2013 Scott Patrick rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read this book after reading American Psycho and really liking it. Much like how American Psycho captures the ennui and emptiness of the vapid yuppie lifestyle, The Rules of Attraction deals with the hollow hedonism and pretentiousness of college kids at a small liberal arts school in New England. While I cannot relate to this sort of college experience (having gone to a Southwestern state school where the parties were more beer and football than cocaine and orgies), I am now a graduate studen...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Matthew Legaspi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ellis displays his engaging and captivating stream of consciousness writing. He speaks through the thoughts of varied characters in a college where self-absorbed, bohemian students find themselves in more parties than classrooms, and sex and drugs run rampant. “The Rules of Attraction” offers a dark and satirical take on the upper-middle-class college student culture. Set in the fictional college town of Camden, New Hampshire, the novel is narrated in first-person by the sexually students, in pa...more Ellis displays his engaging and captivating stream of consciousness writing. He speaks through the thoughts of varied characters in a college where self-absorbed, bohemian students find themselves in more parties than classrooms, and sex and drugs run rampant. “The Rules of Attraction” offers a dark and satirical take on the upper-middle-class college student culture. Set in the fictional college town of Camden, New Hampshire, the novel is narrated in first-person by the sexually students, in particular, revolving around three: Paul, Sean, and Lauren. The novel begins and ends in mid-sentence, giving the impression that there is really no beginning and end to the story. The reader was just there for the ride, passing like a tourist through Camden and glancing sideways into their lives.

“The Rules of Attraction” is fundamentally a story that studies the rules of attraction that exist between affluent students in a college town. Plot is unnecessary. The traditional aspects of stories are accessories. The important stuff is in the questions that are asked: Who will you hook up with tonight? What are you going to wear at the party? How do you get laid here? Who do we need to see to get drugs? Through satire and dark comedy, Ellis portrays the corruption of youth and the discrepancy between reality and fiction. This exaggerated and distorted manner in showcasing campus life hones the reader’s awareness to these particular realities.

The portrait of campus life for these students is heavily aided by the shifting first-person which illustrates the varying priorities that are juggled throughout the year and paints events from multiple angles. The reader’s interpretation is an essential part of understanding the story. Paul’s narratives focus on his sexual encounters with Sean, while Sean leaves them out entirely in his, leaving the actuality of their occurrence ambiguous. These uncertain passages give weight to the novel and force the readers to perceive the development of the characters.
Bret Easton Ellis does a fantastic job in displaying a segment of society that perhaps many readers are not a part of, if they even knew existed. He creates characters that are selfish, nihilistic, world-weary, experimental, callous, and narcissistic. He does it without batting an eye. They are interesting to watch and study, but I don’t think I’d invite them over for dinner.(less)

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Oct 07, 2012 Kayla rated it 4 of 5 stars

I overall really enjoyed this book, though it’s not necessarily a book which one “enjoys”. I have read one other Ellis book, Less Than Zero, and wasn't a huge fan so I was unsure about reading a second, but I’m glad that I did. Although the characters are still one dimensional, static, and honestly quite unlikable I have come to terms with this in his writing, and of course I get that he’s trying to prove a point with it. This is actually an aspect I felt worked particularly in Rules of Attract...more I overall really enjoyed this book, though it’s not necessarily a book which one “enjoys”. I have read one other Ellis book, Less Than Zero, and wasn't a huge fan so I was unsure about reading a second, but I’m glad that I did. Although the characters are still one dimensional, static, and honestly quite unlikable I have come to terms with this in his writing, and of course I get that he’s trying to prove a point with it. This is actually an aspect I felt worked particularly in Rules of Attraction. Paul is “in love” with Sean who is “in love” with Lauren who is “in love” with Victor who barely remembers they had a relationship. And all are fucking each other. They also see their interactions with each other completely differently. The thing which stands out to me the most here is how Paul is completely infatuated with Sean who he has been sleeping with, while in Sean’s point of view he mentions Paul in passing maybe twice. It was an interesting satirical view on how people really see each other in completely different ways and are inherently self-absorbed.

Ellis is very good at using different writing devices in this book. For one both the beginning and end of this book start and end in the middle of a sentence so at the beginning I actually stopped to check that my library copy didn't have a few pages missing. (This made me smile a bit because that was how I thought The Fault in Our Stars by John Green was going to end.) Also there is a French student who claims to be in love with Lauren, and at one point Ellis put a chapter in his point of view completely in French. Then there is a blank chapter and a chapter in Clay from Less Than Zeros point of view which I really appreciated him incorporating. Especially considering how in that book it never even states specifically where he went to school, except for the fact that it was in New Hampshire.

Now back to the characters callous attitudes which I briefly referenced. I know a lot of people find this aspect of the story to be somewhat disturbing how they can look at things like abortion, suicide, and death and still be completely monopolized by their own problems and barely think about these other things. Though this may be exaggerated, Ellis was making a true statement, people may empathize and in some cases even sympathize with others, but that’s barely a blip on their radar. At the end of the day, our own problems are what we are generally thinking about as we go to sleep at night. I also liked how the characters so easily became convinced they were in love when they clearly weren't. From how these characters are perceived and how they treat their family and friends you get the feeling they aren't completely capable of love.

I wouldn't recommend this book, or any of Ellis’s books, to everybody. If you are looking for a nice, light, fun read, his books are not for you. They aren't a form of escapism, but if you want a thought provoking social commentary, it may be just the thing you are looking for. Also they are very raw and he doesn't hold back so I wouldn't recommend them for anybody who can’t handle strong material. Read at your own risk.
(less)

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Sep 14, 2012 k rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this over the summer because it was the only English-language book I could find in Hungary. It wasn't my first by Ellis (I'd read American Psycho and Lunar Park), but it definitely became my favourite.

I carried this book constantly in my bag for over a month, reading short passages on the bus or tram or while waiting for someone. Still it was always easy to get back into the book, probably easier than if I had tried to read it in one sitting. It's been written in such a frantic, momentary...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Kira rated it 3 of 5 stars

Overall, I found The Rules of Attraction painfully honest, and consequently bleak. (I read it in less than six hours, so this whole post comes with the stipulation that I enjoyed it.) I wasn’t personally as promiscuous or chemically open-minded in college as the characters in Ellis’ novel, but then again I went to a Jesuit school—where every year the pro-life club put up dozens of tiny crosses with baby shoes to represent all the aborted fetuses—so maybe there wasn’t room for all that sexing and...more

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Jul 13, 2012 Maddy rated it 2 of 5 stars

I read this in high school as it went through a group of my friends. And I watched the movie and then I didn't think much of it for about 10 years. So when I picked it up this spring at a library book sale, I had fuzzy but fond memories of the book.

Or so I thought. I think I have fuzzy but fond memories of the movie, because the book is a slow decent into madness. Its confusing and jumbled.

The story is told from the perspectives of each of the characters so you see some of the same events happe...more

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Mar 19, 2012 Justin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Rules of Attraction was the first book I've read by Bret Easton Ellis. I had heard mixed reviews on Ellis's writing prior to this, and I finally decided to see for myself whether or not I would like it. I chose The Rules of Attraction because I had seen the movie years ago and had liked it, but couldn't remember any of the details. While I wasn't overly impressed by the writing I still found myself drawn into the lives of these characters, and read compulsively until I was finished. The thre...more

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Sep 22, 2011 Taimi added it

On aika kammottavaa, että vuonna 2007 käännetyllä mutta vuonna 1985 kirjoitetulla (? tai ainakin 1987 julkaistulla) Breat Easton Ellisin kirjalla on sama suomennettu nimi kuin sillä inhottavalla komedialla jota Julianne Moore ja Pierce Brosnan aikoinaan tähdittivät. Ja hitot... Onko se edes inhottava leffa, en ole nähnyt. Mutta onkohan rinnakkaisuus nimien välillä jotenkin tarkoituksellista? Kenties ironista? Vai vain sattumaa? Kirjan alkuperäinen nimi on kuitenkin "The rules of attraction", kää...more On aika kammottavaa, että vuonna 2007 käännetyllä mutta vuonna 1985 kirjoitetulla (? tai ainakin 1987 julkaistulla) Breat Easton Ellisin kirjalla on sama suomennettu nimi kuin sillä inhottavalla komedialla jota Julianne Moore ja Pierce Brosnan aikoinaan tähdittivät. Ja hitot... Onko se edes inhottava leffa, en ole nähnyt. Mutta onkohan rinnakkaisuus nimien välillä jotenkin tarkoituksellista? Kenties ironista? Vai vain sattumaa? Kirjan alkuperäinen nimi on kuitenkin "The rules of attraction", käännös siis ei ole suora mutta varsin osuva silti.

Lainasin tämän äidin hyllystä. Äiti ei kuulemma jaksanut lukea tätä loppuun. En ihmettele. Tänä sijoittuu taidecollegeen ja on kaiketi lähinnä nuoria kiinnostavaa kamaa kuunnella naimisesta, ryyppäämisestä ja huumeista. Ehkä siihen tiettyyn ikään mennessä väsyy. Tämä on Ellisin ensimmäinen romaani, ja kuulemma edelleen hänen suosikkinsa. Seuraavaksi kirjoitettu "American Psyco" teki Ellisistä kuuluisan.

Tämä oli todella hyvä kirja. Miksi? Lähtökohtaisesti myöskään mua ei kiinnosta tollainen älytön ryyppääminen ja riehuminen. Colleget ovat amerikkalaisille nuorille lähes tulkoon väistämätön kuilu rappioon. Muualla euroopassa nuoriso pääsee ryyppäämisen makuun paljon nuorempana, amerikkalaiset ovat täysikäisiä vasta 21-vuotiaana - siis siinä mielessä ainakin, että saavat viinaa tai edes kaljaa. Jokainen ihminen käy jossain vaiheessa elämäänsä riemukkaan ryyppäämisen, säädyttömyyden ja rietastelun alkeiskurssin ja mitä vanhempana sen käy lävitse, sitä pahempana se tulee ja sitä vaikeampi siitä on toipua - ihan niin kuin vesirokko.

Henkilöhahmot ovat ihania.Sen tähden kirjan jaksaa lukea loppuun. Paul merkillisine perhekuvoineen, Sean vielä merkillisineen, ja vielä Lauren, yksi harvoista miehen kirjoittamista naishahmoista, jotka ovat onnistuneita ja joista pidän. He ovat kaikki päätyneet Camdenin taidekouluun, mitä lie etsimään - itseään? Taiteellista kehitystä? Tuskin. Camden (jonka Ellis kävi muuten itsekin) ei ole mikään Sarah Lawrence College. Sieltä valmistuu lähinnä taksikuskeja.

Juonesta on ihan turha puhua. Armotonta säätämistä, esittämistä, keimailua, teeskentelyä ja pari onnetonta rakastumista. Kaikki tämä on kuvattu todella hyvin. Hitto että onkin kuvattu hyvin. Usein vastaavan laiset romaanit alkavat ärsyttää jossain kohdin. Tämä oli ehkäpä sitten niin omakohtaista ja aitoa. Kertomuksessa ei ollut retostelua eikä kehuskelua. Nämä nuoret epäonnistuneet taiteilijat ja mitä ansioituneemmat juopottelijat eivät ole ylpeitä itsestään. Mutta he tunnustavat totuuden: loputon murhe on parempi, kuin ei tuntea mitään. Kärsimys on parempaa, kuin teeskennelty onni.

Pitääkin muuten lukea tuo "American psyco", sillä siinä on samoja hahmoja kuin "Vetovoimien laissa". "American psykon" päähenkilö on Seanin isoveli Patrick! Stay tuned....(less)

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Sep 18, 2011 Amanda Pagano rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ellis is known for his satirical writing and dark sense of humor, both of which are present in The Rules of Attraction. In this book we follow the point of view of three college characters, Sean, Paul, and Lauren. It’s nice that Ellis switches off between characters because it gives the reader some fresh air from the troubled actions we learn as we read deeper into each section of their college lives. Each character wants something more out of their life but they all go about it in a self-destru...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Neil Popham added it

I'm still unsure of what I thought of this book; however during the few days I spent reading it I did feel engrossed, and now, upon finishing, I am haunted by it. For that reason - the fact that it has emotionally affected me - I have to rate it highly. I guess I'm just not used to reading adult fiction. :)

As other reviewers have mentioned, the book tells the story from the first-person perspective of the three protagonists Sean, Lauren and Paul, with occasional cameos from minor characters. Thi...more

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Jul 05, 2011 Allison rated it 3 of 5 stars

It took me awhile to get the hang of this book because there are a lot of narrators, and many of them seem similar (in the way that college kids are, so I suppose it's realistic). Some sections are straight story, some are stream of consciousness, but all tell a lot about the characters and the environment they live in. It's hard for me to review this book without comparing it to everything I've read lately. I just read Ellis' American Psycho, and while many of the characters are in both books,...more

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May 17, 2011 Pam rated it 3 of 5 stars

http://iwriteinbooks.wordpress.com/20...

Brett Easton Ellis packs his backs and heads east for a little coed action in The Rules of Attraction. Keggers and Kant fill the hallways and dorm rooms far away from his usual L.A. sunshine, as he delves into college life in chilly New England. No less sparkle than his other books, however, Rules of Attraction has the making of every other Ellis book in the twisted relationships, inner monologues and, oh, yes, the substance usage. Written in a far more co...more http://iwriteinbooks.wordpress.com/20...

Brett Easton Ellis packs his backs and heads east for a little coed action in The Rules of Attraction. Keggers and Kant fill the hallways and dorm rooms far away from his usual L.A. sunshine, as he delves into college life in chilly New England. No less sparkle than his other books, however, Rules of Attraction has the making of every other Ellis book in the twisted relationships, inner monologues and, oh, yes, the substance usage. Written in a far more complex, yet sometimes superficial, method than his Tinseltown stories, Ellis, uses a much more down to earth approach to this telling.

The story shifts back and forth between several college students, primarily, Paul, Lauren and Sean.

Paul is, first and foremost, the voice of settled bisexuality in a campus where everyone seems to be simply experimenting. Solid in his own orientation, he drifts through, lyrically observing everyone else. His passages were, hands down, my favorite. I think that he was, if I had to take a guess, the most “Bret”- like in that the voice seemed too honest for it not to be, in some way, the author’s own.

Sean is the somewhat clueless, mildly jaded, failing drug connection on campus. He has a soft spot for Lauren but a weakness for just about everyone else. His arc is slightly melodramatic but probably right in line with his stereotyped role as a college male.

Lauren is a poetry major but probably the least interesting to read. Her storyline is fairly halting in its telling which makes me wondering if Ellis is not as adept as writing for female voices as he is for males. She remains interesting enough as she’s painted through other tellers’ eyes, yet, when it comes to her own sections, she seems to be lacking in substance.

Altogether, they work to make a picture of college life that could have been in the 50′s or continued through now. I know, though my own freshman year started a decade ago, that this story, in many ways, can relate to segments of my own experience.

Though his prose is fairly dry and, at some points, downright lacking, the story and the character portrayal are what keep me perpetually interested in BEE. This is a great departure from his usual fare if you are looking for something from Ellis that isn’t quite as Hollywood.(less)

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Apr 13, 2011 David Gillespie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Published in 1987, Bret Easton Ellis’ The Rules Of Attraction is his follow up to his wildly successful debut, Less Than Zero. As in keeping with his style, the novel is filled with sex, drugs, MTV, sporadic bloodletting, and run-on sentences. Told from multiple perspectives, the story is a mosaic of self-absorbed people running amok a fictional university in New England. There is no redemption in these characters, and yet, the novel is still an engaging read thanks to Ellis’ multiple narratives...more

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Feb 23, 2011 Vani added it

There is literally nothing redeeming about this book. Sure, you can write a book about vapid, idiotic, directionless, selfish, pointless, drug-and-alcohol-addicted people, and it can still be good, but that would require being a good writer. I always thought this writer was overrated--without having read any of his books-- so I forced myself to get through this to see if there was any point to it. There wasn't. Here's what's wrong with it. 1. The characterization is so bad that it's actually har...more

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Feb 10, 2011 Alex rated it 5 of 5 stars

This one really took me back to my freshman year of college. It should be required reading for anyone who wants to go to a small private liberal arts school. This is the first book I've read that really understands the mindset of the spoiled sociopaths who comprise the student body of many universities around the world.

I had seen the movie years ago (and watched it over and over again) but just now got around to reading the book. Of course, Ellis exaggerated his days at Bennington College to cre...more

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Oct 23, 2010 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2009

The Rules of Attraction is about students, but also about sex and drugs and apathy and teenagers and America and more drugs and suicide and indecision and AgOnY (two decades pre-emo) and morals/no morals and, occasionally, about the idea of love. And it's good. Ish.

I liked it, but I'm not sure that blurb is right - or even close. 'Moral vacuum', sure, but The Rules of Attraction is not really about a romantic triangle; or, at least, the word romance is a misnomer. It's not really about attractio...more

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About Bret Easton Ellis

Bret Easton Ellis is an American author. He is considered to be one of the major Generation X authors and was regarded as one of the so-called literary Brat Pack, which also included Tama Janowitz and Jay McInerney. He has called himself a moralist, although he has often been pegged as a nihilist. His characters are young, generally vacuous people, who are aware of their depravity but choose to en...more

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“Got you. You're mine now. For the rest of the day, week, month, year, life. Have you guessed who I am? Sometimes I think you have. Sometimes when you're standing in a crowd I feel those sultry, dark eyes of yours stop on me. Are you too afraid to come up to me and let me know how you feel? I want to moan and writhe with you and I want to go up to you and kiss your mouth and pull you to me and say "I love you I love you I love you" while stripping. I want you so bad it stings. I want to kill the ugly girls that you're always with. Do you really like those boring, naive, coy, calculating girls or is it just for sex? The seeds of love have taken hold, and if we won't burn together, I'll burn alone.” — 167 people liked it

“I only had sex with her because I'm in love with you.” — 118 people liked it

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