Night Film: A Novel

Dieses Buch hat einfach alles, was es für mich braucht: er funktioniert auf mehreren Ebenen, spielt nicht nur mit den Figuren, sondern auch mit dem Leser, und packt einen vom ersten Moment an. Die Atmosphäre ist sehr gut beschrieben, sodass man das Gefühl hat, selbst mitten in den Ermittlungen zu stecken. Während des Lesens bekommt man nicht minder Lust, sich selbst einen von Cordovas Filmen anzusehen. Das muss ein eindrückliches Erlebnis sein! Pessl benutzt verschiedene Darstellungsoptionen und Medien, um das Lesen ihres Buches noch interessantes und vielschichtiger zu gestalten. Während für Scott das Ganze mehr und mehr zum Albtraum wird, so erlebte ich ein Abenteuer nach dem anderen. Stets freute ich mich darauf, wieder in die Geschichte zurückkehren zu können, und auch wenn ich nicht darin las, kehrten meine Gedanken oft zur Handlung zurück. Ich überlegte, was geschehen könnte, was wirklich mit Ashley geschehen war, und wohin es Scott und seine Gefährten als nächstes verschlagen würde. Natürlich lag ich eigentlich immer daneben, aber hier genoss ich es. Pessl arbeitet mit dem Unerwarteten, fügt dieses ein, merkt jenes an, dort ein Hinweis, da ein Tipp. Was ist wahr, was nicht? Die Autorin beweist wirklich grosses Geschick darin, uns alle, ihre Charaktere eingeschlossen, an der Nase herumzuführen. Somit ist "Night Film" ein sicheres Monatshighlight im September, an das ich noch öfter zurückdenken werde.

Night Film opens with a great prologue; a prologue that actually stays in mind and gives you goosebumps. Those opening pages consist of so much authentic creepiness I couldn't not keep turning the pages to find out more about Hollywoods legendary diretor, Stanislav Cordova. I really liked the concept of the story. I liked the way Marisha Pessl presented her story through websites, articles and photos. Photos that - at times - actually creeped the hell out of me. Especially those pictures were very surreal and scary and when I started reading I actually searched Google to find out if Stanislav Cordova was a real person. Everything in this book seemed so real I really thought that he and his family really existed; that all of this kind of happend in real life and that Marisha Pessl was just so fascinated by him and his life that she turned his life into a creepy story. But Google proved me wrong. Stanislav Cordova isn't real neither are his movies. Marissa Pessl manages to intrigue the reader, to lure him and to make him wanna read more and more and more. But that was just at the beginning of the book. Throughout the story, after the first few chapters, the main characters basically just went from witness to witness to find out more about the Death of Cordovas lovely daughter. So it was more like a detectiv investigation. It wasn't really that much of a thriller, at least it wasn't what I usually expect from a thriller. Also most of the characters were pretty flat and boring and they all seemd so alike, like there was nothing special about any of them. Nothing unique, nothing that made me think that I could totally relate to them or that I could feel them or that they seemed like real persons. While I kept reading I got kind of bored, I have to admit. It was just so lengthy and some things were just needless and could have been left out for my liking. It took me almost two months to finish this book. So when I put the book down, I realized that I wasn't blown away by the actual plot or the characters or the ending. The only feeling I was left with was the desire to watch a Cordova movie. I mean, that's something that was really good; the author retelling the movies and imagining what kind of movies he made gave me goosebumps. I would love to see such a movie even though I would also be very scared to watch it. The plot is one long treasure hunt and from time to time it was just boring. I kind of liked the main characters, I liked Scott okay and well Nora was the most interesting character I think and Hopper, yeah well, he was kind of weird but still interesting. When they found out more about her death, that there might have been more behind all that than just a girl who committed suicide because her life was hard. That was a part of the book that really freaked me out. So I was pretty disappointed by the end because it wasn't really what I've expected or what I wished for. The book just doesn't give you the right answer. What it gives you are multiple answers to one question and Marisha Pessl just leaves you to speculate which one is the correct answer, if there even is one. Even though we got an answer or more than one, it kind of feels like it was an open ending. I'm not sure if I would recommend Night Film. I mean it's a good book and the concept is great and all the graphics the author used to give the story that certain something are amazing but it didn't hit me as I thought or wished it would. It wasn't mind blowing; it was thrilling from time to time but also just as boring some other time. But the book is worth an experience and maybe it's just me. Maybe it's an awesome book and I just couldn't see it.

Loved this book but I'm slightly disappointed?

4.5 stars. A fantastic, well-crafted thriller! Personally I think some parts could have been a bit more edited/ shorter.

i don't know what the fuck i have just read but this stuff is good

Holy Moly! It's been a long, long time since I've been scared like I've been while reading 'Night Film'. It took some 100 pages or so until I was into the story but when the moment I was into it, I was absorbed into it completely. (Like at one point I had to keep reading until 3AM until I finally reached a chapter that was not alllll that scary so that I could sleep that night^^). I don't know how to feel about the ending, though. Or rather: the endings. I don't think it's satisfying (I think Scott feels that way too, in the story) but then we get the actual ending which at first seems to be even less satisfying for the reader. I keep thinking about it, though, and I guess that's what makes a story's worth:) Don't read it at night.

DNF at 62% I should’ve stopped reading at 30% but I wanted to give this books a chance since I was looking forward to reading it; it didn’t deserve this chance. Night Film feels like a wannabe edgy thriller that is the least exciting and gripping narrative I have ever read. I actually enjoyed the first hundred pages or so, but when it became clear that the characters are more caricatures of real people and Scott is a wannabe detective from a 50s noir, I found myself skipping endless passages - I couldn’t stand being more than 2 seconds in Scott‘s thoughts (never mind the times he was kinda racist and sexist ngl). The story is giving us breadcrumb after breadcrumb and never any substantial lead. The fact that every person this trio of unrealistic people interviews to get some information on this enigmatic film maker and his prodigy daughter simply gives them information- complete strangers to them - was like a utopia for detectives; alas, they never had anything worthwhile to tell. The „twist“ with the devil worshipping family gave me the kick I needed to finally stop reading. In my opinion, this book would have been so much better with half the pages gone and making Scott and all the other characters more likeable and realistic, because I couldn’t care less what happened to them.

Night Film is filled with things I love: A Hollywood/Movie theme, a group of people that could be classified as a found family, a new way of writing a story with bits and pieces and an intriguing plot. So naturally, I enjoyed this book a lot. The mystery in itself was something new to me. It is very rare that I read a novel where I feel so immersed in the whole storyline. Often times in novels I am only a a spectator, but Marisha Pessl somehow includes the reader as an active member of the party. But the thing is… this book was long. So long. And after one twist was a new twist and sometimes I got a little tired of the action, the investigation, the things that happened to the three main characters. It was a little frustrating at time. It took me more than a month to finish a book and I had some breaks in between where I didn’t pick it up for several days, which is unusual for me. But when I picked it up again I found my way into the story quite easily. That probably speaks for the book and for Marisha Pessl as a talented author and storyteller. I would recommend this book for everyone who enjoys mysteries, thrillers, a little bit of horror and maybe a hint of surrealism. This book is also great for a book club I think! It raised some questions and I was eager to talk to someone about this or that (and especially the ending). Marisha Pessl will stay on my radar for sure, I am eager to read her two other novels soon.

Scott, a private investigator, is sure that Cordova, eccentric film maker for disturbing, banned movies with a large following, needs to be locked up! Without any real proof though his scoop turns into a law suit and he not only loses money but his reputation. However, when Cordova's daughter Ashley is found dead by suicide, he can't let this go! He must find proof for the evil he thinks he sees in Cordova, no matter how far he must go. I would have given it 5 stars until 3/4 in. I believe it was too long and the ending dragged so much and then it didn't even deliver any good explanation....grr =_= this could have been amazing! ----- SPOILERS ---- I actually liked Scott as our main character. He was flawed and so obsessed with this story that he literally forgot about his daughter. However that made him human and I liked to follow his journey. The light humor added in through our two sidekicks Nora and Hopper I adored! The mystery itself was fantastic. I loved the weird private club oublette, the visit at the witch shop, the conversation with bonkers ex actresses, the breaking into the psych ward. It truly was a wild ride. However at the end the story really dragged on and felt soooo slow!! Also, I didn't think the ending was well explained. I love open endings but this one just didn't satisfy me at all. I'm honestly very confused by its abruptness, too.