--- product_id: 3623416 title: "The Rules of Attraction" price: "€ 26.77" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 9 url: https://www.desertcart.pt/products/3623416-the-rules-of-attraction store_origin: PT region: Portugal --- # The Rules of Attraction **Price:** € 26.77 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Rules of Attraction - **How much does it cost?** € 26.77 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pt](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/3623416-the-rules-of-attraction) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description desertcart.com: The Rules of Attraction: 9780679781486: Ellis, Bret Easton: Books Review: Great story - Daughter loves it Review: Absorbing satire of college life in the 80's - Wow. After having read 'The Rules of Attraction' by Brett Easton Ellis, that word popped into my mind. I have never read anything like this novel. The characters are hardly likable, pretentious and lost. Sean (the brother of Patrick Bateman from 'American Psycho') is hedonistic, apathetic, and coasting through college with drugs as his loyal companion. He's promiscuous, but in love (or at least he thinks he is) with Lauren. Lauren is a girl who can't make her mind up about a major & the affections of her boyfriend Victor, currently backpacking through Europe. Paul completes this triangle. Once the boyfriend of Lauren, he has his eyes set on Sean. The novel chronicles the fall term of 1985 at Camden College: a pseudo-Bohemian, liberal arts college on the East Coast. The novel contains other assorted characters meant to function as playthings for the three main characters. Instead of chapters, we read point of views from Sean, Lauren, and Paul leaving us with unprotected entry into their thoughts. Different P.O.V.s leave some questions unanswered like to what degree are these relationships imaginative or truly real? Ellis has written a funny and shocking story about the "death of romance" and the beginnings of lust and apathy. The story is raw and unflinchng leaving the reader to make its own decisions about what the point of this book may be. In my opinion... It raises questions about not just these select groups of college students, but also about America during the Reagan 80's. Ellis is a moralist, in an indirect way holding up a portrait of ourselves and a decadent 80's America, demanding us to look at it, accept it, and either laugh at its nostalgia and history or cry for its moral vacancy. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #64,040 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #79 in Dark Humor #229 in Fiction Satire #2,063 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars (1,227) | | Dimensions | 5.2 x 0.61 x 7.9 inches | | Edition | Reprint | | ISBN-10 | 067978148X | | ISBN-13 | 978-0679781486 | | Item Weight | 7.2 ounces | | Language | English | | Print length | 288 pages | | Publication date | June 30, 1998 | | Publisher | Vintage | ## Images ![The Rules of Attraction - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71jYvBtIE6L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great story *by J***L on August 31, 2025* Daughter loves it ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Absorbing satire of college life in the 80's *by R***S on October 29, 2002* Wow. After having read 'The Rules of Attraction' by Brett Easton Ellis, that word popped into my mind. I have never read anything like this novel. The characters are hardly likable, pretentious and lost. Sean (the brother of Patrick Bateman from 'American Psycho') is hedonistic, apathetic, and coasting through college with drugs as his loyal companion. He's promiscuous, but in love (or at least he thinks he is) with Lauren. Lauren is a girl who can't make her mind up about a major & the affections of her boyfriend Victor, currently backpacking through Europe. Paul completes this triangle. Once the boyfriend of Lauren, he has his eyes set on Sean. The novel chronicles the fall term of 1985 at Camden College: a pseudo-Bohemian, liberal arts college on the East Coast. The novel contains other assorted characters meant to function as playthings for the three main characters. Instead of chapters, we read point of views from Sean, Lauren, and Paul leaving us with unprotected entry into their thoughts. Different P.O.V.s leave some questions unanswered like to what degree are these relationships imaginative or truly real? Ellis has written a funny and shocking story about the "death of romance" and the beginnings of lust and apathy. The story is raw and unflinchng leaving the reader to make its own decisions about what the point of this book may be. In my opinion... It raises questions about not just these select groups of college students, but also about America during the Reagan 80's. Ellis is a moralist, in an indirect way holding up a portrait of ourselves and a decadent 80's America, demanding us to look at it, accept it, and either laugh at its nostalgia and history or cry for its moral vacancy. ### ⭐⭐⭐ A grey area. *by J***A on July 29, 2014* I stumbled upon Bret Easton Ellis's work after watching the movie adaptation American Psycho. It is my favourite movie of all time, and one of the only movies I can watch over and over. I was curious about the book, so I purchased it. Ellis has a very unique style of writing, one that took me some getting used to. The only way I can think to describe it is... Nora Roberts on meth. Bad metaphor, I know. I was drawn to how surreal he created his characters and the world they live in, something that appears to be normal on the surface but beneath is warped. After reading American Psycho I was curious about his other works, so I decided to purchase this novel. Again, I experienced the surreal in the seemingly normal setting -- this time at an arts college with three different main characters. I won't get into the plot, because I will probably spoil it. Basically, this book is about three college students who become entangled. Rather than being a typical novel with a plot, setting, characters, introduction, body and conclusion, it plays out like a journal written by a college (or rather three) student/s wired on meth. If you are hoping for character growth and happy endings, then you will be disappointed. The characters are depressing and completely void of emotion, which could be put down to the constant drug abuse. They are also extremely delusional, which could also be put down to that. If you were looking for a heart-felt, emotional journey where the characters overcome obstacles then you would be extremely disappointed with this. The book leads nowhere, and there is no real plot, but rather a documentation of events according to three different points of view. But looking at it from a different perspective, it is actually quite brilliant. Ellis is making a mockery of the young, rich college stereotype -- it isn't a case of poor character creation and poor story planning, it is precisely what it is meant to be. It can be hilarious at times, but it can also be a drag. Though it is a drag, I can guarantee you won't be able to stop reading. If you want to read something real quirky and a little fun, and can look past the lack of personality, the over-usage of drugs, constant partying and sex, then go ahead and read this.. even just to satiate your curiosity. Or you could just check out the movie... either way I'm giving it three stars. Not great, but not exactly garbage either. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.pt/products/3623416-the-rules-of-attraction](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/3623416-the-rules-of-attraction) --- *Product available on Desertcart Portugal* *Store origin: PT* *Last updated: 2026-04-23*