An inspiring, empowering chronicle of self-discovery and fearless pride sure to entertain and inform both cisgender and...
Pseudonymous Singapore-based author Tor (High Noon, 2015, etc.) charts the coming-of-age of a resilient teenager confronting issues of gender.
John Bird is an effeminate North Carolina high schooler who’s bullied by fellow students who call him “Ladybird.” However, he’s swiftly befriended by a striking, indigo-eyed transfer student named Aureus Conner. John isn’t drawn to her with romantic intentions but with emulative ones; his own secret pleasure lies hidden in his bedroom in a box containing girl’s blouses and jewelry. His older brother Devon tries to help him clarify his sexual proclivities by supplying him with various types of pornography, but it only fuels his confusion and shame. As his friendship with the spirited Aureus deepens into their college years, John’s comfort with his sexual identity grows despite sporadic confrontations with former high school bully J.P., who winds up at the same university. His admiration of titillating artwork featuring women, combined with his continued admiration for Aureus’ physical beauty, furthers his burgeoning desire to explore his feminine side despite a few unexpected setbacks. A Halloween party where he and Aureus both cross-dress and a stroll around campus in women’s clothing solidifies his suspicion that being a woman makes him the happiest and the truest to himself even if it briefly challenges Aureus’ previously hidden religious beliefs. This last theme may be the only part of this thoughtful narrative that Tor fails to deeply explore. This affecting, meandering novel is flush with dialogue, but its true engine is its characterizations. Both of the quirky, endearing, relatable outcasts will grab readers’ attention from the first page due to their unique struggles to establish their own identities within a critical, conformist society. The power of their unconditional, complex relationship and the authenticity and seriousness of John’s gender-transformative journey are inspiring and thought-provoking. Tor’s book is sure to ignite galvanizing conversation as it adds to the growing library of transgender-themed YA titles.
An inspiring, empowering chronicle of self-discovery and fearless pride sure to entertain and inform both cisgender and transgender readers.Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-5078-3680-4
Page Count: 276
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: June 25, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Above-average formula fiction, making full display of the author’s strong suits: sense of place, compassion for characters...
Female rivalry is again the main preoccupation of Hannah’s latest Pacific Northwest sob saga (Firefly Lane, 2008, etc.).
At Water’s Edge, the family seat overlooking Hood Canal, Vivi Ann, youngest and prettiest of the Grey sisters and a champion horsewoman, has persuaded embittered patriarch Henry to turn the tumbledown ranch into a Western-style equestrian arena. Eldest sister Winona, a respected lawyer in the nearby village of Oyster Shores, hires taciturn ranch hand Dallas Raintree, a half-Native American. Middle sister Aurora, stay-at-home mother of twins, languishes in a dull marriage. Winona, overweight since adolescence, envies Vivi, whose looks get her everything she wants, especially men. Indeed, Winona’s childhood crush Luke recently proposed to Vivi. Despite Aurora’s urging (her principal role is as sisterly referee), Winona won’t tell Vivi she loves Luke. Yearning for Dallas, Vivi stands up Luke to fall into bed with the enigmatic, tattooed cowboy. Winona snitches to Luke: engagement off. Vivi marries Dallas over Henry’s objections. The love-match triumphs, and Dallas, though scarred by child abuse, is an exemplary father to son Noah. One Christmas Eve, the town floozy is raped and murdered. An eyewitness and forensic evidence incriminate Dallas. Winona refuses to represent him, consigning him to the inept services of a public defender. After a guilty verdict, he’s sentenced to life without parole. A decade later, Winona has reached an uneasy truce with Vivi, who’s still pining for Dallas. Noah is a sullen teen, Aurora a brittle but resigned divorcée. Noah learns about the Seattle Innocence Project. Could modern DNA testing methods exonerate Dallas? Will Aunt Winona redeem herself by reopening the case? The outcome, while predictable, is achieved with more suspense and less sentimental histrionics than usual for Hannah.
Above-average formula fiction, making full display of the author’s strong suits: sense of place, compassion for characters and understanding of family dynamics.Pub Date: Feb. 9, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-312-36410-6
Page Count: 400
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2008
There are unforgettable beauties in this very sexy story.
Passion, friendship, heartbreak, and forgiveness ring true in Lovering's debut, the tale of a young woman's obsession with a man who's "good at being charming."
Long Island native Lucy Albright, starts her freshman year at Baird College in Southern California, intending to study English and journalism and become a travel writer. Stephen DeMarco, an upperclassman, is a political science major who plans to become a lawyer. Soon after they meet, Lucy tells Stephen an intensely personal story about the Unforgivable Thing, a betrayal that turned Lucy against her mother. Stephen pretends to listen to Lucy's painful disclosure, but all his thoughts are about her exposed black bra strap and her nipples pressing against her thin cotton T-shirt. It doesn't take Lucy long to realize Stephen's a "manipulative jerk" and she is "beyond pathetic" in her desire for him, but their lives are now intertwined. Their story takes seven years to unfold, but it's a fast-paced ride through hookups, breakups, and infidelities fueled by alcohol and cocaine and with oodles of sizzling sexual tension. "Lucy was an itch, a song stuck in your head or a movie you need to rewatch or a food you suddenly crave," Stephen says in one of his point-of-view chapters, which alternate with Lucy's. The ending is perfect, as Lucy figures out the dark secret Stephen has kept hidden and learns the difference between lustful addiction and mature love.
There are unforgettable beauties in this very sexy story.Pub Date: June 12, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-6964-9
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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