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nmw2412's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ilaurin's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars.
This was a sad story. I found it hard to get all the people straight as there was quite a few. Which meant that I was not as invested in them as I would normally be. It depicts the life of some gay people in New York when the AIDS epidemic started.
This was a sad story. I found it hard to get all the people straight as there was quite a few. Which meant that I was not as invested in them as I would normally be. It depicts the life of some gay people in New York when the AIDS epidemic started.
makealongstorycourt's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.5
This book was good but not spectacular. Maybe the slow pace contributed, and I was hoping for a bit more in the writing style. The characterization was good, again not spectacular. This book was an enjoyable read but I feel as though I will forget most of this book in a few months.
ddrosche's review against another edition
4.0
All the feels! This book is so devastatingly beautiful. A bittersweet story from beginning to end that alternately makes you smile and wrenches your heart from your chest. Despite the nearly constant sadness on every page, I couldn't put it down. Cassara does a fantastic job immersing you into this culture that you feel a part of it. Nothing is off limits and there are times when the story is so raw and true that I was in awe. He also brings to life these characters that you end up invested in, loving, and genuinely caring for. Early on I found some of the time and character jumps confusing as I tried to remember who was who and who was narrating. However, as the book progressed this became less of an issue for me as I fell into the pattern of it all. Overall I loved this book and was sad when it was over. Not only because of how it ended, but because it ended. Well done on a first novel and I am eager to see what else Joseph Cassara brings in the future!
jonapelson's review against another edition
4.0
QBC 10/19 - Look at me actually finishing a Queer Bookclub Book after bookclub! I enjoyed this, but god damn the ending is brutal.
spinstah's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of those books where I really wish I knew how it came across my radar. It’s also one where I was completed caught off guard by the story when I started reading it (things get on my to-read list and if I don’t get to them right away, I go in without knowing what I’m getting into). Anyway, I enjoyed this. I liked the characters, and how it gave me a look into a totally different world.
lailybibliography's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5 stars
”But it’s not like we only have enough love reserved for one person. It’s possible to love multiple people over time. If you ask me, I think that every time you experience love, it feels and looks and sounds different.”
pero_tefi's review against another edition
4.0
This was honestly going to be a 5 stars, and logically I have no faults to add except that my heart has suffered because of all the characters that suffered and so my enjoyment was affected by the harsh amount of drama (mainly it started with Venus and then worsened with Juanito, I was still waiting for something to turn out well but nope).
The book in itself is about the house of Xtravaganza, the first all latin house of the Ball community in Harlem, New York. 17 year old Angel meets Henry, and so they decide to start a house, a found family, in which she would be able to help the young LGBTQ latin kids that ended up alone as they weren't accepted by their families. I kept thinking about POSE, the TV series, but many have mentioned the actual documentary of this house (yes, it is an actual house, this book counts as a mix of fiction and non-fiction), called Paris is Burning. I love reading about houses, and the way the community in the AIDS burst, when they received the most hatred, found each other. But the book also shows how even finding people who care, and do their best, is sometimes not enough, and its not because love was lacking, but because thats just humanity. The things the characters that one loves end up doing, the feelings as you read how they lose themselves, how they make mistakes, and you can't do anything to help, you can't even give them a hug, is so painful. And it worsens with the scenes of love, and how maybe just a change in words could have kept things from happening, but it's such a small hope, because no one could have guessed how bad it got, and no one was to blame.
I don't think I will forget this book, or even Angel, Venus, Juanito and Daniel. Even if there were fictional events, I know these characters are somehow real, that the experiences and emotions are real, and are out there. im so sorry that its real.
The book in itself is about the house of Xtravaganza, the first all latin house of the Ball community in Harlem, New York. 17 year old Angel meets Henry, and so they decide to start a house, a found family, in which she would be able to help the young LGBTQ latin kids that ended up alone as they weren't accepted by their families. I kept thinking about POSE, the TV series, but many have mentioned the actual documentary of this house (yes, it is an actual house, this book counts as a mix of fiction and non-fiction), called Paris is Burning. I love reading about houses, and the way the community in the AIDS burst, when they received the most hatred, found each other. But the book also shows how even finding people who care, and do their best, is sometimes not enough, and its not because love was lacking, but because thats just humanity. The things the characters that one loves end up doing, the feelings as you read how they lose themselves, how they make mistakes, and you can't do anything to help, you can't even give them a hug, is so painful. And it worsens with the scenes of love, and how maybe just a change in words could have kept things from happening, but it's such a small hope, because no one could have guessed how bad it got, and no one was to blame.
I don't think I will forget this book, or even Angel, Venus, Juanito and Daniel. Even if there were fictional events, I know these characters are somehow real, that the experiences and emotions are real, and are out there. im so sorry that its real.
lucas_madden's review against another edition
4.0
There were some very tender moments throughout the story--mostly between Angel and Hector and Daniel and Juanito--that were beautifully written. I really wanted to love this book, but I think the story itself was very tragic and the trauma/violence seemed almost voyeuristic at times; however, I would be willing to read more of Cassara's work because the characters and writing were extremely vibrant.
lizaroo71's review against another edition
5.0
I don't even know where to begin in my review of this one. The world Cassara has created is just mind-blowingly good. This takes place in New York during the 1980's. Our narrators are all boys that have been marginalized in their own homes and find their way to the streets. Each story is unique yet there is a common thread of displacement and misunderstanding.
Once the boys make a home for themselves in the houses that host balls that gave these men a place to express themselves, everything seems to be enough -- for a while.
I felt dropped into the world Cassara creates and I found myself tearing up and laughing at the same time. He creates characters that are flawed yet lovable. I wanted to reach into the pages and give everyone a hug. Give everyone a chance.
This spoke to me in a way that a book hasn't in a while. I grew up in the eighties. I remember the dawn of AIDS and how people were so afraid of what they didn't understand. I saw "Paris is Burning" which highlights this movement of the dance and movement of the houses created in New York during this time period. Most of these women are gone now, but Cassara keeps them alive through a riveting read.
Once the boys make a home for themselves in the houses that host balls that gave these men a place to express themselves, everything seems to be enough -- for a while.
I felt dropped into the world Cassara creates and I found myself tearing up and laughing at the same time. He creates characters that are flawed yet lovable. I wanted to reach into the pages and give everyone a hug. Give everyone a chance.
This spoke to me in a way that a book hasn't in a while. I grew up in the eighties. I remember the dawn of AIDS and how people were so afraid of what they didn't understand. I saw "Paris is Burning" which highlights this movement of the dance and movement of the houses created in New York during this time period. Most of these women are gone now, but Cassara keeps them alive through a riveting read.