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book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
(NOTE: Apparently I never wrote a review of this book ... though I remember reading it for book club ... I may have to re-read it)
nuscheda's review against another edition
3.0
I know I am supposed to like Jane Hamilton's work but I find it ever so slightly "off." I don't think I am going to try anything else of hers in the near future.
wolfsonarchitect's review
5.0
What a treat to find such a well written book! Wonderful prose; I enjoyed the beautiful phrases and vignettes within the story. The book captures the world of a Midwestern gay teenager who's passion is ballet and his world with many of the same family and friends when he's a school teacher in his 30's. The boy's/man's relationships with his various family members and friends; which are more deeply observed are the soul of the book.
happy_hiker's review
2.0
The story of Walter, going back and forth between his teen years, when he is aspiring to be a ballet dancer but is really not very good, and the present, when he leaves his job selling dollhouse furniture in NYC to become an English teacher in small town Wisconsin. In the childhood winter he is cast in a crappy production of the Nutcracker in Rockford (while his friends star in the show in Chicago), his brother struggles through terminal illness and Walter has his first homosexual experience. The family summer home on a Wisconsin Lake finds it way into both decades, as does his friendship with Susan (one of the ballet stars). This book was OK, it moved along OK, the story was OK, but it isn’t something I would rush out to recommend to a friend. I have enjoyed other books by this author.
kerry_connors's review
5.0
loved it - I'm amazed at how well Jane can write in the voice of either a female or male character. Very interesting story of a misfit and how tragedy at a young age impacts this boy's world view.
emmyreading's review against another edition
4.0
oak park author, takes place in an oak park named something else. about a teenaged gay ballet dancer. i liked it.
jdgcreates's review
3.0
This is my favorite of hers so far. It's not as depressing as Map Of The World and not as narrow-minded as Disobedience. I appreciate Hamilton's ability to convincingly express the voice of the character through the entire book, even if I don't really care for the voice that comes through.
danabrown's review
3.0
I evidently don’t have the patience for this book right now. I got more than half way and I’m walking away.