An engaging story that’s gone flaccid.
The twisted tale of sexualized, attractive and perennially unlucky Theo, from his various arrests to finding fame and riches, all while making and losing love.
Theo’s journey starts with him married, with two children, to the delicate Chu hua, seemingly fulfilling his role as a blissful family man. All’s well until a fateful night out with wayward former-friend Wessley. The night ends in disaster for young Theo; however, not being one to admit to defeat, he moves on from the heartbreak to work in the family business, taking a job with his uncle, Christian, at a multimillion dollar corporation. Through the ensuing years, Theo simultaneously tries to win back his wife while engaging in orgies with other men. The conflicting behavior continues with Theo ardently pursuing his estranged Chu Hua, then having a sex-fueled romp with Chunhua, a flight attendant who later becomes his second wife. Theo’s journey leads him to a long visit with his parents, the famed performers Cordelia and T’Sang. There, Theo discovers his talent for performing, as well as a taste for the fame and fortune that go with it. Readers learn of still more orgies, past relationships with men and Theo’s burgeoning relationship with Chunhua. Through his many encounters with his past, some well-deserved retribution and a reunion with a long-lost family member, Theo learns about himself and the man he wants to be. While he can be a likable character, his contradictory behavior and capricious missteps can at times be trying for the reader’s patience. What’s more trying, though, is the author’s fleeting command of the English language; the text includes many punctuation and grammar mistakes. While Theo’s struggle with his own sexuality is forefront in the story, it’s told in such a disjointed way that the reader can barely build any real sympathy for him. Although the story is infused with numerous sex scenes, they lack a reasonable buildup; the result feels like an inferior take on a grocery-store romance novella.
An engaging story that’s gone flaccid.Pub Date: June 11, 2012
ISBN: 978-1468582536
Page Count: 308
Publisher: AuthorHouseUK
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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