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kraley's review
4.0
I would have given this five stars if there hadn't been foul language. I guess some people use the f-word very casually. This book reminded me of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night time (or close to that title). It is told in first person by a semi-autistic young man who goes to work at his father's law firm mail room to fulfill his father's fantasy of Marcelo working "in the real world" as opposed to his fantasy school for the differently abled. I loved the peeks into the thoughts of Marcelo. The story itself was good, but his personal journey was what the book was truly about. I would recommend this to older teens with the caveat that there is some language.
katiehodgie's review
3.0
I really, really enjoyed Marcelo's narration, and there were some parts of this book that were just so beautifully well thought out and portrayed; my only problem was that the sub plot of which the main plot revolved around, could possibly have done with further explanation. Or maybe I just wanted the book to be longer.
lattelibrarian's review
5.0
The first half of this book made me think. A lot. How could I assess the validity of how reality is structured in this book when I don't have any tools to measure how realistic this character's portrayal of autism is? Not only that, but his portrayal of autism is so unlike that of how I've seen some of my friends be--so then, is that inaccurate? Or ignorant on my part? Or perhaps its stereotypical? But after speaking with a friend about how to gauge this book's realism in terms of Marcelo's diagnosis (Aspergers-like, it is said), we came to the conclusion that what Stork does with this book is in fact create an opening for others who have similar cognitive realities, similar neurodivergences to come together and find representation in Marcelo's character.
There were some other things my class and I discussed about this book as well. Like Wendell's character--what an asshole, right? He's certainly the antagonist as well as Marcelo's foil, but what he plans to do to Jasmine didn't settle well with me. Must we really have another plotline surrounding a boy saving a girl, and a boy wanting to sexually assault someone? I'm tired of threats of sexual assault being used as plot devices. Yes, they're real things, but it just felt odd for me to read about it.
Not only that, but we discussed Marcelo's eventual sexual awakening--he begins to understand feelings such as jealousy, romance, sexual attraction. So does this mean he's becoming more 'normal', more socially acceptable, which is not radical? Or is Stork giving him, an autistic person, sexuality, which is radical?
There's a lot of questions that arise from this book, and there's a lot to be unpacked. A lot of it made me uncomfortable, but after having conversations with my autistic friends and discussing this text in a class, I feel much better about navigating this novel and understanding it. And ultimately, I have to say that I really like it! My initial thoughts on this book were wrong, and I'm glad for it. This book ended up being enjoyable, ethically interesting, and eye-opening. It's definitely worth a read.
Review cross-listed here!
There were some other things my class and I discussed about this book as well. Like Wendell's character--what an asshole, right? He's certainly the antagonist as well as Marcelo's foil, but what he plans to do to Jasmine didn't settle well with me. Must we really have another plotline surrounding a boy saving a girl, and a boy wanting to sexually assault someone? I'm tired of threats of sexual assault being used as plot devices. Yes, they're real things, but it just felt odd for me to read about it.
Not only that, but we discussed Marcelo's eventual sexual awakening--he begins to understand feelings such as jealousy, romance, sexual attraction. So does this mean he's becoming more 'normal', more socially acceptable, which is not radical? Or is Stork giving him, an autistic person, sexuality, which is radical?
There's a lot of questions that arise from this book, and there's a lot to be unpacked. A lot of it made me uncomfortable, but after having conversations with my autistic friends and discussing this text in a class, I feel much better about navigating this novel and understanding it. And ultimately, I have to say that I really like it! My initial thoughts on this book were wrong, and I'm glad for it. This book ended up being enjoyable, ethically interesting, and eye-opening. It's definitely worth a read.
Review cross-listed here!
craftygoat's review
5.0
This was recommended because I enjoyed [b:The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time|1618|The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time|Mark Haddon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1479863624l/1618._SY75_.jpg|4259809], and I liked this as well. I felt deeply as I read this - protectiveness of the protagonist, mostly, as well as anger towards some other characters... The author definitely drew me in.
marialouisea's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
deedralapray's review
4.0
Very thought-provoking book. A look at the real world through the eyes of a young man with Aspergers. Does have some sexual content.
amotisse's review
5.0
If only more of us asked ourselves and others as many questions as Marcelo.
If only we thought things through as much.
Not only does this story provide valuable insight into how we all perceive the world differently, it is spoken in an incredibly touching voice, using universal themes like love, right and wrong, religion and music in simple yet poetic ways to describe all the overwhelmingness of life.
Full of beautiful uplifting emotion.
Definitely a soul touching read.
If only we thought things through as much.
Not only does this story provide valuable insight into how we all perceive the world differently, it is spoken in an incredibly touching voice, using universal themes like love, right and wrong, religion and music in simple yet poetic ways to describe all the overwhelmingness of life.
Full of beautiful uplifting emotion.
Definitely a soul touching read.
robbiephall's review
4.0
Wonderful. Wonderful. One of those books you want to hug at the end (or is that just me?). Fav read of 2012 so far