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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
Although I am completely removed from any connection to the Bieber demographic, I enjoyed this book. Jonny is a believable character, and I really wanted to rescue him from his terrible life.
Any book that I chose after the last 2 fabulous books that I read would pale in comparison, so I'm glad that I chose something completely different.
Any book that I chose after the last 2 fabulous books that I read would pale in comparison, so I'm glad that I chose something completely different.
4 1/2 stars. What a smart and topical book.
THE LOVE SONG OF JONNY VALENTINE about an eleven year old pop-star (a la Bieber) is actually (underneath the biting cultural commentary) a tender story about a boy in search of his father. We follow Jonny on his cross-country mega-tour and on his quest to reconnect with his dad.
The first-person voice is pitch-perfect (sorry)...Jonny is simultaneously media savvy, jaded, and somehow still wonderfully naive. At times, this incongruity is positively heart-breaking. I think the characters were exquisitely drawn as well.
THE LOVE SONG OF JONNY VALENTINE about an eleven year old pop-star (a la Bieber) is actually (underneath the biting cultural commentary) a tender story about a boy in search of his father. We follow Jonny on his cross-country mega-tour and on his quest to reconnect with his dad.
The first-person voice is pitch-perfect (sorry)...Jonny is simultaneously media savvy, jaded, and somehow still wonderfully naive. At times, this incongruity is positively heart-breaking. I think the characters were exquisitely drawn as well.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Written from the perspective of Jonny himself, it really puts you in the shoes of a child made famous too young. His personal struggles and facade are consistently used as cannon fodder in the media, all the while his momager tries to shield him. Jonny (like any curious child) finds a way to sort out what really happens, through magazines and sneaking onto the internet. It’s honestly a bit sad to see how fast he’s forced to grow up in light of all of what happens in the book, but none of the scenarios are truly outrageous for a tween star to encounter and it makes you (at least, it did for me) grapple with how toxic the concept of fame and entertainment is as you read this.
While it’s at times a bit cringeworthy, it holds authentic to an 11-year-old boy’s perspective and watch him sort between what he’s spoon fed and developing his own beliefs/intentions in life. You really get a sense of hope for Jonny; though I had wished his last decision would’ve gone the opposite way with how much of a clusterfuck things had become in his career, you’re still left rooting for him.
PS: Walter is so solid as a character, even as a side bit.
While it’s at times a bit cringeworthy, it holds authentic to an 11-year-old boy’s perspective and watch him sort between what he’s spoon fed and developing his own beliefs/intentions in life. You really get a sense of hope for Jonny; though I had wished his last decision would’ve gone the opposite way with how much of a clusterfuck things had become in his career, you’re still left rooting for him.
PS: Walter is so solid as a character, even as a side bit.
I really liked this - although in a sense, very little happens here. It's a great portrayal of a tween celebrity, and the manufactured world he occupies. Everything is seen through his viewpoint. Some complicated characters, and some messed-up priorities. The artificiality, the loneliness, the sheer construct of it all! (I even had to look up Justin Bieber on Wikipedia to compare the back stories! I may never think of him and his ilk the same way again.)
I loved this book. I expect it to be my favourite book of 2013.
Jonny has it all, the looks, the voice, the clothes, and a self-named haircut, but what does having at all really mean? What are the costs?
The book starts out with Jonny at 11 acting older than his age, thinking older than his age, spitting out lines from his mother/manager and PR people and record producers by rote, hiding the person behind the image.
There's some great lines in this book, occasionally I'd read a paragraph or a page and re-read it, and re-read it again later to friends or anyone who would listen.
"Whenever Jane's studying the career longevity of pop stars, she's like, Thank God you're not black."
Jonny is real, he talks about getting boners, he plays Zenon, he worries about child predators. The insight into branding strategy translated through the mind of an eleven year old boy blew my mind at the author's brilliance.
The reason though this book gets five stars, the reason it's the best of the year, is for what I wasn't expecting. I'm on this roller coaster ride of fun and inventive writing, and then Jonny meets his back up band, and then he gets an email from his father, and somewhere along the way, at some point when I wasn't looking, the emotion came in. I cried at the end, and I wasn't expecting that from a parody of the perils of fame.
I guess that's what a good writer does, hooks you, then reels in the line without you realizing it, all the way drawing you closer and closer to his net.
I'm hooked.
The author takes a book about Justin Bieber and turns it into an essay on what makes us whole, how we get through, and how we move on. Loved it.
RSVP (to my heart)
Jonny has it all, the looks, the voice, the clothes, and a self-named haircut, but what does having at all really mean? What are the costs?
The book starts out with Jonny at 11 acting older than his age, thinking older than his age, spitting out lines from his mother/manager and PR people and record producers by rote, hiding the person behind the image.
There's some great lines in this book, occasionally I'd read a paragraph or a page and re-read it, and re-read it again later to friends or anyone who would listen.
"Whenever Jane's studying the career longevity of pop stars, she's like, Thank God you're not black."
Jonny is real, he talks about getting boners, he plays Zenon, he worries about child predators. The insight into branding strategy translated through the mind of an eleven year old boy blew my mind at the author's brilliance.
The reason though this book gets five stars, the reason it's the best of the year, is for what I wasn't expecting. I'm on this roller coaster ride of fun and inventive writing, and then Jonny meets his back up band, and then he gets an email from his father, and somewhere along the way, at some point when I wasn't looking, the emotion came in. I cried at the end, and I wasn't expecting that from a parody of the perils of fame.
I guess that's what a good writer does, hooks you, then reels in the line without you realizing it, all the way drawing you closer and closer to his net.
I'm hooked.
The author takes a book about Justin Bieber and turns it into an essay on what makes us whole, how we get through, and how we move on. Loved it.
RSVP (to my heart)
This book is very well written, and is an emersive and compelling character study. However, the ending is deeply underwhelming. The themes and perspectives developed so well in the body of the novel are underserved in what was already going to be a weak ending due to the slice-of-life, plot-less structure. It is really only the last two pages that are disappointing, but it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
The niece was a Belieber for a hot second. Despite my non-caring, I got her a book from the library, and put songs on her iPod, and went with it. Despite my teasing of her, I remember being a fangirl. Then as his popularity dwindled, she forgot all about the fangirling, and became convinced he sucks as a human being.
Oh, fame. So fickle.
I would love to have her read this book, to get her take on it. But...not all of the book. We could leave out the...mayonnaise-y bits.
Pardon me, regurgitating.
This was a pretty interesting read, I will say that. Not subtle, in the least, but interesting. And I feel like it's Bieber with a dash of Lohan, and a few other child actors thrown in for good measure.
Now instead of disliking the focus of the subject matter, I mostly just pity him, based on a fictional character. Interesting.
Oh, fame. So fickle.
I would love to have her read this book, to get her take on it. But...not all of the book. We could leave out the...mayonnaise-y bits.
Pardon me, regurgitating.
This was a pretty interesting read, I will say that. Not subtle, in the least, but interesting. And I feel like it's Bieber with a dash of Lohan, and a few other child actors thrown in for good measure.
Now instead of disliking the focus of the subject matter, I mostly just pity him, based on a fictional character. Interesting.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great little story about the challenges of fame told from the point of view of 11 year old Jonny Valentine, great read, and characters, like living through Biebers' eyes.
Great Stuff.
Great Stuff.