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acej8's review against another edition
3.0
Actually 3.5 Stars
I found myself gaining quickly through Absolute Brightness, even with it's immense volume of pages. I read a great part of it while I was at work on break. In all the story itself was easy enough to follow. The characters seem defined enough, though sometimes their exhibited characteristics were some what vague. Phoebe's character I found to be somewhat annoying at many parts and her explanatory monologues got laborious A LOT. Sometimes I found myself thinking "Just get to the point already. This 474 page book (which is an ARC version from 2008) could have shaved off at least 100 or so of those. I wanted more of Leonard than what was offered. Which I gather is a good thing. I loved the general message though, as it is one thing I personally can relate to.
I found myself gaining quickly through Absolute Brightness, even with it's immense volume of pages. I read a great part of it while I was at work on break. In all the story itself was easy enough to follow. The characters seem defined enough, though sometimes their exhibited characteristics were some what vague. Phoebe's character I found to be somewhat annoying at many parts and her explanatory monologues got laborious A LOT. Sometimes I found myself thinking "Just get to the point already. This 474 page book (which is an ARC version from 2008) could have shaved off at least 100 or so of those. I wanted more of Leonard than what was offered. Which I gather is a good thing. I loved the general message though, as it is one thing I personally can relate to.
brokebybooks's review against another edition
2.0
Another #ARCAugust read complete!
For some reason, that I cannot imagine now, I thought Absolute Brightness would be different.
I may have been wrong about the main plot and outcome, but it was certainly heartbreaking. That's a win for the #ReadThemAllThon Cerulean City's Cascade Badge and I'm glad I finally read it but...
Well, you'll see. If you're willing to brave the spoilers below the fold. For non-spoiler-y glory, here's a preview:
Absolute Brightness is a story about Phoebe’s life briefly before Lenard moves in, the short time he lives with them, and after his disappearance. It’s about her, a straight white female growing up, discovering romance and different people.
It’s not really a book for gay teens, as it is for straight people. Leonard isn’t the protagonist. Phoebe grows up, becomes less homophobic but still has very gender-normative mentality. It’s a hand-holding exploring middle grade book for white straight people to experience knowing gay and black people without needing to know any.
It will be heart wrenching for QUILTBAG teens especially, seeing their identity attacked again and the see the best friend be self-centered, sheltered, clueless and callous. At first, she calls him sissy boy. While later she acknowledges how her language has changed because of Leonard, she doesn’t ever get him.
Phoebe tells Leonard to stop being himself, so ~flamboyant~ and obvious but he never comes out as gay. He says he’s only being himself, nothing more. This really comes into play towards the end when people are describing Leonard during the trial. They dance around labeling him because of this so they use words like flamboyant and different while Phoebe whips out ‘sissy boy’ again.
Leonard disappears because she didn’t fall under his spell like the rest of the town and she needed to learn a lesson. It’s a better use of the trope than Winger but it’s disheartening to read all the same.
I’m not saying stories like this shouldn’t be told, but if I’d know this going in I’d have been hesitant (at the least) instead of ecstatic. After all the high praise reviews and the non-spoiler reviews, I was expecting something else; Instead of the same old ‘stereotypical safe special snowflake gay that’s too good for this world’ as new tearful journey. I’m sure if my expectations matched the content, my experience would’ve been improved. Somehow.
It’s been 8 years since Absolute Brightness was published, but it feels more dated than that. We aren’t past media killing their gays, but there’s so much push back now. Would Absolute Brightness get a pass for being written by a gay activist today? Is there something I’m missing?
It makes me wonder if I read it years ago, would I feel the same way? Was I this clueless then? Absolutely possible. Probably. Absolutely. Fuuuuuuck.
Thankfully, that cannot be said today. But considering where you are is a good idea before delving in is a good idea so it’s not such a letdown.
Romance:
Phoebe’s romance is a strange thing. Their first kiss is in public, spur of the moment, the onetime Phoebe defends Leonard, and in defense of being called a lesbian. From there, nothing happens until his makeover and Phoebe needs help. It isn’t really thought of as a relationship until the end when the implications are made public. Yet that’s when it’s called love…
While it becomes plenty weird and gross and scary in the end, I loved Phoebe’s realizations. She grasps for something to hold on to, finding his hand to hold. Her internal turn of events rings true to me. And realizing she played him up in her mind, her feelings muddling her perception and thinking…ouch. That’s something I dealt with during my first relationship that turned abusive and haven’t read something that nails it so well before.
In the end…
We have a non-gender conforming teen who disappears for most of the book, a mystery with an obvious perpetrator and an unclear chain of events, arguments against the death penalty, child rape by a parental figure that’s dealt with by ignoring said figure and the victim not receiving help, an Iraq war vet coming home heralded as a hero then ignored and a romance with a perpetrator that’s mostly imaginary and called ‘love’.
None of the issues are really dealt with in a meaningful way. They are brought up, acknowledged, and swept away by the next problem. There isn’t a conclusion or follow through. How was the war vet’s family handling his return and disability? Is the rape victim going to get counseling? Why isn’t her family doing anything about her mental health issues? What was between Phoebe and her…make-out partner? What the hell happened that night?
Some will love it for being as messy and inconclusive as life while others will hate it. Not just the content, but the time skips and Phoebe’s train of thought. I liked the tangents about the characters to bring them alive and her voice. Except when she was being a clueless brat, but she’s sheltered, young, and learning at least.
For me, I was engrossed while reading and now don’t know what to think. I’m hardly satisfied but enjoyed reading it while it lasted. It’s a thick book, but it flew by quickly and felt much shorter.
Rating:
Ehhh.....For the writing and flow, for engrossing me despite it all, Absolute Brightness earns a falling, crashing 3.5 stars.
Everything else ranks it, at best, a two. And since I've stewed on it, 2 stars sounds and feels better.
I hope that makes sense because I have to go with my gut on this one.
If anyone has or wants to read a "too good for the world so kill your gays" tale, this is the best I've read so far.
Recommended For:
Recommending Absolute Brightness is hard because how straight people perceive the QUILTBAG community within and how preachy-shallow it becomes with the death penalty while ignoring child rape.
I think it could be a great introduction for middle-schoolers, especially in white areas, but this cannot be the end. If it is, they’re likely to be the unhelpful allies and continue terrible tropes and thinking while proclaiming otherwise.
If you’re in the right spot with the right expectations, I think Absolute Brightness could be a great world-expanding, emotional, thoughtful read.
But for me, it felt flat after finishing and even engrossed during the book, I was very aware of what I was reading.
Note: The author, James Lecesne, is a member of the GLBT+ community and activist. This review in no way, shape, or form disparages his identity or work. I applaud him for everything he has accomplished. This is just my honest reaction and feelings about Absolute Brightness. It’s nothing personal.
For some reason, that I cannot imagine now, I thought Absolute Brightness would be different.
I may have been wrong about the main plot and outcome, but it was certainly heartbreaking. That's a win for the #ReadThemAllThon Cerulean City's Cascade Badge and I'm glad I finally read it but...
Well, you'll see. If you're willing to brave the spoilers below the fold. For non-spoiler-y glory, here's a preview:
Absolute Brightness is a story about Phoebe’s life briefly before Lenard moves in, the short time he lives with them, and after his disappearance. It’s about her, a straight white female growing up, discovering romance and different people.
It’s not really a book for gay teens, as it is for straight people. Leonard isn’t the protagonist. Phoebe grows up, becomes less homophobic but still has very gender-normative mentality. It’s a hand-holding exploring middle grade book for white straight people to experience knowing gay and black people without needing to know any.
It will be heart wrenching for QUILTBAG teens especially, seeing their identity attacked again and the see the best friend be self-centered, sheltered, clueless and callous. At first, she calls him sissy boy. While later she acknowledges how her language has changed because of Leonard, she doesn’t ever get him.
Phoebe tells Leonard to stop being himself, so ~flamboyant~ and obvious but he never comes out as gay. He says he’s only being himself, nothing more. This really comes into play towards the end when people are describing Leonard during the trial. They dance around labeling him because of this so they use words like flamboyant and different while Phoebe whips out ‘sissy boy’ again.
Leonard disappears because she didn’t fall under his spell like the rest of the town and she needed to learn a lesson. It’s a better use of the trope than Winger but it’s disheartening to read all the same.
I’m not saying stories like this shouldn’t be told, but if I’d know this going in I’d have been hesitant (at the least) instead of ecstatic. After all the high praise reviews and the non-spoiler reviews, I was expecting something else; Instead of the same old ‘stereotypical safe special snowflake gay that’s too good for this world’ as new tearful journey. I’m sure if my expectations matched the content, my experience would’ve been improved. Somehow.
It’s been 8 years since Absolute Brightness was published, but it feels more dated than that. We aren’t past media killing their gays, but there’s so much push back now. Would Absolute Brightness get a pass for being written by a gay activist today? Is there something I’m missing?
It makes me wonder if I read it years ago, would I feel the same way? Was I this clueless then? Absolutely possible. Probably. Absolutely. Fuuuuuuck.
Thankfully, that cannot be said today. But considering where you are is a good idea before delving in is a good idea so it’s not such a letdown.
Romance:
Phoebe’s romance is a strange thing. Their first kiss is in public, spur of the moment, the onetime Phoebe defends Leonard, and in defense of being called a lesbian. From there, nothing happens until his makeover and Phoebe needs help. It isn’t really thought of as a relationship until the end when the implications are made public. Yet that’s when it’s called love…
While it becomes plenty weird and gross and scary in the end, I loved Phoebe’s realizations. She grasps for something to hold on to, finding his hand to hold. Her internal turn of events rings true to me. And realizing she played him up in her mind, her feelings muddling her perception and thinking…ouch. That’s something I dealt with during my first relationship that turned abusive and haven’t read something that nails it so well before.
In the end…
We have a non-gender conforming teen who disappears for most of the book, a mystery with an obvious perpetrator and an unclear chain of events, arguments against the death penalty, child rape by a parental figure that’s dealt with by ignoring said figure and the victim not receiving help, an Iraq war vet coming home heralded as a hero then ignored and a romance with a perpetrator that’s mostly imaginary and called ‘love’.
None of the issues are really dealt with in a meaningful way. They are brought up, acknowledged, and swept away by the next problem. There isn’t a conclusion or follow through. How was the war vet’s family handling his return and disability? Is the rape victim going to get counseling? Why isn’t her family doing anything about her mental health issues? What was between Phoebe and her…make-out partner? What the hell happened that night?
Some will love it for being as messy and inconclusive as life while others will hate it. Not just the content, but the time skips and Phoebe’s train of thought. I liked the tangents about the characters to bring them alive and her voice. Except when she was being a clueless brat, but she’s sheltered, young, and learning at least.
For me, I was engrossed while reading and now don’t know what to think. I’m hardly satisfied but enjoyed reading it while it lasted. It’s a thick book, but it flew by quickly and felt much shorter.
Rating:
Ehhh.....For the writing and flow, for engrossing me despite it all, Absolute Brightness earns a falling, crashing 3.5 stars.
Everything else ranks it, at best, a two. And since I've stewed on it, 2 stars sounds and feels better.
I hope that makes sense because I have to go with my gut on this one.
If anyone has or wants to read a "too good for the world so kill your gays" tale, this is the best I've read so far.
Recommended For:
Recommending Absolute Brightness is hard because how straight people perceive the QUILTBAG community within and how preachy-shallow it becomes with the death penalty while ignoring child rape.
I think it could be a great introduction for middle-schoolers, especially in white areas, but this cannot be the end. If it is, they’re likely to be the unhelpful allies and continue terrible tropes and thinking while proclaiming otherwise.
If you’re in the right spot with the right expectations, I think Absolute Brightness could be a great world-expanding, emotional, thoughtful read.
But for me, it felt flat after finishing and even engrossed during the book, I was very aware of what I was reading.
Note: The author, James Lecesne, is a member of the GLBT+ community and activist. This review in no way, shape, or form disparages his identity or work. I applaud him for everything he has accomplished. This is just my honest reaction and feelings about Absolute Brightness. It’s nothing personal.
atschakfoert's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars: This book would have been phenomenal if it weren't so filled with fluff. It could have been half the length easily. There were several portions where I found myself dragging through trying to figure out the significance of adding yet another plot line (for example, the romance between the two drama teachers...not significant, it turned out, and yet quite a bit of the book was wasted on it). All in all, though, it was a powerful story.
kelseyvsy's review
3.0
Liked the first 100 pages, but once Leonard disappeared, the rest seemed to drag.
mario_pellegrino's review
4.0
Phoebe lives with her mom and older sister, and they are all shocked to hear that their cousin from Arizona, Leonard, is coming to live with them. They have no idea how to live with a boy, and when Leonard gets there, they all think he's really weird. He's flamboyant, jovial, and Phoebe thinks he has all the telltale signs of being gay. Leonard doens't identify as anything, yet--he thinks he's just being himself.
Tragedy strikes when Leonard goes missing and suddenly the whole town of Neptune, New Jersey is turned upside down by trying to uncover what happened to Leonard Pelkey. Phoebe undergoes her coming of age in learning to deal with Leonard's disappearance and grappling between the difference of good and evil.
Tragedy strikes when Leonard goes missing and suddenly the whole town of Neptune, New Jersey is turned upside down by trying to uncover what happened to Leonard Pelkey. Phoebe undergoes her coming of age in learning to deal with Leonard's disappearance and grappling between the difference of good and evil.
mary_the_librarian's review against another edition
3.0
I love Leonard. I love the message of this book (the final chapters got me right in the feels), but for most of the book, I hated the main character. I did not find her likeable at all. I thought she was horrible.
tashrow's review against another edition
5.0
15-year-old Phoebe lives with her mother and older sister Deirdre in a house attached to her mother's beauty salon. Leonard, their uncle's stepson comes to live with them and neither of the girls is ready to give him even the slightest chance. It doesn't help that Leonard is unusual. He doesn't seem to care that his behavior may get him beat up or at the very least ignored by everyone. He goes ahead and wears the clothing he wants to, which include platform sneakers that he made himself. Leonard quickly makes a place for himself, catering to the ladies who come to the salon, much to Phoebe's relief and dismay. When Leonard disappears, he leaves behind a huge hole in everyone's lives, Phoebe's most of all.
The writing here is nearly incandescent with beauty. It is writing that makes one pause, sometimes gasp, reread and then think for awhile. It is writing one reads aloud to another person just to hear the words spoken. It is the writing that makes this book so exceptional and such a gem of a novel. Here's just one passage amongst so many that shine:
I had suddenly realized that I didn't have the slightest idea who Travis was. For the past month, I'd been making up a picture of Travis in my head, and in the process I had refused any information about him that came to me from the real world. If it didn't fit with the picture of Travis that I already had in mind, I had no use for it. Travis Lembeck was my creation, my Frankenstein. Even the very real business of kissing him, smelling him, being pressed up against him in the dark couldn't disturb my fine-tuned, half-baked fantasy. Now with the revelation that he was going to join the service, that he blew up cyberpeople and destroyed cybervillages just for fun, the Travis I'd been cherishing in my heart suddenly seemed trumped-up. Like those life-size, cardboard cutouts of presidents and movie stars that you can stand beside and have your picture taken with so you can give everyone the impression that you hobnobbed with the genuine article.
Lecesne crafts realizations and sudden insights with such care. The novel is filled with corners that you round just to come upon a moment like this. It is appropriate that a novel that starts as a character study becomes a mystery and then a court drama. As Lecesne leads us through these conventional novel settings, he continues to write a book that surprises, quite an accomplishment. His characters are unconventional, interesting and thoroughly complex. They act like real humans, people you would know, and the joy is that you get to experience things through their eyes.
Highly recommended for teens ages 14-17, this novel is piercingly intelligent and will reflect your own life and choices back on you.
The writing here is nearly incandescent with beauty. It is writing that makes one pause, sometimes gasp, reread and then think for awhile. It is writing one reads aloud to another person just to hear the words spoken. It is the writing that makes this book so exceptional and such a gem of a novel. Here's just one passage amongst so many that shine:
I had suddenly realized that I didn't have the slightest idea who Travis was. For the past month, I'd been making up a picture of Travis in my head, and in the process I had refused any information about him that came to me from the real world. If it didn't fit with the picture of Travis that I already had in mind, I had no use for it. Travis Lembeck was my creation, my Frankenstein. Even the very real business of kissing him, smelling him, being pressed up against him in the dark couldn't disturb my fine-tuned, half-baked fantasy. Now with the revelation that he was going to join the service, that he blew up cyberpeople and destroyed cybervillages just for fun, the Travis I'd been cherishing in my heart suddenly seemed trumped-up. Like those life-size, cardboard cutouts of presidents and movie stars that you can stand beside and have your picture taken with so you can give everyone the impression that you hobnobbed with the genuine article.
Lecesne crafts realizations and sudden insights with such care. The novel is filled with corners that you round just to come upon a moment like this. It is appropriate that a novel that starts as a character study becomes a mystery and then a court drama. As Lecesne leads us through these conventional novel settings, he continues to write a book that surprises, quite an accomplishment. His characters are unconventional, interesting and thoroughly complex. They act like real humans, people you would know, and the joy is that you get to experience things through their eyes.
Highly recommended for teens ages 14-17, this novel is piercingly intelligent and will reflect your own life and choices back on you.
djblock99's review against another edition
2.0
I almost feel that's it's not fair to review this book, since this was an advanced copy. I suppose that this is the version that reviewers are reading, though. IT could be a really good book with some editing. As it is, though, it just tries to be too many things at once. There're too many things going on, and I felt like it was trying to hard to be the next The Lovely Bones (which I also thought was just okay).
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