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alexatheoracle's review against another edition
5.0
Confession: I only read this book because I was bored and it was cheap. I am so glad I did. I was incredibly surprised by how much I loved this book. I loved the representation of theatre that it provides, and the memorable characters it presents to the reader. This is a fantastic book, which I'd highly recommend you add to your to-read list :)
theaudioauditor's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
heather01602to60660's review
4.0
A coming of age novel in the best sense, with a male protagonist, an exploration of mental illness, and some fun flashbacks to high school theater.
omgitsyelhsa's review against another edition
4.0
"The best people in life make the world a bigger place, then help you grow to fit it."
Worth the read.
Worth the read.
sparky_young_upstart's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I read this once before a few years ago and enjoyed it, but didn't retain any real details. It was also before I had a good understanding of mental illness representation in literature, especially YA. I saw it on my shelf and I started to wonder - was it as good as I remembered? Or was it a flawed attempt to bring an important subject to light?
I'm happy to say that, as far as I can tell, it's the former. I will admit I may be wrong in how well Schizophrenia is shown here - I don't have it or know anyone who has it. I like to say that I enough enough to know that I don't know much. But I have been learning about it in bits and pieces over the years, and while it may not be perfect, it certainly doesn't appear harmful. The overall message is that people with Schizophrenia and other illnesses that pop culture likes to classify as "maniacs" can truly live and thrive with the disease - provided, of course, that they get the necessary support from friends, family, and mental health professionals. You can try and wait for them to pass or handle them yourself, but in the end it's a group effort.
I used to have this at four stars, I've upped it to five. The main characters are even fresher and better defined than I remember. Even the adults, who don't get the same focus as Frenchy, Stewart, or Kaela, are fully realized beings. Frenchy's father, who committed suicide before the book began and therefore is never really seen, is still clear in my mind because of how well he was described both before and after he was involved in the war.
The teens themselves are also very realistic. They can make bad choices and ignore good advice and they can be selfish, which are all things that I know I did when I was young. The choices aren't always good, but they are true to the characters and so I can't argue with them. When it comes to Stewarts delusions, you could FEEL the awkwardness and growing concern as Frenchy tries to bring him back to reality. It hits you in the feels, hard. And really, I think it was smart to build the book as an outsider looking in rather than as a firsthand experience.
Also, all the descriptions of what it's like being in a high school theatre production are spot on. I was having flash backs to my body warm-ups and blocking and being on both sides of the techie/actor divide. It adds another spirit of realism on top of everything.
There are some things I could nitpick about. There are a few elements that I wish had been introduced earlier on or referenced before their introduction that would've helped them had more impact when they occurred in the final moments. Some moments are drawn out a bit too long, and others rush by too quickly. But those are minor things. It's an overall great book.
I'm happy to say that, as far as I can tell, it's the former. I will admit I may be wrong in how well Schizophrenia is shown here - I don't have it or know anyone who has it. I like to say that I enough enough to know that I don't know much. But I have been learning about it in bits and pieces over the years, and while it may not be perfect, it certainly doesn't appear harmful. The overall message is that people with Schizophrenia and other illnesses that pop culture likes to classify as "maniacs" can truly live and thrive with the disease - provided, of course, that they get the necessary support from friends, family, and mental health professionals. You can try and wait for them to pass or handle them yourself, but in the end it's a group effort.
I used to have this at four stars, I've upped it to five. The main characters are even fresher and better defined than I remember. Even the adults, who don't get the same focus as Frenchy, Stewart, or Kaela, are fully realized beings. Frenchy's father, who committed suicide before the book began and therefore is never really seen, is still clear in my mind because of how well he was described both before and after he was involved in the war.
The teens themselves are also very realistic. They can make bad choices and ignore good advice and they can be selfish, which are all things that I know I did when I was young. The choices aren't always good, but they are true to the characters and so I can't argue with them. When it comes to Stewarts delusions, you could FEEL the awkwardness and growing concern as Frenchy tries to bring him back to reality. It hits you in the feels, hard. And really, I think it was smart to build the book as an outsider looking in rather than as a firsthand experience.
Also, all the descriptions of what it's like being in a high school theatre production are spot on. I was having flash backs to my body warm-ups and blocking and being on both sides of the techie/actor divide. It adds another spirit of realism on top of everything.
There are some things I could nitpick about. There are a few elements that I wish had been introduced earlier on or referenced before their introduction that would've helped them had more impact when they occurred in the final moments. Some moments are drawn out a bit too long, and others rush by too quickly. But those are minor things. It's an overall great book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Minor: Suicide
lixard's review
4.0
A really pleasant surprise of a book. I came into it thinking that it was going to be two boys that caused trouble in the school play but it hit way more serious tones than that. I think it overall portrayed school life accurately, thought not the school life I experience. The friendship was a real treat and there was hardly any cliched pettiness.
"The best people in life make the world a better place, then help you grow to fit it. "
"The best people in life make the world a better place, then help you grow to fit it. "
bookbybook's review
4.0
This was so different from what I expected. The beginning seemed slow but it ended up being a wild, fun book that covered some serious mental health topics in an approachable way. Definitley reccomend this one.
dodie's review
5.0
When is enough enough? When does crazy cross over into certifiably nuts? Stahler does an amazing job of telling a story of two best friends, Frenchy and Stewart, one with every cause to unwind and the other who does, showing readers how mental illness is often hidden from family, or even ignored, until it is too late.
Being a senior in high school is full of pressure, and Frenchy just wants to glide through. Stewart takes AP and honors classes, and is destined for an Ivy League school. Set in a small town, recently divided in attitude toward a wind turbine farm built on a prominent hillside, readers follow the two teens as they go from auditioning for the school play, Man of La Mancha, to winning the leads to the final performances. Frenchy (Sancho) finds himself strangely empowered by being in the play while Stewart (Don Quixote) becomes totally immersed in his part, even wearing his costume to school. Meanwhile, Frenchy and his mother are dealing with the recent death of his father following deployment in Iraq, living in a double-wide, and his mother's boyfriend, Ralph. Stewart's parents are rich and use money as a carrot, and do little to track his actions. When Stewart begins to unravel, it is up to Frenchy to do something, but he feels helpless. With the support of his almost girlfried, Kaela, and the school psychologist, Frenchy is able to get Stewart the help he needs.
Beautifully written, this is an important book that may help other teens dealing with friends' and family members' issues with mental health.
Being a senior in high school is full of pressure, and Frenchy just wants to glide through. Stewart takes AP and honors classes, and is destined for an Ivy League school. Set in a small town, recently divided in attitude toward a wind turbine farm built on a prominent hillside, readers follow the two teens as they go from auditioning for the school play, Man of La Mancha, to winning the leads to the final performances. Frenchy (Sancho) finds himself strangely empowered by being in the play while Stewart (Don Quixote) becomes totally immersed in his part, even wearing his costume to school. Meanwhile, Frenchy and his mother are dealing with the recent death of his father following deployment in Iraq, living in a double-wide, and his mother's boyfriend, Ralph. Stewart's parents are rich and use money as a carrot, and do little to track his actions. When Stewart begins to unravel, it is up to Frenchy to do something, but he feels helpless. With the support of his almost girlfried, Kaela, and the school psychologist, Frenchy is able to get Stewart the help he needs.
Beautifully written, this is an important book that may help other teens dealing with friends' and family members' issues with mental health.
lawralthelibrarian's review
5.0
Frenchy's had a hell of a year, and now he just wants to coast through his senior year. But Stewart wants to get involved and, as his best friend, Frenchy backs him up. Their relationship, mirrored in the master-servant/leader-follower relationship of Sancho and the Don, is the driving force of this book. And it's a serious and challenging relationship. Still, Spinning Out is mostly hilarious. It's not laugh-out-loud funny; it's more subtle than that. If this book were literary fiction instead of YA, it would be called "intelligent humor." The banter between Frenchy and Stewart is always snarky, and when you throw Ralph, their pot dealer/Frenchy's mom's boyfriend, into the mix, it's gets a little out of control. In a good way. That's why, when Stewart starts to act a bit...off, Frenchy doesn't think too much of it.
Stewart falls further and further into the role of Don Quixote; it's great for the play, but hard on Frenchy. It's also hard on his budding relationship with stage manager Kaela (who is awesome-sauce). So he steps away, just a little bit. Finally able to claim a little bit of his own limelight in the role of Sancho, Frenchy separates himself just the tiniest bit from Stewart. They're still best friends (and Frenchy is a Great Friend), they're just no longer practically surgically attached.
During all of this changing and growing and relationship stuff, there is still a show to put on! Long rehearsals, music practices, hot chicks with power tools building sets, it's all there. Theater geeks and show choir enthusiasts (and fans of books like My Invented Life) will love this aspect. All readers will be treated to a meaty story in the meantime.
For more information, of the spoilery variety, about what's really going on with Stewart, see my full review:
http://lawral.blogspot.com/2011/05/spinning-out.html
Book source: ARC provided by the publisher through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.
Stewart falls further and further into the role of Don Quixote; it's great for the play, but hard on Frenchy. It's also hard on his budding relationship with stage manager Kaela (who is awesome-sauce). So he steps away, just a little bit. Finally able to claim a little bit of his own limelight in the role of Sancho, Frenchy separates himself just the tiniest bit from Stewart. They're still best friends (and Frenchy is a Great Friend), they're just no longer practically surgically attached.
During all of this changing and growing and relationship stuff, there is still a show to put on! Long rehearsals, music practices, hot chicks with power tools building sets, it's all there. Theater geeks and show choir enthusiasts (and fans of books like My Invented Life) will love this aspect. All readers will be treated to a meaty story in the meantime.
For more information, of the spoilery variety, about what's really going on with Stewart, see my full review:
http://lawral.blogspot.com/2011/05/spinning-out.html
Book source: ARC provided by the publisher through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.
photogeek's review
4.0
I really liked Spinning Out. It had the perfect touch of teenage angst, comedy, sarcasm, and romance.
Update 4/12 I am currently reading Don Quixote and it is quite interesting. I suggest that if you would like to read Spinning Out that you read Don Quixote first as Spinning Out will make more sense then.
Update 4/12 I am currently reading Don Quixote and it is quite interesting. I suggest that if you would like to read Spinning Out that you read Don Quixote first as Spinning Out will make more sense then.
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