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mentally_ill_catmom's review against another edition
3.0
I bought this book because I am a huge RENT fan. I liked this book because I got it learn a lot about the eveloution on one of my favorite musicals. Antony is very open in this book. He talks about cheating on his boyfriends online in detail. But you also learn about what a great son he was to his father and how much losing a mother means. I do not know that feeling yet but this book broke my heart when he talked about his mother's death.
janelbriana's review against another edition
5.0
Yeaaaah when I see his one man show next weekend definitely gonna cry
dixiet's review against another edition
5.0
What a beautifully written memoir. Anthony Rapp can act to make your heart swell (Star Trek: Discovery), sing magnificently (Rent), and write brilliantly as well. I began reading this morning and knew by the time I finished the first chapter that I would keep reading straight through until I finished the entire book. Rapp opens his heart and soul for the reader in a completely honest and disarming way. I can't recommend this book strongly enough.
anjumstar's review against another edition
5.0
When I was in chorus in middle school, I would go into class everyday forcing myself to have a great time, and get a lot out of the class. When people asked me what my favorite class is, I would say chorus without hesitation. Well, I actually hated middle school chorus looking back on it, but aside from that, that's how I went into reading this book. I picked it up knowing that I would love it. Having this internal push to like this certainly gives me a bias and clouds my opinion, so take that as you will... And here we go:
I would give this a million stars if I could. Anthony Rapp wrote this book with no inhibitions at all; he put himself out there, and that takes some serious skill. I will re-read this book a hundred times over, because I love him so much. I pretty much think that if you like him, you'll force yourself to like it, if it isn't your type of book, but you probably won't have to, because it's good. He delves in deep into his life, and I definitely feel like I know him that much better. I gave my friend this for her birthday, and upon seeing it, she gave quite the excited, embarrassing little squeal. It has that effect on people before it's even read.
Oh, in case you can't tell: I love RENT.
I would give this a million stars if I could. Anthony Rapp wrote this book with no inhibitions at all; he put himself out there, and that takes some serious skill. I will re-read this book a hundred times over, because I love him so much. I pretty much think that if you like him, you'll force yourself to like it, if it isn't your type of book, but you probably won't have to, because it's good. He delves in deep into his life, and I definitely feel like I know him that much better. I gave my friend this for her birthday, and upon seeing it, she gave quite the excited, embarrassing little squeal. It has that effect on people before it's even read.
Oh, in case you can't tell: I love RENT.
lowrijaynerees's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
4.5
wombat_88's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
mjdolce's review against another edition
4.0
I have so many thoughts after finishing this decade+ old memoir.
It definitely gave me some of what I wanted, as a behind the scenes look at my favorite musical.
And paralleling the first year of Rent with his mother's death was heartbreaking and beautiful.
But some of the personal stuff, as he struggled to deal with his mom's death, felt... unfinished. I wonder if he's still dealing with anger issues and wish he had delved a bit more into his process for coming out the other side.
All in all, I'm glad I read it.
It definitely gave me some of what I wanted, as a behind the scenes look at my favorite musical.
And paralleling the first year of Rent with his mother's death was heartbreaking and beautiful.
But some of the personal stuff, as he struggled to deal with his mom's death, felt... unfinished. I wonder if he's still dealing with anger issues and wish he had delved a bit more into his process for coming out the other side.
All in all, I'm glad I read it.
angelreadsthings's review against another edition
3.0
3.75 Stars. Although I found Rapp's writing style redundant and, at times, flat, I was immensely touched by the heart of this memoir. His willingness to share the good and the bad of his feelings during such tumultuous years encouraged me to be more open about the good and bad of my own feelings - especially my experiences of grief - and resulted in my shedding a lot of tears during reading sessions. As a huge fan of Rent, I also appreciated gaining a deeper sense of the musical's history and of Jonathan Larson.
debborahmay's review against another edition
5.0
Moving, insightful, affirming, heartbreaking and inspirational. This is an honest and raw "behind the curtain" glimpse into the unfolding of the beauty that is Rent, but also the devestation that loosing a parent can bring and how we move forward day by day in dealing with that as well as all of life's other pressures. Thank you to Anthony Rapp for being so open and honest and for writing this beautiful memoir. It genuinely moved me having just lost my Dad, and your description of grief rang so true.