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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
Easily Robin Talley’s best work. I was genuinely unprepared for the storylines to so closely mimic those of myself and those closest to me. The ending felt so much like this year’s election that I cried.
Have we really not made it so far that stories ringing true from forty years ago are still the same stories of queer people now?
Have we really not made it so far that stories ringing true from forty years ago are still the same stories of queer people now?
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Bullying, Confinement, Drug use, Hate crime, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Bullying, Homophobia
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
“Honest. Powerful. Simply put a book you need to read. If you fell in love with Abdi Nazemian’s Like a Love Story, you won’t want to miss Music From Another World.”
Cecelia Beckman, Sheaf & Ink
The Story
It’s summer of 1977 and Tammy Larson is gay. She lives in the most conservative county on the West Coast, attends a strict Christian High School, and her home life is no different. Stuck in a time and place that would rather see her punished and ostracized for being gay, Tammy is forced to keep her silence about being a lesbian. Her only solace is her diary who she addresses to Harvey Milk, a gay civil rights activist and her summer pen pal, Sharon Hawkins.
Sharon Hawkins lives in San Fransisco and her older brother is gay, but even though they live in a progressive city, he still won’t come out to their mom. Sharon loves her brother and when he introduces her to the gay community her views begin to slowly change.
In a time where antigay movements are in full force in the United States, Tammy and Sharon come together to find a way to truly be themselves.
My Thoughts
First things first, I absolutely LOVED this book.
Yes, Dear Readers, all caps for this centerpiece of a book.
Robin Talley took a moment in history and made it exceptionally relevant and incredibly relatable. Her choice of diary prose was perfection. The back and forth from diary entries to pen pal letters gave such an honest portrayal of two teenagers in crisis. Talley’s writing deftly showed the challenges young people of the queer community faced and how fiercely resilient they were against intolerance.
From the very beginning you felt Tammy and Sharon’s anxiety, worry, and stress the entire time they wrote to each other or in their own diaries. It was soul crushing to witness how these young people had to endure the day to day discrimination, not only from peers, but also family members. Talley vividly painted our history with bold strokes and splashed in bright colors the beauty of two young teens finding their voice to make a difference.
What I loved most about this novel was both the poignant narrative and the hope you feel in the victories the characters themselves make as well as the political ones. It was inspiring to read about the leading historical activists in the LGBTQIA+ community, like Harvey Milk, and how each of those leaders bravely fought and paved the way for equality and human rights.
Music From Another World will hold a special place in the pantheon of LGBTQIA+ novels because it dares to take on discrimination, religion, and human rights while at the same time exploring the blossoming friendship between two exceptional people.
I can’t wait for you to read this book!
Happy Reading! Cece
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the Advance Readers Copy
Cecelia Beckman, Sheaf & Ink
The Story
It’s summer of 1977 and Tammy Larson is gay. She lives in the most conservative county on the West Coast, attends a strict Christian High School, and her home life is no different. Stuck in a time and place that would rather see her punished and ostracized for being gay, Tammy is forced to keep her silence about being a lesbian. Her only solace is her diary who she addresses to Harvey Milk, a gay civil rights activist and her summer pen pal, Sharon Hawkins.
Sharon Hawkins lives in San Fransisco and her older brother is gay, but even though they live in a progressive city, he still won’t come out to their mom. Sharon loves her brother and when he introduces her to the gay community her views begin to slowly change.
In a time where antigay movements are in full force in the United States, Tammy and Sharon come together to find a way to truly be themselves.
My Thoughts
First things first, I absolutely LOVED this book.
Yes, Dear Readers, all caps for this centerpiece of a book.
Robin Talley took a moment in history and made it exceptionally relevant and incredibly relatable. Her choice of diary prose was perfection. The back and forth from diary entries to pen pal letters gave such an honest portrayal of two teenagers in crisis. Talley’s writing deftly showed the challenges young people of the queer community faced and how fiercely resilient they were against intolerance.
From the very beginning you felt Tammy and Sharon’s anxiety, worry, and stress the entire time they wrote to each other or in their own diaries. It was soul crushing to witness how these young people had to endure the day to day discrimination, not only from peers, but also family members. Talley vividly painted our history with bold strokes and splashed in bright colors the beauty of two young teens finding their voice to make a difference.
What I loved most about this novel was both the poignant narrative and the hope you feel in the victories the characters themselves make as well as the political ones. It was inspiring to read about the leading historical activists in the LGBTQIA+ community, like Harvey Milk, and how each of those leaders bravely fought and paved the way for equality and human rights.
Music From Another World will hold a special place in the pantheon of LGBTQIA+ novels because it dares to take on discrimination, religion, and human rights while at the same time exploring the blossoming friendship between two exceptional people.
I can’t wait for you to read this book!
Happy Reading! Cece
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the Advance Readers Copy
funny
informative
medium-paced
Thanks to Inkyard Press for the ARC.
A small disclaimer to start with: I adore all of the Robin Talley books I've read, however I'm also not sure if anything can match The Lies We Tell Ourselves.
That said: Music From Another World was an utter joy to read - I wish books like this had existed when I was a teenager. I ploughed through it, "delighting" anyone who was sitting near me with updates about what was happening.
My only issue with the book is that, especially for the first half, all of the antagonists were almost caricature villains - they were so horrible! To be honest though, I probably wouldn't have wanted to see a sympathetic depiction of Aunt Mandy anyway - but at times she was almost supernaturally terrible. I'm also not usually a fan of epistolary novels, and at times this format can get in the way of the plot.
Regardless, I felt so buoyant and hopeful at the end of this that I had to round up to 5 stars.
A small disclaimer to start with: I adore all of the Robin Talley books I've read, however I'm also not sure if anything can match The Lies We Tell Ourselves.
That said: Music From Another World was an utter joy to read - I wish books like this had existed when I was a teenager. I ploughed through it, "delighting" anyone who was sitting near me with updates about what was happening.
My only issue with the book is that, especially for the first half, all of the antagonists were almost caricature villains - they were so horrible! To be honest though, I probably wouldn't have wanted to see a sympathetic depiction of Aunt Mandy anyway - but at times she was almost supernaturally terrible. I'm also not usually a fan of epistolary novels, and at times this format can get in the way of the plot.
Regardless, I felt so buoyant and hopeful at the end of this that I had to round up to 5 stars.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
lighthearted
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
Had some Miseducation of Cameron Post vibes.... I loved the setting (70s) and the musical references! Got me emotional and very anxious about a law that had been passed almost 50 years ago in a country I don’t even live in.
This was nice!!
Maybe a bit too ya for me but I know that won’t be a problem for everyone :)
This was nice!!
Maybe a bit too ya for me but I know that won’t be a problem for everyone :)
Since Pulp was one of my favourite books of 2019, I started this audiobook as soon as I could. And wow. She just did it again.
This was hard to read at times, because it deals with a lot of homophobia, but it's also such an important read. There's something so very special about reading about LGBTQ+ history.
The characters were incredibly loveable as well, and I loved how all of them has a really different experience being queer.
I'm not in the mood to write a long review, but I couldn't recommend this enough!
Rep: lesbian MC, questioning bisexual MC, gay side character
This was hard to read at times, because it deals with a lot of homophobia, but it's also such an important read. There's something so very special about reading about LGBTQ+ history.
The characters were incredibly loveable as well, and I loved how all of them has a really different experience being queer.
I'm not in the mood to write a long review, but I couldn't recommend this enough!
Rep: lesbian MC, questioning bisexual MC, gay side character
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes