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clarkg's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really enjoyed this book! At first blush, it's about shapeshifting, perception, queer life, and the refusal to be defined by any one thing--whether that be gender, genre, or subculture. Based on this premise alone, I worried that genderbending would be played for shock value, which would have been kind of tired as far as queer fiction goes. Lawlor's prose quickly burned away my misgivings and delivered a sharp, complicating, and tender tableau of queer desire and community.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Cursing, and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment, Vomit, and Transphobia
Minor: Cultural appropriation and Hate crime
thea_maarup's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Very interesting for sure, though I had a bit of trouble getting through it. It is a very knowledgeable book and I liked the narrator.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide and Sexual content
haikuesque's review
3.0
Strong premise, a funny and unique voice, but the plot was a bit too meandering for me. Great bedtime read.
nancyboy's review
5.0
you know when you read a book and wish you wrote it,,,, yeah this is that book for me
forestblue's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
fast-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
4.5
So good, queer in a bone-deep sense of the word. Rich in cultural references and empathy. Great trans rep
nancyboy56's review
5.0
you know when you read a book and wish you wrote it,,,, yeah this is that book for me
kmair99's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
shimmery's review against another edition
5.0
Paul is mutable — not only, as he says, because he’s a Sagittarius, but because he is often switching jobs, interests, states and sex.
This is a hilarious read as it follows the happy-go-lucky, fun-seeking Paul through his jobs in gay bars and thrift stores, to his life as a woman in an all lesbian, vegetarian household, and on to the life he lives as a gay man working in an LGBT bookstore. Lawlor writes with such wit; they are an expert at storytelling.
But this book is also deeply moving; it looks at he aids crisis and the struggles of LGBT people, while also exploring gender and identity in a way that is both self aware and teasing and profound. It’s one of the only books I’ve read that manages to write about music in an interesting and entertaining way.
It’s a very smart book, perhaps my favourite I’ve read so far this year, and I’d encourage all to read it.
This is a hilarious read as it follows the happy-go-lucky, fun-seeking Paul through his jobs in gay bars and thrift stores, to his life as a woman in an all lesbian, vegetarian household, and on to the life he lives as a gay man working in an LGBT bookstore. Lawlor writes with such wit; they are an expert at storytelling.
But this book is also deeply moving; it looks at he aids crisis and the struggles of LGBT people, while also exploring gender and identity in a way that is both self aware and teasing and profound. It’s one of the only books I’ve read that manages to write about music in an interesting and entertaining way.
It’s a very smart book, perhaps my favourite I’ve read so far this year, and I’d encourage all to read it.
ejkimberley's review
5.0
This was a lovely ride all the way through, which really felt like it was written by someone who knows what it was like to hit the gay and lesbian scene in the 90s. Characters and situations were compelling and on point, but made more compelling for me by the high-concept premise of Paul not just being a genderfluid queen who can pass in any context, but a literal shapeshifter.
The sex scenes were interesting and varied enough (given Paul's transformational abilities. And the dialogue was well written and fun. Making this altogether a highly entertaining nostalgic experience of a (literally) genderfluid "youngman" hitting the scene at (perhaps) its historical height.
The sex scenes were interesting and varied enough (given Paul's transformational abilities. And the dialogue was well written and fun. Making this altogether a highly entertaining nostalgic experience of a (literally) genderfluid "youngman" hitting the scene at (perhaps) its historical height.