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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I just want to say flat out this book is one of the most interesting books of all time. So basically this is a story of a boy that was abandoned by his mother right when he was born. He was abandoned at a theatre called The Scarsenguard. He was found by a laundress (Eugenia Butler) that worked there at the theatre. He was raised there by the laundress. This is an overall challenging and great book. What I don't really like is that it is so depressing to read. I don't mind the ending I just wish that there was another book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Alcohol
Spry and entertaining romp, particularly if you love theater.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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:
Complicated
English teachers would eat this shit up!!!!!!!!! Loved it so much, charming and fun. Love you DOD🤍
Born, and subsequently abandoned, in the Scarsenguard Theater on West Forty-Third Street in New York City, August March grew up as a literal child of the theater, raised by the employees and actors who frequented the halls and stage. As you can imagine, growing up in a theater can result in one leading a rather unusual, if not to say astonishing, life ... and such is the case with August March.
Aaron Jackson's debut novel, The Astonishing Life of August March, follows the boy from birth into adulthood, with plenty of escapades along the way. As a strange child with a rather lofty vocabulary (having the theater as your only source of education will do that to you), August finds himself orphaned and thrown out onto the streets of New York. From there he gets in good with a gang of pickpockets and ruffians, but in an odd turn of events, eventually finds himself placed in a prestigious boarding school. However, what to do as an adult? Ahhh, this is the biggest heist of them all. Yes, August's life truly is astonishing.
The Astonishing Life of August March is a grand, pompous book, and is infused with humor, plenty of colorful language, and some outlandish plot lines. Not fully reading the blurb before jumping into this novel, I expected August March's life to take the high road at every turn, but readers be warned ... this book takes the low, making this novel feel as darkly humorous and dirty as the streets of New York. What makes August's life so astonishing is not that he overcame his obstacles and led a life of grandeur, but rather than he succumbed to his fate ... in a most astonishing way. That is to say that Jackson makes a rough upbringing and a life of crime lighthearted and amusing.
I personally didn't love The Astonishing Life of August March, but I prefer my realistic fiction to be more grounded in reality. That's not to say it is a bad book because that is not the case. Rather, this one is for readers who enjoy lofty, unbelievable tales steeped in outlandish and comical plot lines. This novel would probably make for a pretty entertaining blockbuster film.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Aaron Jackson's debut novel, The Astonishing Life of August March, follows the boy from birth into adulthood, with plenty of escapades along the way. As a strange child with a rather lofty vocabulary (having the theater as your only source of education will do that to you), August finds himself orphaned and thrown out onto the streets of New York. From there he gets in good with a gang of pickpockets and ruffians, but in an odd turn of events, eventually finds himself placed in a prestigious boarding school. However, what to do as an adult? Ahhh, this is the biggest heist of them all. Yes, August's life truly is astonishing.
The Astonishing Life of August March is a grand, pompous book, and is infused with humor, plenty of colorful language, and some outlandish plot lines. Not fully reading the blurb before jumping into this novel, I expected August March's life to take the high road at every turn, but readers be warned ... this book takes the low, making this novel feel as darkly humorous and dirty as the streets of New York. What makes August's life so astonishing is not that he overcame his obstacles and led a life of grandeur, but rather than he succumbed to his fate ... in a most astonishing way. That is to say that Jackson makes a rough upbringing and a life of crime lighthearted and amusing.
I personally didn't love The Astonishing Life of August March, but I prefer my realistic fiction to be more grounded in reality. That's not to say it is a bad book because that is not the case. Rather, this one is for readers who enjoy lofty, unbelievable tales steeped in outlandish and comical plot lines. This novel would probably make for a pretty entertaining blockbuster film.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I think it must be incredibly difficult to make a book funny. Every time I laugh out loud in a book I am awed for a moment at the sheer prowess of words and imagination that an author must hold. but this book *was* funny. it was quick and easy to read, the main character had great vocab in a way that only added to the book, the love story was a nice footnote without taking over the whole thing, and even though the mc sucks, you kind of root for him--not as much as i rooted for percyfoot tho i must say. the whole thing was very fun, the kind of debut you know comes from a person who just loves art and whose writing process is a lot of spaghetti throwing. truly jackson revels in the fact that within the confines of art you can do anything u want, in a way that makes it very fun to read and a tincy offputting. definitely pro sex work, which is great. the mc sucks in a refreshing way--not that his sucking is the point, but more that he is a vessel for the events of the story to happen through; things happen to him and it isn't until the very end that he feels a sense of real agency. bc of that, he makes all sorts of choices that deeply suck but ultimately don't really matter bc the story itself is funny and fun. like a virginia woolf novel if it were more focused on being a riproaring good time.
probably the sweetest most profound moment of the book is at the very end in the acknowledgments, in which jackson addresses his husband to say "You are my favourite part of life." i think that came before the bowen yang namedrop.
probably the sweetest most profound moment of the book is at the very end in the acknowledgments, in which jackson addresses his husband to say "You are my favourite part of life." i think that came before the bowen yang namedrop.
I would have loved a little more closure, but this story was fun (and heartbreaking! But mostly fun).
adventurous
sad
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was super witty, fast-paced, a quick and delightful read. I was captivated by August a few pages in and was even more so with every new part of his life, from growing up inside of the theater to his numerous petty crimes, and everything in between.