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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
3.5/5
Very charming and quite comical, though this didn’t always work in its favor.
Very charming and quite comical, though this didn’t always work in its favor.
I loved this book so, so much; it was incredibly entertaining and made me (literally) laugh out loud several times. There are tons of books in history that follow the “scrappy kid who makes good against all odds” storyline, but Aaron Jackson’s version was a fresh take and just so different than anything else I’ve come across. I listened to it on audio and I’m so glad I did because the voices they chose made a fantastic book even better. Highly recommended!
I finished this book and immediately *clutched* it to my chest as soon as I was done, that’s how dearly I loved it. And I only finished after forcing myself to pause after each Part, lest I devour the whole thing in one sitting. Aaron Jackson has penned one of the wittiest, silliest, most charming reads I’ve come across in a while. A love letter, particularly to the theatre and to New York City as well, I earnestly laughed out loud & shed tears reading alone in my room. This book is for everyone, but for a person with a knowledge of theatre history, or any life experiences in NYC, it is really something specifically wonderful. The characters are sweet without being saccharine, the story is fantastical without losing its grip on the reality it’s created, and the ending is the perfect bittersweet. 10/10. Read when you need joy.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
I listened to this book as an audiobook. Joel Froomkin’s narration of this book is by far the best I’ve ever listened to from him. He takes the prose from the novel and brings it to life in an extraordinary manner. I laughed. I cried. And I enjoyed every word.
5 stars!
5 stars!
Thanks to Bibliofinder and Harper Books for a free copy of this book for the book tour!
The Astonishing Life of August March is an entirely wonderful first book! This was one where the pages fell away quickly, as I was taken in by August March's singular world. This book was quirky, charming, funny, and ridiculously entertaining. As implausible as August March's life seems, it's thoroughly interesting to imagine. If you love theater, Shakespeare, great dialogue, and unforgettable characters, make sure to pick this up!
The Astonishing Life of August March is an entirely wonderful first book! This was one where the pages fell away quickly, as I was taken in by August March's singular world. This book was quirky, charming, funny, and ridiculously entertaining. As implausible as August March's life seems, it's thoroughly interesting to imagine. If you love theater, Shakespeare, great dialogue, and unforgettable characters, make sure to pick this up!
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-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
What a brilliant story, entertaining and well written.
It made me laugh and I loved August. The historical background is vivid and well researched, the plot flows and the cast of characters is interesting and well thought.
I look forward to reading other stories by this author.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
It made me laugh and I loved August. The historical background is vivid and well researched, the plot flows and the cast of characters is interesting and well thought.
I look forward to reading other stories by this author.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
August March came into this world under the most absurd of circumstances. His actress mother gave birth to him in between acts of a play and promptly left him in a basket in her dressing room before heading off to Hollywood. Found amongst the dirty clothes, he was taken in by the theater's aging laundress, Miss Butler, who would tend to him in between her duties but would leave him at the end of every workday to fend for himself. Along with Miss Butler, August found companionship in Sir Reginald Percyfoot, an actor who took August under his wing and taught him everything he knew (which wasn't much), but who also did so when it was convenient for him. Living in a theater proved to have a profound effect on August. Hidden in nooks and crannies, he was able to recite Shakespeare before the alphabet, his only friends being the rodents he shared a small cramped room with, but August soon wanted more.
When his beloved theater/home is demolished, August is forced to roam the streets of a post-war New York City, pick-pocketing whatever he could to survive. The next few years of August's life are a blur of stealing, booze, and women until finally Sir Percyfoot finds him and sends him to a posh boarding school to try and make him fit for the life he deserves. As August grows into a man, he starts to long for all the things he never had: a family, a home, someone to love. Then he crosses paths with a beautiful conwoman named Penny, and things may finally be looking up for August March. But is what they have real or the ultimate dupe?
I didn't know much about this going in, and I think that made me enjoy it even more. It's so surprisingly charming and slightly bizarre. You follow August through his life from a feral child living in a theater to a pretentious boarding school brat to an adult conman/thief, and while most of the time he's a snob with a high opinion of himself, you still can't help but love him. He's ridiculous in the best way. Aside from August, the rest of the cast of characters was enjoyable and also slightly over the top. I liked him and Penny together and how their lives had been entwined from a very early age. This is all about a young man trying to make the most of a bad hand he was dealt, and it's done so in a highly entertaining way. It's witty and funny and sad at times, but overall an amusing tale.
When his beloved theater/home is demolished, August is forced to roam the streets of a post-war New York City, pick-pocketing whatever he could to survive. The next few years of August's life are a blur of stealing, booze, and women until finally Sir Percyfoot finds him and sends him to a posh boarding school to try and make him fit for the life he deserves. As August grows into a man, he starts to long for all the things he never had: a family, a home, someone to love. Then he crosses paths with a beautiful conwoman named Penny, and things may finally be looking up for August March. But is what they have real or the ultimate dupe?
I didn't know much about this going in, and I think that made me enjoy it even more. It's so surprisingly charming and slightly bizarre. You follow August through his life from a feral child living in a theater to a pretentious boarding school brat to an adult conman/thief, and while most of the time he's a snob with a high opinion of himself, you still can't help but love him. He's ridiculous in the best way. Aside from August, the rest of the cast of characters was enjoyable and also slightly over the top. I liked him and Penny together and how their lives had been entwined from a very early age. This is all about a young man trying to make the most of a bad hand he was dealt, and it's done so in a highly entertaining way. It's witty and funny and sad at times, but overall an amusing tale.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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