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yanailedit's review against another edition
4.0
Cassara is a skilled story-teller who brings a profoundly compassionate perspective to a dark part of queer history. It rises above all the tidy sensationalization and glamorization to punch you right in the heart with a fine-tuned balance of tragedy and the small moments that make life worth it...
It'll make you think long and hard about the weight of social rejection.
Highly recommended.
PS: One of the reviewers I saw before deciding to read this book called Cassara's use of 'randomly thrown in Spanish words' (rough paraphrasing) clumsy. Nothing could be further from the truth; the author does a fantastic job of representing vernacular voices without which the book would be every bit as sterile as mainstream accounts of queer culture tend to be.
It'll make you think long and hard about the weight of social rejection.
Highly recommended.
PS: One of the reviewers I saw before deciding to read this book called Cassara's use of 'randomly thrown in Spanish words' (rough paraphrasing) clumsy. Nothing could be further from the truth; the author does a fantastic job of representing vernacular voices without which the book would be every bit as sterile as mainstream accounts of queer culture tend to be.
finnthehuman217's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
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? No
4.75
pearlsnap's review against another edition
5.0
I’m wrecked. Do not recommend listening to the last chapter on your way to work.
thematinee's review against another edition
5.0
That shattering sound you heard the last few days was my heart breaking...
femke495's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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
3.5
dumblcnde's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
halaagmod's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-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
4.0
I was gifted an ARA copy of this book way back in 2018. Ever since then, I've been struggling over what exactly to say about this book. There are no words. Heartbreaking and simply magnificent.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Homophobia
Moderate: Suicide, Hate crime, Drug use, Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Racism
Minor: Excrement
laurenexploresbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Though I appreciate that this work highlighted the experiences of transgender individuals during the 80s Harlem drag ball scene, the work focused so much on the trauma experienced by the House of Xtravaganza including sexual assault, addiction, and AIDS, but did not highlight the joy and love as powerfully. I found myself feeling incredibly exhausted and sad after reading this work.
gilmoreguide's review against another edition
3.0
(2.5)
"Passing is an art form, darling. It's a craft. And just like any craft, the artistic ideal is always impossible to achieve. We can try and try and try as hard as possible to pass as a woman, but if I'm a biological man, I can only go up to a certain point. The rest is all imagination."
John Cassara pumps up the beat from the very beginning of his debut novel, The House of Impossible Beauties. It's 1980 in New York City and Angel is tired of living in her boy body. She's sixteen and has been hiding herself from everyone (most especially her mother) until she finally meets Dorian, the living legend of queens in the ballroom scene. Like that, Angel flips the switch, leaving behind the body she was given to dress as the woman she knows she is. When she meets Hector, an older man who wants to be a dancer, they decide to start their own house-a place where other young men can live and be emotionally supported as they venture into the world of the drag. The novel follows their lives for the next decade as they try and make space for themselves in a world that does not accept them.
Initially in The House of Impossible Beauties, the shift from given names (male) to female makes for the illusion of a much larger cast and can be confusing. Once the sequins settle the novel centers around Angel, the mother of the house Xtravaganza and the three 'children' who live with her: Venus, a pre-op transsexual; Juanito, a young queen who wants to rule in the ballroom, and Daniel, the young man who falls in love with Juanito. Angel and Hector provide them with a home-a place to sleep, eat, and have the security their original families did not provide.
The rest of this review is at The Gilmore Guide to Books: http://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2018/03/the-house-of-impossible-beauties/
"Passing is an art form, darling. It's a craft. And just like any craft, the artistic ideal is always impossible to achieve. We can try and try and try as hard as possible to pass as a woman, but if I'm a biological man, I can only go up to a certain point. The rest is all imagination."
John Cassara pumps up the beat from the very beginning of his debut novel, The House of Impossible Beauties. It's 1980 in New York City and Angel is tired of living in her boy body. She's sixteen and has been hiding herself from everyone (most especially her mother) until she finally meets Dorian, the living legend of queens in the ballroom scene. Like that, Angel flips the switch, leaving behind the body she was given to dress as the woman she knows she is. When she meets Hector, an older man who wants to be a dancer, they decide to start their own house-a place where other young men can live and be emotionally supported as they venture into the world of the drag. The novel follows their lives for the next decade as they try and make space for themselves in a world that does not accept them.
Initially in The House of Impossible Beauties, the shift from given names (male) to female makes for the illusion of a much larger cast and can be confusing. Once the sequins settle the novel centers around Angel, the mother of the house Xtravaganza and the three 'children' who live with her: Venus, a pre-op transsexual; Juanito, a young queen who wants to rule in the ballroom, and Daniel, the young man who falls in love with Juanito. Angel and Hector provide them with a home-a place to sleep, eat, and have the security their original families did not provide.
The rest of this review is at The Gilmore Guide to Books: http://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2018/03/the-house-of-impossible-beauties/
stitch's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.75