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bkread2's review
4.0
When I got this book I had NO CLUE what it was about. I just saw it on the shelf at the library and thought that the cover looked intriguing! I was pleasantly surprised with the wit and deeper meaning of life woven into it. It had a bit of spunk and kept me entertained! I am sure many of my ULTRA-CONSERVATIVE friends might get offended...BUT my OPEN MINDED friends would absolutely enjoy this!
baylan's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
They're people and did as people do, be stupid.
phxkevin's review
3.0
Ignore the cover as it has nothing to do with the book, and if you can get past the cover, read the book.
A very delightful book, one of those you read because it was there, but soon after you start you are hooked by the characters and the plot. Don’t judge this book by its cover, as the cover art is irrelevant.
At its heart it’s a coming of age story, a fast paced one with several unique twists. A kid who is in big trouble because he is spiraling out of control. His mom has his uncle, a person on parole for a drug related crime “baby sit” him for the summer. Hilarity ensues. The uncle is morally corrupt, probably a sociopath or maybe even a psychopath and trains our protagonist (his nephew) in how to steal things, eventually becoming art thieves.
Triggers: child abuse, beating one’s children. It happens to the mother and uncle by their parents, and the mother later –in this book –she beats her son “on screen”. Manipulative behavior that borders on sociopathic or psychopathic tendencies. Keep in mind it’s a fiction book. ----- If the triggers don’t bother you, the book is well worth reading.
As witty and warm as it is laugh-out-loud funny, "Uncle Max" follows the adventures of a gawky adolescent on the cusp of homosexuality who discovers an unlikely hero in his outrageous, irreverent Uncle Max. Together, this daring duo embarks on a glorious madcap adventure that will change young Dillon's life forever. Fourteen-year-old Dillon is a self-described nerdy band fag in desperate need of a summer reprieve from gym class and torment by the school jock. Alas, that isn't to be -- not after his born-again mother, Lana, stumbles across his stash of empty wine bottles and Sears catalog pages featuring scantily-clad male models. Alarmed at the diabolic evidence of Dillon's drunken, perverted nocturnal hobbies, Lana concludes that Bible Camp is his only hope. But before he can say "hallelujah, " Dillon's salvation materializes -- fabulously shirtless and smoking a French cigarette. Perpetually on the lam, Uncle Max needs a place to hang -- and hide out -- for awhile. Hot on his heels is an entourage that includes his parole officer, Meredith; his sexy mountaineer boyfriend, Serge; and fellow con artist/antiques dealer, Jane Nguyen. Sprung from the proverbial closet, Dillon finds himself under Uncle Max's supervision for the summer, which entails Hitchcock films, Balzac novels, and a crash course in crime as Max and Jane's sidekick. As July gives way to steamy August, and as the cops close in, one thing is certain -- for Dillon, nothing will ever be the same again.
A very delightful book, one of those you read because it was there, but soon after you start you are hooked by the characters and the plot. Don’t judge this book by its cover, as the cover art is irrelevant.
At its heart it’s a coming of age story, a fast paced one with several unique twists. A kid who is in big trouble because he is spiraling out of control. His mom has his uncle, a person on parole for a drug related crime “baby sit” him for the summer. Hilarity ensues. The uncle is morally corrupt, probably a sociopath or maybe even a psychopath and trains our protagonist (his nephew) in how to steal things, eventually becoming art thieves.
Triggers: child abuse, beating one’s children. It happens to the mother and uncle by their parents, and the mother later –in this book –she beats her son “on screen”. Manipulative behavior that borders on sociopathic or psychopathic tendencies. Keep in mind it’s a fiction book. ----- If the triggers don’t bother you, the book is well worth reading.
As witty and warm as it is laugh-out-loud funny, "Uncle Max" follows the adventures of a gawky adolescent on the cusp of homosexuality who discovers an unlikely hero in his outrageous, irreverent Uncle Max. Together, this daring duo embarks on a glorious madcap adventure that will change young Dillon's life forever. Fourteen-year-old Dillon is a self-described nerdy band fag in desperate need of a summer reprieve from gym class and torment by the school jock. Alas, that isn't to be -- not after his born-again mother, Lana, stumbles across his stash of empty wine bottles and Sears catalog pages featuring scantily-clad male models. Alarmed at the diabolic evidence of Dillon's drunken, perverted nocturnal hobbies, Lana concludes that Bible Camp is his only hope. But before he can say "hallelujah, " Dillon's salvation materializes -- fabulously shirtless and smoking a French cigarette. Perpetually on the lam, Uncle Max needs a place to hang -- and hide out -- for awhile. Hot on his heels is an entourage that includes his parole officer, Meredith; his sexy mountaineer boyfriend, Serge; and fellow con artist/antiques dealer, Jane Nguyen. Sprung from the proverbial closet, Dillon finds himself under Uncle Max's supervision for the summer, which entails Hitchcock films, Balzac novels, and a crash course in crime as Max and Jane's sidekick. As July gives way to steamy August, and as the cops close in, one thing is certain -- for Dillon, nothing will ever be the same again.
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