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t33_'s review
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Had a good time!
I would read the next sequel.
ℜ𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 𝔰𝔱𝔞𝔯𝔰
I would read the next sequel.
ℜ𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 𝔰𝔱𝔞𝔯𝔰
letamcwilliams's review against another edition
3.0
For a book about not being prejudice, it was *wildly* fatphobic. In terms of story, it breaks out of the single story narrative which – for a book in the 90s – is a big deal, but I wish there had been a little bit more in terms of like /actually/ dealing with HIV instead of some battle with a pedophilic priest
romafo's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
4.0
emerygirl's review against another edition
3.0
This book has been on my “To Read” list for a long time. I had no idea what it was about, only that my sister read it once and gave it 4 stars. I was not expecting a book about black poverty, AIDS and crack. But if Tara liked it (and more importantly, Oprah) I would try it. I liked it. It is raunchy in places, and rough around the edges, but I liked the fight for good. And the last line of the book says it all. “What looks like crazy on an ordinary day looks a lot like love if you catch it in the moonlight”.
eudijo's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the piece of the story focused on having a romantic relationship while living with HIV. Relevant.
chaosmavin's review against another edition
5.0
One of the most beautiful love stories i have ever read...and probably the best Oprah book, when her book club was all the rage. I read a few of them but this one really stuck with me.
cymshady's review against another edition
5.0
Um, where the hell did this book come from and why didn't anyone tell me to read it sooner?
What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day tells the story of Ava Johnson, a hair stylist who shuts down her salon after her HIV diagnosis gets to her clients. Considering this book was written and set in the 90s, the stigmatization of HIV/AIDS at that time made some people think that the virus could be spread through close contact (e.g., getting your hair cut) which is what ends up happening to Ava. She decides to move to a more inclusive place = San Francisco.. and on the way stops in her home town which is just north of Detroit.
So all of ^^ happens within a few pages and it is the remaining story takes place over the 3 months that Ava is staying in Idlewild. This book was gritty, real, and super freaking endearing. I fell in love with the characterization of Ava almost immediately: she was guarded, yet was able to eventually break down her walls. She was headstrong, passionate, and sure of herself. The other characters were also well created, from her sister, her love interest, and even the preacher/wife. The subject matter is still extremely relevant to today (which is honestly really sad... shouldn't we be further as a society?)
5 stars, fully deserved.
What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day tells the story of Ava Johnson, a hair stylist who shuts down her salon after her HIV diagnosis gets to her clients. Considering this book was written and set in the 90s, the stigmatization of HIV/AIDS at that time made some people think that the virus could be spread through close contact (e.g., getting your hair cut) which is what ends up happening to Ava. She decides to move to a more inclusive place = San Francisco.. and on the way stops in her home town which is just north of Detroit.
So all of ^^ happens within a few pages and it is the remaining story takes place over the 3 months that Ava is staying in Idlewild. This book was gritty, real, and super freaking endearing. I fell in love with the characterization of Ava almost immediately: she was guarded, yet was able to eventually break down her walls. She was headstrong, passionate, and sure of herself. The other characters were also well created, from her sister, her love interest, and even the preacher/wife. The subject matter is still extremely relevant to today (which is honestly really sad... shouldn't we be further as a society?)
5 stars, fully deserved.
kteq's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
medium-paced
3.75
There is so much to and so much about this novel that makes it feel it could have been written today as much as it was written in 1997. The narrator’s candor and moments of vulnerability are so felt.
Of note, the matter-of-fact fatphobia towards the narrator’s sister peters out by the second third of the book, but is significant enough to be listed under the content warnings - there are so many other ways this character is described and interacts w the world throughout that it makes it much more apparent.
Of note, the matter-of-fact fatphobia towards the narrator’s sister peters out by the second third of the book, but is significant enough to be listed under the content warnings - there are so many other ways this character is described and interacts w the world throughout that it makes it much more apparent.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Drug abuse, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism, Murder, Sexual violence, and Fatphobia
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Pedophilia, War, and Child death
calicoreadstoomuch's review
emotional
funny
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? Yes
5.0
liketheday's review against another edition
3.0
"An Oprah book club selection" was one of the Read Harder challenges this year, and I wasn't sure what I was going to read because nothing on the abridged list that used to be on Oprah's site (it has since been updated to be complete) looked interesting. I found this book in passing on a completely different list of books and noticed the little Oprah logo in the corner and went, aha!
This is an interesting little book and sort of a time capsule of 1997 when it was written. I feel like it would have been really affecting and groundbreaking had I read it 20 years ago, except not really because I would have been a little too young for it but you know what I mean, but now it's a little more... quaint?
That's not to say it's not good. It has an interesting perspective on AIDS, teen sexuality, poverty, racism, religion, drug addiction -- all the controversial issues you can cram into a pretty short book without going overboard, and it does cram them in really well. It also has a cute romance subplot and a bit of a meditation on place. It's fun and a little suspenseful and it has some things to say that still need to be heard in 2018, so it's worth it to push past the weirder late-90s bits to get to them.
This is an interesting little book and sort of a time capsule of 1997 when it was written. I feel like it would have been really affecting and groundbreaking had I read it 20 years ago, except not really because I would have been a little too young for it but you know what I mean, but now it's a little more... quaint?
That's not to say it's not good. It has an interesting perspective on AIDS, teen sexuality, poverty, racism, religion, drug addiction -- all the controversial issues you can cram into a pretty short book without going overboard, and it does cram them in really well. It also has a cute romance subplot and a bit of a meditation on place. It's fun and a little suspenseful and it has some things to say that still need to be heard in 2018, so it's worth it to push past the weirder late-90s bits to get to them.