Take a photo of a barcode or cover
annuloeb 's review for:
Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love
by Jonathan Van Ness
Not gonna lie, I had high expectations for this book. I love JVN (as seen on Queer Eye) and was sure that knowing his coming of age story would make me love him even more. Of course I grabbed the audio version to hear him tell it in his own voice. And man, I was disappointed...
First problem: turns out JVN is not such a great storyteller. He reads the audiobook like a schoolboy's report: fast and mechanical. There are only a few moments where he talks naturally the way we’re used to hearing him on TV, with hilarious exclamations and signature expressions. The tone makes it hard to follow and to emotionally connect.
Second problem: I found it hard to relate to his struggles. Perhaps because of the monotonous narration style. Or maybe because he seems to gloss over and make light of many painful parts. Maybe because he doesn’t really go into depth on any of the nitty gritty stuff where I would have liked a better explanation of what he was going through and why. It’s almost like he keeps saying "this was hard" and "that was awful" but I didn’t get a chance feel it or to hear it in his voice so I just had to take his word for it.
Had this book been three times longer and denser I think it would have been brilliant. To answer his question in the book: yes, I still love JVN after reading this and learning about his low points. But perhaps someone in their early 30s can not really write an autobiography and end it with a "happily ever after" conclusion after all.
First problem: turns out JVN is not such a great storyteller. He reads the audiobook like a schoolboy's report: fast and mechanical. There are only a few moments where he talks naturally the way we’re used to hearing him on TV, with hilarious exclamations and signature expressions. The tone makes it hard to follow and to emotionally connect.
Second problem: I found it hard to relate to his struggles. Perhaps because of the monotonous narration style. Or maybe because he seems to gloss over and make light of many painful parts. Maybe because he doesn’t really go into depth on any of the nitty gritty stuff where I would have liked a better explanation of what he was going through and why. It’s almost like he keeps saying "this was hard" and "that was awful" but I didn’t get a chance feel it or to hear it in his voice so I just had to take his word for it.
Had this book been three times longer and denser I think it would have been brilliant. To answer his question in the book: yes, I still love JVN after reading this and learning about his low points. But perhaps someone in their early 30s can not really write an autobiography and end it with a "happily ever after" conclusion after all.