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A review by jesslw
The Prettiest Star by Carter Sickels
3.0
I read this book because it kept coming up on several reading lists and because a lot of people I look to for recommendations have read it and raved about it.
My personal thoughts......mmmm..... I liked it....I think? Truth be told, I did like it, just not as much as every one else seems too. I loved the fact that it felt honest and raw and was well written and thoughtful. The Prettiest Star did a good job of showing different perspectives and the knee jerk reactions and fear of the Aids epidemic in the 80's. Like the time it reflects, the book is heartbreaking and tragic for all the characters involved and I truly felt their pain as I read their viewpoints on Bryan's worsening illness and imminent death. It was a good read and I am glad that I read it, but I also feel like I have read this story before and liked it better elsewhere (Tell the Wolves I'm Home and the Broadway musical RENT), with characters that I actually liked. Truth be told, I didn't like Bryan, at all. He rejected his family before they could reject him and moved to New York to live his life...until he found out he was dying and all alone. Then he realizes that he needs to come home to his family, but mostly it seems, because he has no where else to go. He doesn't seem to have any great feelings for his family at all, except maybe his grandmother. After returning home he is angry and resents everyone, all of which is understandable due to the stages of grief, he is 24 and dying after all, but it's particularly painful to see the effects this has on his mother and sister both of which he left behind in the past and again now. It can be difficult as a reader seeing all points of view because it's hard not to pick sides or relate more to one person over another or wish that characters would open up to each other. I am also disappointed that the father's view point is not shown until the end and when he finally gets his chapter it's brief and ambiguous and overly machismo. I was not happy with that small portrayal of his feelings because it didn't seem like enough when so much still needed to be said. But, that's life sometimes, especially in a culture where men are taught not to express themselves and to hide their emotions. It's a tough read, but worth it.
My personal thoughts......mmmm..... I liked it....I think? Truth be told, I did like it, just not as much as every one else seems too. I loved the fact that it felt honest and raw and was well written and thoughtful. The Prettiest Star did a good job of showing different perspectives and the knee jerk reactions and fear of the Aids epidemic in the 80's. Like the time it reflects, the book is heartbreaking and tragic for all the characters involved and I truly felt their pain as I read their viewpoints on Bryan's worsening illness and imminent death. It was a good read and I am glad that I read it, but I also feel like I have read this story before and liked it better elsewhere (Tell the Wolves I'm Home and the Broadway musical RENT), with characters that I actually liked. Truth be told, I didn't like Bryan, at all. He rejected his family before they could reject him and moved to New York to live his life...until he found out he was dying and all alone. Then he realizes that he needs to come home to his family, but mostly it seems, because he has no where else to go. He doesn't seem to have any great feelings for his family at all, except maybe his grandmother. After returning home he is angry and resents everyone, all of which is understandable due to the stages of grief, he is 24 and dying after all, but it's particularly painful to see the effects this has on his mother and sister both of which he left behind in the past and again now. It can be difficult as a reader seeing all points of view because it's hard not to pick sides or relate more to one person over another or wish that characters would open up to each other. I am also disappointed that the father's view point is not shown until the end and when he finally gets his chapter it's brief and ambiguous and overly machismo. I was not happy with that small portrayal of his feelings because it didn't seem like enough when so much still needed to be said. But, that's life sometimes, especially in a culture where men are taught not to express themselves and to hide their emotions. It's a tough read, but worth it.