 
|
|
 |
|
Freak Show
by James St. James
| List Price: |
$18.99 |
| Price: |
$12.91 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. |
| You Save: |
$6.08 (32%) |
|
|
Hardcover
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Billy Bloom is gay, but it’s mostly theoretical, as he hasn’t had much experience. When he has to move to Florida, he can’t believe his bad luck. His new school is a mix of Bible Belles, Aberzombies, and Football Heroes, none of which are exactly his type. Billy’s efforts to fit in and stand out at the same time are both hilarious and heartrending. In this novel from adult author and media personality James St. James, readers are in for a wild ride as he tells Billy’s fascinating story of bravado, pain, and unexpected love, inspired by his own experiences.
| Customer Reviews: |
|
| |
| Pales compared to 'Disco Bloodbath' |
| Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 |
 |
|
After seeing 'Party Monster', I was anxious to read James' 'Disco Bloodbath' and it delivered well beyond the movie. 'Freak Show', however, is an extremely predictable story and it is written in an elementary fashion. Its not a seat-gripper either.
Honestly, you could skip through about half of the book and not really miss anything but humdrum fashion rambling, typical of James St. James, I guess. If you love the man, you'll love the book.
It's a quick read. Perhaps more appropriate for teenagers.
All in all, I would recommend it, just don't pay more than two or three bucks for it. But yeah, Disco Bloodbath is way way better.
Enjoy!
|
| More Than Just a Cliché |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
 |
|
Although /Freak Show/ has its cons (clichéd characters, jarring syntax, etc.), these are far outweighted by its pros. Any teen, gay, straight, bi, or other could identify with Billy's perpetual quest for acceptance and fight against labels. And who wouldn't take satisfaction in seeing the oh-so-perfect blonde Nazi bigots get utterly cast down? In this sense, the plot takes few surprising twists, but that makes the few change-ups of the traditional underdog story stand out all the more.
The one thing I didn't like here (and this is purely on principle) was the clichéd characters. The mean cheerleaders with their Bitch-Queen (Billy's archnemesis), the violent Cro-Magnon football players, one or two of which turn out to have hearts of gold, the pious homophobes who justify all their cruelty with God, the brilliant, invisible "shadow group," the heartless absentee father, the no-nonsense maid, the tough-as-nails reporter and her perky foil, and of course the sweet-but-vapid, gorgeous love intrest who gradually gains depth over the course of the novel. No surprises there. The only true character surprise was the identity of Billy's mysterious stalker/wannabe-rapist. St. James absolutely broadsided me with that one.
To sum myself up, most of /Freak Show/ is clichéd, and often formulaic, but this just helps his few surprises pop out and amaze us all the more.
|
| Puts the FU in FABULOUS! |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
 |
|
Oh, what a thrill to finally read Freak Show! And in two days, couldn't put the darn thing down, really. It was, shall we say, manifique, super sparkly, and have no fear, all that glitters here on every fabulous page truly is gold. Yes, James St. James has added another gem to his writing hand with Freak Show. The heartfelt tale of Florida transplant turned aspiring Homecoming Queen, this story is chock-full of laughs, one-liners, and enough to zing to keep you ding-a-linging until the very last word. Cheerio, Mr. James. Cheerio.
|
| James St James rocks my socks! |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
|
|
James St James is a wonderful writer. His metaphors and descriptions of situations blow my mind. I read disco bloodbath 4 times and am on my second read of Freak Show. I cannot get enough.
|
| For the most part, unreadable |
| Customer Rating: 2 out of 5 |
 |
|
I'm not sure why this book deserved starred reviews. I honestly found the voice of the portagonist so grating, his usage of slang and emoticon/text-message-speak so distracting, that I couldn't finish the book. I felt the protagonist so unlikeable in his shallowness, pettiness, and obsession for fashion and appearances, that I could not relate or care what transpires to him. I welcome YA treatments of queer characters and themes, but I just could not survive the visual glare of the text (with so many capital letters and exclamation points, it seems written by an attention-starved tween).
|
|
