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#5 Platform - Dramarama
Jul. 23rd, 2012 04:30 pmActual experience definitely can change your view of something you thought you wanted.
Book #25: Dramarama
Author: E. Lockhart
Provenance: Borrowed from Westmount Library
One of the most important quests in our lives, for just about each and every one of us, is to find a place, a group of people, where we belong. For many of us, this quest is complicated by the fact that whatever groups of people are easy to find nearby, we just don’t click with them. And we latch on to whomever is around us that actually fits the same way. So it can be exciting to get out there and find a whole bunch of new people who actually like the same things you do… but then, things might just not work out the way you expect with them when you get there.
Such is our story here in Dramarama, which tells us of a summer-long trip to a drama camp undertaken by two teenagers, a boy and a girl, from boring Brenton, Ohio. Sadye (because Sarah was too plain) and Demi (because he’s Douglas, Jr, and half of what his father is) go to the same high school, but only really meet up at the auditions for this camp, and then after they get in, bond over their love of musicals and their upcoming escape from normalcy. The two are pretty different superficially – straight white girl with a less-standard voice, gay black boy with a voice that breaks the rules of the audition – and yet, they become great friends, because they’re the only people that understand each other’s love of theater.
It might be predicted, then, that problems might occur once they get to a place where the defining feature of everyone in attendance is that they’re in the same age group and love the same things to the same ends. As you might expect at a drama camp, there is indeed drama, and it comes in the intended and unintended varieties. We do have some romances for both our lead characters, and some budding friendships, and a whole lot of growth as they take classes, prepare for performing in different plays, and try to find new niches for themselves when the previous niches are taken away. Like acting, in some ways, this is a story about trying to find your identity, along your connections.
That said… here’s the SPOILER ZONE. I think what I liked best about this book is the approach to Sadye’s character. A lot of her growth comes from her not really being as good at singing and performance as she thought she was, something that’s hinted from the beginning of the story, and her desire to push back against what she’s being told, which is not exactly standard operating procedure at the camp. It’s shown that she has a lot of talent, though; it’s just not where she thought it was, more in dancing and conceptualization, direction. It also is a lot of the source of her tension with others in the story. She’s so sure she’s right about how to do things, she’s not open to what people are trying to tell her, or different approaches to relationships, which causes strife for her with just about everyone. Hers is a neat arc, well-handled, and rather bold to take with the lead character of the story. END SPOILERS!
On the whole, I did like this book, but it’s rather a step down from Frankie Landau-Banks, in my view. It’s a nice story, and well-handled, although the more tech-y aspect of a drama camp get rather short shrift here. I do like the characters, as well, but something about this left me more cold than the previous one, and I don’t think it’s just that it’s perhaps a less happy or exciting book. I think it’s that the breaks in on Sadye’s narration that are supposed to drive growth don’t feel as fleshed out as perhaps they needed to be, or perhaps that some of the secondary characters, particularly Sadye’s love interest, don’t feel super well fleshed out. Frankie’s story felt rather more assured than this one.
That said, it’s still a pretty enjoyable read, with some nice excited tones and some melancholy. Finding your place is never really quite a smooth road, and when things expand outward into new groups, establishing yourself can be even harder. And when you’re all acting, perhaps it’s even more so. A good read for your theater fans, but it’s probably not where I’d start with Lockhart’s books. It’s not a bad addition to her other ones, though, if you like her.
Next up: The Fault in Our Stars. My vote for best book I’ve read this year so far – just thinking about it is making me smile.
Book #25: Dramarama
Author: E. Lockhart
Provenance: Borrowed from Westmount Library
One of the most important quests in our lives, for just about each and every one of us, is to find a place, a group of people, where we belong. For many of us, this quest is complicated by the fact that whatever groups of people are easy to find nearby, we just don’t click with them. And we latch on to whomever is around us that actually fits the same way. So it can be exciting to get out there and find a whole bunch of new people who actually like the same things you do… but then, things might just not work out the way you expect with them when you get there.
Such is our story here in Dramarama, which tells us of a summer-long trip to a drama camp undertaken by two teenagers, a boy and a girl, from boring Brenton, Ohio. Sadye (because Sarah was too plain) and Demi (because he’s Douglas, Jr, and half of what his father is) go to the same high school, but only really meet up at the auditions for this camp, and then after they get in, bond over their love of musicals and their upcoming escape from normalcy. The two are pretty different superficially – straight white girl with a less-standard voice, gay black boy with a voice that breaks the rules of the audition – and yet, they become great friends, because they’re the only people that understand each other’s love of theater.
It might be predicted, then, that problems might occur once they get to a place where the defining feature of everyone in attendance is that they’re in the same age group and love the same things to the same ends. As you might expect at a drama camp, there is indeed drama, and it comes in the intended and unintended varieties. We do have some romances for both our lead characters, and some budding friendships, and a whole lot of growth as they take classes, prepare for performing in different plays, and try to find new niches for themselves when the previous niches are taken away. Like acting, in some ways, this is a story about trying to find your identity, along your connections.
That said… here’s the SPOILER ZONE. I think what I liked best about this book is the approach to Sadye’s character. A lot of her growth comes from her not really being as good at singing and performance as she thought she was, something that’s hinted from the beginning of the story, and her desire to push back against what she’s being told, which is not exactly standard operating procedure at the camp. It’s shown that she has a lot of talent, though; it’s just not where she thought it was, more in dancing and conceptualization, direction. It also is a lot of the source of her tension with others in the story. She’s so sure she’s right about how to do things, she’s not open to what people are trying to tell her, or different approaches to relationships, which causes strife for her with just about everyone. Hers is a neat arc, well-handled, and rather bold to take with the lead character of the story. END SPOILERS!
On the whole, I did like this book, but it’s rather a step down from Frankie Landau-Banks, in my view. It’s a nice story, and well-handled, although the more tech-y aspect of a drama camp get rather short shrift here. I do like the characters, as well, but something about this left me more cold than the previous one, and I don’t think it’s just that it’s perhaps a less happy or exciting book. I think it’s that the breaks in on Sadye’s narration that are supposed to drive growth don’t feel as fleshed out as perhaps they needed to be, or perhaps that some of the secondary characters, particularly Sadye’s love interest, don’t feel super well fleshed out. Frankie’s story felt rather more assured than this one.
That said, it’s still a pretty enjoyable read, with some nice excited tones and some melancholy. Finding your place is never really quite a smooth road, and when things expand outward into new groups, establishing yourself can be even harder. And when you’re all acting, perhaps it’s even more so. A good read for your theater fans, but it’s probably not where I’d start with Lockhart’s books. It’s not a bad addition to her other ones, though, if you like her.
Next up: The Fault in Our Stars. My vote for best book I’ve read this year so far – just thinking about it is making me smile.
