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Title: Geek Love : A Novel by Katherine Dunn ISBN: 0-375-71334-4 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 11 June, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.18 (191 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Far from Ordinary
Comment: This book is about Art and Lily Binewski, a couple who decide that through genetic experimentation they can create a family of circus freaks. There's Arturo the Aqua-Boy, born with flippers and later gathers a cult following; Electra and Iphigenia are Siamese twins; Olympia, an albino dwarf with a hump; and Chick, who appears to be a normal baby, a failure, until the day he is about to be abandoned when it's discovered he is telekinetic.
The story is told from Olympia's point of view and could almost be split into two novels - first is the history of the Binewski's Fabulon traveling circus, with much detail into their lives and the devotion the family has for each other.
Second is the story of a mother, Olympia, watching over a daughter that doesn't know her, a daughter born with a tail who meets up with a woman who wants to "fix" her by cutting off the tail. Sadly, this whole segment of the book feels thrown together. Not nearly as much detail was given and I didn't find myself really caring for these parts of the book at all.
What could have been a definite five star book gets knocked down to four stars for the above mentioned thrown in bits. Still, I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to read something far from ordinary.
Rating: 3
Summary: starts off with characters, ends up with plot...
Comment: ...and that's sad because the plot is contrived and falls flat. But lord almighty, this book picks you up by the throat and shakes you around a bit before it wanders off in search of dramatic endings.
(Warning! Plot spoilers ahead!) The best reason to read this book is for the question it raises--just who is normal, and who is a monster? We are treated to several characters with varying degrees of physical and/or mental grotesqueness, but who is more of a freak--the siamese twins who draw crowds with their piano duets, or the unremarkable looking business woman who disfigures sexy girls so they can reach their full mental potential? It is also a pleasure to be privy to the kind of twisted sibling relationships that I used to think only John Irving could give us. Oly's narrative of her relationship with her adult daughter, Miranda's searching for her own ideas of normalcy--those scenes are incredibly poignant.
But honestly, it was as if Katherine Dunn suddenly couldn't handle all these folks and literally decided to kill them off so she could finish up the book--it wasn't quite a deus ex machina finish of the carnival, more like a Chicky (the telekinetic youngest child) ex machina who was darn close to a deus figure I guess.
What I am really mulling over though, is the subject of the title. The yearning for love that everybody has--all of these characters grapple with it, some successfully, some disasterously. That love is twisted into as many shapes as it possibly can be in this book, and we are left to puzzle it out.
I think this would be a great book for a book group--the fact that the reviews are so split is testimony to that (aren't the best groups when there's heated disagreement?). I'm not sure how valuable it would be in a classroom unless it's a class that deals with issues of disablility or maybe an English comp class. I would highly suggest it to all whose eyes skim across folks with deformaties and handicaps--the girl with splayed legs, the bank teller with two fingers--and isn't that most of us? Geek Love will, if nothing else, open your eyes to different ways of considering the body beautiful.
Rating: 5
Summary: one of my favorite books of all time
Comment: "Geek Love" is one of my favorite books of all time. I have purchased about six copies of "Geek Love" because I keep giving it away to friends insisting that they will love it, have to read it and will thank me for it. Only then I want to read it again and have to buy a new copy.
The story revolves around a 'freak show' family named Binewski - Early in their marriage; the Lily and Art realized that if their children were deformed, their family would be a self-contained freak show. They do a lot of experimenting and end up with Arturo (born with flippers), Electra and Iphigenia (gorgeous siamese twins), Olympia (a dwarf hunchback), and Chick (telepathic). Not all of Lily and Art's children survived the experiments. Those that didn't are kept in glass jars and taken care of by Lily.
"Geek Love" will push barriers and may be uncomfortable for some readers. It contains many dark and psychological undertones.
There are shortfalls, however. The ending seems abrupt and thrown together. Even still, "Geek Love" is worth reading and loaning to friends to read.
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Title: The Contortionist's Handbook by Craig Clevenger ISBN: 1931561486 Publisher: MacAdam/Cage Publishing Pub. Date: September, 2003 List Price(USD): $12.50 |
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Title: Fugitives and Refugees : A Walk in Portland, Oregon by CHUCK PALAHNIUK ISBN: 1400047838 Publisher: Crown Pub. Date: 08 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: Truck by Katherine Dunn ISBN: 0446391530 Publisher: Warner Books Pub. Date: 01 March, 1990 List Price(USD): $14.99 |
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Title: Diary: A Novel by CHUCK PALAHNIUK ISBN: 0385509472 Publisher: Doubleday Pub. Date: 26 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Reasons to Live: Stories by Amy Hempel ISBN: 0060976721 Publisher: Harperperennial Library Pub. Date: August, 1995 List Price(USD): $13.50 |
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