Geek Love: A Novel by Katherine Dunn Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Geek Love: A Novel
Book Review: Can't put it down, can't pick it up!
Summary: 5 Stars
I loved the way that it showed the most vile and contemptious personalities in a true to life light. You may find yourself comparing the personalities of the characters with your own experiences. Kathrine Dunn's main character tells a tale that can disgust you at times and you want to forget you even started the book, but you will have to finish. It catches you up in a world from a place so close that you may feel you are actually experiencing it inside the tent.Book Review: Circus Life And Make Believe
Summary: 2 Stars
The book is a slow read only because it is full of so much detail mainly about the characters. I am about half way through and it is reminiscent of Water for Elephants so far. Well I have now finished and let me just say this is the weirdest book I have ever read. It is so unbelievable in parts it makes the story difficult to read. Its saving grace is that it is totally unlike anything else out there. It took some type of imagination to conjure this up. I would not read it again and cannot see how it was a National Book Award finalist.Book Review: Consdier this more of a warning than a review.
Summary: 4 Stars
If you have a weak stomach, are christian, have children, like happy books, do not have a sense of humor, consider yourself politically correct...put down the book and run far, far away. However, if you consider freaky, disgusting, and/or disturbing things to be fun, by all means read this book. It's different, interesting, and downright just plain wrong. *I* loved it.Book Review: Despite its dectractors, I really liked this book.
Summary: 4 Stars
When I read some of the negative reviews of Geek Love, I was hesitant to read it. However, I am glad that I did. I could not put it down and am lucky that my son was with grandparents during the week that I read it, because my eyes were glued to the pages.
I can understand SOME of the detractor's complaints about this book. Katherine Dunn clearly has a deep fondness for certain adjectives ("hideous" being one that comes to mind) and I definitely noticed some repetition of some descriptors. A little annoying, but not enough to hurt my enjoyment of the book.
I agreed with the truth of one person's complaint -- that none of the characters are really all that redeemable. We have the selfish characters, the downright sociopathic, domineering, power-greedy character, and the eager victims who seem unwilling to leave their emotionally abusive family member/s, who love and even worship them. That said, a book is meant to evoke FEELINGS. In my opinion, the fact that none of the characters were all that redeemable made this story BETTER for me. I felt pain that the characters behaved the way they did. It gave this story a lot more depth IMO, and frankly, well, I think it's realistic.
If you want to read a warm, fuzzy piece of fluff then you probably won't enjoy this book. It's pretty damn dark all the way through. No, Katherine Dunn is not the world's best writer, and her writing wasn't perfect, but I still loved walking through this story and did so with enjoyment and awe. I was drawn into this story as if it was my own, so for me, the book was mindblowing.
(And those who recommend Angela Carter's Nights at the Circus are right -- it's another great book.)
Book Review: Did any of the negative reviewers read the back cover before they bought the book?
Summary: 5 Stars
If they had then they probably would have clued in on the phrases, "ingests drugs, insecticides, arsenic, radioisotopes" or "horror and humor" or "vengeance and love." This book is not for squeamish people. If you fall into that category, you won't like it. Period.
I do object to the reviewer who claims that nothing more significant happens in this novel that something you would see on "8 is Enough" (Note to author: your example is dated, most people under 25 don't remember shows from the early 80s). First of all, it is a stellar example of Magical Realism, a genre popularized in Latin America and relatively new in American Literature. Fans of the genre will find Dunn's take interesting. Second, I found this book to be, at heart, a very sensitive meditation on the way human beings treat each other based on physical appearance. I don't want to spoil the plot for hearty readers out there, but pay attention to the sub-plot involving Olympia and Miss Lick.
It seems to me that the people who react negatively to this book are not willing to probe much deeper than "Ew, circus freaks." I'd like to remind those people that beauty in novels as in people is more than skin deep.