pussreboots's review
3.0
Donorboy by Brendan Halpin is one of those books I found by walking the shelves at my local public library. Rosalind is forced through a tragic accident involving "foodstuffs" to live with her biological father, a man who had been in her life nothing more than a sperm donor for a married pair of lesbians. Now that they are dead, their daughter is sent to live with him. Neither one is exactly thrilled with the situation.
The entire novel is made up of email exchanges, usually of the two main characters, fifteen year old Rosalind, and Sean her "father" sending emails to friends to complain or ask advice. Sometimes Sean will make an attempt to email her directly and sometimes she will send back a snarky reply.
For Rosalind her grief and anger are so deep and consuming that she doesn't want to adjust to her new situation. I didn't expect her to call him Dad or anything but an attempt at civility would have been nice. Instead she's angry and self destructive.
Also by relying solely on written communication, there's no real chance to see Sean and Rosalind together. Is she at all like him? Does he see any of himself in her? What happens when they are together?
It was a quick but not entirely satisfying read.
The entire novel is made up of email exchanges, usually of the two main characters, fifteen year old Rosalind, and Sean her "father" sending emails to friends to complain or ask advice. Sometimes Sean will make an attempt to email her directly and sometimes she will send back a snarky reply.
For Rosalind her grief and anger are so deep and consuming that she doesn't want to adjust to her new situation. I didn't expect her to call him Dad or anything but an attempt at civility would have been nice. Instead she's angry and self destructive.
Also by relying solely on written communication, there's no real chance to see Sean and Rosalind together. Is she at all like him? Does he see any of himself in her? What happens when they are together?
It was a quick but not entirely satisfying read.
thisgrrlreads's review
3.0
The premise of this book is both hilarious and sad: Ros's lesbian parents are killed in a car accident involving a truckload of frozen poultry. The humor is not lost on Ros as she learns to live with her sperm donor father and writes in a grief journal named Fluffy. Written entirely in journal entries, emails and transcripts of recorded conversations, this book is a quick, emotional read.
sandyd's review
5.0
I thought this was going to be something stupid about organ donors, but I checked it out anyway because I loved Notes from the Blender (another YA book that Halpin co-authored). The title actually refers to a biological father - the sperm donor for a couple of lesbian mothers - who gets custody of the 14 y.o. main character when her moms are killed in a car accident.
I loved the characters and different points of view in Notes from the Blender, and the voices in this story - told through journal entries, e-mails, IM's, and the like - are equally wonderful.
Sex is mentioned (mostly in the context of ew, icky to think about parents doing it), there is a lot of smoking and some drinking and some fuck it all language. There's nothing here that your average hs freshman hasn't been exposed to already.
The parts about extreme feminism, hs cliques, and hs administration and disciplinary hearings are hilarious and spot on target. Highly recommended for your older middle school kids & up - and for both boys & girls.
I loved the characters and different points of view in Notes from the Blender, and the voices in this story - told through journal entries, e-mails, IM's, and the like - are equally wonderful.
Sex is mentioned (mostly in the context of ew, icky to think about parents doing it), there is a lot of smoking and some drinking and some fuck it all language. There's nothing here that your average hs freshman hasn't been exposed to already.
The parts about extreme feminism, hs cliques, and hs administration and disciplinary hearings are hilarious and spot on target. Highly recommended for your older middle school kids & up - and for both boys & girls.
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