sydfitz24's review against another edition
5.0
somehow I had never heard of this book until just recently and it’s life changing and heartbreaking and written so perfectly. search trigger warnings before reading though.
autumnal30's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
brooke_lynn1118's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
thekatherinek's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
axylbird's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
2.5
PLEASE just watch Paris is Burning. This book is historical fiction about real people and you are better off watching their real interviews and moments in the film.
_nini's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
heyguysitsnicole's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
The House of Impossible Beauties hurts so good. Cassara's evocative prose pulls you in to the story and makes it impossible not to fall in love with his characters. With subject matter such as the AIDS epidemic, drug addiction, sex work, and what it meant to be gay and trans in the 80s, this book is an emotional rollercoaster that is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. It is most definitely worth the read.
offbalance80's review against another edition
2.0
Apparently fanfiction is just dandy with the Iowa MFA crowd as long as the source material fits certain criteria. This book is Paris is Burning fanfiction. It could easily have been posted on Archive of Our Own, but with a pedigree like this, it landed an agent and a book deal. The pity being I've read much better LGBTQIA-themed pieces of AO3. Or, even more so, this read like what started as an early treatment for Ryan Murphy/Steven Canals' fantastic series Pose, before they figured out that it's possible to tell stories about the LGBTQIA community during the crisis years and not turn those stories into a tragedy bingo card. I'm not someone who enjoys heartbreak porn, so the crush after crush in the end lost its power and just got tedious. Yes, we all know what happened to poor Venus Extravaganza, but these human beings deserve to be remembered as more than just tragic statistics, but members of a vibrant community who created loving families.
hannahkeeney's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
slowreadersclub's review against another edition
5.0
“Before there was Dorian and before there was Hector, there was 1980—the year that things began to change.”
The House of Impossible Beauties is set in the drag queen ball scene of New York from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. It centres on the legendary House of Xtravaganza, made famous in Jennie Livingston’s documentary Paris Is Burning, and follows the semi-fictionalised life of Angel Xtravaganza and her house children as they come together to form the ball scene’s first all-Latino house. This story blends significant LGBTQ history with poignant and vivacious characters to reflect the honest truth of gay and transgender life in the 1980s. The AIDS crisis, sex work, drugs, love and heartbreak are all aspects of this semi-fictionalised novel that blends real life locations and people with fictional stories that really give you an insight into what their lives may have been like.
Joseph Cassara’s prose is beautifully evocative and really brings to life all of the characters and the city they call home. Cassara’s dialogue is clever and so brutally honest and human, with Spanglish abundantly scattered throughout the story. I particularly enjoyed looking up the different Spanish words and I feel like a lot of them have stuck with me.
If you’ve seen Paris is Burning, you know that stories centred around gay and transgender lives in the 1980s rarely have a happy ending, and this novel was no exception. It truly broke my heart and I cried numerous times throughout, but it was also full of hope and inspiration. If there was one message I took from this book, it was to not be afraid to live your most authentic life.
The House of Impossible Beauties is set in the drag queen ball scene of New York from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. It centres on the legendary House of Xtravaganza, made famous in Jennie Livingston’s documentary Paris Is Burning, and follows the semi-fictionalised life of Angel Xtravaganza and her house children as they come together to form the ball scene’s first all-Latino house. This story blends significant LGBTQ history with poignant and vivacious characters to reflect the honest truth of gay and transgender life in the 1980s. The AIDS crisis, sex work, drugs, love and heartbreak are all aspects of this semi-fictionalised novel that blends real life locations and people with fictional stories that really give you an insight into what their lives may have been like.
Joseph Cassara’s prose is beautifully evocative and really brings to life all of the characters and the city they call home. Cassara’s dialogue is clever and so brutally honest and human, with Spanglish abundantly scattered throughout the story. I particularly enjoyed looking up the different Spanish words and I feel like a lot of them have stuck with me.
If you’ve seen Paris is Burning, you know that stories centred around gay and transgender lives in the 1980s rarely have a happy ending, and this novel was no exception. It truly broke my heart and I cried numerous times throughout, but it was also full of hope and inspiration. If there was one message I took from this book, it was to not be afraid to live your most authentic life.