draculogan's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
very interesting concept and i was hooked from the first page after picking this up but my attention dwindled as the book lapsed into another genre and lost me a little bit. still had some really interesting ideas and good sections in the second half but i wasn’t a fan of e.g. the pages of folk songs. had a lot more to say in the first half of the book IMO. i like the idea of the twist(?) and slow shift in perspective/genre but the actual writing seems to deteriorate a little. i have a feeling i’ll be thinking more about this book and coming back to it, and may appreciate it even more on a reread. i will say that i read it all in one evening so it was definitely gripping.
update a few months later: i had originally rated this book 3 stars, and came back to change it to 3.75 at some point. now i’m coming back again because i keep realising how much it’s stuck with me - yes it deteriorated in the second half but there’s so much that’s memorable about it. changing my score to 4.25 stars.
update a few months later: i had originally rated this book 3 stars, and came back to change it to 3.75 at some point. now i’m coming back again because i keep realising how much it’s stuck with me - yes it deteriorated in the second half but there’s so much that’s memorable about it. changing my score to 4.25 stars.
avanders's review against another edition
4.0
Review based on ARC.
As a start, the title is misleading. The book implies that every human boy should have a human man, but the book is, in fact, about every "oaf" boy having a human man (which is sometimes a human female man) as a pet. And I think that that statement is incomplete and unfair to the book as well.
In 164 pages, Preston Allen manages to craft a story with depth, emotions, and morals. No words are wasted and no story line drags. Allen interweaves multi-generational stories and breaks off into almost-subplots, and he impressively gives the reader a real sense of the personality and the character of the individuals in the book.
It is an almost everyman kind of story, that is simultaneously a fantasy and a serious, dramatic, "life lesson" kind of book. It is interesting and intriguing. It is almost, but not quite, preachy. It conveys a message firmly and intensely, but inoffensive and loving.
You get the sense that the author has a great care for humans and their follies, earth and its weaknesses, and the interplay between the two. And yet it is a fantasy, in which giants have humans for pets. And even more, there is a twist.
I cannot say more because at 164 pages, there is too much to ruin. But I greatly enjoyed reading this book (in one sitting), and I would recommend it to ... I think anyone I know.
For me, while the book was indeed great, it wasn't a 5-star book that blew me away only because it wasn't. It was great. Impressive. Enjoyable. Enlightening. But it did not make me feel like squeezing the book because I was so pleased with it, and it did not make me insist that every single person I know read it. So a VERY strong Four out of 5 stars.
As a start, the title is misleading. The book implies that every human boy should have a human man, but the book is, in fact, about every "oaf" boy having a human man (which is sometimes a human female man) as a pet. And I think that that statement is incomplete and unfair to the book as well.
In 164 pages, Preston Allen manages to craft a story with depth, emotions, and morals. No words are wasted and no story line drags. Allen interweaves multi-generational stories and breaks off into almost-subplots, and he impressively gives the reader a real sense of the personality and the character of the individuals in the book.
It is an almost everyman kind of story, that is simultaneously a fantasy and a serious, dramatic, "life lesson" kind of book. It is interesting and intriguing. It is almost, but not quite, preachy. It conveys a message firmly and intensely, but inoffensive and loving.
You get the sense that the author has a great care for humans and their follies, earth and its weaknesses, and the interplay between the two. And yet it is a fantasy, in which giants have humans for pets. And even more, there is a twist.
I cannot say more because at 164 pages, there is too much to ruin. But I greatly enjoyed reading this book (in one sitting), and I would recommend it to ... I think anyone I know.
For me, while the book was indeed great, it wasn't a 5-star book that blew me away only because it wasn't. It was great. Impressive. Enjoyable. Enlightening. But it did not make me feel like squeezing the book because I was so pleased with it, and it did not make me insist that every single person I know read it. So a VERY strong Four out of 5 stars.
amyextradot's review against another edition
3.0
this started as an allegorical-esque tale of the giant-Oafs and their "mans" which are human men and women that they keep as pets, cannon fodder, entertainment, and food. The author had a clever way to discuss sexuality, gender roles, the environment, poverty, etc. in a way that didn't seem too heavy handed. However, the 2nd half of the book, he loses this whimsical tone and the story loses something. There's talk of Jack the Giant Killer, a portal between worlds, and several pages dedicated to Oaf-songs. I thought the songs gave good background to the Oafish culture, they would have been better interspersed throughout the book, rather than lumped at the end. So, decent summer (read: quick) read, but fell-short from the initial expectations.
vkemp's review
4.0
An original and thought-provoking treatise on racism, sexism and environmental issues. A poor oaf obtains a mans as a pet. He has to give it back because it's a runaway and belongs to someone else. He ends up with two others, one of whom dies and the child is stolen for work on the western mines. War intervenes and cruelty happens. Very interesting concept by an award-winning young author.
samhouston's review
4.0
Prepare yourself for a world in which boy "oafs" keep "mans" as pets, a world in which a lucky male or female man is allowed to actually live in the same house as their oaf owner, and in which unlucky mans are often consumed as part of a normal, everyday meal. Now you are ready for Preston Allen's Every Boy Should Have a Man.
Adult oafs normally stand something over thirteen feet tall and even their children are soon taller than man-pets. Every oaf-year is the equivalent of four man-years so, over the course of a lifetime, an oaf is likely to have several mans as pets. Get the picture? Strangely, some mans can talk and some can play singing musical instruments. "Talking mans" and "musical mans,” however, are very valuable and are generally owned by only the very wealthy. The poor have to be content with ordinary, less talented, mans and their pets have to hope that they are not stolen to become part of someone’s dinner.
Every Boy Should Have a Man is largely the story of two oaf boys, one wealthy and one poor, and the female man they share over the years. Their world is not a happy one. It is a world dominated by a small wealthy class that sometimes wages literal war against the poorer, desperate majority of the population. And, unfortunately for the domesticated man population, neither army is reluctant to use mans as cannon fodder.
This little book (191 pages) is one that will, most obviously, make readers think about our relationship to our own pets, particularly dogs, but it also addresses numerous other issues. It is a well considered fable that touches on things like war, religious conflict, racism, global warming, and what it means to be "civilized" – all of it cloaked within a rousing adventure tale that fits comfortably into the fantasy genre.
Bottom Line: Every Boy Should Have a Man is one of those books I still find myself thinking about several days after I finished reading it. I have even brought it up in conversation with friends whom I know are nonreaders because it is just so pertinent to today's world. The book is a little heavy-handed at times, particularly on the global warming issue, but it deserves a wide audience. Preston Allen has a winner.
Adult oafs normally stand something over thirteen feet tall and even their children are soon taller than man-pets. Every oaf-year is the equivalent of four man-years so, over the course of a lifetime, an oaf is likely to have several mans as pets. Get the picture? Strangely, some mans can talk and some can play singing musical instruments. "Talking mans" and "musical mans,” however, are very valuable and are generally owned by only the very wealthy. The poor have to be content with ordinary, less talented, mans and their pets have to hope that they are not stolen to become part of someone’s dinner.
Every Boy Should Have a Man is largely the story of two oaf boys, one wealthy and one poor, and the female man they share over the years. Their world is not a happy one. It is a world dominated by a small wealthy class that sometimes wages literal war against the poorer, desperate majority of the population. And, unfortunately for the domesticated man population, neither army is reluctant to use mans as cannon fodder.
This little book (191 pages) is one that will, most obviously, make readers think about our relationship to our own pets, particularly dogs, but it also addresses numerous other issues. It is a well considered fable that touches on things like war, religious conflict, racism, global warming, and what it means to be "civilized" – all of it cloaked within a rousing adventure tale that fits comfortably into the fantasy genre.
Bottom Line: Every Boy Should Have a Man is one of those books I still find myself thinking about several days after I finished reading it. I have even brought it up in conversation with friends whom I know are nonreaders because it is just so pertinent to today's world. The book is a little heavy-handed at times, particularly on the global warming issue, but it deserves a wide audience. Preston Allen has a winner.
lil's review
3.0
Have no idea how to describe this book. I was so lost for the first half. Wasn't sure if this an alien/sci-fi story or a dystopian society or...? I couldn't stop reading though. I had to know what it was about.
Glad I read it but now I need a beach read.
Glad I read it but now I need a beach read.
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