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yvo_about_books's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
4.0
Finished reading: May 3rd 2024
"There are all kinds of reasons good people do bad things. But usually, it comes down to just being human."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Kensington Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
I listened to The Secret Life Of Albert Entwistle back in 2022 and it ended up being one of my favorite stories of the year, so to say that I've been highly anticipating Becoming Ted is an understatement. I loved the sound of the premise with Ted rediscovering who he really is after his husband of twenty years leaves him... And I've been looking forward to dive in and properly meet Ted. I'm not sure if I had simply set my expectations a bit too high; while I did enjoy this newest story, there were also a couple niggles that prevented me from handing out the full five stars.
I still love the premise of the story, and I could truly appreciate how it focuses on different aspects of the queer community. This story doesn't only shows us what it is like being a gay couple in the present, but there is also focus on the struggles of being gay in the 1950s and growing up in a Catholic Poland where people don't accept gays. It's also a story about drag and everything it entails including prejudices and struggles... And there is focus on the fear/hesitance to come out and being afraid to show the world who you really are.
Becoming Ted uses a multiple POV structure, although we mainly stick with Ted and the Polish immigrant Oskar. There are many flashbacks to the past to be found along the way, and I do confess that the jumps to the past sometimes caught me off guard as they always happened mid-chapter. That said, they were always relevant and helped explain certain thoughts and why the characters are the way that they are. The writing itself was engaging with quite a lot of slang and a humor that could be on the sarcastic and harsh side at times. I personally didn't have an issue with it though!
As for the characters... Oh boy, I had mixed feelings. Don't get me wrong, I do love Ted and Oskar, but especially Ted also frustrated the heck out of me. The fact that he has been pushing his true self to the background his whole life and lets people walk all over him and his dreams is SO incredibly frustrating, and especially when he keeps letting it happen even after he supposedly started to put himself first for a change. Also, how he kept pining after his husband Giles even after he found out he had been cheating on him for all those months?! With Giles even flaunting his new love on social media for all to see?! I almost felt secondhand embarrassment for him... Then again, he basically only had experiences with toxic relationships in his life, so I guess he probably didn't know better.
I also wasn't a fan of just how much cheating was going on in general, and there were also too many different subplots going on that distracted from Ted's self-discovery journey. I could have done without the whole mystery letters and the family drama involving Ted's father for example... And likewise for Giles to pop up again near the end. There was a bit too much drama going on in general, and as a result Becoming Ted wasn't nearly as uplifting as I thought it would be. Sure, it ended on a high note, but there was a lot more negativity to be found than expected.
That said, I did still enjoy Becoming Ted despite those niggles, and I can still recommend this story if you don't mind a lot of drama, focus on toxic relationships, gaslighting and cheating. The snappy drag humor does help balancing things out a little!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
what_heather_loves's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? No
4.0
"Throughout the show, Ted is transfixed. He can't help thinking of the kind of performances he's like to give and the drag persona he'd like to adopt. As he does, he becomes aware of just how much his spirit has been suppressed and shackled. He's aware of it struggling to break free."
The reader meets Ted as his husband of twenty years leaves him. Living in his seaside home town on the Lancashire coast, he has ended up managing his family business with his parents - Ashworths Ice Cream. Except Ted doesn't like ice cream and he dreams of being a drag queen.
Ted is a wonderful character, who I wanted to hug and tell him to go for it, although it was completely understandable why he had lost his way, with a husband like Giles. Whilst it's a joyful and uplifting novel, as the blurb says, it has emotional depth and vital messages about identity and belonging. Through Ted and Stanley (his new elderly friend), Oskar and his father Andrzej, the author demonstrates the years of prejudice and intolerance gay people have faced in the past and continue to do so today. Covering challenging subjects with sensitivity and perspective ensured they were skillfully woven into the plot. I loved reading Ted's journey to finding himself and living the life he deserves too, his friendship with Denise and his changing relationship as well as his blossoming love with Oskar. It's affectionate, funny, engaging and heartfelt.
I read this after listening to the author at a #TheBookTasterBookClub virtual event and will definitely read more of his novels. I think this would be excellent adapted for TV!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Minor: Xenophobia and Abortion
joelpmcc's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Abortion
elementarymydear's review against another edition
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book is bursting at the seams with heart, celebration, and empowerment. Ted, a newly divorced man in his 40s, decides to pursue his lifelong dream of being a drag queen (a detail which should DEFINITELY be in the synopsis, I was umming and ahhing whether I should read it until I found that out!). On the way he rediscovers his childhood joy of singing and dancing, uncovers family secrets, connects with queer people of all generations, and finds love in an aspiring interior designer.
📚Find this and more reviews on my blog!📚
It’s impossible not to immediately fall in love with Ted. As the narrative flits between the modern day and flashbacks, we very quickly root for him as we see the ways he has been made to feel like an outsider throughout his life. The relationships he builds over the course of the book are wonderful too. He goes on a real journey and it’s so heart-warming to be taken along for the ride.
The romantic element was also brilliant. The romance between Ted and Oskar was incredibly sweet, with the right amount of ‘figuring it out’ that happens at the start of any new relationship. The way they helped each other grow was a real asset to the story, and even before they’ve met I was rooting for them!
There is a lot packed into this book, at times too much. Pretty much every character has a tragic backstory, and by the end a few too many emotional climaxes/plot twist reveals were written as “X explained that…” followed by a summary often including very dark, heavy topics such as domestic abuse or persecution. For a story with such a joyful main storyline, almost every other arc was filled with tragedy and there were so many that they started to lose their impact. Had one or two of them been cut, or scaled-back-on, there would have been a bit more space for the remaining ones to be explored in more depth, and a bit more balance in the book as a whole.
The narration by Samuel Barnett brings all of the residents of St-Luke’s-on-Sea to life, with an impressive range of accents in his arsenal! I was hooked by the narration from the very start, finding any excuse to stick my headphones on and listen to some more.
I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.
📚Find this and more reviews on my blog!📚
It’s impossible not to immediately fall in love with Ted. As the narrative flits between the modern day and flashbacks, we very quickly root for him as we see the ways he has been made to feel like an outsider throughout his life. The relationships he builds over the course of the book are wonderful too. He goes on a real journey and it’s so heart-warming to be taken along for the ride.
The romantic element was also brilliant. The romance between Ted and Oskar was incredibly sweet, with the right amount of ‘figuring it out’ that happens at the start of any new relationship. The way they helped each other grow was a real asset to the story, and even before they’ve met I was rooting for them!
There is a lot packed into this book, at times too much. Pretty much every character has a tragic backstory, and by the end a few too many emotional climaxes/plot twist reveals were written as “X explained that…” followed by a summary often including very dark, heavy topics such as domestic abuse or persecution. For a story with such a joyful main storyline, almost every other arc was filled with tragedy and there were so many that they started to lose their impact. Had one or two of them been cut, or scaled-back-on, there would have been a bit more space for the remaining ones to be explored in more depth, and a bit more balance in the book as a whole.
The narration by Samuel Barnett brings all of the residents of St-Luke’s-on-Sea to life, with an impressive range of accents in his arsenal! I was hooked by the narration from the very start, finding any excuse to stick my headphones on and listen to some more.
I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Abortion
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