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The Dream of Doctor Bantam
by
Jeanne Thornton (Goodreads Author)
Jeanne Thornton's debut novel is a love story unlike any other, featuring Julie Thatch, a tough-as-nails, chainsmoking, wise-cracking 17-year-old Texan. Her idol, her older sister, jogs headlong into the lights of an approaching car, and dies. And Julie falls in love with a girl who both is and isn't an echo of her older sister, a long-limbed Francophone named Patrice—who...more
Paperback, 323 pages
Published
October 1st 2012
by OR Books
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This is one of the most engaging novels I have read in a long time. The backdrop of the book is almost surrealist, but the characters nevertheless have the weight of real people. It manages to be a book about queer identities without boring the reader with a lengthy explanation of queer identities. And the subject matter is not overly earnest - the characters are allowed to be both obnoxious and likeable at the same time, and invite the reader to imagine who they will become as they age.
[SLIGHTL...more
[SLIGHTL...more
so for the purpose of disclosure, jeanne was the editor of my first published book, and i look up to her as a kind of cooler, more worldly big sister figure. which is maybe appropriate, given that the protagonist of her first published work of fiction has a big sister complex.
this book is the best telling of the worst story. jeanne has this magic trick: she can describe the possessions, the bric-a-brac, the detritus of any fictitious character. whenever we go into someone's room, whenever we pee...more
this book is the best telling of the worst story. jeanne has this magic trick: she can describe the possessions, the bric-a-brac, the detritus of any fictitious character. whenever we go into someone's room, whenever we pee...more
I won this book in the Giveaway. Let me just say I am SO thrilled to have the opportunity not only to read this book, but to own it also. This is definitely the kind of book that stays with you well after you have finished reading it. There are many things I'd love to say about this book, but I found that talking about this book is hard to do without giving away spoilers. A few things that i WILL say though...I found my heart breaking for Tabitha, as she was struggling to find "her place" in th...more
"There are few things more exciting than when a book has a truly lasting effect on you, leaving you feeling unsettled or overjoyed. Jeanne Thornton‘s début novel The Dream of Doctor Bantam is a book that does just that.
Set in a dystopian society uncomfortably similar to our own, 17-year-old Julie Thatch is struggling to cope with with the death of her sister and role model Tabitha, her depressed and loveless mother and her own sexuality." (Excerpt from full review at For Books' Sake.)
Set in a dystopian society uncomfortably similar to our own, 17-year-old Julie Thatch is struggling to cope with with the death of her sister and role model Tabitha, her depressed and loveless mother and her own sexuality." (Excerpt from full review at For Books' Sake.)
I received this as part of LibraryThing Early Reviewers. The best way I've thought to describe this book is as a diamond cut gem, all sharp edges but still beautiful to look upon. It's definitely a vibe on its own and I absolutely loved the ride. The characters are not your typical lit cookie cutter types that say all the right things. I enjoyed everyone being flawed, real life is flawed. I enjoyed the quirky things thought and said (in part because who doesn't sometimes have thoughts like those...more
Two things immediately drew me to The Dream of Doctor Bantam: badass cover art and a glowing blurb from Eileen Myles. Can I mention that she was my professor in college again without being obnoxious?
Jeanne Thornton tells the story of Julie, a seventeen year old with largely absent parents navigating life after her sister, Tabitha, committed suicide by running as fast as she could into an oncoming car. Her primary hangout is Retrograde, a coffee shop next door to a facility rumored to be a cult....more
Jeanne Thornton tells the story of Julie, a seventeen year old with largely absent parents navigating life after her sister, Tabitha, committed suicide by running as fast as she could into an oncoming car. Her primary hangout is Retrograde, a coffee shop next door to a facility rumored to be a cult....more
Enjoyable read. The main character was really well-fleshed out and I really liked seeing her journey, finding myself cringing as she made bad decisions.
But with the exception of maybe Ira, I wasn't invested in the other characters. Especially Patrice. She fell completely flat for me, which is a problem since the romance element seemed so important to the novel as a whole.
But with the exception of maybe Ira, I wasn't invested in the other characters. Especially Patrice. She fell completely flat for me, which is a problem since the romance element seemed so important to the novel as a whole.
Another author who thinks it's clever not to use speech marks. I can't imagine why anyone would think that incorrect punctuation would improve a book. Sounded like a good story but the lack of speech marks made it unreadable for me.
2 likes · like · see review
"julie closed her eyes and trailed her arm out the open window and let the wind bend her fingers back, dipped her arm like a dolphin’s nose through the headwind, like she was a mermaid, swimming in a dream."
Eileen Myles says, " It's all punk heart, messily thudding."
So duh of course I want it.
So duh of course I want it.
GRANTED, I'M BIASED.
Feb 13, 2013
Dayana
added it
I don't even know what to rate it...
I loved it, but I can't explain why. It was confusing, but made perfect sense. I hated all of the characters at points, but by the end I liked them all. It irritated me, but I was hooked and upset that it ended! I want to know where Julie went.
I loved it, but I can't explain why. It was confusing, but made perfect sense. I hated all of the characters at points, but by the end I liked them all. It irritated me, but I was hooked and upset that it ended! I want to know where Julie went.
Oh my goodness, I loved this book so much-it is the most real thing that I have ever read. Don't be expecting some pretty little fairy tale here, this book is about a relationship that is all too real and all too relevant in our society. Please, read this!
1 like · like · see review
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Jeanne Thornton lives and writes in Austin, Texas. She is a cofounder of Fiction Circus and copublisher of the alt-comics newspaper Rocksalt, as well as the creator of the comic strips "The Man Who Hates Fun" and "Bad Mother." She has an undying love for the Beach Boys and is writing her next novel about them. She maintains a website at fictioncircus.com/Jeanne.
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May 18, 2013 06:39am