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48th out of 85 books
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Freaks: Alive, on the Inside!
Abel Dandy feels all alone, a normal teenager who lives in Faeryland, where his parents perform with other "human oddities." His extended family includes dwarves, fat ladies, and Siamese twins, and his first kiss was with Phoebe the Dog-Faced Girl. Everyone has an act to perform, for in 1899 there are not many ways for these "freaks" to earn a living. B...more
Paperback, 331 pages
Published
July 10th 2007
by Simon Pulse
(first published January 1st 2006)
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Abel Dandy is the only "normal" person at Faeryland, a circus of oddities, or Freaks, at the turn of the century. Even his doting parents are freaks. Abel's only hope for being in the show instead of being an errand boy, is to hone his skills as a knife thrower. He's always wondered what it would be like on the outside, to be like everyone else instead of being the odd one out.
I loved the characters in this book. Abel was a strong main character, he never failed in his sup...more
I loved the characters in this book. Abel was a strong main character, he never failed in his sup...more
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bel Dandy grew up in Faeryland, surrounded by the most unusual people, right down to is legless father and armless mother. To him, oddities were the norm, and it was he, with his own human unoriginality he saw as the lack. While he was a decent knife-thrower, he felt unspecial, surrounded by the inhabitants of the Faeryland show. When the departure of the Siamese twins, and the souring of his dealings with Phoebe the dogfaced girl, Abel grows restless and angry. At night, his dreams are filled w...more
I'm trying to remember the last time I saw "loins" (and/or references to sexual organs and physical possibilities relating to them) this often in a YA ("recommended for readers 14 and up", it says) novel.
Right. That would be never. This book is smuttier than a, erm, circus full of, um, smutty things. We have a horny seventeen year old hero, an equally horny ghost, some bawdy freaks and other carnival folk (and lots of musing on their sexual physiology and what the...more
Right. That would be never. This book is smuttier than a, erm, circus full of, um, smutty things. We have a horny seventeen year old hero, an equally horny ghost, some bawdy freaks and other carnival folk (and lots of musing on their sexual physiology and what the...more
I'm going to start this out by saying the cover is beautiful and by one of my favourite artists.
That said, I agree with most of the reviewers of this book in that it does talk about the boy and his out of control sexual desires quite a bit. It doesn't make the book any less appropriate for an older teen audience (14+) but it does get a little tedious. We know how a boy his age would react to an enticing topless dance. We don't need to hear about it every time he has a dream, honestly...more
That said, I agree with most of the reviewers of this book in that it does talk about the boy and his out of control sexual desires quite a bit. It doesn't make the book any less appropriate for an older teen audience (14+) but it does get a little tedious. We know how a boy his age would react to an enticing topless dance. We don't need to hear about it every time he has a dream, honestly...more
I could not get into this at all. I thought from the back cover that maybe it was going to interrupt the idea that people with disabilities are fuck-ups. But it actually served to re-centralize non-disabled normality/perspective because the non-disabled main character, a 14 year old boy named Abel, leaves the "freak show" community his parents are part of and that he grew up around, in order to stop being the "odd one out" and ignored because he *isn't* a freak. Couple that w...more
Got this book about the same time I picked up Geek Love and really it's kinda the young adult version in that it's also about a bunch of circus freaks. But that's where the comparison really ends. Freaks is about Abel Dandy, a boy who's the only normal one in the freak show where his parents live. So Abel runs away to seek his own fortune. He falls in with a traveling freak show run by a total ass hole and discovers this Egyptian Mummy. It's actually pretty period for circuses in the early twent...more
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Although it is not quite what I expected, I found this an enjoyable read. It's a fascinating subject and one that I rarely see explored in as much depth and variety as this book. The freaks themselves are the heart of this book and make it worth reading. The crocodile woman, Miss Lightfoot, and the man with two heads, Mr. Ginger, are particularly well-written, and their side relationship interested me much more than Abel and Tauseret. I also enjoyed the little girl Minnie. The time period is ca...more
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Abel Dandy is the only normal person at Faeryland. He doesn't seem to have one odd thing about him - and although he has grown up around these people, he suddenly doesn't feel like he belongs.
Abel decides it's time for him to leave and find his fortune. But the world outside Faeryland is quite tough and Abel feels even more alone and like he doesn't belong than before. The only thing that seems to give him a bit of comfort is his dreams of a beautiful dancing girl from Egypt.
On Abel'...more
Abel decides it's time for him to leave and find his fortune. But the world outside Faeryland is quite tough and Abel feels even more alone and like he doesn't belong than before. The only thing that seems to give him a bit of comfort is his dreams of a beautiful dancing girl from Egypt.
On Abel'...more
Annette Curtis Klause touches an interesting part of the past in her book Freaks: Alive on the Inside. In this book, Abel Dandy is a freak. But the term "freak" is in the eye of the beholder for Abel is the only normal person living in a freak show amusement park called Faeryland. Abel's dad has no legs, his mother has no arms, and his first kiss was with Phoebe the Dog-faced girl. Aspiring to be a knife-thrower, Abel takes off to join a circus. Abel begins having dreams about a myster...more
4/02/11 I'm finally getting started on this book which is saying something because I only picked it up because I am a crazy Blood and Chocolate fan... and I was majorly engrossed in the war diary I was reading, but anyways, as for the book, it's alright so far and could definitely be better. The main character Abel Dandy(who by my standards isn't so dandy) is trying to find a girlfriend, of dog-gene-less variety, but oh,don't get me wrong she's a nice girl Even if she does have some false illusi...more
I would have to say that this book was just okay. It was good enough to keep me reading until the end but not good enough to make me dwell on it or want to read it again.
It's about a 17 year old boy named Abel that grew up in what was referred to as a Freakshow. His mother had no arms, his dad had no legs but Abel was considered "normal". Because of this he felt like he didn't fit in there and set off on his own to make his fortune. He is followed by the puppy boy and from there...more
It's about a 17 year old boy named Abel that grew up in what was referred to as a Freakshow. His mother had no arms, his dad had no legs but Abel was considered "normal". Because of this he felt like he didn't fit in there and set off on his own to make his fortune. He is followed by the puppy boy and from there...more
Possibly the best opening line I've come across in years, followed by a fascinatingly drawn view of early 20th century carnies, falls victim to a somewhat silly plot line. Actually, leave out the somewhat - it's a very silly plot line. In fact, didn't I see this on The Mummy once? You live with it for the writing, since Klause, as always, is good, but this is far from her best work. A pity, as the characters and setting dazzle, and the idea of having the protagonist be, by virtue of his very no...more
Hard to pin down an audience for this book, but it's very good. I enjoyed the period feel, the honesty of Abel's feelings, the relationships between all the circus folk. (It helps that I did a paper on the topic of circus sideshows in college - for instance, having seen Tod Browning's film (which Klause cites at the end), helped me visualize Klause's scenes.) I liked that she went beyond the "they're just like us" pablum to the real situations showfolk could find themselves in, and ...more
I read in an interview that the author was forced to do a rush job on this novel by her publisher. It isn't the best Klause is capable of but her less-than-best is still head and shoulders above many of the other books in this genre.
The plot revolves around so-called "human oddities" employed by traveling freakshows as well as reincarnation and a love story with an Egyptian mummy. This book poses sophisticated questions to the YA reader such as whether individuals with a stra...more
The plot revolves around so-called "human oddities" employed by traveling freakshows as well as reincarnation and a love story with an Egyptian mummy. This book poses sophisticated questions to the YA reader such as whether individuals with a stra...more
Freaks: Alive on the Inside
Annette Curtis Klause
Simon Pulse
2006
This fun, exciting, and thoughtful young adult novel about a young man raised in the world of freak shows takes place during the late 1800s.
This was a riveting read and full of evocative imagery and relatable characters. I would recommend it to teens and adults. Like the previous novel of Ms. Klause's that I have read, Blood and Chocolate, there are sexual situations, but they are not the focus of...more
Annette Curtis Klause
Simon Pulse
2006
This fun, exciting, and thoughtful young adult novel about a young man raised in the world of freak shows takes place during the late 1800s.
This was a riveting read and full of evocative imagery and relatable characters. I would recommend it to teens and adults. Like the previous novel of Ms. Klause's that I have read, Blood and Chocolate, there are sexual situations, but they are not the focus of...more
A fun, but serious look at an era of American history where freak shows were entertainment. but, when Abel decides that being normal isn't anything great in a freak show, he strikes out on his own. there's an everlasting love, family, and friendship for Abel, who was lacking adventure. the story certainly is entertaining, historically accurate, as well as thought-provoking.
She laughed again, softer and with more affection, "I take my strength from your hand and the ring. The mor...more
She laughed again, softer and with more affection, "I take my strength from your hand and the ring. The mor...more
The side of the circus- I love it! I mean we all want to go see a circus or already seen one. Love the entertainment and even though it's rude- its like a once in a time chance to stare at people for being different. We just...never knew what was really happening behind stage. Hostage situations and weird wet dreams that could actually be the main character's past? It just makes you want to be a part of the circus and see how things pan out. I found this book by jugding it on it's title and name...more
4Q 3P JS
Meet Abel, a seemingly ordinary 17-year-old living in 1899. He and his family are performers and most of the people in their show have some sort of physical difference, such as Phoebe and her brother who are covered in fur. Though many might think that his life seems interesting enough already, Abel is feels like he just doesn’t fit in and longs to get away. He decides to seek adventure by running away with the circus. Along the way, he encounters a traveling freak show w...more
Meet Abel, a seemingly ordinary 17-year-old living in 1899. He and his family are performers and most of the people in their show have some sort of physical difference, such as Phoebe and her brother who are covered in fur. Though many might think that his life seems interesting enough already, Abel is feels like he just doesn’t fit in and longs to get away. He decides to seek adventure by running away with the circus. Along the way, he encounters a traveling freak show w...more
I really enjoyed this one! I want to give it 4.5 stars, but since there is no option for that I went with 4.
The world of sideshow/carnival 'freaks' was really well researched. I got a real sense for the world at that time, and how a show that exploits the physical deformities of its performers could actually be an understandable way to make a living in that time period. Because the protagonist, Abel, grew up in a circus with two freaks as parents, he has a unique viewpoint for someo...more
The world of sideshow/carnival 'freaks' was really well researched. I got a real sense for the world at that time, and how a show that exploits the physical deformities of its performers could actually be an understandable way to make a living in that time period. Because the protagonist, Abel, grew up in a circus with two freaks as parents, he has a unique viewpoint for someo...more
I liked the concept of the book ("normal" kid growing up in a late-1800's/early-1900's era freak show, clearly inspired by the film Freaks and Coney Island in its heyday), but I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd expected to. It feels overly sexual for YA novel, and, quite honestly, the mysterious woman subplot mostly just annoyed me. The heartwarming ending helped redeem it a bit, but...eh.
I think I need to read some freak show/carnival histories next.
I think I need to read some freak show/carnival histories next.
Very fun young adult novel about a young man in the late 1800s who runs away from the "freak show" where he grew up (his mom has no arms and his dad has no legs) since his lack of a physical oddity gives him nothing to do. He runs into more adventure than he anticipated, some very unsavory characters, and an attractive and mysterious older woman. Very well written characters and a nice sense of action make the hit-you-on-the-head message of everyone being a little bit of a freak very p...more
Hmm... This book was interesting. I liked it more by the end than I did in the beginning/middle. At first, I was incredibly annoyed at the main character. Abel was ridiculously selfish and self-centered, and everything he had one of those- Why me?! What about me?! thoughts, I wanted to smack him. Life is not just about you and your convinience buster, so get over it! However, by the end, he did seem to have grown up some. I also liked that he tried to be courageous and strong as a person, but he...more
The setting and characters in this story were very well done. Abel was amazing and the dog boy was too. She did a very good job of representing the sideshow people as people. The only thing I didn't like was the whole dream Egyptian princess. It didn't fit in with the story line for me and I love ancient Egypt. It was a good idea though it just did not work.
I've loved Klause since I read The Silver Kiss, and even more since Blood and Chocolate, which I used as extensive background for my very favorite Gangrel, Ari Lang. This was an interesting take on freak shows of the early 1900s, and also provided a good basis for Carnivale, which Mark and I are watching now. Slightly far-fetched, but written with the same adroitness as her other offerings.
Loved this book! I fear the circus something fierce, but I wasn't bothered by the scenes occurring in a circus. Far from it, I could identify with each character and feel their pain and desires. The last chapter resonated as good advice to abide by in life. I've already recommended it to people and had them read it.
Klause reworks the mummy legend of ancient love that burns across the ages against the backdrop of an 1890's traveling carnival. There's plenty of humor, especially at the beginning of the book as Abel, the perfectly normal teller of the tale, describes his nuclear and extended "freak" family. Like any good YA novel, it's a coming of age story as Abel hits the road, joins up with a circus, then another freak show, and even lives for while in a brothel. Along the way, Abel meets those w...more
Just finished rereading this and still absolutely love it. Wonderful coming of age story set in a historical era with a great cast of characters. I always did love human oddities and circuses as the focus of novels. This is a very well told and dynamic story with a hint of mystery and romance.
I found this book in the independent reader section at Borders during its closeout, but it has moments of being a bit risque, so I wouldn't recommend it to young ones. I really enjoyed the cast of characters. The author wanted to show people with differences in a positive light and does a great job.
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Annette Curtis Klause broke new ground in young adult literature with The Silver Kiss, a book that is at once "sexy, scaring, and moving," according to Roger Sutton writing in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. A vampire love story, Klause's first novel is a darkly seductive thriller with heart and message.
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“When a boy's first romantic interlude is with Phoebe the Dog-Faced Girl, he feels a need to get out into the world and find a new life.”
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