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Drag Queen
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In a story that crosses The Parent Trap with The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, we meet Mitchell Sayer, a stodgy, successful gay attorney. Mitchell's well-ordered life is thrown into upheaval when his socialite mother drops a double bombshell en route to a Buddhist convent. Mitchell, she confesses, was adopted - and Mitchell has an identical twin. This long-
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Rating: 3.25* of five
What would you do if you discovered a) your mother decides, after burying her third husband, to enter a Buddhist nunnery, b) but she's not your real mother after all since you're adopted and c) you had an identical twin, you successful Guppie mainstreamer you? You're barely out to yourself, still less the world, even though you've told people you're gay...you act like the OCD-ridden killjoy you are! And your twin? A macho jock, a father-of-five Ozzie clone, a fellow Guppie?
A ...more
What would you do if you discovered a) your mother decides, after burying her third husband, to enter a Buddhist nunnery, b) but she's not your real mother after all since you're adopted and c) you had an identical twin, you successful Guppie mainstreamer you? You're barely out to yourself, still less the world, even though you've told people you're gay...you act like the OCD-ridden killjoy you are! And your twin? A macho jock, a father-of-five Ozzie clone, a fellow Guppie?
A ...more
This one was a lot of fun!
There’s an old writing rule attributed to Chekhov: “If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise, don’t put it there.”
This concept deals with foreshadowing, and the fact that all details, however small, are significant and should be integral parts of the story. Well in Robert Rodi’s “Drag Queen”, the gun (in this case Blossom Dearie) isn’t fired until twenty pages before the end. (If you don’t know who Blossom is, honey, google i ...more
This concept deals with foreshadowing, and the fact that all details, however small, are significant and should be integral parts of the story. Well in Robert Rodi’s “Drag Queen”, the gun (in this case Blossom Dearie) isn’t fired until twenty pages before the end. (If you don’t know who Blossom is, honey, google i ...more
#47 A book with an eccentric character
If there are ever eccentric characters, drag queens fit the bill.
I had no idea what to expect from this books, but I was delightfully surprised. It was funny and engaging and once I really got into it, I didn't want to stop.
Also, it made me remember that I need to catch up with the latest season of RuPaul's Drag Race soon. ...more
If there are ever eccentric characters, drag queens fit the bill.
I had no idea what to expect from this books, but I was delightfully surprised. It was funny and engaging and once I really got into it, I didn't want to stop.
Also, it made me remember that I need to catch up with the latest season of RuPaul's Drag Race soon. ...more
This was the first book I read by Robert Rodi and loved it. So much so I got the others. Its a well paced story and such a fun read.
I remember reading Drag Queen sometime in the early 00s, freshly out of the closet; it was a cute little satire that vaguely resembled real life at the time. Re-reading it as a queer adult, one who is now comfortable in who and what he is, I found this both a refreshing reminder of the fun of my early gay days and a more sobering reminder of the inherent danger we all felt back then. Not that there isn't some level of inherent danger today, especially given the current political climate in the c
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Drag Queen by Robert Rodi is incredibly charming; it is the perfect combination of humorous and thought provoking. I am always looking for the odd and controversial and I found it within this book.
A quick backround, Michael ,a gay law attorney, is told within a 15-minute conversation with him mom that he was adopted and had a long lost twin. Michael searches for his long lost twin and within another 15 minute conversation finds Donald, who invites him to meet him at the Tam Tam club. Michael ar ...more
A quick backround, Michael ,a gay law attorney, is told within a 15-minute conversation with him mom that he was adopted and had a long lost twin. Michael searches for his long lost twin and within another 15 minute conversation finds Donald, who invites him to meet him at the Tam Tam club. Michael ar ...more
Mitchell Sayer (Mitch, prominent gay attorney), is informed by his mother Bettina Varney that he has a twin brother. She/her 2nd husband Chester adopted Mitchell.
His mother is kind of out in left field & wants to join a Buddhist nunnery.
He tracks down his long lost sibling & low/behold Donald Sweet (he/she) is a transvestite & works at Tam-Tam club as Ms. Kitten Kaboodle (doyenne of despair). The boys also have 2 sisters.
There are lots of delightful fun loving Tam-Tam club employees or affili ...more
His mother is kind of out in left field & wants to join a Buddhist nunnery.
He tracks down his long lost sibling & low/behold Donald Sweet (he/she) is a transvestite & works at Tam-Tam club as Ms. Kitten Kaboodle (doyenne of despair). The boys also have 2 sisters.
There are lots of delightful fun loving Tam-Tam club employees or affili ...more
I first read this book in the mid-nineties with all of Rodi's other work. I was glad with the recent Kindle re-issue to get a chance to read it again.
The book is a fun, feel-good kind of read that we all need occasionally. A long lost identical twin who lives a life different than you'd expect. A cute set-up and a satisfying ending. I actually liked the book more than I remembered, it's a real page turner.
There were a few, maybe 20, typos from the conversion to paper. Most harmless, a couple rea ...more
The book is a fun, feel-good kind of read that we all need occasionally. A long lost identical twin who lives a life different than you'd expect. A cute set-up and a satisfying ending. I actually liked the book more than I remembered, it's a real page turner.
There were a few, maybe 20, typos from the conversion to paper. Most harmless, a couple rea ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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The Ultimate Drag Queen Novel
Okay, to be fair, there aren't nearly enough novels featuring drag queens in lead roles, so the competition isn't exactly fierce. Still, this is the best. Robert Rodi does a great job of crafting solid characters while avoiding stereotypes, and he keeps the comedy coming at a brisk pace. He also manages to trot out the old twins trading roles cliche and imbue it with new life. A fast, fun read. ...more
Okay, to be fair, there aren't nearly enough novels featuring drag queens in lead roles, so the competition isn't exactly fierce. Still, this is the best. Robert Rodi does a great job of crafting solid characters while avoiding stereotypes, and he keeps the comedy coming at a brisk pace. He also manages to trot out the old twins trading roles cliche and imbue it with new life. A fast, fun read. ...more
The character development was pretty interesting and kept me going, but it started off really slow and almost made me put down the book to never look back.
I'm glad I kept reading, however I did come to the realization that it's a fairly light read that doesn't really go too much in depth and really is predictable. No surprises here for the average reader.
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads. ...more
I'm glad I kept reading, however I did come to the realization that it's a fairly light read that doesn't really go too much in depth and really is predictable. No surprises here for the average reader.
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads. ...more
3 stars is a bit generous (2.75, perhaps), but this book had its moments. Ample predictability. Some outcomes were unrealistic. Very much a product of the 90s. Raised some questions about gender performance and identity but definitely kept the world of Chicago and drag incredibly small. The writing style is underwhelming and there are some obvious typos, but some of the relationships have heartwarming features.
Fun premise: a straitlaced gay lawyer finds out he was adopted, and his (heretofore unknown) fraternal twin is a drag queen. Rodi sits back and sets some sparks a-flyin' between them. Mildly amusing, but still I wish the flames had licked even higher.
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May 06, 2015
Oriyah Nitkin
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
Esther P - and sending it her way.
Although this book was filled with stereotyped characters, the author's use of language and the (slightly predictable) but incredibly campy path those characters take, as well as the underlying messages of acceptance make this a delightful and enjoyable read.
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I loved this book. I was given it by a very dear friend and it did remind me of him and make me laugh out loud!!
fun read, though I could see what was coming a mile off
Its a fun book. Kinda predictable or formula or something... but a "light read" and easy on the mind.
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I loved this book so much!
Even though I was in love with this book and its characters by the end, I'm changing my five-star review to four just because it was a bit slow to get off the ground.
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Robert was born in Chicago in the conformist 1950s, grew up in the insurrectionist 1960s, came of age in the hedonist 1970s, and went to work in the elitist 1980s. This roller-coaster ride has left him with a distinct aversion to isms of any kind; it also gave him an ear for hypocrisy, cant, and platitudes that allowed him, in the 1990s, to become a much-lauded social satirist.
After seven acclaime ...more
After seven acclaime ...more
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