Facades

Rating:
Summary: What a find
Review: As an avid reader, one of the rarest treats is when you discover a first time novelist with fresh voice. A voice that instantly engages your interest and never lets you go. That is what I found in Alex Marcoux and her wonderful novel Facades.

As a man, I have not read any "lesbian" novels. When a friend asked me to, with apprehension, I did. I must confess that once I started, I could not put it down. Filled with surprises, Alex Marcoux crafts a compelling story of the music industry with main characters so appealing, it's painstaking to see what masks they must hide behind to achieve professional success, at the cost of personal happiness.

What makes Facades so absorbing is the brutal simplicity in which it is written. The author has a knack of painting a full, rich picture with a minimum of words. What a treat... and a sad and poignant glimpse into living a closeted lifestyle.

Rating:
Summary: Don't miss this book!
Review: Have about two or three hours of your life to give away doing nothing but being lost in a good book? Then get ready to do exactly that minutes after you pick up this one! Facades, by newcomer Alex Marcoux, is one of the best new novels I have had the pleasure of reading in a long time! From the moment I picked up the book, I found myself simply fascinated with the characters Marcoux brought to life within the pages, transfixed with the skillfully woven storyline, and didn't put it down until several hours later!

The core character, Sidney Marcum, personal manager extraordinaire, is a dynamo. Smart, driven, hot shot professional with a fiercely guarded past, Sidney exudes a sort of bitchiness attributed to strong, powerful women. However, anyone with a little bit of insight can see it is nothing but a "facade," created to ward off the most prying eyes. Yet Marcoux wisely doesn't give it to you all at once. She draws you into the web of Sidney's life, making you turn the pages, delving deeper into Sidney's psyche, her angst, the hidden secrets of her past. Marcoux skillfully segues past events of Sidney's life with present moments, much like Rita Mae Brown did so well with Six of One, another of this writer's favorites...

Rating:
Summary: Trite and Adolescent
Review: I was looking forward to reading this book, but was highly disappointed by the trite and adolescent writing. The story was good, but a freshman in high school could have written it more eloquently. In addition to an immature writing style and poor editing, the story had many distracting sidelines. I'm surprised so many others rated it 5 stars, because this wasn't worth my time to read.

Rating:
Summary: A readable novel with characters who draw the reader in
Review: Sidney Marcum, founder and president of Marcum Promotions, Inc., is a personal manager for musical groups and singers. For more than a decade she has specialized in taking unknown talent and making it a success. Anastasia, the beautiful, sensual, talented singer-songwriter, is struggling with her flagging professional career while attempting to balance her personal relationship with Stephanie and a life with the closet door open. After a series of unfortunate publicity incidents, the singer approaches Sidney for management help to reclaim her superstar status. Sidney advises Anastasia to reenter the closet and create a straight public persona or "facade" to reconnect with her straight audience. The relationship these two women develop over the next two years is an interesting and cautious one. The publicity campaign that Sidney orchestrates for Anastasia's comeback is a fascinating story alone. Marcoux uses the "facade" analogy to represent both that constructed public entertainment persona as well as the face of a closeted lesbian. However, set primarily around 1993, with flashbacks to the early 1980s, Facades is more complicated than the thematic analogy implies. Marcoux also deals with spousal abuse (heterosexual and lesbian), sexual assault, child custody issues for previously married lesbians like Sidney, blackmail and reincarnation. In addition to the above issues, Anastasia performs in Denver during the Boycott after Amendment 2. [An Amendment to the Colorado constitution that would disallow any municipal government to grant civil rights protection based on sexual orientation, which the US Supreme Court struck down.] She uses her concert as an opportunity to question the Religious Right and A2 supporters. If it's starting to sound as though Marcoux is juggling a lot of themes in this book, you're right. While most of the story lines are tied up at the end, the reincarnation theme is never fully developed. It is hinted at throughout the novel and yet doesn't seem to fit. In fairness, many of the themes are interconnected. Overall this is a pleasantly readable novel with characters who draw the reader into the story. As a lesbian love story, Facades is rather chaste. The characters and the writing make Facades a novel worth reading. Marcoux does not shy away from controversial issues, in the lesbian & gay community or the majority society. Acutally it is that willingness to address sensitive socio/political issues around sexism, homophobia and violence that makes this a good a novel to loan to a straight friend. Facades is the first novel from Marcoux, a Colorado resident. Hopefully there will be future novels that allow Marcoux to pay more attention to tightening her plot lines.

Rating:
Summary: A Journey worth taking.....
Review: The story that Marcoux weaves in Facades is both captivating and intriguing. While highlighting the recording industry, the book is a clasic story of finding love while finding yourself. Well written, fast paced...a good read.