The World of Normal Boys

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful...
Review: This book is one of the best books I have ever read. Another coming of age story for a young gay boy who's lost, and confused. Soehnlein has created a new Holden Caulfield in his protagonist, and has captured the essence of the 1970's in this novel. I could not put this book down. The author is incredibly talented, and, in his first publication, has created a masterpiece.

Rating:
Summary: Evocative
Review: Soehnlein has captured the confusion and angst faced by young adolescents as they begin to put a name to their felling of being different. Not brilliantly written, but well written and highly evocative.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing Insight
Review: I read this book in one sitting and have to say that I felt like the author opened my brain and pulled out all my memories of being 13/14, knowing you were different than the other boys, and all the angst that goes with that. I found myself saying, almost aloud, "Oh my god, that's exactly how I felt and what I thought." I was amazed at the insight.

A highly recommended book for anyone who remembers what it was like to be an early, naive teen dealing with acceptance of who they were and the heartbreak of their world.

Rating:
Summary: Masterful!
Review: I absolutely reccommend this book for anyone who remembers the naivete and innocence of realizing who (and what!) they are. I laughed, and cried - I'm serious - it wasn't better thann Cats, but a damn close second.

Rating:
Summary: The Concept of Normal
Review: The World of Normal Boys is an excellent book. I found myself hard-pressed to put it down and did, in fact, read all the way through it in one day. The style, simplistic and refreshing, does not try to hide the plot. Reading through Robin's development from a boy to something more grown-up, I felt as though I was moving through it with him. He uses the confusing sexual tumult he is having to hide somewhat from his brother's sudden health problems, and grows from a creation of his mother's to a person of his own. He seems fixated on this concept of normal, something he is not -- something that, in fact, none of us are. This brings focus to the world of '78, the fixation it had with all its members being socially acceptable, and the unwillingness of society to change. Robin is an easy character to relate to for me, and sent me back into my own period of self-discovery. Do -not- read if you are looking for something light. Prepare to think after finishing this book.

Rating:
Summary: The Dysfunctional Universe
Review: This was a very good read but be warned that it is unrelentingly depressing and nihilistic. The few characters that are not completely dysfunctional are of little help to the main character of Robin, who, at 13, tries unsuccessfully to find the smallest bits of hope and self-esteem surrounded by adults and peers who inflict nothing but pain upon him. I was disappointed by the ending, which seemed like too much of a lightning-fast way to wrap things up. Still, a well-crafted and involving story. Avoid it, however, if you are looking for a feel-good novel: this is not something that you will enjoy. I wonder how the author could endure writing something so intensely sorrowful.

Rating:
Summary: An ordinary subject told in an extraordinary way
Review: When I started to read "The World of Normal Boys", I had no idea about the emotional roller coaster ride that I was in for. Following the tumultous, excilarating journey of Robin McKenzie and his disfunctional family left me exhaused, enlightened and entertained- all things I look for in a great literary experience. From the opening pages I was pulled into Robin's self discovery, feeling the heartache with him, understanding the confusion and pain that he was finding himself engulfed in. From the time he first meets Scott to his first sexual encounter with Todd, I felt each awakening as he began his journey toward adulthood. The catalyst for all of these things happening is the tragic accident of his younger brother, which was handled subtley and carefully, never milked for it's pathos, never made to feel manipulative. As Robin spirals into a world of booze, drugs and sex, the reader almost understands, but is always left to wonder if there is something else behind it. When Scott and Robin, both tired of their crazy home lives (Scott's brought on by his fathers physical abuse; Robin's by his mother's excessive drinking and increasing distance from his father) we know that their journey is headed to a dark place, yet a place for them to grow and learn. This book was a realtively quick read- it's hard to put it down, and yet at times, you feel you have to as the emotions you experience will need to be set aside for a moment. As a gay man, I understood some of what Robin went through- the crush on the older boy- the first boy your age you develop feelings for- the need to tell and keep it secret at the same time. But the growing awareness of Robin's sexuality is never the focal point, just another path on the journey to his self discovery. I loved this book and immediatly recommended it to two friends who are both currently reading it now. They, like me, are finding relatable and enjoyable, and are now experiencing the emotional ride that is "The World of Normal Boys".

Rating:
Summary: Extremely Honest and Brilliant Book
Review: I started this novel at eight in the morning and finished it in one sitting. For those of us in our late thirties, this tale brings back an awful lot of memories well woven into an intricate and well developed plot. My one complaint (which may sound more harsh than I might intend) is that the ending is somewhat inappropriate and seems rather a quick fix - specifically the last line. I would have prefered that the novelist stay more true to the experiences he handles with such finesse and almost brutal honesty in the development of his book. This is a sometimes harsh view of life coming out in the seventies - and is the first novel like this I've read that resonates so clearly of how it felt to be there at the time. (I went into high school one year before the protagonist about thirty miles away from the novel's setting here in Jersey!) Buy the book. Read it. You will not regret it!!

Rating:
Summary: Teen Angst in the Seventies
Review: "The World of Normal Boys" is a coming of age story set in the late seventies in New Jersey. Young Robin macKenzie has set on a turbulant journey of exploration and self-realization as he begins to comprehend his budding homosexuality. I felt mixed on this novel. Although I felt that K.M. Soehnlein acurately and realistically portrayed the lifeof a tortured teen, at times I felt the character was grating to me as a reader. However about two thirds of the way through the book, I felt it redeemed itself, and had a satifying ending especially in terms of character growth.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Brilliantly told story, with complex characters. Easy to read.