Thalidomide Kid
by Kate Rigby
****
Set in small-town England in the 1970s. Daryl Wainwright is the Thalidomide Kid--the youngest in a family of delinquents and petty criminals, he was born without arms, his hands attached directly to his shoulders, because his mother took Distaval when she was pregnant. Celia Burkett is the quiet younger daughter of the local comprehensive school assistant head. They meet at the end of primary school and become unlikely best friends. As they continue to comprehensive school (middle & high school) their friendship blossoms into love.
Despite the title, the book is as much about Celia as it is about Daryl. She feels stifled by her role as the assistant head's daughter, and all the expectations that brings, from her classmates, teachers, and family. Her father does not want Celia hanging around with Daryl, not because of his disability, but because of his low-class, criminal background. He can't see what Celia does, that Daryl's goofy, joking exterior hides great inner strength and integrity. But if Celia can't be with Daryl, she will find other ways to rebel.
I really enjoyed this book, even though it's a bit heartbreaking. The details of the time and place are good, and the writing is terrific, a gritty style that depicts the early teen years without sentimentality. There is a lot of British slang, but if you've ever watched British TV shows or read Harry Potter it's easy to understand. The awkward romance between Daryl and Celia is very sweet and moving.
I found the dev factor pretty high, although there could have been more scenes explaining how Daryl does things. Celia is definitely attracted to him because of his disability. Recommended!
Showing posts with label amputee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label amputee. Show all posts
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Friday, July 20, 2012
Crazy Beautiful
Crazy Beautiful
by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
***
Young adult romance. Lucius Wolfe is about to start the first day of his sophomore year of high school. The year before, he caused an explosion that left him a DAE amputee, and destroyed his parents' house. Now they have moved to a new house in a new town, and he has to adjust both to his disability and to being the new kid. Aurora Belle is also a new kid at the same school; her mother died of cancer the previous year. Although Lucius and Aurora feel an immediate attraction, they are social opposites--he's a dark, brooding loner, while she is gorgeous, smart, and kind, and also instantly one of the popular kids. Even worse, Lucius is convinced that once Aurora learns the truth about his accident, she will run in fear.
I was really intrigued by the premise of this book. There are so few amputee characters, and to make the accident unquestionably his fault was a bold move. But ultimately the book was much slighter than the heavy premise would indicate. The biggest problem was the alternating narration, with chapters from both Lucius and Aurora's point of view. This is almost always deadly, since we see every scene twice so the plot takes forever to get going (I'm looking at you, gay-elf-romance Unseen Paths). Here at least the author eventually cuts back on the repetition, but the fact is while Lucius' voice is really compelling and original, Aurora's is not. She's a bland, boring, impossibly perfect character, and the way she just drifts along with the popular kids made me want to smack her. When half her chapters are only a sentence or two, it's evident her point of view was not necessary.
Also the ending is really rushed, which was a letdown. Yes, the plot points are all resolved in a satisfying way, but it all happens so quickly. I really wished it had been longer, and we had more scenes of Lucius and Aurora together. Oh and this is supposed to be a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but that didn't really seem to add anything to a fairly standard high school romance.
I found the dev-factor to be only moderate, which surprised me, since the premise seems super-devvy to me. The author handled his disability in a pretty realistic way, there is no magic or miracle cure or anything. There are some really good scenes of Lucius thinking about how his life has changed. But even though he talks about his amputation and prosthetics all the time, the author doesn't really linger over the details of his everyday life. In other words, the author clearly isn't a dev. But oh well, I can't really blame her for that.
by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
***
Young adult romance. Lucius Wolfe is about to start the first day of his sophomore year of high school. The year before, he caused an explosion that left him a DAE amputee, and destroyed his parents' house. Now they have moved to a new house in a new town, and he has to adjust both to his disability and to being the new kid. Aurora Belle is also a new kid at the same school; her mother died of cancer the previous year. Although Lucius and Aurora feel an immediate attraction, they are social opposites--he's a dark, brooding loner, while she is gorgeous, smart, and kind, and also instantly one of the popular kids. Even worse, Lucius is convinced that once Aurora learns the truth about his accident, she will run in fear.
I was really intrigued by the premise of this book. There are so few amputee characters, and to make the accident unquestionably his fault was a bold move. But ultimately the book was much slighter than the heavy premise would indicate. The biggest problem was the alternating narration, with chapters from both Lucius and Aurora's point of view. This is almost always deadly, since we see every scene twice so the plot takes forever to get going (I'm looking at you, gay-elf-romance Unseen Paths). Here at least the author eventually cuts back on the repetition, but the fact is while Lucius' voice is really compelling and original, Aurora's is not. She's a bland, boring, impossibly perfect character, and the way she just drifts along with the popular kids made me want to smack her. When half her chapters are only a sentence or two, it's evident her point of view was not necessary.
Also the ending is really rushed, which was a letdown. Yes, the plot points are all resolved in a satisfying way, but it all happens so quickly. I really wished it had been longer, and we had more scenes of Lucius and Aurora together. Oh and this is supposed to be a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but that didn't really seem to add anything to a fairly standard high school romance.
I found the dev-factor to be only moderate, which surprised me, since the premise seems super-devvy to me. The author handled his disability in a pretty realistic way, there is no magic or miracle cure or anything. There are some really good scenes of Lucius thinking about how his life has changed. But even though he talks about his amputation and prosthetics all the time, the author doesn't really linger over the details of his everyday life. In other words, the author clearly isn't a dev. But oh well, I can't really blame her for that.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
The Old Mermaid's Tale
The Old Mermaid's Tale
by Kathleen Valentine
Overall Rating: *****
Dev Rating: **
This is an absolutely gorgeous book. The writing is lush and rich and full, yet not at all boring. It's what I think romance novels should be.
The main character, Clair, is from a small town in the midwest and she yearns for the ocean and for adventure. She has a romantic soul. It's the 1960s and she goes off to college near the Great Lakes.
From the title I was not expecting such a modern story!
The atmosphere is so well drawn, I can really feel every moment of Clair's love of the fishermen and the water.
About half way through the book Clair meets the gorgeous, mysterious Baptiste, a single leg amputee.
He is undeniably sexy and Clair falls hard for him. It's a great depiction of disability because Baptiste hardly notices his missing leg and certainly never lets it stop him. He wears a prosthesis and it is not very noticeable. He is such a deep, rich character who is so beloved by those around him that no one tends to say much about his leg.
This makes it great from a disability issues standpoint, but not great from a dev standpoint! There is no lingering on his body for us to enjoy.
Don't let that stop you from reading the book, though. It is so beautiful and absolutely worth reading.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
In a Soldier's Arms
In a Soldier's Arms (Harlequin American Romance)
By Marin Thomas
*
Is book is okay but I felt a bit cheated at the focus of the story didn't feel like it was on the romance but rather that was incidental.
It is about a nurse whose mother died and her estranged grandmother writes to her to say she has some of her effects. We then follow Maggie's journey of discover her roots which her mother had told her very little about. So there is her relationship with her gran, her Gran's neighbours, her Gran's patients, the clan and them her relationship with the hero of the piece, who is suffering from PTSS and has lost his leg in battle.
He is far more interesting than the Maggie's character but I felt that he was kept at a distance through the story. Also it ended too suddenly for me. I like the romance books that have a final chapter where the romance issues have been resolved and we get an insight as to how they will be together.
The sex scenes were okay but not to many of them because they weren't together enough. They were explicit but in a poetic way.
It was a good read but just didn't hit the spot. We needed more Abram and less Maggie.
Abram is very insecure about his injury and it does border on annoying and doesn't ring true as he is so self possessed in all areas in his life except for his body image.
By Marin Thomas
*
Is book is okay but I felt a bit cheated at the focus of the story didn't feel like it was on the romance but rather that was incidental.
It is about a nurse whose mother died and her estranged grandmother writes to her to say she has some of her effects. We then follow Maggie's journey of discover her roots which her mother had told her very little about. So there is her relationship with her gran, her Gran's neighbours, her Gran's patients, the clan and them her relationship with the hero of the piece, who is suffering from PTSS and has lost his leg in battle.
He is far more interesting than the Maggie's character but I felt that he was kept at a distance through the story. Also it ended too suddenly for me. I like the romance books that have a final chapter where the romance issues have been resolved and we get an insight as to how they will be together.
The sex scenes were okay but not to many of them because they weren't together enough. They were explicit but in a poetic way.
It was a good read but just didn't hit the spot. We needed more Abram and less Maggie.
Abram is very insecure about his injury and it does border on annoying and doesn't ring true as he is so self possessed in all areas in his life except for his body image.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
What Happened in Granite Creek
What Happened in Granite Creek
by Robyn Bradley
****
Koty is an unhappy housewife, married young to a man she thought she loved, but who turned into an abusive alcoholic. Jamie is a wounded Iraqi war vet, a quad amputee. Koty's husband Wayne, in a fit of misplaced patriotism, forces Koty to spend her afternoons "babysitting" Jamie, something neither of them want. But then Jamie and Koty fall for each other, which inevitably sets in motion majors changes for both of them, far beyond what anyone expected.
It's important to note that this is NOT a romance. It's a long meditation on Koty's and Wayne's marriage, and on their three young daughters. The central question is, how did Koty end up in this situation? For this reason, Jamie ends up not being a central character, so the dev factor was a bit low for me, except for the first few scenes of them together. Those are hot. Some of our PD members gave the author some advice, so the descriptions of Jamie's disability are realistic.
Despite the fact that this book isn't really written from a devotee point of view, it's still terrific. The characters are all so realistic and believable, and the quality of the writing is outstanding. It's a heartbreaking story from beginning to end, but utterly compelling. Recommended.
The first section of this book was originally published as the short story, "Support Our Troops."
by Robyn Bradley
****
Koty is an unhappy housewife, married young to a man she thought she loved, but who turned into an abusive alcoholic. Jamie is a wounded Iraqi war vet, a quad amputee. Koty's husband Wayne, in a fit of misplaced patriotism, forces Koty to spend her afternoons "babysitting" Jamie, something neither of them want. But then Jamie and Koty fall for each other, which inevitably sets in motion majors changes for both of them, far beyond what anyone expected.
It's important to note that this is NOT a romance. It's a long meditation on Koty's and Wayne's marriage, and on their three young daughters. The central question is, how did Koty end up in this situation? For this reason, Jamie ends up not being a central character, so the dev factor was a bit low for me, except for the first few scenes of them together. Those are hot. Some of our PD members gave the author some advice, so the descriptions of Jamie's disability are realistic.
Despite the fact that this book isn't really written from a devotee point of view, it's still terrific. The characters are all so realistic and believable, and the quality of the writing is outstanding. It's a heartbreaking story from beginning to end, but utterly compelling. Recommended.
The first section of this book was originally published as the short story, "Support Our Troops."
Saturday, December 31, 2011
What Love Endures
What Love Endures
by Elizabeth Glenn
*
This is a very old Harlequin Superromance (1983), by the same secret dev author who wrote Taste for Love, one of Devo Girl's favorite romances. All of Elizabeth Glenn/Marcy Gray's books are set in small towns in Texas, and all feature heroes with various disabilities. In this one, psychiatrist Mark Bradford is an amputee, having lost his right arm at the shoulder when a psychotic patient shot him. Now a year later, he's returned to the small town where he spent his teen years, working in a mental health clinic alongside JC, who had a huge crush on him as a girl. Now that she's all grown up, can she finally get him to notice her?
The story seems to have such promise, but no, it's an ugly story of a nasty, abusive relationship passed off as romance. Mark is an asshole, the kind of guy who even in the 80s would have been labeled a male chauvinist pig. He says outright that he hates women, and even when he's sweet talking JC, he manages to insult her, calling her "little witch." He's dark and brooding, while she's tiny, waif-like, and the whole childhood crush thing gets played up to a creepy degree, including the oft-mentioned fact that even as an adult she still looks like a child. A lot of romances feature this kind of bitter, angry hero, with the idea that the right woman makes him open up about his feelings and show her his tender side. But in this story, Mark just gets more angry and controlling toward JC as the story goes along.
Early in the story, before they can admit their love for each other, Mark talks JC into a marriage of convenience, he says to keep his many admirers from bothering him. His one condition is that JC never ask him any questions about his family, his past, anything at all. He's also extremely paranoid that the unnamed person who shot him will return. None of this makes any sense, but JC just goes along with it, even as Mark stops speaking to her, and flies into a rage whenever she tries to ask what the hell is going on. Eventually she does try to leave, but he brings her back by force and makes her a prisoner in his house. This is not love, it's abuse. Mark's behavior is excused and condoned, while JC is the one at fault for daring to ask, who is this crazy person I married. Ugh. No "love" should have to endure this kind of behavior.
This was so disappointing, because Glenn is a good writer--she really knows how to linger over the devvy details-- and there are so few romances with amputee heroes. It's really an opportunity missed.
by Elizabeth Glenn
*
This is a very old Harlequin Superromance (1983), by the same secret dev author who wrote Taste for Love, one of Devo Girl's favorite romances. All of Elizabeth Glenn/Marcy Gray's books are set in small towns in Texas, and all feature heroes with various disabilities. In this one, psychiatrist Mark Bradford is an amputee, having lost his right arm at the shoulder when a psychotic patient shot him. Now a year later, he's returned to the small town where he spent his teen years, working in a mental health clinic alongside JC, who had a huge crush on him as a girl. Now that she's all grown up, can she finally get him to notice her?
The story seems to have such promise, but no, it's an ugly story of a nasty, abusive relationship passed off as romance. Mark is an asshole, the kind of guy who even in the 80s would have been labeled a male chauvinist pig. He says outright that he hates women, and even when he's sweet talking JC, he manages to insult her, calling her "little witch." He's dark and brooding, while she's tiny, waif-like, and the whole childhood crush thing gets played up to a creepy degree, including the oft-mentioned fact that even as an adult she still looks like a child. A lot of romances feature this kind of bitter, angry hero, with the idea that the right woman makes him open up about his feelings and show her his tender side. But in this story, Mark just gets more angry and controlling toward JC as the story goes along.
Early in the story, before they can admit their love for each other, Mark talks JC into a marriage of convenience, he says to keep his many admirers from bothering him. His one condition is that JC never ask him any questions about his family, his past, anything at all. He's also extremely paranoid that the unnamed person who shot him will return. None of this makes any sense, but JC just goes along with it, even as Mark stops speaking to her, and flies into a rage whenever she tries to ask what the hell is going on. Eventually she does try to leave, but he brings her back by force and makes her a prisoner in his house. This is not love, it's abuse. Mark's behavior is excused and condoned, while JC is the one at fault for daring to ask, who is this crazy person I married. Ugh. No "love" should have to endure this kind of behavior.
This was so disappointing, because Glenn is a good writer--she really knows how to linger over the devvy details-- and there are so few romances with amputee heroes. It's really an opportunity missed.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
The Morning Side of Dawn
The Morning Side of Dawn by Justine Davis.
***
Yet another cheesy modern-day romance, but one that’s a bit better than average. Dar is a double amputee who occasionally uses prosthetics but prefers wheelchairs he designs himself. And he's an athlete too! Very sexy. The story is pretty good. The perfectly gorgeous supermodel heroine, Cassie, is kind of annoying, but Dar is an interesting character. It’s rare to find a double amputee male character in a romance novel, mainly because there is no possibility of a magical cure, so this book gets props for handling the issue head-on.
This book was a PD book club selection in February 2011:
http://paradevo.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=devs&action=display&thread=2618
Nobody’s Perfect
Nobody’s Perfect by Hirotada Ototake ***
Translated from Japanese, this is the autobiography of a young man who was born without arms or legs. The cover picture alone is worth the price of the book. While the relentlessly upbeat tone gets a little annoying, the detailed descriptions of his daily life are just, well, fascinating.
Translated from Japanese, this is the autobiography of a young man who was born without arms or legs. The cover picture alone is worth the price of the book. While the relentlessly upbeat tone gets a little annoying, the detailed descriptions of his daily life are just, well, fascinating.
Crippled Masters
Crippled Masters
Hong Kong
1984
****
This is a low-budget Hong Kong kung fu movie, so consider yourself warned. But don’t let the terrible dubbing, the utter lack of any plot, the low production values and the chop-socky sound effects deter you: this is the REAL DEAL. The two main characters really are disabled; there is no ES involved. Also, although the movie would have us believe otherwise, they were clearly born with their disabilities. One man is a DAE amputee--see him water the fields and tend the farm with his feet! The other cannot use his legs (perhaps polio?)--see him walk on his hands! For various silly reasons, they are forced to learn kung fu and become an invincible fighting team. Their dexterity and skill are truly a wonder to behold, made all the more amazing by the knowledge that these are real people.
Hong Kong
1984
****
This is a low-budget Hong Kong kung fu movie, so consider yourself warned. But don’t let the terrible dubbing, the utter lack of any plot, the low production values and the chop-socky sound effects deter you: this is the REAL DEAL. The two main characters really are disabled; there is no ES involved. Also, although the movie would have us believe otherwise, they were clearly born with their disabilities. One man is a DAE amputee--see him water the fields and tend the farm with his feet! The other cannot use his legs (perhaps polio?)--see him walk on his hands! For various silly reasons, they are forced to learn kung fu and become an invincible fighting team. Their dexterity and skill are truly a wonder to behold, made all the more amazing by the knowledge that these are real people.
Wild Wild West
Wild Wild West USA 1999 *
A remake of a very silly TV show that was itself a parody of the Western, with lots of gadgets. Ex-Shakesperian actor Kenneth Branagh (oh how the mighty have fallen) is the mad scientist evil megalomanic, a Southern gentleman whose legs were blown off in the Civil War, effects created by computer. He has a pretty cool steam-powered wheelchair that we get to see in detail, but really this is just another case of deformed = sociopath.
A remake of a very silly TV show that was itself a parody of the Western, with lots of gadgets. Ex-Shakesperian actor Kenneth Branagh (oh how the mighty have fallen) is the mad scientist evil megalomanic, a Southern gentleman whose legs were blown off in the Civil War, effects created by computer. He has a pretty cool steam-powered wheelchair that we get to see in detail, but really this is just another case of deformed = sociopath.
Kingpin
Kingpin
USA
1996
**
In this comedy by the infamous Farrelly brothers, Woody Harrelson plays an ex-bowler named Roy Munson whose bowling hand has to be amputated after a hustle goes wrong. Depressed by his own lot in life, Roy searches for a bowling prodigy to restore his lost glory. He finds this prodigy in a young Amish man named Ishmael (Randy Quaid). True to the Farrelly brothers' style, there are plenty of tasteless jokes involving Roy's rubber hand being popped off and Roy accidentally destroying things with his hook. Other than that, Roy seems completely oblivious to his missing hand and we never even get a glimpse at the stump. One redeeming devotee feature of this movie is that Roy gets the beautiful girl (Vanessa Angel) at the end, but she doesn't seem like much of a devotee at all. She can't appreciate him like we would.
USA
1996
**
In this comedy by the infamous Farrelly brothers, Woody Harrelson plays an ex-bowler named Roy Munson whose bowling hand has to be amputated after a hustle goes wrong. Depressed by his own lot in life, Roy searches for a bowling prodigy to restore his lost glory. He finds this prodigy in a young Amish man named Ishmael (Randy Quaid). True to the Farrelly brothers' style, there are plenty of tasteless jokes involving Roy's rubber hand being popped off and Roy accidentally destroying things with his hook. Other than that, Roy seems completely oblivious to his missing hand and we never even get a glimpse at the stump. One redeeming devotee feature of this movie is that Roy gets the beautiful girl (Vanessa Angel) at the end, but she doesn't seem like much of a devotee at all. She can't appreciate him like we would.
Idle Hands
Idle Hands
USA
1999
***
In the spirit of Evil Dead 2, this movie involves a teenager named Anton (Devon Sawa) whose hand becomes possessed. After Anton's hand kills his two best friends, he becomes fed up and slices it off with a butcher knife so that he walks around through half the movie with an impressive stump. Anton is very sexy to begin with and even more so with only one hand. His love interest is played by Jessica Alba, the star of Dark Angel, a favorite TV show of devos everywhere. In Paradevo's opinion, this movie is a hilarious portrayal of laziness and mild drug use, but it's the amputated hand that makes it great.
USA
1999
***
In the spirit of Evil Dead 2, this movie involves a teenager named Anton (Devon Sawa) whose hand becomes possessed. After Anton's hand kills his two best friends, he becomes fed up and slices it off with a butcher knife so that he walks around through half the movie with an impressive stump. Anton is very sexy to begin with and even more so with only one hand. His love interest is played by Jessica Alba, the star of Dark Angel, a favorite TV show of devos everywhere. In Paradevo's opinion, this movie is a hilarious portrayal of laziness and mild drug use, but it's the amputated hand that makes it great.
Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump
USA
1994
***
The Academy Award winning film about the unusual life of an idiot savant named Forrest Gump, played by Tom Hanks (Philadelphia, Big). During Forrest's stint in Vietnam, he saves the life of his Lieutenant, a fellow named Dan (Gary Sinise). Although Dan survives the war, both his legs are amputated and his wishes that Forrest had let him die. Sinise plays the role brilliantly, and arguably the most memorable scene in the movie is when his stumps are revealed before the camera. Unfortunately, true to some sort of Hollywood rule, Dan's appearance becomes increasingly unkempt while he is confined to the wheelchair, spoiling his good looks. Only when he is fitted for prosthetics at the end does he bother to clean himself up, but by then it's too late. Still, it's a great movie for devos, especially those who don't mind the hippie look.
USA
1994
***
The Academy Award winning film about the unusual life of an idiot savant named Forrest Gump, played by Tom Hanks (Philadelphia, Big). During Forrest's stint in Vietnam, he saves the life of his Lieutenant, a fellow named Dan (Gary Sinise). Although Dan survives the war, both his legs are amputated and his wishes that Forrest had let him die. Sinise plays the role brilliantly, and arguably the most memorable scene in the movie is when his stumps are revealed before the camera. Unfortunately, true to some sort of Hollywood rule, Dan's appearance becomes increasingly unkempt while he is confined to the wheelchair, spoiling his good looks. Only when he is fitted for prosthetics at the end does he bother to clean himself up, but by then it's too late. Still, it's a great movie for devos, especially those who don't mind the hippie look.
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