The House of Impossible Beauties by Joseph Cassara Published by Ecco on February 6th 2018
Pages: 416
Goodreads
It’s 1980 in New York City, and nowhere is the city’s glamour and energy better reflected than in the burgeoning Harlem ball scene, where seventeen-year-old Angel first comes into her own. Burned by her traumatic past, Angel is new to the drag world, new to ball culture, and has a yearning inside of her to help create family for those without. When she falls in love with Hector, a beautiful young man who dreams of becoming a professional dancer, the two decide to form the House of Xtravaganza, the first-ever all-Latino house in the Harlem ball circuit. But when Hector dies of AIDS-related complications, Angel must bear the responsibility of tending to their house alone.
As mother of the house, Angel recruits Venus, a whip-fast trans girl who dreams of finding a rich man to take care of her; Juanito, a quiet boy who loves fabrics and design; and Daniel, a butch queen who accidentally saves Venus’s life. The Xtravaganzas must learn to navigate sex work, addiction, and persistent abuse, leaning on each other as bulwarks against a world that resists them. All are ambitious, resilient, and determined to control their own fates, even as they hurtle toward devastating consequences.
Told in a voice that brims with wit, rage, tenderness, and fierce yearning, The House of Impossible Beauties is a tragic story of love, family, and the dynamism of the human spirit.
First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros is a weekly meme hosted by Vicky at I’d Rather Be At The Beach. Each week, participants share a paragraph (or two) from a book they are currently reading or are planning to read soon.
Today I’m going to share the first chapter of Impossible Beauties by Joseph Cassara. I just received my copy today and I can’t wait to read it!
MOTHERHOOD
(1976-1981)
ANGEL
1980
“Girrrl—
Before there was Dorian and before there was Hector, there was 1980—the year that things began to change. Diana Ross was pumping on the radio, Angel was sixteen years young and already she felt she was being turned upside down, inside out, boy oh boy, everything was turning around-around. If the seventies were the decade of disco, then the eighties would be what? —the beginning of a new era?—the decade of the sequin? It was the time that Angel the he became Angel the she—even if it was only something felt within the deepest layers of her soul, she knew that it was there, underneath skin and bone, as thin as a sheet of silver foil.”
What do you think? Would you continue reading?
I’m definitely going to. In fact, I think I’ll just keep going now.
I have this one too and I cannot wait to read it! I cannot wait! Hope you’re liking it so far!
I haven’t gotten very far in but so far, so good!
I loved this book. It’s well worth reading!
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed it. I’ve heard nothing but good things so far.
I’ve got a copy of this book sitting patiently in one of my reading piles.
Lucky that yours sit patiently. Mine are always crying out for a little attention. 😉 I’ll look forward to what you think of this one.
This one sounds wonderful…so much to explore. Thanks for sharing…and for visiting my blog.
Thank you, Laurel. I agree – such an intriguing era and so much social change.
It sounds pretty good! I have it added and have plans to read it this year. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on it. Hope you enjoy! <3
Thanks, Mischenko. I’ll look forward to your review too! 😀
I’m really intrigued! I’m adding it to my list for sure! 😀
Great, Dee! I think I’m going to really like it. I hope you will too.
I’d read a bit more to see if I wanted to continue.
Glad to hear you’d give it a chance. Thanks for stopping by!
Maybe I’m just feeling negative today, but the first paragraph didn’t grab me. Too much teenage angst. Hopefully it gets better.
I can see why would say that. I think if I’d only read that one paragraph without benefit of reading the blurb or some of the favorable reviews I might feel the same.
The blurb sounds amazing, the first chapter not so much. I think I’d keep reading, it definitely has potential.
I think you may be right. Had I looked at it without having read the blurb or the reviews, I might feel the same. Though the references to sequins and Diana Ross would have probably grabbed my attention, I’m not sure if it alone would have compelled me to move on. I’d really been looking forward to this one so perhaps there was a little conformation bias happening.
I was a teen in the 80’s so the time period sounds like a romp down memory lane. The sneak peek has me curious.
Right? Me too!
Oooh, Ann Marie! I’m excited to hear what you think about this one!
I haven’t been able to squeeze a single page in yet today but I’m liking it so far.
Sounds like a winner to me! Oddly, I’m reading a book about a little boy who wants to be a girl…
Brenda
Oh, that is a coincidence. I’ll look forward to hearing about that one.
Fascinating! I love to read books that take me worlds that I’d probably never experience otherwise. This sounds like a winner.
My Tuesday post features a family saga: Miller’s Valley.
Me too, Sandra! Sometimes it’s hard to comprehend that we are only capable of experiencing so much in our lives with the time we have. With books we can experience almost anything.
I’m really looking forward to hearing what you think of this one. I’ve been on the fence about whether or not to try it.
I’ll keep you posted. I was planning on reading on the plane last night but got wrapped up in listening to Eleanor Oliphant. 😉 For, like, 5 hours…
I finished this a couple of weeks ago but have struggled with a review. I appreciate the author’s effort but I did not expect it to be so uniformly depressing. The struggle never ended nor did he balance it out by sharing the joy of being a ballroom queen. He mentioned it but I wanted to see Venus, Angel and Juanito in their element and that didn’t happen.
Catherine recently posted…Song of a Captive Bird
Oh, that’s disappointing! I’m at about the 100 page mark. My jury is still out at this point.
I just saw that you DNF’d it! I finished it a few days ago and I just loved this book so much! So sad you found it slow..
I may go back to it at some point but I just felt like it wasn’t going anywhere fast. The pacing was a problem for me.
Sorry to hear that because I am in love with the book. I hope you get back to it!