My Take On Dramarama by E. Lockhart

Two theater-mad, self-invented
fabulositon Ohio teenagers.
One boy, one girl.
One gay, one straight.
One black, one white.
And SUMMER DRAMA CAMP.
It's a season of hormones,
gold lame,
hissy fits,
jazz hands,
song and dance,
true love,
and unitards
that will determine their future
—and test their friendship.

Talk about two very different takes on a book!
After reading Dramarama and being slightly less than thrilled, Orchid lent it to me with the warning that I shouldn't expect too much. It was too glittery and the characters were all too dramatic1.

ZG: Glitter, you say? [feigns disinterest]

Orchid: Yes, glitter.

ZG: How much glitter? You know, for curiousities sake. [plays coy]

Orchid: Gobs of it. [suspecion creeps into voice]

ZG: *heavy sigh* I guess I could give it a shot. [rolls eye as though granting a huge favor]

I was not disappointed.

This book is definitely in a league of its own as far as I'm concerned. I've never read a book about the theater and Broadway before, and the only apt term for what I found in Dramarama is "Fabulous!" E. Lockhart dropped showtunes titles and Broadway stars like breadcrumbs, but I never felt out of the loop or uninformed. It wasn't forced, it just was. I danced around my room for a few days after reading this, the theater vibe was that contagious.

The whole story was not about glitter and gold lame2, however. It was about friendship, expressing yourself, accepting who you are, and finding where you fit. Demi and Saydie's friendship was fun to read about because they were both so encouraging and flambouyant. I loved the songs and dance reutines they put together to survive their fabulacking Ohio town.

But my favorite thing was this wasn't your typical chicklit. Everything wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. If it were, I wouldn't have enjoyed it nearly as much. I've found that while most chicklit books are like a box of perfect bonbons with creamy centers and zero calories, E.'s are more realistic and thus more enjoyable4. Her books are like that same box of chocolates, but now you're eating them with the knowledge that the average chocolate bar has 3 to 8 insect legs in it3. They're fun and sorta outrageous, but still realistic. And I love the ending! It allowed your mind to wander down the path of time and imagine what would have become of Demi and Saydie after The End.

Ratings! I'd rate Dramarama PG13, but only mildly so. There was a little kissing, but nothing too much, and no hanky panky. Yay!

I give Dramarama...

Three Zombies!

I will definitely be looking into E.'s other books after this. A little birdy told me that The Boyfriend List would be right up my alley...

Happy reading,

Zombie Girrrl

footnotes____________________________________

1 For Orchid's full review, click here.

2 Pronouced "la-may"

3 Is it wrong that this doesn't temper my love of choclate in the slightest?

4 Case in point, The Disreutable History of Franky Landeau-Banks. I loved that book because it had a tinge of reality and everything wasn't hokey pokey all the time.

***I am not recieving compensation for this review. All opinions expressed above are those of the author of this blog alone. The above reviewed book was acquired from my library. Individual results may vary.***