My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger
My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger
2008
403 Pages
4.5/5
So this review may stir up some hard feelings and a bit of controversy, but I want you to keep on referring back to my rating of this book. I really loved it! Honestly, I loved it. I’ll get to the controversy bit in a little while. But first, I’ll let you know what it’s about. My Most Excellent year is narrated by three high schoolers who all come from different backgrounds. Tony Keller is a young boy who lost his mother at a young age but has remained close with his dad and shares a passion for baseball with him. He has a heart of gold and gives a little bit of himself to everyone who he comes in contact with. His best friend is Augie Hwong, our second narrator, who becomes sort of an adopted brother to Tony. Augie plays on the soccer team but his true love is broadway and all things femme fatales. He’s dramatic, over the top and well loved by everyone.
And then there’s Alejandra Perez, the new student at their high school who is the daughter of an ambasador and has therefore had lunch with numerous presidents and congress people. She’s also the love interest of Tony and Augie’s new idol once he finds out how much of a diva she is.
The book is told through journal entries that each of these three characters write. Each person writes their entries to a different person. Tony starts all of his entries “Dear Mama,” Ale starts all of her’s “Dear Jacqueline” for Jacqueline Kennedy, and Augie dedicates his entries to a different female star each week. We follow them throughout their “most excellent year”, their freshmen year of high school. And it’s an awesome story.
The story centers around first love in all of it’s forms. Tony and Ale are falling for each other, while Augie is discovering he’s gay while falling for a fellow soccer player. In the meantime, Augie and Ale are preparing for the school play, Kiss Me, Kate. This is a problem that presents itself for Ale because her family has always expected her to go into politics. She feels that they would never allow her to pursue her true love, which is the theater despite her enormous talents in that department.
Tony has something of his own that’s occupying his time. He’s discovered a six year old boy that hangs out at all of his baseball games named Hucky Harper and he’s soon to learn that Hucky is deaf and lives in a group home. He goes home with Hucky one day and quickly becomes attached to him and adopts him as another brother. Hucky has a love for Mary Poppins that borders on the insane. He watches his tape of Mary Poppins every chance he gets, but he doesn’t seem to realize that she isn’t real. He wants her to visit him. And Tony has a tendency to try to make people’s wishes come true. Interesting story follows.
There’s a lot that happens in this book and I could tell you plot summaries and sub-plot summaries all day, but I won’t. I’ll just tell you to READ IT!! It’s an awesome book!! Here’s where my problem lies though…….IT’S TOO COOKIE CUTTER!!! I wish I didn’t have to say that. I really wish that I didn’t. But all of these kids were perfect. And even though they didn’t necessarily come from the perfect family dynamic, everything always wound up perfect. When Augie came out and announced he was gay, it wasn’t an issue for anyone. Not for his family, his friends, not for him (except for one little scene with his dad but his dad told him he was being silly), not for anyone at the school! Now trust me. I give MAJOR kudos to Steve Kluger for writing this because maybe it’ll influence high school kids to be more accepting if they read this. But I went to high school. I had a friend who came out in high school and he went through HELL. Sure, there were those of us who accepted him, but it wasn’t just another day for him. I don’t know. It’s not just the gay thing. Everything in this book was just too perfect and fit together way too nicely. And it would be so nice if the world were like that, but it’s not.
Maybe I’m just a total pessimist. I truly don’t think there’s anything wrong with a book like this. That’s why I didn’t take away points from it because of it. It’s a feel good book. It’s fiction. And it sure did feel good to read. But it would never happen in a million trillion years in real life. I can promise you that. I like a little angst in my books and a not so perfect ending…that’s all :p But having said all of that, this was a fantastic book :p
This is also one of the two finalists for the Nerds Heart YA tournament!!! And I can certainly see why it made it here. Nymeth and I are judging the finals, so I’m just waiting to see what it will go up against. I honestly think it’ll be a close call. Can’t wait to find out who the winner will be!! Stay tuned!
But…I thought we were supposed to co-review
cookie cutter huh? are you telling me that all young men are not perfect? Do you mean that as a young man you were not perfect? tsk tsk.. I find that hard to believe lol
uh oh (just reading Nymeth’s comment…) what a great review! I’ve seen this title before and I just have to say that I’m glad I finally read a review and that it was yours. I ‘get’ your complaint or is a warning? Sometimes we really just want a happy feel-good story that takes us away from the slop of real-life.
Happy BBAW noms, too! congrats.
I suppose now you can see what trouble I had matching this book up with The Last Exit to Normal. Both books feature a gay character and while Excellent Year is cookie cutter, Normal is very much more true to life. I had SUCH A HARD TIME picking between the two, mainly because of this. In the end, I chose Excellent Year because of it’s upbeat, hopeful attitude towards the gay character. I felt it depicted life as it should be and, well, Augie is just so darn cute and sweet.
I am glad you enjoyed it, despite the total lack of angst.
I can’t wait to see what goes up against it, and what wins!!
I know what you mean about cookie-cutter books! But on the other hand, it would be nice if it was that easy to come out. On the other other hand, someone may read this and come out to their friends, not knowing that it isn’t so easy.
I appreciate the honest review (:
ahaha I know what you mean, but even though the thought crossed my mind, it didn’t interfere with my utter love for the book. I just took it as a fairy tale-y, feel-good, cute book. It was funny, and moving and I so wished it was true. Just like in fairy tales, or in musicals!
Okay, Chris, you know that hurricane Ana, that was heading your way…
Great review anyway Chris, I think I might just pop this one on the old wishlist, as it sounds such a good read, and considering the title, I’m sure I can forgive any perfect-worldness about it. It is at the very least not trying to advertise it as something it’s not.
Nymeth, Seriously, my foot tastes real good right now. I’m SO SORRY!!! I can’t believe I posted this…I sent you an email. My stupid brain thought that we were doing something that we hadn’t even discussed. Otherwhise, I would’ve never posted this review! I’m really sorry
Deslily, Well I was perfect of course, but most young men are not
Of course, I wasn’t either, lol…
Care, Uh-oh is right! I feel horrible! It’s not really a complaint. I think he meant this book to be happy go lucky and that was just fine. It worked perfectly for what it was. And it really did feel good! I think you’d really enjoy it! And thanks!!
Heather, I can see why you’d have such a hard time picking between the two!! I think Nymeth and I will have a hard time with the finals too for the same reason. Augie really was such a great character. I just loved him! This was just such a great book that left me feeling so good. I’m glad it moved on to the finals!
Lena, You know, I hope you’re right! I hope that this book does help others come out more easily. LIke I said in the review. I think if more books like this were written (and read), homosexuality may be more accepted among youth in the high school setting.
Valentina, I’m with you there. LIke I said…keep looking at the rating I gave the book
I totally loved the book. It was a very feel good cute book! Just perfect. I wish it were true too..that was my point with my rant. It’s too bad that it’s not!
Bart, I know! I think I’m more scared of hurricane Ana now! LOL…I feel horrible
But please do add this one to your wishlist! It’s an amazing book and I think you’d really enjoy it Bart! And you’re right…the title allows it to take it’s liberties!
Chris,
I really liked that you expressed your thoughts on this one being too perfect. I’ve read a few books like that and came away with the same feeling. Thanks for the great review!
I don’t know. Maybe it IS good for kids to read books like this. So then, when they encouter the same situations in real life, they can just take it in stride. Then again, I have a gay best friend, and I know for a fact it’s not an easy road to go down. *Sigh* Won’t it be great if everyone was as cool as we are??
Chris–
So glad you liked this one. It’s one of my favorite books of 2008, and I’m not sure how many people I’ve made read it now. As for the “perfectness” that seems to get talked about a lot with this book, I just simply view it as charming, or as one of the other posters noted “like a fairy tale” and I leave it at that. Personally, I hate “message” novels or novels that are supposed to instruct on some level. I don’t really think any gay kid reading this book will get the idea that the coming out process is a breeze. I think most questioning kids out there will seek books with any glbt content to confirm they’re not the only ones–and there’s a raft of unhappy, miserable coming out stories out there, and on top of it there are the AIDS novels, the gay as sick/pervert/what have you, the gay as the sex-crazed (oops, look at me talking) guy who has to move to the Big City and drink/dance/manscape/exfoliate, etc.
Call me a sentimentalist, but the reason I think I adore this book so much is TC’s relationship with Hucky. Is TC cooler than most guys his age? Probably, but for me that was part of the charm of the book. Still, I’ve had a few friends who found the book too perfect. I guess it boils down to this: if you’re the kind of person who cries at the end of It’s a Wonderful Life, you’ll love this book. If you really love the SNL skit where Dana Carvey as George Bailey beats up old man Potter, you’ll probably not be as swept away.
Great review. I’m dying to see which book advances. This whole tournament has been a blast. You’re all incredible bloggers and astute reviewers.
Cookie cutter perfection aside, I’m still really looking forward to reading this. It sounds awesome!
i understand what you mean about the cookie cutter thing, christ. it’s such a small thing but it’d make such a big difference if the characters we less perfect!
and i understand even better when you have a book that you love but have a major gripe with (but still love nonetheless).
I agree completely about the cookie cutter characters–this book reminded me of a sit com. Or, a musical, which I guess is fitting! And yes, it’s sweet and nice and adorable, but it also kind of make me feel nauseated in the way that too much cotton candy does.
Sorry about the foot-in-the-mouth thing. Poor Ana! Lenore and I co-judged, but we reviewed each book separately and then made our final decision together. I’m sure you two will work out a fabulous way to do the co-judging, now that Chris has ruined everything, ahem, I mean posted his review.
So…it looks like it’s up against Charlie the Second! Woo!