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Dramarama
Dramarama
Dramarama
Audiobook5 hours

Dramarama

Written by E. Lockhart

Narrated by Kate Reinders

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

()

About this audiobook

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.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateNov 20, 2008
ISBN9781423367284
Dramarama
Author

E. Lockhart

E. Lockhart is the author of many YA novels, including We Were Liars and The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks. She was voted worst driver in her senior class in high school.

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Reviews for Dramarama

Rating: 3.5215054139784945 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

186 ratings18 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I'll admit, when I first started this book I groaned "Oh no, theater kids?!" I never got the theater kids in high school, so I figured I'd hate the characters in this book. Instead, Lockhart really shows the personalities and insecurities of a small group of characters, and especially gets into the head of the main character, Sadye.

    "In Brenton, Ohio, where I'm from, committing suicide would be redundant.
    It's a nothing town, as lacking in character as Cream of Wheat."

    I was rooting for Sadye all the way. She was so real, so easy to identify with, that I knew she just had to floor them at her audition and make it into the summer drama camp. Which she did. Sadye, who had been plain ol' "Sarah" back in Ohio, decided to reinvent herself for the summer acting camp she was attending. She wasn't being fake, she just saw an opportunity to let her true self shine, since her small Ohio town didn't have room for her "bigness." But once she was there, things didn't get any easier. There was just enough conflict, just enough realism to make this book memorable.

    If you don't know anything about the musicals they were performing, you can download a playlist of the songs on E. Lockhart's website. It's a fun way to interact with the book, and listening as you read helps you imagine the dances and rehearsals Demi and Sadye are focused on all summer.

    A section I especially liked:
    "It wasn't about my height - though I'm five foot ten. It was like I was this supersonic, hydrophonic, gigantic person - only no one could see it. Like I had an undiscovered superpower. Like I was in a chrysalis, and when I popped out everyone would be shocked at my beauty and the breadth of my wings. Like there was a sound track to my life, and it was always blasting. But everyone in the world was deaf, except me.
    I know that doesn't make sense. What I'm trying to say is that sometimes I felt like the extra five inches I had on most girls was a symptom of the bigness inside me."

    Makes perfect sense to me, Sadye. Reminds me of myself in high school. I think everyone feels that "bigness." Some can channel it, some keep searching.

    The ending was a little ambiguous. I'm torn on that issue - in short stories, I think an indefinite ending is fine, and usually expected and accepted. In a novel, however, there is more room to explore, more to wrap up, and I usually think that it needs to be resolved to a certain extent. There wasn't much resolution here, but I think it works in this case. I won't spoil the ending, but it seems real-life enough to work; there is some resolution, but also room to expand. And, in the case of a bunch of YA novels, expansion is the purpose. I'm behind the times with E. Lockhart, this being my first, so there may be a sequel - I'll have to look into that.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    fabulous! Full of Razzle Dazzle. I specifically recommend the audio.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Once again Lockhart dazzles me, I both enjoyed myself while reading this book and find myself mulling over the story now that I'm done. I want to hand out copies of this book to every adolescent that I know, Lockhart has so much sympathy for and insight into the challenges of growing up.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Drama, indeed. Theatre camp for a pair of oddly-matched best friends turns out differently than they expect. Lots of fun and some well-done cringe-worthy teen moments. The characters were believable and real, and the maturation that took place over the space of the camp was utterly true-to-life. I liked it a lot.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This book is the equivalent of meeting a really cute guy at a party, chatting and dancing for the night, then when it all comes down to it, he comes in to kiss you and throws up in your face. Er, what I imagine it would be like because it hasn't happened to me.

    By that analogy, I mean that I was along for the ride and I was enjoying myself and then the plot turned to total sh&^ and I hated pretty much everyone, the second half of the plot, and I hated the ending (can we say depressing much?). It's just too bad because that guy was really cute and fun for the first part of my evening...

    On the plus side, the reader was fabulous. I'm saddened by this book because E. Lockhart has been amazing in my other adventures into her work. Sigh.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    To be honest, 2.5 stars. I was disappointed in this one. I like E. Lockhart, especially her ability to understand the genuine and serious feelings behind the otherwise light experiences of teenagers. This book is about teens who are into musical theater, an inherently dorky and very charming subject, which seems like a great match for that style and YA in general. I think other readers have found some depth in the relatability of the subculture's portrayal here, but I expected to see more in it.I mean, it's a book! And it's nice. Sadye has a few things to think about that are really good. Her observations about the friends she makes at camp (particularly about Candie, holder of desperate passion and bad taste) have some raw moments. Sadye takes in some truth about talent and belonging. And her lesson about "taking direction" was a largely interesting conflict. Though maybe also a little pat.A few things in the structure seemed kind of crumbly to me. I got confused over which character was in what show a couple of times, which I guess either ought to have been clearer or not been talked about as much. And I'm a fan, and I know 90% of the songs and titles used as shorthand to establish this information, and still I hit the brakes a few times trying to remember if we knew that someone was in the what now. I tried. I also wasn't too comfortable with the timing of everything, and started to get confused when I noticed we were lagging along, three weeks into the seven week camp, and the book was 90% over. And there's a reason for that, and in retrospect that seems way too obvious.Mainly I wish that her lessons about her friendship with Demi were deeper. It's the main part of the book and it should be big, big. She makes some sacrifices and notices some conflicts for him, and I guess that is her journey, but nothing important to her really happens. (A lot of important things happen to Demi.)This was sure a zippy read, though. Zippy zippy. I was home sick for a few days and slipped right through it and that was fun. So, ok little book. You go be you. And stuff. But I probably wouldn't read you again.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Bad. Characters were unlikeable, and I could not relate to any of them. They were all ass deep in theatre, and to be honest, slightly annoying. To someone who has a limited knowledge of theatre, this book was a drag. There was no real conflict. Just some prissy, pretentious characters. Plus the ending was terrible. It just dropped off. I expected more from Lockhart. Her other books were fantastic. Very disappointed.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The Good: Ms. Lockhart has written fresh, interesting characters that have their own unique characteristics with a backdrop of a summer drama camp... in short: THIS BOOK IS FABULOUS!The Bad: What was the point of Dramarama? I have no idea! I liked it, but it didn't make any sense sometimes.Sayde complained about almost EVERYTHING. You can be opinionated, but there is a limit! She complains to Demi, she complains to her new drama buddies, she even complained to the directors! Just a tad overboard, don't you think? Sometimes I just wanted be shake her and shout, "Shut up, you're making yourself look like a (insert mean name)!"Overall: Dramarama is a hilarious, light read that is will make the inner theatre lover in you sing!Grade: B
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Dramarama is a wonderful book about friendships that are meant to be but don't end up making it. Sadye always felt like she was out of the loop at school, not quite fitting into any clique, until she met her soul mate best friend Demi, a secretly gay boy. They find that they have many things in common, the number one thing being a fierce desire to be well, fierce. The friendship is a match made in heaven, that is until they are both accepted into a summer drama camp and they find out that they don't truly want the same things in life. Dramarama shows the ugly side of what growing up can do to a friendship that readers of all ages will be able to relate to.I loved this book for multiple reasons, one of them being the fact that it is set in Ohio! :D The other main reason I loved this book so much is because my and one of my old best friends used to do a lot of things that Sadye and Demi do, until she went away to a theater school in New York. We still hang out when she comes home to visit, but there is an awkward void between us since we have traveled in different directions. To some people Sadye may come off as a little bratty because she does complain a lot, but I feel like if I was in the same situation I would become a little bratty myself. I like to think that my friends can only be friends with me, so when they start to hang out with other people I tend to get a little jealous... it's a problem I am trying to work on ;)I would highly recommend Dramarama to anyone interested in theater because there are a lot of specific plays and acting methods mentioned, of course this just made me feel more out of the loop. I would also recommend this book to anyone who has lost a friend due to a difference in interests or simply due to growing apart over time.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Another Lockhart book that I read on recommendation from a friend. Unfortunately, I didn't like this book nearly as much as her others. It was a good book. The plot was strong, but the characters were slightly disappointing. Not in that they were poorly drawn up, but that both Sarah and Demi were such big let downs. While the ending attempted to gather up the loose threads, I didn't think it worked at all. Perhaps it was the abrupt way drama camp ended for Sarah, paired with the fact that Lockhart's Sarah was far, far too much like myself, but whatever it was, the ending didn't really do anything for me. What I was left with was what could be a good book, but was instead mediocre at best.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Sayde and Demi are from the same boring white bread, OH town. Until they find each other, they are loners at their school. But together these two are an unstoppable duo of music, dance and costume! Sayde and Demi and living the dream when they head off to acting camp together, ready to become stars. But as Demi rises in the ranks, Sayde is left behind in the chorus line. Can she live in the background or will Sayde find her own spotlight.Just an FYI, Demi is a gay guy and gets a boyfriend at camp. If you or your readers can't handle this, leave this one on the shelf.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Upcoming high school seniors Sadye (pronounced Say-dee, formerly Sarah) and her gay best male friend Demi are finally escaping their bland Midwestern town of Brenton, Ohio to Wildewood, a top-notch drama summer camp. The two friends are beyond excited to feel like they finally belong, to make new friends with similar interests, and to prove that they have what it takes to make it in the big league.And the summer goes well—at least for Demi. He, with his insuppressibly big personality, snags leading roles in the camp’s many musical productions and proves he’s a superstar. His love life is a little rocky, but finally Demi manages to land a wonderful boyfriend, with true love, vacations spent with one another, and the like.As for Sadye, the narrator of DRAMARAMA, well, let’s just say Wildewood is a little more difficult for her. She wants to love it, but can’t help questioning the techniques of her directors, always trying to give suggestions to improve the performances. Not to mention she totally blew her auditions and got stuck in the Shakespearean play production, the totally unmusical performance no one wants to get stuck in. And finally, there’s her persistent crush on Theo, a cute and talented Asian-American piano player whom she can never figure out.As Sadye’s summer goes from decent to progressively worse, it’s time for her to ask herself: does she really belong in this highly cutthroat world of acting? Or is she destined for a lifetime of blandness in the suburbs of the Midwest?Like all of E. Lockhart’s books, DRAMARAMA features superb characters, right-on dialogue, and lots of genuine laughs. Wildewood is a world you’ll want to experience, whether you’re a theatre geek or not. Don’t miss this great book!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    E(mily) Prescott has clearly been to drama camp. She gets that part of the book right-on. The rest of the book is quite a disappointment, though. The characters are flat; our narrator, Sadye, is set up to learn a lot through the people she meets, the criticisms she gets, and the experiences she has at drama camp, but she doesn't. She makes a grand sacrifice that gets her kicked out of camp, but not because she's really learned anything, except that her best friend, Demi, has more talent than she does. She returns to her boring small town and continues to be the same person she was before camp, although we don't really get any details about it. Nor do we get much closure for Sadye. We learn where the future is taking Demi (NYU), but all we know about Sadye is that she has a summer internship in New York City after she graduates high school. There being every indication that Sadye is reasonably intelligent, it felt odd that there was no discussion of where she wanted to go to college, or where she applied or was accepted, even though we learn about Demi's college-choice process.Not that I could really bring myself to care that much about what happened to her. I never found her to be a compelling character. Although she has thoughts and ideas, too often they seemed to come from nowhere, and every time someone tried to tell her something or teach her something, she got resentful, and failed to come even close to apprehending the lesson (which is not to say she was always wrong, but just that her continued failure to get the point became annoying).I think this story would have been much more interesting if told from Demi's point of view. Here we had a character with some actual talent, as well as substantial issues to face. He's a black, gay teenager who comes from a primarily white world with parents who only pretend to be ok with his sexual orientation. When he gets to camp, we're given hints that, although he's still a minority by far (we're told there are fewer than 10 black campers), he's pleased to be with people with whom he feels like he can be black (this is the topic of a very disappointing scene between Demi and Sadye where he tries to talk to her about how he feels that she's trying to deny the fact that he's black, and she tries to explain that it just wasn't important to her, and wasn't that better than acting like it's a big deal -- but like most of the rest of the book, that scene just fizzled into nothing). More importantly, though, he can truly "come out" for the first time. He forms a crush, gets betrayed, and finds love, all in the span of a few weeks. This is the story I would have enjoyed reading, along with the entertaining stories about rehearsals and the like.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    "In Brenton, Ohio where I'm from, committing suicide would be redundant. It's a nothing town, as lacking in character as Cream of Wheat""I was pizzazz when they were pretty; I was a big-nosed broad when they were all pint-size mommy trackers; I was a Great Dane and they were all Westies; I was mint chocolate chip when they were all vanilla..."And those quotes are the most interesting part of the book. Seriously. It was all build-up to something that never happened. I've read other reviews where the reader absolutely loved the characters, but I thought they were flat. They didn't know anything about themselves, so consequently, neither did I. And you know what? They never really learned, either, because nothing happened.They go to the acting school, "Sadye" realizes she's a loser, and she goes home and never makes anything of herself.The End.I wouldn't even recommend it as an interesting piece of fluff for a rainy day. Snap, Crackle, fizzz. This book was Cream of Wheat.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A fun read about a teen girl and her gay male friend who go to a summer drama institute which focusses mostly on musical theater. Provides a interesting glimpse into the theater life.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Sarah has always felt bigger than her razzle-dazzle-deprived hometown. She takes dance lessons, eats lunch by herself, and dreams of being on Broadway someday. Enter Demi. Demi and Sarah meet at auditions for a summer theatre camp and they become instant best friends. Demi is a talented actor and singer and he's got serious razzle-dazzle, despite the heterosexual drag he's forced to wear at school. Demi tells Sarah to change her name to Sadye (Sadie, but spelled with a "y") and they both get into the summer theatre camp. Sadye knows that it's going to be great. She'll be able to show her true talent and let her big-ness out. Plus, she knows she's going to find love. Things don't go entirely as planned, but it's an enjoyable ride and Sadye comes out of it knowing herself a bit better and being closer to accepting herself as she is. I thought this was a really fun, quick YA read. I loved reading about the different musicals and plays they were preparing at the summer drama camp. It totally made me want to be in a musical, despite the fact that my talent is questionable at best. ;) I'd recommend this to anyone interested in musical theatre or anyone looking for a fun teen read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Sadye and Demi head to a prestigious drama camp for the summer in order to persue their life-long dreams of making it to broadway. Though Demi seems to have an easy time of it, Sadye struggles with herself when she finds out the other students have more talent and drive than she does.Entertainly written (transcripts, snappy dialog, engaging characters), this bittersweet portrait of friends growing apart is touching, oh-so-current, and totally fun.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Tremendous YA book tells of a teenage girl & her experiences in a summer boarding drama school. Lockhart creates exceptional characters and situations that fly against cliches and shimmer with life and are wholly believable. I had a great time reading and caring about these people, and was not expecting such top-notch writing in what seemed to be an unassuming YA novel