Rosalind had two mommies. Now, thanks to a tragic accident involving foodstuffs, she has none. And Sean, the sperm donor responsible for half her DNA (and nothing else), is taking custody. Rosalind finds herself adjusting to a new life that seems both hateful and surreal–she’s an orphan with a new father, surrounded by friends she is beginning to despise and well-meaning adults who succeed only in annoying her.
Sean made a donation fifteen years ago, and his life since has not gone according to plan. Thirty-five, single, and still grieving the loss of his own mother twenty-seven years ago, he decides to take on the overwhelming task of caring for an unhappy teenager he doesn’t know.
Told entirely through e-mail, instant messaging, journal entries, and other random communications, Donorboy is the comic, compellingly readable novel of how these two people learn to converse, cook, write heavy-metal songs, and nail windows shut on their way to becoming a family. Brendan Halpin has written a universal story of how we laugh, cry, and occasionally punch our way to a new life in the face of tragedy.
- Books
- Young Adult Fiction
- Donorboy
Donorboy
Author(s)
Publisher
Genre(s)
Age Range
12+
Release Date
August 10, 2004
ISBN
1400062772
Buy This Book
User reviews
Sweet and touching, but real all the same
Overall rating
4.0
Plot
4.0
Characters
0.0
Writing Style
0.0
Reader reviewed by plentyo'moxie
We meet Rosalind just after she has lost her moms in a freak accident and has moved in with her sperm-donor father. She didnt know her father before this, never hung out, he wasnt involved in her upbringing. This isnt the story of what its like to have grown up with lesbian parents and no dad, this is the story of what its like to lose two parents but then suddenly have a new one thrust into your life.
The story is told through a lot of emails from Sean, the donor dad, and a lot of journal writing from Rosalind, girl with no moms. Some text messaging, IMs, other written or recorded forms of communication are thrown in, but not so much as to be too annoying (and it can be really annoying to read pages and pages of IMing back and forth). Instead, the voices of the main characters really come through and I really became quite attached to these well-developed whole and round characters. By which I mean that they seem like real people. They have problems, they arent perfect, but they arent awful either and they grow and learn and are generally interesting.
Basically, Rosalind has to deal with both losing her moms and all the grief that that entails and she screws up in school and goes to some parties and is generally a teenager (and not even a crazy one at that). And Sean needs to learn to be a dad to a 15-year-old after having no practice whatsoever.
Its a really touching story without being schmaltzy, and realistic and fairly original. Overall, one of the better books Ive read recently.
We meet Rosalind just after she has lost her moms in a freak accident and has moved in with her sperm-donor father. She didnt know her father before this, never hung out, he wasnt involved in her upbringing. This isnt the story of what its like to have grown up with lesbian parents and no dad, this is the story of what its like to lose two parents but then suddenly have a new one thrust into your life.
The story is told through a lot of emails from Sean, the donor dad, and a lot of journal writing from Rosalind, girl with no moms. Some text messaging, IMs, other written or recorded forms of communication are thrown in, but not so much as to be too annoying (and it can be really annoying to read pages and pages of IMing back and forth). Instead, the voices of the main characters really come through and I really became quite attached to these well-developed whole and round characters. By which I mean that they seem like real people. They have problems, they arent perfect, but they arent awful either and they grow and learn and are generally interesting.
Basically, Rosalind has to deal with both losing her moms and all the grief that that entails and she screws up in school and goes to some parties and is generally a teenager (and not even a crazy one at that). And Sean needs to learn to be a dad to a 15-year-old after having no practice whatsoever.
Its a really touching story without being schmaltzy, and realistic and fairly original. Overall, one of the better books Ive read recently.
Powered by JReviews
FEATURED GIVEAWAYS
Latest Book Listings Added
In a full-color dog book unlike any other, acclaimed children’s...
A gentle metaphor for understanding and processing anxiety and sadness....
Angsty teenager Mary Shelley is not interested in carrying on...
Latest Member Reviews
"With her father gone, Beatrice must step into her role as queen. To do this, she has to let her..."
"Teen Mary Shelley is the many times great granddaughter of the legendary writer. Everyone in the Shelley lineage has become..."
"THE OBSESSION is a creepy and riveting YA thriller. Delilah lives with her mother and her mother's abusive boyfriend, a..."
"Lo Denham, magazine assistant and loner, is looking for her sister, Bea. Six years ago, Lo's parents died in a..."
"I couldn’t begin to express how much I adore this book. This book, magically, soothed my temper and let me..."
"WINGS OF EBONY is a beautifully crafted YA fantasy. A year has passed since Rue's life was irrevocably changed. Her..."
"THE GILDED ONES by Namina Forna is a YA fantasy novel and the first book in the Deathless series. The..."
"UNCHOSEN is a fantastic and completely captivating YA apocalyptic fantasy, filled with feminism, friendship, sisterhood, and romance. Charlotte is the..."
"IN THE PENALTY BOX is a cute YA contemporary hockey romance. Willow is a figure skater heading for the Olympics,..."
"THE AFTERLIFE OF THE PARTY is a YA vampire book for anyone who doesn't want to make out with the..."
"THE ALCAZAR wraps up an intriguing YA fantasy duology. The book continues to follow four main characters in alternating points-of-view,..."
"Super Fake Love Song is about Sunny Dae, a Korean American teenager who is a mega-nerd trying to survive at..."
"Ellie lives in Washington D.C. and attends an elite school, even though the tuition is a stretch for her single..."
"THE CERULEAN is an intriguing start to a YA fantasy duology. The book begins with Sera, a Cerulean who has..."
"TALES FROM THE HINTERLAND is an enchanting, haunting, and deliciously creepy collection of fairytales. Completely new and unlike anything I..."
" *Connor is Deaf and has implants *Alex has light brown skin..."
"I love the Wayward Children series, and the latest installment, ACROSS THE GREEN GRASS FIELDS, is no exception. Here are..."
"Feedback What a difference between book 1 and book 2. I enjoyed this one so much more, and I..."
"THE BROKEN RAVEN is an intriguing YA fantasy that sweeps the reader away to a land of magic, plotting, and..."
"YOU HAVE A MATCH is a beautifully written YA contemporary about family, summer, forgiveness, and best friend crushes. Abby is..."
