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Colby and Bev have a long-standing pact: graduate, hit the road with Bev's band, and then spend the year wandering around Europe. But moments after the tour kicks off, Bev makes a shocking announcement: she's abandoning their plans - and Colby - to start college in the fall.
But the show must go on and The Disenchantments weave through the Pacific Northwest, playing in small towns and dingy venues, while roadie- Colby struggles to deal with Bev's already-growing distance and the most important question of all: what's next?
Morris Award–finalist Nina LaCour draws together the beauty and influences of music and art to brilliantly capture a group of friends on the brink of the rest of their lives.
Everyone else in their San Francisco arts high school is on their way to college, but ever Colby and Bev, best friends since childhood, saw Godard's Bande ... Part during their freshman year of high school, they have been saving for a year in Europe. The plan: First, tour the Pacific Northwest one last time with Bev's rock band, the Disenchantments ("they aren't very good, but they play so loud the speakers crackle and the bass makes your bones tremble. And they look amazing"). Drop off friend and bandmate Meg at college in Portland. Next stop: Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin. But soon after they are on the road, Bev confesses: She's not going to Europe. Instead, she has secretly applied to, and been accepted by, RISD.
Colby feels betrayed and suddenly stranded without a plan for his post–high school life. As the not-quite couple and bandmates/sisters, Alexa and Meg, meander through basement shows and record stores in small Northern California towns up through the bohemian corridor, they are both dizzy and terrified by the sense that "everything is larger and more possible."
LaCour records the tiniest details of the indie scene — the bands, the dresses and lipstick shades, the difference between fans who know show etiquette and jackasses who don't get to the front of the stage — in a genuine, thoughtful way that, like its participants, is cool without ever trying too hard. Colby is a smart guy, "put together, but not fussy," he is told by two older guys who try to school him in his best possible beer choice, judging from his sneakers (vintage Nikes), belt (lime green canvas), and taste in books (Chandler, Hemingway). He turns out to be a Guinness man.
Even the parents provide a subtle hint of what's ahead: Meg and Alexa's two dads; Colby's uncle Pete, who lends him Melinda, his turquoise VW bus, and once wrote a song for Colby's parents' wedding that became a college radio hit, making him "briefly famous among a small circle of tenderhearted fans"; Colby's father, who, along with Pete, was once a member of a band called the Rainclouds, until he met Colby's mother in a SoMa bar; Colby's mother, who, as the story opens, has run off for language lessons in France, and whose illustration for the Rainclouds' record cover becomes the surprising trigger that leads her son to find his next move when he goes looking for two men who had the image tattooed on their backs nearly two decades before. When it all comes together for Colby, it's like seeing a blurry image in the background come into focus, without ever feeling forced or contrived.
Amy Benfer has worked as an editor and staff writer at Salon, Legal Affairs, and Paper magazine. Her reviews and features on books have appeared in Salon, The San Francisco Chronicle Book Review, The Believer, Kirkus Reviews, and The New York Times Book Review.
Reviewer: Amy Benfer
The characters in this book are so incredibly real. They frustrate you. You're embarrassed for them. They will break your heart in the most exquisitely fulfilling way imaginable. Most of all, their trials as they learn that life is almost never what you expected - but it can be achingly beautiful anyway - made me remember those same things too. I was touched by Colby, the narrator, and the way he saw these three special girls, his friends. I felt twisted and desperate for Bev, who loved Colby but maybe not the way he wanted, which is maybe the worst of feelings. The entire journey, from the first page until I ran out, left me breathless and in tears.
I'm broken. And put back together and in love. All the feelings ever made. Read this book. My words can't do it justice.
Recommend.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I was so lucky to have won an autographed copy of The Disenchantments from Christine Lee Zilka over at her blog: 800,000 words. Thank you again Christine! Check out her awesome blog.
So this book was amazing! I loved it so much, which wasn't a surprise since Nina LaCour is an amazing writer who knows how to breathe life into her words. I absolutely loved Hold Still, and if you haven't checked out that book, you totally should.
I don't usually gush about book covers, but this one is gorgeous! I love everything about it, especially the super cute girl with the huge sunglasses. I felt like the cover totally represented the story from beginning to end.
What I loved most about this book: the main character, Colby. It was so refreshing to read a Young Adult novel with a main character who is male, not female. Where are all the male main characters out there in YA fiction? I know there are lots, but compared to the female ones, they seem scarce.
Colby was such a lovable character. I could relate to him so much. I found myself surprised at how easily I connected to him and his complex journey. I loved that he was a (fellow) vegetarian and how humorous he was. The ending completely threw me off and I was really excited for him. I was also proud of him, too. I know he's a fictional character, but the writing was so strong it made me feel like he was a real person.
I really liked the other characters, too. Bev, Meg and Alexa were so adorable, I'm not sure why I found them adorable but I did. I love girls in bands, which is another reason why I loved this novel. We need more girls playing guitars and screaming/singing into the mike! It made me want to take out my acoustic guitar and start strumming. I found that really inspiring.
I also liked that there was so much art in this story. There was art literally everywhere, in all its forms, from photography to wood carving. It was awesome to see how art connected the different characters.
This book isn't all rainbows and butterflies, though. I'm not going to give the plot away, but there are some serious issues in the story. Ones that continue to haunt the characters even after the last page is turned. Most of all there are trust issues. That is something that I could definitely relate to because I struggled with trust for the longest time.
I recommend this novel to anyone who loves a good read!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.DaisyWhitney
Posted February 10, 2012
THE DISENCHANTMENTS is one of the best books I have read in the last year. This book is full of rich, unusual, unique characters and settings and has such a deep heart and emotion to it. Talented artist Colby narrates this story of his week-long road trip with three female friends and musicians as they figure out what happens after graduation to their friendships and their loves. A coming-of-age story about the end of innocence in many ways, THE DISENCHANTMENTS is beautiful and true.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 14, 2013
amazing! i couldn't put it down!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.loved every single moment
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Writer620
Posted November 14, 2012
I absolutely adored this book.
It starts off kinda slow, but its so amazing. The characters are SO relatable. They have the same struggles and hopes and dreams and wishes and embarrassing stories as you do. I feel like she does a great job of really connecting you to the characters. You laugh, and cry with them. You feel their pain. You get mad at them. You feel for them.
The story also deals with a lot of issues that people have, and I think they are all tackled very well. The book definitely leaves you thinking. It's one of those books where when it's over you have to just sit there for a couple minutes. Just sit there and think and take everything in.
Overall I think this was a FANTASTIC book and I highly recommend it.
Anonymous
Posted June 10, 2012
I would never pick up a book about a band since i feel music can't be described vividly. My librarian made me read it. I was wrong, the description is beautiful and the storyline is simple but filled with detail. I would recommend.
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Posted June 1, 2012
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Posted June 21, 2012
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Posted April 11, 2012
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Posted December 30, 2012
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Overview
Colby and Bev have a long-standing pact: graduate, hit the road with Bev's band, and then spend the year wandering around Europe. But moments after the tour kicks off, Bev makes a shocking announcement: she's abandoning their plans - and Colby - to start college in the fall.
But the show must go on and The Disenchantments weave through the Pacific Northwest, playing in small towns and dingy venues, while roadie- Colby struggles to deal with ...