Official Review: Life is a Circus Run by a Platypus

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SarahPapesh
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Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-sarahpapesh.html
Latest Review: "Life is a Circus Run by a Platypus" by Allison Hawn

Official Review: Life is a Circus Run by a Platypus

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[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Life is a Circus Run by a Platypus" by Allison Hawn.]
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Life is a Circus Run by a Platypus: Surviving a Normally Surreal Life by Allison Hawn is one of those books that, based on the title alone, makes you scratch your head and question why you decided to pick it up to read it. Obviously, it wasn’t for a literary experience akin to the great classics, nor was it in order to prepare for a raucous debate. However, the purpose of this book is purely for self-exploration. Now mind you, not the self-exploration that leads one to develop into a more mature, fully-functioning adult. This book is for the purpose of allowing the reader to explore their past memories and be grateful that they have a quasi-typical life while laughing at the absurdities of the author’s supposed reality.

Regardless of whether or not Hawn’s book was a manifestation of actual events she is sharing with the reader, or, rather, a joke that she is having on anyone who does happen to share her “adventures,” it is pretty damn funny. Her writing style is all her own, making no excuses and to hell with anyone who contradicts, but in a good way. She is not going after the cheesy easy quick laugh that some comedians go for; instead, Hawn takes each section of her book to make the reader wonder how it is possible that she has something else so absurd to share. She is quick-witted and can spin a good web of sarcasm and irony that gives her something to fall back on with this being her first published work.
By no means is Hawn typical for her age-range and the type of literature that is available today. She is having fun with writing and enjoying it. This is not a sappy love story or even a woe-is-me autobiography. This is just something to have fun with. She was easy to read while still showing that she has an intellect, and very engaging, which can be very difficult to find in most first-time authors. However, she was doing what all good authors do: writing what she knows.

Hawn could have stood to have some more meat to her stories, only because they were a bit on the short side. However, she may have been crafting her story specifically to be that way and only include the bare necessity to keep the reader intrigued. Too much detail could have had a disastrous effect on her ability to not step all over the punch-line of her own jokes.

While Hawn successfully kept me laughing until I almost peed my pants (wait until you get to the part about the movie Titanic), she did so with the frequent use of similes. By frequent use of similes, I mean practically every sentence. Although it was a bit annoying at first, they become just another part of her story – her personality – as the reader moves forward.

Now, I am typically not one to give out good ratings. However, I really liked her book and think that she has the talent to write successfully and actually have an audience. I rate her book 4 out of 4 stars. I think Hawn stands a chance at being a successful author. She is realistic and raw, and that makes all the difference.

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Latest Review: "Life is a Circus Run by a Platypus" by Allison Hawn
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