The Dream of Doctor Bantam

by Jeanne Thornton

Paperback, 2012

Status

Available

Genres

LGBTQ+

General Fiction

Fiction

Publication

OR Books (2012), 336 pages

Description

Jeanne Thornton's debut novel is a love story unlike any other, featuring Julie Thatch, a tough-as-nails, chainsmoking, wise-cracking 17-year-old Texan. Her idol, her older sister, jogs headlong into the lights of an approaching car, and dies. And Julie falls in love with a girl who both is and isn't an echo of her older sister, a long-limbed Francophone named Patrice—who is also a devotee of the Institute of Temporal Illusions, a Church of Scientology-like cult. In Julie Thatch you cannot help but see shades of Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander. Jeanne's former writing teacher at the University of Texas, Alexander Parsons (author of Leaving Disneyland and In the Shadows of the Sun) writes: "The Dream of Doctor Bantam is one of those books you read every few years in which, page by page, you come to think of the characters as a part of your own dear, weird, and intransigent family. In Julie Thatch, Thornton has written a character as memorable and compelling as Holden Caufield or Oedipa Maas. She is alternately hilarious, maddening, and enchanting, a fearful and fearless smartass who enlivens every page of this fine novel." With illustrations by the author.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member Sabinko

I enjoyed reading The Dream of Doctor Bantam. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the title of the book but soon enough I liked the quirkiness and weirdness of the characters and set-up. I felt it was an unusual but very easy read and I liked the characters and the scifi elements in it even

though that's something I don't read very often. Although I did like the main character Julie it took me a while to warm to her, which was probably due to the writing style. I struggled particularly with the dialogues in the beginning and felt it was a bit clumsy, but I got used to after the first 50 pages. Despite that I loved the creativity and would definitely pick up another book by Jeanne Thornton.

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LibraryThing member mossagate

I received this as part of LibraryThing Early Reviewers. The best way I've thought to describe this book is as a diamond cut gem, all sharp edges but still beautiful to look upon. It's definitely a vibe on its own and I absolutely loved the ride. The characters are not your typical lit cookie

cutter types that say all the right things. I enjoyed everyone being flawed, real life is flawed. I enjoyed the quirky things thought and said (in part because who doesn't sometimes have thoughts like those - I just rarely see them on the page). Looking forward to more from this author!

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LibraryThing member ijustgetbored

One thing I really like about the ER program: getting to read books that you'd probably be unlikely to see on the library shelves otherwise. In this case, this was a very lucky find.

Julie, reeling after her older sister's unexpected and somewhat inexplicable death, falls for Scientology-cult-like

member Patrice. The central tenet of this cult (based on the teachings of the titual Dr. Bantam, possibly a fraud) is that you must become "untimebound." Julie, seemingly almost ruthlessly levelheaded in all other facets of life, finds herself utterly drawn to Patrice, cult craziness aside, and forgives her her many failings (and there are many-- Patrice is not the most likeable person you'll come across in a book).

It's a wonderful coming-of-age story about a strong-willed young girl who is essentially making it completely on her own (parental control being notably absent), forging her own paths. Fierce in her sexuality and ready to embrace her desires, she pushes through whatever obstacles happen to be in her way, be they people or troublesome school. She makes quirky choices, guided by her own instincts, Tarot, or impressions given off by her dead sister's belongings. The past haunts her (Patrice often reminds her of her older sister), but will it claim her?

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LibraryThing member bibliobeck

I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't what I expected but then sometimes that's a good thing. The characters were pretty unlikeable but interestingly, this didn't detract from the storyline. I really hated the whiney Patrice and couldn't really understand Julie's obsession with her, but if this

relationship hadn't existed, there wouldn't have been much of a story. The idea of living in the here and now without being 'timebound' to tomorrows and yesterdays was an interesting concept and I would have loved to have seen this developed a little so that we could see what the shady Institute was really about.
The book is well written and although I'd find it difficult to explain the plot to someone, I found myself eagerly returning to the book for my night-time read. I'm really glad I had the chance to read this as it's unlike something I'd have opted for normally and then I would have missed out on some really good writing.

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LibraryThing member Fluffyblue

When I started this book I really thought I wasn't going to like it. I didn't like the characters - Julie, her sister Tabitha, her mum etc. As the book went on Julie didn't seem to improve much - she was a bit of a loose cannon, did her own thing, didn't really like anybody else and didn't seem to

know what she wanted. However, slowly, you start to root for her, and understand her more, so that at the end of the book you actually quite like her for the very things that you didn't like her for at the beginning.

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LibraryThing member brochettes

I received this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers programme; and I have to admit that at first I found it quite difficult to get into, mostly due to the speech patterns and not very clearly defined dialogue. As I knew I had to write a review, I persevered, and I am very glad I did as

this turned out to be a very enjoyable read.

I guess I would describe it as a coming of age story with a difference, with our anti-heroine Julie learning to deal with loss, her budding sexuality and somehow negotiating between staying true to yourself while at the same time having adult responsibilities.

Through the major flaws and weakness she sees in others, starting with her older sister's suicide, Julie figures out at a relatively young age that she only has herself to rely on, and embarks on a predictably messy journey of self- discovery. While making some spectacularly bad decisions along the way, her common sense and intelligence are clearly apparent all along through her humorous observations and biting self-awareness. Unlike most of the other characters in the book, who seem to carry auras of damage and doom around with them, Julie always gives the impression that she will come out OK in the end.

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LibraryThing member HapaxLegomenon

I got this book as an Early Reviewer copy, and it's possibly the first of those that I've really really liked. It's about a fucked up girl and her fucked up family and relationship, but most importantly her girlfriend reminds her of her dead sister and is in a cult that is sort of like Scientology

but also sort of like Less Wrong / the Rationalist community.

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