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Candy Everybody Wants: A Funny Coming-of-Age LGBT Novel – Hollywood Drama of Fame and First Love
From the critically acclaimed author of I Am Not Myself These Days comes the very odd adventures of a starry-eyed young man from the Midwest seeking fame and fortune in the flamboyant surreality of New York, Los Angeles . . . and everywhere in between.
Jayson Blocher is tired of worshiping pop culture; he wants to be part of it. So he's off, accompanied by an ever-changing cast of quirky extended family members, on an extremely bumpy journey from rural Wisconsin to a New York escort agency for Broadway chorus boys, to a Hollywood sitcom set. Somewhere out there his destiny awaits—along with the discovery of first love, some unusual coincidences, a kidnapping mystery . . . and the sobering truth that being America's sweetheart can leave a very sour aftertaste.
Jayson Blocher is tired of worshiping pop culture; he wants to be part of it. So he's off, accompanied by an ever-changing cast of quirky extended family members, on an extremely bumpy journey from rural Wisconsin to a New York escort agency for Broadway chorus boys, to a Hollywood sitcom set. Somewhere out there his destiny awaits—along with the discovery of first love, some unusual coincidences, a kidnapping mystery . . . and the sobering truth that being America's sweetheart can leave a very sour aftertaste.
252 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
25 people are currently reading
593 people want to read
About the author
Josh Kilmer-Purcell
15 books494 followersJosh Kilmer-Purcell is the New York Times best-selling author of I Am Not Myself These Days: A Memoir (Harper Perennial 2006), The Bucolic Plague: How Two Manhattanites Became Gentlemen Farmers (Harper 2010), and the novel Candy Everybody Wants (Harper Perennial 2008). He and his partner, Brent Ridge, are also the stars of Planet Green's The Fabulous Beekman Boys. Kilmer-Purcell writes a monthly column for OUT magazine, and contributes to NPR and numerous other publications. He and his partner divide their time between Manhattan and their goat farm in upstate New York, Beekman 1802.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
April 14, 2014
Sometimes you finish a book and you have to really do some justifying as to why you made yourself read it all the way through. For this one, I blame the beach and the bathroom. In both of these places, I had but one thing to read, and it was this book. Actually, even though I've resisted the allure for years, this book made me consider buying an e-reader because, I thought, if I'm reading a book just because it's there, why not go ahead and give myself some options, at least. In the end, I decided against the e-reader and to chalk this book up to another life lesson.
The book had so much potential! A former drag queen and reality TV star author, promised to be packed full of 80s nostalgia, and the cover is so, so shiny! At first, I kept thinking, "I wonder if this is what it was like inside the head of David Sedaris or Augusten Burroughs at a young age?" That kind of kept me going for a while, but the unrelatable and totally unlikable characters mixed with a distracting number of grammatical errors and proofreading oversights eventually turned me off.
As I closed the book on the final page of the story (I skimmed a lot of the publisher's P.S. content because it was more like P.O.S. content), I chuckled and thought about how I couldn't wait to read the other one star reviews for the book. You can imagine my surprise at pages of four and five star reviews. Maybe I missed something. This story made me feel little, aside from a distaste for a mother who turned her back on her children repeatedly and a brother who abandoned his family and friends when they needed him.
So, unless you're stranded on the beach or in the bathroom with only this shiny book to read, I'd recommend picking up something--anything--else.
The book had so much potential! A former drag queen and reality TV star author, promised to be packed full of 80s nostalgia, and the cover is so, so shiny! At first, I kept thinking, "I wonder if this is what it was like inside the head of David Sedaris or Augusten Burroughs at a young age?" That kind of kept me going for a while, but the unrelatable and totally unlikable characters mixed with a distracting number of grammatical errors and proofreading oversights eventually turned me off.
As I closed the book on the final page of the story (I skimmed a lot of the publisher's P.S. content because it was more like P.O.S. content), I chuckled and thought about how I couldn't wait to read the other one star reviews for the book. You can imagine my surprise at pages of four and five star reviews. Maybe I missed something. This story made me feel little, aside from a distaste for a mother who turned her back on her children repeatedly and a brother who abandoned his family and friends when they needed him.
So, unless you're stranded on the beach or in the bathroom with only this shiny book to read, I'd recommend picking up something--anything--else.
August 17, 2012
I LOVED this book. Despite its many characters and constant changing scenarios, I simply couldn't put it down. I was impressed that for once I couldn't tell what would happen next and became deeply fond of all the characters.
January 20, 2025
Was kind of all over the place but at times couldn’t look away kind of like a car crash
June 1, 2009
I'm not sure if I found this searching by genre for "humorous fiction" or if I just found it on the shelf because the cover's shiny. Either way, it's an entertaining coming of age novel about a selfish teenager from the midwest who's determined to be a star and the wacky people who support him and make him crazy. It's simultaneously hilarious and heart-wrenching and has an early 1980s pop culture backdrop.
February 18, 2010
I couldn't put this book down. I really liked this. I kept visualizing how it'd be on the big screen. Though all characters may not be likeable at all times, they are real and relatable. I definitely recommend this one.
January 14, 2012
Rating: 2* of five
The Book Report: The author himself describes this as his childhood and coming-of-age as he'd've liked them to be. I can see no point in adding to that description.
My Review: Oh dear.
The Book Report: The author himself describes this as his childhood and coming-of-age as he'd've liked them to be. I can see no point in adding to that description.
My Review: Oh dear.
August 4, 2023
This book is like "I Love the 80's" episode on steroids. "Candy Everyone Wants" is a madcap, over the top story of Jayson Blocher, a joyously flamboyantly gay boy from a small town in Wisconsin.
Jayson Blocher is like an amalgamation of a kid discovering himself, a coming of age, but gay. Every character her is a caricature to the nth degree, but all so carefully crafted that you fall for them and their madness anyway.
A series of events lead to his leaving home to go to Manhattan and live with his estranged father, who runs an escort agency for men who want to spend time with Broadway chorus boys. There's homophobic bible-thumpers, a kidnapping, a betrayal from someone whom he thought was a friend, and a realization that the life of an actor is not always a bed of roses, and you have a rollicking good time of a novel.
Jayson Blocher is like an amalgamation of a kid discovering himself, a coming of age, but gay. Every character her is a caricature to the nth degree, but all so carefully crafted that you fall for them and their madness anyway.
A series of events lead to his leaving home to go to Manhattan and live with his estranged father, who runs an escort agency for men who want to spend time with Broadway chorus boys. There's homophobic bible-thumpers, a kidnapping, a betrayal from someone whom he thought was a friend, and a realization that the life of an actor is not always a bed of roses, and you have a rollicking good time of a novel.
May 11, 2020
I’ve had this book for years after loving Mr. Kilmer Purcell’s non fiction works, and this read almost like one of those even though it’s completely made up. He writes both his fiction and non fiction with honesty, humor, and integrity. I feel like I know who he is through this book just as much as through his memoirs, and for that, I’m grateful.
January 30, 2019
Very easy to read. Read this book in 3 days. Once I started reading I couldn't stop till the end.
March 7, 2019
I love this author and think he is so funny. I want him to write more books, even if that is not what he wants for himself.
April 1, 2023
Willie, Jayson’s younger brother by two years, was retarded. And not “retarded” in the eighth grade name-calling way. He was retarded retarded.
Nah.
Nah.
March 30, 2025
It was a fun quirky book. Could make a very fun quirky gay comedy kinda like Bottoms or Dick the musical
July 6, 2008
Author and columnist Josh Kilmer-Purcell delighted and shocked readers with his 2006 memoir, I Am Not Myself These Days, a comical, poignant, and ferociously entertaining account of his life as a drag queen in New York City and his harrowing relationship with a hustling drug addict.
Kilmer-Purcell’s latest work, Candy Everybody Wants, is his first novel. It’s about an adolescent Midwesterner, Jayson Blocher, who dreams one day of making it in Hollywood. The result is just as funny and engaging as his previous work, and a telltale sign of his future success as a novelist.
The hero in Candy Everybody Wants, Jayson, is hungry for fame and an escape from his hometown of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, where he lives with his mother, Toni, and brother, Willie. Set in the 1980s, Jayson is such an avid fan of nighttime soaps Dallas and Dynasty that he spends his days directing and filming his own combined version of the television family sagas, and conveniently casts himself as the love interest of his friend, neighbor, and crush, Trey. Rounding out this cast of veritable misfits is Trey’s sister, Tara, their Bible-thumping mother, Terri, and Toni’s revolving door of romantic interests, which includes both men and women.
An openly gay teen coming of age in 1980s Wisconsin with a mentally challenged brother and irresponsible, philandering mother is arguably a story that has been told before, but still provides enough material for the makings of a novel. The author, however, takes the reader in a completely different direction.
In the course of only a few days, Jayson learns the identity of his father, takes up residence with him in New York, becomes acquainted with former child star Devlin Williamson, and lands a spot in a commercial. It turns out New York isn’t Jayson’s last stop; in fact, his adventure is just about to begin. He eventually makes it to Hollywood, but like the melodramas he has long admired, his own story is not without twists, obstacles, and cliffhangers.
In spite of this ridiculous (albeit engrossing) sequence of events, Kilmer-Purcell’s novel illustrates an especially touching mother-son relationship in Toni and Jayson. Toni won’t see her name on the ballot for mother-of-the-year anytime soon, but she loves and accepts her son unconditionally (even if she takes him for granted), and she never pretends to be June Cleaver. Furthermore, Willie is treated and spoken about no differently than the other youngsters, and the matter-of-factness of his condition is a testament to the author’s writing ability.
Candy Everybody Wants invites the reader on an enjoyable, refreshing walk down memory lane, to a time before the Internet, text messaging, and cell phones were a teen’s primary source of entertainment. Jayson Blocher also represents the star struck, stage struck Generation X-er in all of us.
Kilmer-Purcell’s latest work, Candy Everybody Wants, is his first novel. It’s about an adolescent Midwesterner, Jayson Blocher, who dreams one day of making it in Hollywood. The result is just as funny and engaging as his previous work, and a telltale sign of his future success as a novelist.
The hero in Candy Everybody Wants, Jayson, is hungry for fame and an escape from his hometown of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, where he lives with his mother, Toni, and brother, Willie. Set in the 1980s, Jayson is such an avid fan of nighttime soaps Dallas and Dynasty that he spends his days directing and filming his own combined version of the television family sagas, and conveniently casts himself as the love interest of his friend, neighbor, and crush, Trey. Rounding out this cast of veritable misfits is Trey’s sister, Tara, their Bible-thumping mother, Terri, and Toni’s revolving door of romantic interests, which includes both men and women.
An openly gay teen coming of age in 1980s Wisconsin with a mentally challenged brother and irresponsible, philandering mother is arguably a story that has been told before, but still provides enough material for the makings of a novel. The author, however, takes the reader in a completely different direction.
In the course of only a few days, Jayson learns the identity of his father, takes up residence with him in New York, becomes acquainted with former child star Devlin Williamson, and lands a spot in a commercial. It turns out New York isn’t Jayson’s last stop; in fact, his adventure is just about to begin. He eventually makes it to Hollywood, but like the melodramas he has long admired, his own story is not without twists, obstacles, and cliffhangers.
In spite of this ridiculous (albeit engrossing) sequence of events, Kilmer-Purcell’s novel illustrates an especially touching mother-son relationship in Toni and Jayson. Toni won’t see her name on the ballot for mother-of-the-year anytime soon, but she loves and accepts her son unconditionally (even if she takes him for granted), and she never pretends to be June Cleaver. Furthermore, Willie is treated and spoken about no differently than the other youngsters, and the matter-of-factness of his condition is a testament to the author’s writing ability.
Candy Everybody Wants invites the reader on an enjoyable, refreshing walk down memory lane, to a time before the Internet, text messaging, and cell phones were a teen’s primary source of entertainment. Jayson Blocher also represents the star struck, stage struck Generation X-er in all of us.
January 8, 2013
I adored this book. After an admittedly rough first few pages--(I question the wisdom of starting out in the Dallasty! script)--the rest of the book was an over-the-top, ridiculous, awesome, hilarious, heartfelt, stirring, darling, dopey, dark-but-not, campy, surreal, unbelievable, wonderful, charming read that I happily suspended my disbelief for. I'm pretty sure that anyone who read and didn't love this book either didn't get it, has irredeemably snooty taste, or has no sense of humor. Because it's a pretty great book.
Jayson's character voice was amazingly strong and sure, the self-absorbed thinking that leads to the emotional crisis of the book was entirely age-appropriate. The secondary and tertiary characters were one-and-all lovable and flawed. The romance was heart-meltingly young and fell apart (and came together again) in an understandable way. The situations the characters find themselves in are hard to believe, but there is something satisfying in a book that deftly and usually hilariously (or ouchily-hilariously) ties up each and every character introduced with a big fat bow of plot-relevance at the end. With everyone trying to write 'edgy' stories these days, it's not often that someone just breaks the new rules of that and gives every last character their due.
A child of the 70s or 80s is going to recognize all of the television references in a way that perhaps a younger individual might not, and so some of the humor might be limited for some audiences. But if Lethem can write Fortress of Solitude (amongst other books) with oodles of time-specific pop cultural references and a kid who thinks he can fly, and Eugenides can write Middlesex and include a teenage runaway working as a fake mermaid, and JT Leroy (Laura Albert) can write Sarah about mother and son 'lot lizards', then Kilmer-Purcell can write about a small town kid from a dysfunctional family who, through a series of hilarious and awful and surreal events soars to a lower-echelon of fame, only to plummet again, while eventually learning not to be a self-absorbed asshole teenage celebrity-climber and turns into a big, damn hero.
The main difference between Kilmer-Purcell and the other authors mentioned above is that he never pretends to be writing literature or insinuates in his style that the reader should be taking this all oh-so-very-seriously. No, this book is all about fun, and Kilmer-Purcell obviously knows how to have that. I read Candy Everybody Wants as fast as I could and was sad when it was over. I laughed and smiled and fell for the characters, and it brought joy to my days spent in bed with the flu. I highly recommend it. But only if you're able to laugh and let yourself believe.
ETA: I feel I should add that there were some very small editorial issues here and there such as a typo or transposed words, or the choice to use multiple punctuation marks (!?!?!), but they weren't a big deal in the scheme of the book as a whole.
Jayson's character voice was amazingly strong and sure, the self-absorbed thinking that leads to the emotional crisis of the book was entirely age-appropriate. The secondary and tertiary characters were one-and-all lovable and flawed. The romance was heart-meltingly young and fell apart (and came together again) in an understandable way. The situations the characters find themselves in are hard to believe, but there is something satisfying in a book that deftly and usually hilariously (or ouchily-hilariously) ties up each and every character introduced with a big fat bow of plot-relevance at the end. With everyone trying to write 'edgy' stories these days, it's not often that someone just breaks the new rules of that and gives every last character their due.
A child of the 70s or 80s is going to recognize all of the television references in a way that perhaps a younger individual might not, and so some of the humor might be limited for some audiences. But if Lethem can write Fortress of Solitude (amongst other books) with oodles of time-specific pop cultural references and a kid who thinks he can fly, and Eugenides can write Middlesex and include a teenage runaway working as a fake mermaid, and JT Leroy (Laura Albert) can write Sarah about mother and son 'lot lizards', then Kilmer-Purcell can write about a small town kid from a dysfunctional family who, through a series of hilarious and awful and surreal events soars to a lower-echelon of fame, only to plummet again, while eventually learning not to be a self-absorbed asshole teenage celebrity-climber and turns into a big, damn hero.
The main difference between Kilmer-Purcell and the other authors mentioned above is that he never pretends to be writing literature or insinuates in his style that the reader should be taking this all oh-so-very-seriously. No, this book is all about fun, and Kilmer-Purcell obviously knows how to have that. I read Candy Everybody Wants as fast as I could and was sad when it was over. I laughed and smiled and fell for the characters, and it brought joy to my days spent in bed with the flu. I highly recommend it. But only if you're able to laugh and let yourself believe.
ETA: I feel I should add that there were some very small editorial issues here and there such as a typo or transposed words, or the choice to use multiple punctuation marks (!?!?!), but they weren't a big deal in the scheme of the book as a whole.
January 10, 2011
If there is a lesson in Candy Everybody Wants, it is to be careful what you wish for.
The story centers in Jayson (the Y is very important, it shows flair), a gay teenager living in Wisconsin in the early 80s. His mom is a "free spirit" artist, his brother has a developmental disability, his best friends are twins that live next door with their religious fundamentalist parents. Jayson has one overarching goal-to be famous, just like his celebrity crush, Devin Williamson. The summer before high school finds him directing his friends and starring in his own Dallas/Dynasty spin-off. When his performance (in drag) is accidentally shown to the whole town, his mother sends him to live with father-an actor she hooked up with once after a performance, but who Jayson finds is clearly as queer as a three dollar bill. He also runs a male escort service, but he takes in Jayson with equanimity. Also staying with dear old dad-Jayson's favorite child actor, Devin Williamson. Between Devin and his father, Jayson now has enough juice to get him noticed in Hollywood-but will it turn out to be everything he hoped?
Sadly, Candy Everybody Wants did not turn out to be everything I hoped. After reading I Am Not Myself These Days, Purcell's memoir of his days in drag, I was expecting a slightly snarky, witty, and insightful novel about the dangers of seeking fame. I think that what made his memoir successful was the raw honesty with which it was written, and the fact that you knew it was about a real person. In Candy Everybody Wants, the authenticity was missing to a certain extent. Plus, he really threw in every late 70s/early 80s character stereotype there was. Flamboyant gay teen, drug-using promiscuous bisexual mother, former teen-idol on the skids, closeted gay theater actor, homophobic meathead football player, militant lesbian...few of the characters, including Jayson, felt completely developed.
The story itself was entertaining, and I could see it making a great, quirky comedy movie. But as a follow-up to his first book, this one left me a little flat.
The story centers in Jayson (the Y is very important, it shows flair), a gay teenager living in Wisconsin in the early 80s. His mom is a "free spirit" artist, his brother has a developmental disability, his best friends are twins that live next door with their religious fundamentalist parents. Jayson has one overarching goal-to be famous, just like his celebrity crush, Devin Williamson. The summer before high school finds him directing his friends and starring in his own Dallas/Dynasty spin-off. When his performance (in drag) is accidentally shown to the whole town, his mother sends him to live with father-an actor she hooked up with once after a performance, but who Jayson finds is clearly as queer as a three dollar bill. He also runs a male escort service, but he takes in Jayson with equanimity. Also staying with dear old dad-Jayson's favorite child actor, Devin Williamson. Between Devin and his father, Jayson now has enough juice to get him noticed in Hollywood-but will it turn out to be everything he hoped?
Sadly, Candy Everybody Wants did not turn out to be everything I hoped. After reading I Am Not Myself These Days, Purcell's memoir of his days in drag, I was expecting a slightly snarky, witty, and insightful novel about the dangers of seeking fame. I think that what made his memoir successful was the raw honesty with which it was written, and the fact that you knew it was about a real person. In Candy Everybody Wants, the authenticity was missing to a certain extent. Plus, he really threw in every late 70s/early 80s character stereotype there was. Flamboyant gay teen, drug-using promiscuous bisexual mother, former teen-idol on the skids, closeted gay theater actor, homophobic meathead football player, militant lesbian...few of the characters, including Jayson, felt completely developed.
The story itself was entertaining, and I could see it making a great, quirky comedy movie. But as a follow-up to his first book, this one left me a little flat.
June 20, 2009
Jonge wannabe TV ster Jayson Blocher groeide op in de uithoek Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Hij woont daar samen met zijn gehandicapte broer Willie die door een hersenafwijking altijd honger heeft, en zijn excentrieke, psychopathische moeder Toni. Toni gelooft namelijk niet in seks voor het huwelijk en is niet echt standvastig in haar relaties en seksuele voorkeur, bijgevolg is ze al 13 keer getrouwd. Jayson -de y voegde hij zelf toe aan zijn naam om hem meer flair te geven- wil koste wat kost beroemd worden. Hij krijgt het -volgens hem- geniale idee om een spin-off van 2 tv series, Dallas en Dynasty, te combineren tot één enkele reeks: Dallasty!. Tijdens de zomervakantie schrijft hij zelf een script dat hij vervolgens filmt met de hulp van zijn buurjongen en buurmeisje. Omdat hij verliefd is op zijn buurjongen zorgt hij dat er voldoende kusscenes tussen hun personages plaatsvinden. Eenmaal de school terug begonnen is en zijn piloot aflevering afgekeurd werd door verschillende zenders, lekt er op school uit dat hij homo is na een incident in de gemeenschappelijke douches na de turnles. De situatie escaleert en de kinderbescherming neemt contact op met het gezin Blocher. Uit vrees voor het afnemen van haar kind maakt Toni wijs aan Jayson dat zijn vader hem wil ontmoeten. Hij wordt moederziel alleen op een vliegtuig richting New York gezet met enkel en alleen het adres van zijn vermeende vader. Eenmaal aangekomen in New York wordt het verhaal alleen maar surrealistischer: drugspanden, prostitutie, reclamespotjes, politie en homo’s troef!
Het boek leest vlot weg en er zitten een aantal onverwachte plotwendingen in. Kilmer-Purcell heeft zijn best gedaan om alles zo boeiend en grappig mogelijk te vertellen al is het verhaal af en toe wat over the top. Een literair hoogstandje is dit boek zeker niet maar het was wel een leuke afwisseling tussen het serieuzere werk.
Het boek leest vlot weg en er zitten een aantal onverwachte plotwendingen in. Kilmer-Purcell heeft zijn best gedaan om alles zo boeiend en grappig mogelijk te vertellen al is het verhaal af en toe wat over the top. Een literair hoogstandje is dit boek zeker niet maar het was wel een leuke afwisseling tussen het serieuzere werk.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2013
I toyed with giving this book 5 stars because I enjoyed it a lot more than that piece of crap The Catcher in the Rye which has become classic literature & required reading in every high school (except maybe a few really buttoned down places where everybody still reads it because it's on the banned books list) and I don't see where Jayson is any less a cultural icon than Holden Caulfield.
"The Coming of Age" and "The Quest" are the two themes. Jayson's coming of age is better than Holden Caulfield's because Jayson knows all the words to the theme song of "Petticoat Junction" and all the other popular TV shows that were either new shows when I watched them or in re-runs when the rest of you watched them and, let's face it, Holden Caulfield was dead and gone before those shows aired. What do we have in common with him really?
As for The Quest, it was no mere coincidence that the author chose Oconomowoc for the setting of this story because The Wizard of Oz premiered at the Strand Theatre in Oconomowoc on August 12, 1939.
Kilmer-Purcell describes Candy... as his childhood and coming of age as he would have liked them to be. That is exactly what I would expect from someone who's childhood was nothing like this whatsoever but, at least, he wrote it as a novel. The "bonus laugh" is that my paperback edition of the book has a back cover blurb from James Frey, author of A Million Little Pieces.
"The Coming of Age" and "The Quest" are the two themes. Jayson's coming of age is better than Holden Caulfield's because Jayson knows all the words to the theme song of "Petticoat Junction" and all the other popular TV shows that were either new shows when I watched them or in re-runs when the rest of you watched them and, let's face it, Holden Caulfield was dead and gone before those shows aired. What do we have in common with him really?
As for The Quest, it was no mere coincidence that the author chose Oconomowoc for the setting of this story because The Wizard of Oz premiered at the Strand Theatre in Oconomowoc on August 12, 1939.
Kilmer-Purcell describes Candy... as his childhood and coming of age as he would have liked them to be. That is exactly what I would expect from someone who's childhood was nothing like this whatsoever but, at least, he wrote it as a novel. The "bonus laugh" is that my paperback edition of the book has a back cover blurb from James Frey, author of A Million Little Pieces.
April 11, 2020
This is first fiction piece I’ve read from one half of the fabulous Beekman Boys. And it was a very easy coming of age tale to get through. The pace is very fast, the scenarios wildly impossible and yet entertaining, the characters – wacky and strangely sympathetic.
Jayson (with a ‘y’) Blocher wants to be a TV star – making home-made episodes of Dynasty-Dallas spin-offs, crushing on his straight neighbour boy, helping a self-centred artistic bipolar-ish mother evade the child-protection authorities for many periods of abandonment for himself and his mentally challenged younger brother. So when a major explosion tears apart his family home in a smalltown Wisconsin – what should a young ambitious gay boy wanting fame and fortune do – he runs away to New York City of course. Along the way he discovers a father he never knew he had, meets up face to face with his TV sitcom idol, falls in love, is penniless, gets involved in an ‘introduction’ agency for older B+list wealthy gays and young cash-strapped Broadway chorus-boy wannabes, miraculously gets featured in a chocolate drink advert and gets catapulted into fame and then notoriety – all over a space of 300 pages. Before you can say boo – Jayson finds himself running from the law, paparazzi, hometown heavies and mummy dearest.
If you want a funny read which focuses more on action-plot and imagination-run-riot scenarios with some sweet young gay romance thrown in – this book is for you. Don’t expect deep angst, inner psychological exposes or moral development scripts. I laughed out loud several times.
Jayson (with a ‘y’) Blocher wants to be a TV star – making home-made episodes of Dynasty-Dallas spin-offs, crushing on his straight neighbour boy, helping a self-centred artistic bipolar-ish mother evade the child-protection authorities for many periods of abandonment for himself and his mentally challenged younger brother. So when a major explosion tears apart his family home in a smalltown Wisconsin – what should a young ambitious gay boy wanting fame and fortune do – he runs away to New York City of course. Along the way he discovers a father he never knew he had, meets up face to face with his TV sitcom idol, falls in love, is penniless, gets involved in an ‘introduction’ agency for older B+list wealthy gays and young cash-strapped Broadway chorus-boy wannabes, miraculously gets featured in a chocolate drink advert and gets catapulted into fame and then notoriety – all over a space of 300 pages. Before you can say boo – Jayson finds himself running from the law, paparazzi, hometown heavies and mummy dearest.
If you want a funny read which focuses more on action-plot and imagination-run-riot scenarios with some sweet young gay romance thrown in – this book is for you. Don’t expect deep angst, inner psychological exposes or moral development scripts. I laughed out loud several times.
March 4, 2009
Josh Kilmer-Purcell revives the golden age of bad 70's/80's TV with the book Candy Everybody Wants. Jason Blocher, a confident gay highschooler, spends his summer filming Dallasty! , a blending of two of the hottest shows on television. Writing, directing and staring in this magnum opus takes it’s toll on Jason, and after blowing up the family garage while filming the season cliffhanger, he is shipped off to his heretofore unknown father in New York City.
Justin’s odyssey to NYC gets him involved with a male prostitution ring (run by his father), his first big break in a candy commercial with a catchy catch phrase, and his first crush on a TV child-star has-been. Just as he is about to go to co-star in a TV sitcom, his dysfunctional family catches up with him and forces him to choose between stardom and friends and family. What would Crystal Carrington do?
Kilmer-Purcell weaves so many events and personalities into Candy Everybody Wants that at times it reads like an 1982 copy of People magazine. The feelings that Justin expresses can be at times over the top, like many gay teens, but they often ring true. A fun book for fans of the early 80’s sitcoms and coming-of-age stores.
Justin’s odyssey to NYC gets him involved with a male prostitution ring (run by his father), his first big break in a candy commercial with a catchy catch phrase, and his first crush on a TV child-star has-been. Just as he is about to go to co-star in a TV sitcom, his dysfunctional family catches up with him and forces him to choose between stardom and friends and family. What would Crystal Carrington do?
Kilmer-Purcell weaves so many events and personalities into Candy Everybody Wants that at times it reads like an 1982 copy of People magazine. The feelings that Justin expresses can be at times over the top, like many gay teens, but they often ring true. A fun book for fans of the early 80’s sitcoms and coming-of-age stores.
October 18, 2010
As a child of the 80's, it was a walk down memory lane (although my prime-time soap opera of choice was Knots Landing - I wanted to be Nicollette Sheridan). As I was reading the book, I was thinking "This must be what Josh wished his biography was", so I wasn't surprised to see in his notes at the back of the book that this was his fantasy memoir! It reminded me of a completely implausible fantasy I had as a teenager: I grew up in a town of 5,000 people in the middle of nowhere in Nebraska. I had this fantasy that somehow Michael Jackson would be driving through town on his way to his next concert, and he would get a flat tire in front of our house. Then, because we helped him get on his way again, he would offer to perform at the next school assembly and I would become wildly popular :-). All of the references to 80's TV also made me remember the completely geeked-out thing my brother and I used to do: we used to hold a tape recorder up to the TV and record the theme songs to our favorite TV shows and then listen to them when we took trips in the car. Oh to be young and weird again... Anyway, I enjoyed the book - it was a fun read and enjoyably, not predictable.
March 2, 2009
The cover of this book suggests it's a riot, a hilarious walk through the 80s. Personally, I didn't really see what was funny about this story. It's about this kid who discovers he's gay while watching Phil Donahue, make s movie starring his best friends, kisses this guy who he's crushing on who is straight, and is embarrassed in front of his high school when he is outed. His psychopath mother, who is confused about her sexual orientation and has been married 12 times (literally), send him off to the guy she believes is his father in NY City. He goes and ends up living with his father, who is gay, who runs a "charity" for gay pervs to hookup with Broadway chorus boys called "The Backdoor Charity." ha. ha. Then he hooks up with this guy who lives with his father and was in an 80s sitcom. Then they break up. They he finds his long lost high school love, but realizes that he must do everything he can to get back with this other guy he liked.
It's pretty much a gay fest. My thought is that gay people with go crazy for this book. Me, not so much.
It's pretty much a gay fest. My thought is that gay people with go crazy for this book. Me, not so much.
June 15, 2016
This book is a bit ridiculous - in an okay way though. It has this weird madcap quality that toes the line between cute and absurd. I feel like anyone born 1990 and earlier will be able to appreciate the 80's nostalgia the author was going for, and any one born after might get a kick out of how desperate this kid is for fame, since we live in type of society right now. The plot takes odd twists and turns that can sometimes pull the reader out of the story. I often found my self going "Wait,what? *flips back a page* huh... okay?" It sometimes felt like I was reading a 6 graders dream journal-turned passion project. Still fun, but wildly immature at times.
I've only heard of this authors previous work "I'm Not Myself These Days" but have never actually read it. I'm kinda glad I read this first because I feel like it can only get better. He even said in is "P.S, that this was a one weird for him. He said it was story that he wished was is autobiography.
To be clear, this book is not bad. It's an easy read, and I enjoyed enough to read it in a couple of days.
Solid 3 stars.
I've only heard of this authors previous work "I'm Not Myself These Days" but have never actually read it. I'm kinda glad I read this first because I feel like it can only get better. He even said in is "P.S, that this was a one weird for him. He said it was story that he wished was is autobiography.
To be clear, this book is not bad. It's an easy read, and I enjoyed enough to read it in a couple of days.
Solid 3 stars.
October 5, 2009
The nearest comparison I can think of for this book is Marc Acito's How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship and Musical Theater, with maybe (oddly) a touch of Olivia Goldsmith thrown in-- and luckily Acito's title is long enough to give you a pretty good gist or what to expect here.
"Candy" is a good word for this because there's definitely something about this that feels a little frivolous, transient and not completely satisfying-- I could see this being a decent beach read, but not much more than that. The cast of characters are a hodge-podge of oddballs, not the least of which is the hero, wanna-be actor Jayson Blocher, who must (sigh) learn some tough lessons as he begins his rocky journey to potential stardom. That's not to say it's not funny in spots, but too many of the jokes are kind of cheap shots dependent on the caricature-esque characters or sly little jabs having to do with the 80s setting, which never really quite loses that gimmicky feel.
"Candy" is a good word for this because there's definitely something about this that feels a little frivolous, transient and not completely satisfying-- I could see this being a decent beach read, but not much more than that. The cast of characters are a hodge-podge of oddballs, not the least of which is the hero, wanna-be actor Jayson Blocher, who must (sigh) learn some tough lessons as he begins his rocky journey to potential stardom. That's not to say it's not funny in spots, but too many of the jokes are kind of cheap shots dependent on the caricature-esque characters or sly little jabs having to do with the 80s setting, which never really quite loses that gimmicky feel.
March 9, 2013
I got this book because of watching Josh on The Beekman Boys. When I found out he had written books I put them on my "to read" list.
I thought this book would also be about Josh and some what biographical. Turns out this is his first try at fiction.
Set in the early 80's, Jayson, with a "Y" for flair, his twin friends Tara & Trey and his mother Toni have wild adventures. Jayson wants more than anything to be discovered and swept away to the perfect sitcom TV family. Along the way he meets up with his pimp father, his TV crush Devlin and a crazy detective with child protective services. Houses blow up, police raids at brothels, TV Commercials, revenge with films and a kidnapping all make it into this story. It's definitely not a "one- horse" book and the characters travel from Wisconsin to NY to LA and back again.
This book reminded me of all the preteen and YA novels that I read back in the 80's. It was fun trip down memory lane.
I thought this book would also be about Josh and some what biographical. Turns out this is his first try at fiction.
Set in the early 80's, Jayson, with a "Y" for flair, his twin friends Tara & Trey and his mother Toni have wild adventures. Jayson wants more than anything to be discovered and swept away to the perfect sitcom TV family. Along the way he meets up with his pimp father, his TV crush Devlin and a crazy detective with child protective services. Houses blow up, police raids at brothels, TV Commercials, revenge with films and a kidnapping all make it into this story. It's definitely not a "one- horse" book and the characters travel from Wisconsin to NY to LA and back again.
This book reminded me of all the preteen and YA novels that I read back in the 80's. It was fun trip down memory lane.
October 26, 2008
This was an advanced reader's copy, and I hope that they made some editing changes before the final publication. "Candy" was nowhere near as good as "I Am Not Myself These Days," but I did appreciate the cheerfully dysfunctional family dynamics of Jayson's crew. There were some delightfully oddball characters, including a former Hollywood star turned Gay Male Madame, a former child star who wants to be a chef, a vengeful lesbian who becomes a cop and her heroin addicted punk rock brother. The characters were fairly two dimensional, the storyline was over the top ridiculous, and the writing style was clunky and inelegant, but I still think that Josh Kilmer-Purcell has a lot of potential as an author.
December 20, 2012
Please see the three stars above as three and a half stars. I’ve read and really enjoyed one of Josh Kilmer- Purcell’s memoirs, used his and his fiance’s Brent’s cookbook, and been looking forward to reading his first memoir. But somehow, around page 45, I figured out this isn’t a memoir, but a novel. Perhaps it was “a novel,” on the cover.
Jayson Blocher, of Oconomowoc, WI dreams of acquiring celebrity fame on television. He’s not very clear how he will achieve it, in his mind it has to do with having a catchphrase. This is a fun book.
“So, with my only remaining muse being my mortgage, I decided that I had one option left. I would write my autobiography as I wish it had happened – which is the book that you hold in your hands right now.” (8, Afterward)
Jayson Blocher, of Oconomowoc, WI dreams of acquiring celebrity fame on television. He’s not very clear how he will achieve it, in his mind it has to do with having a catchphrase. This is a fun book.
“So, with my only remaining muse being my mortgage, I decided that I had one option left. I would write my autobiography as I wish it had happened – which is the book that you hold in your hands right now.” (8, Afterward)
December 24, 2009
This book was a nice follow-up to Kilmer-Purcell's memoir, "I Am Not Myself These Days." The books is an easy read; much like the title might suggest, it is candy for the brain. A funny read with characters of depth, JKP's predictable dose of insanity or simply the incredulous, yet still believable, ensemble of characters and plots. Jayson, the protagonist, stars in this coming-of-age novel with some rather outright hilarious situations juxtaposed with a wry sense of humor. It brings back the awkwardness of those early teen years we all experience, and the book was an inevitably enjoyable one.
July 21, 2008
I was disappointed in this second release from JKP. His first book, a memoir called I’m not myself these days, will knock your socks off, but this one was banal. It was a really quick, mind-candy read about a gay teenager with an obsessive desire to be cast on an 80’s sitcom. It includes all the clichéd gay teenage angst with a little drama and mystery for fun. It also had some fine examples of the parenting skills (or lack therof) of the baby-boom generation. I would recommend it for the beach.
December 23, 2008
While reading his sophomore publication, I had to remind myself that unlike his first non-fiction piece, this was a work of fiction due to the parallels between the adventures of Jayson, his main character, and aspects of his own life as told in his memoir, I Am Not Myself These Days. It’s something like High School Musical meets The Big Gay Sketch Show meets AbFab. Truly bizarre, yet completely entertaining.
July 23, 2010
Fantastic hilarious sad and triumphant are words I would use to describe Josh's memoir. The first chapter almost killed me, where his boyfriend was standing over him with a knife high on crack and the window was open and the boyfriend explains he planned on stabbing him and throwing him out the window but he didn't want the doorman to have to see it and clean it up, he would feel bad. WHAAATTTT. After I read that I knew this was going to be a ridiculous/funny (depending on your sense of humor) book.
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