The Constellations

by James Finney Boylan

In the zany sequel to The Planets, Duard, Dominique, and Phoebe take a cosmic mistep on the way to the tattoo parlor, in a novel about a canine kidnapping, painful advances in hair coloring, and devious but horny artists. 15,000 first printing.

Genres: Fiction

265 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Michael Norwitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sequel to The Planets. Did I like it better than the original? I did, mainly due to the lack of superfluous crime plot (okay, there is a crime plot, but it's more connected to the family drama). Also, with more focus on intricacies of relationships, there's less capacity for dramatic stupidity, only (mainly) more human-level emotional stupidity. Some funny lines. All the women in the book are smarter than all the men in the book by several IQ points, which is not unsurprising. Most of the men are nice at least, and most of them women are not, well, not-nice. I mean they have affairs and kidnap dogs and abandon their families but they're not bad people, sort of, for the most part. I mean, what do you expect?

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like dark humor, this book is for you! I couldn't wait to read this sequel to The Planets and was not disappointed. In truth, I didn't like it as much as The Planets but that is so often true of sequels. That said, once again, I laughed out loud at least twice each chapter. As before, you REALLY have to like dark humor to enjoy this book. If you are into dysfunctional families, irony, ridiculous situations that could actually happen, people trying to live "normal lives" in abnormal situations - this book is for you. Absurd yet endearing and, again, you find yourself saying, "well, that could happen." Boylan's writing is fantastic.

[Sarabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

i just reread this and it made me a happy panda (the scary thing is i think i read this like ten years ago the first time). The coincidence laden plot becomes trite at times but all and all the novel is light hearted and easy to read in the bath after a much too complex day. YAY STARS!

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sequel to The Planets, takes place a few years later, and has (obviously, since it's the sequel) many of the original characters. I loved Demmie and Billings in the first book, so it was fun to learn what happened to them.

[Charity · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequel to The Planets. Not as good as The Planets in my opinion, but still an entertaining read from Boylan. Full of oddballs and misfits in suburban Philadelphia. Out of print.

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A labyrinth of most strange incidents fully packed with characters you could only find in the twilight zone movies that leads into a bizzare family reunion. A real page turner!

[Adina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed as much as the Planets...I miss Phoebe.