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Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl
Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl | Andrea Lawlor
Fiction. LGBTQIA Studies. Women's Studies. It's 1993 and Paul Polydoris tends bar at the only gay club in a university town thrumming with politics and partying. He studies queer theory, has a dyke best friend, makes zines, and is a flaneur with a rich dating life. But Paul's also got a secret: he's a shapeshifter. Oscillating wildly from Riot Grrrl to leather cub, Women's Studies major to trade, Paul transforms his body at will in a series of adventures that take him from the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival to Boystown to Provincetown and finally to San Francisco--a journey through the deep queer archives of struggle and pleasure. Andrea Lawlor's debut novel offers a speculative history of early '90s identity politics during the heyday of ACT UP and Queer Nation. PAUL TAKES THE FORM OF A MORTAL GIRL is a riotous, razor-sharp bildungsroman whose hero/ine wends his way through a world gutted by loss, pulsing with music, and opening into an array of intimacy and connections. "I love this book, in all its ecstasy, wit, and hilarity. I laughed out loud in recognition and appreciation of Lawlor's spot-on portrait of an era, scene, and soundtrack, the novel's particular sluice of pleasures, fluids, and feelings. The liberatory rush of Lawlor's writing is as rare as it is contagious, not to mention HOT. Paul is on fire, and an antihero for the ages."--Maggie Nelson "Fast-paced and cheeky, full of intellectual riffs, of observations so sharp they feel like gossip, PAUL TAKES THE FORM OF A MORTAL GIRL is a touchingly sweet-hearted and deeply cool book. Andrea Lawlor has written a magic story, showing us the real magic of our world in the process. If you like your humor supersmart and your theory full of camp and irony and heart, you won't be able to put this book down."--Michelle Tea "I am such a fan. Andrea Lawlor's prose is restless, muscular and playful and uncannily able to zero in on the cultural details that make the world Paul is traveling through shimmer and pucker with truth. Stealth too. Lawlor is either a good 'liver' or a good liar. They know. PAUL TAKES THE FORM OF A MORTAL GIRL Lawlor takes the ancient trope of 'the changeling' and makes it be me, you. Paul's such a funny book that studies how studied we are especially when we go out. Who do we seek and who or what is seeking? It's a tight satisfying masterpiece which I am very glad to hand you if you happen to love sex, clothes, literature which now includes the apparitional blessing of a new elastic genre (which Paul initiates) that seamlessly makes both what's out there and in here less lonely, less fixed and less fake. This book updates the present. In Andrea Lawlor's fiction the dream walks, and I watch. Paul's got flickering feet like Mercury."--Eileen Myles
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review
Soubhiville
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Bailedbailed

This wasn‘t for me… at another time I would have liked it I think. It‘s about Paul, who can shapeshift, and uses his abilities to become a woman to have multiple and wild sexploits.

Pictured with my new cow art. Some friends of mine are moving and I got to choose a couple paintings from their eclectic art collection. ❤️🐮

BkClubCare LOVE the 🐄 COW! 9mo
Leftcoastzen Nice cow! 9mo
TheBookHippie So cute! 9mo
See All 8 Comments
MemoirsForMe Love this cow! Especially the blue nose! 💙 9mo
dabbe #hailthebail! 🤩🤩🤩 9mo
Bookwormjillk Love the color combo in that cow art 9mo
Yenya1954 Did your friend paint the cow? 9mo
Soubhiville @Yenya1954 no… Jill and Jason often adopted art at the shows where he sold his metal work. They are only taking their favorites, so I got to choose a couple of paintings they weren‘t taking. 9mo
72 likes8 comments
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REPollock
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Bailedbailed

This is a brilliant encapsulation of a specific early-1990s community and if I had read it even ten years ago I would have been all in for the whole ride. Now it makes me sad that a community I was so deeply involved in is revealed to be so vapid and self absorbed.

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shawnmooney
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26 likes1 stack add
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kera_11
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Paul is a shapeshifter who can transform his body, including genitalia, into whatever form he wants, which he uses to make himself fit into the queer scene of whatever city/party he‘s in. sex positive (&explicit) & didn‘t gloss over issues of queer life in the 90s. an inter-weaving of queer theory &fairytales. I took this book to be a showcase for the trans experience & limitless potential for a self not curbed by heteronormative ideas of identity

kera_11 while this may not be a new favorite of mine, I very much appreciate the book for existing and being what it is 2y
7 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Abailliekaras
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this queer novel about Paul, who changes his look (& gender) to suit his mood & is looking for love & belonging. Paul is an opportunist, a survivor & a ruthless fashion critic. He‘s such a charming, irresistible character that you want him to find happiness. That & the lively, fizzing writing make it a compelling read. Brilliant, funny observations, almost every page is quotable. The writing has DFW or Tom Wolfe-esque exuberance.

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magyklyXdelish
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Bailedbailed

Well that didn‘t last long. I managed to make it almost 50 pages. As far as I can tell the only plot is the many ways the main character can go about having sex. That mixed with the writing, this just isn‘t my bag. I‘m cool with sex, but usually there‘s an actual plot involved that can keep me interested.

#BookSpin

TheAromaofBooks At least it's off the list!!! 3y
magyklyXdelish @TheAromaofBooks finally! Although I was hoping I could finish it so I can use it for the Pantone challenge. Oh well. 3y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I sent you a little something! I hope it makes it there safely! 3y
magyklyXdelish @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I just got it today! Thank you soooo much ♥️♥️ you are so sweet! 3y
22 likes5 comments
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magyklyXdelish
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Up next! Going to tackle a #BookSpin for the first time in a few months lol

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magyklyXdelish
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#BookSpin ~ Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl
#DoubleSpin ~ We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Excited to get this year started!

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! Looks great!!! 3y
25 likes1 comment
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KelsiTaylor
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Mehso-so

I don‘t know how to sum up this book other than it‘s review of, “Difficult to quote in a family newspaper.” Paul is a shapeshifter and changes their body and identity whenever and however they want.
A new take on queer-ness that I‘ve never read before. Maybe not my favorite protagonist ever but definitely worth the read to see their adventures.

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Moray_Reads
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Pickpick

There was something so heartwarming and likable about this book and it's protagonist, the wonderful, flawed, shape-shifting Paul. It's full of early 90s references from the fashion and music to the AIDs crisis. It's very explicit, very funny and very well-written and a fascinating take on genderqueer culture from a gifted non-binary author.
@TheAromaofBooks #bookspin

TheAromaofBooks Yay bingo!! 3y
20 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Emilymdxn
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Pickpick

I loved this original, funny, explicit magic realist Bildungsroman about gender, queer identity and how to be cool and loved. Paul/Polly was so achingly cool but also wonderfully recognisable and the writing made me feel i was really a part of the New York scene, so vibrant and in the thick of it. Highly recommend, for Serious reasons and also cause of the magic penises.

#scarathlon2020 #teamharkness @StayCurious +16 (for the shapeshifting)

Nute Wonderful review! 4y
61 likes2 comments
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ephemeralwaltz
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Pickpick

Even in his community of gay-identifying men, Paul has always felt like an outsider because of a little secret. He can change his body and genitals at will, which he uses to move in and out of different relationships, circles of friends and fluctuating stages of desire. I flat-out loved Paul and felt very close to him. This wild novel is full of punk music, queer theory, smutty sex scenes but also haunted by loss, loneliness and AIDS in the 90s.

ephemeralwaltz Maggie Nelson, Garth Greenwell and Carmen Maria Machado all blurbed it - and you know I'd read anything for these people! 4y
54 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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UnRuLee
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Mehso-so

So here‘s the thing. I LOVED the main character. The whole idea of a genderqueer shapeshifter is automatically a thumbs up for me. And I honestly really appreciate how sex positive the whole book is. But I‘m so asexual that sex scenes get boring pretty quickly for me. Plus it does that thing where it just sorta stops without any real ending or conclusion. So it wasn‘t my favorite, but I‘m glad to have read it anyway.

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jenniferw88
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Just bought more credits to get these. The 'Gay Britannia' one has lots of my favourite comedians in, including Paul Sinha. #AddictedtoTheChase

Emilymdxn These all look fantastic I can‘t wait to see how you find them! I‘m particularly interested in Paul takes the form of a mortal girl, I really want to read that one 4y
JackOBotts I enjoyed Tobia‘s memoir. Their voice rings clear through their writing. 4y
47 likes2 comments
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Godpants
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April Round up part 2: Paul Takes The Form of a Mortal Girl was just so surprising (and horny.) I really enjoyed it. The Ruins was also so good. Lisa Gardner never does wrong in my books. The rest were also good.

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Godpants
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Pickpick

This book is excellent and SO DIRTY. I don‘t think it is truly a science fiction book even with the lead being a Changeling, or shapeshifter.

9 likes1 stack add
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Godpants
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I‘ve been waiting for this hold for a long time, and isolation means I can savor my reads a little more than usual. I‘m glad to have another day off to get cozy on my couch with this one.

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Bibliogeekery
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Pickpick

This book was really great. Set in the 90s we follow Paul - a character who can change his gender and physical presentation at will - through sexual foibles, relationships, queer scenes in various parts of the US and even some personal growth. It interweaves queer theory, fairy tales, and vivid descriptions of queer life in the 90s. It's playful and gritty and tender. #queerbooks

LoverOfLearning Cool picture! 5y
48 likes1 comment
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Bibliogeekery
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Nothing like reading a smutty book on public transport 😲💁🏻 #queerbooks

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Bibliogeekery
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Next up! #queerbooks

Lindy I‘m looking forward to getting my library hold on this. 😊 5y
kalinichta Someone at that publishing company plays a tight cover blurb game. 👍 5y
46 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Soubhiville
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The #TXBookFest sales tent was out of the book I intended to buy, so I may have bought two others in retaliation. Take that Book People! That‘ll show ya! 🤣📚

About to see Ruta Sepetys! Probably going to buy more books later...

AmyG 🙌🏻 5y
Cinfhen You showed them who‘s the #BookBoss 💜🙌🏻 5y
Librariana Curious minds wonder: which book did you have the intention to buy? 😊 5y
66 likes5 comments
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ReadingEnvy
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Pickpick

This book is such a perfect capture of various lgbtq+ communities in the United States in the 80s & 90s that I'd recommend it for that aspect alone. But the main character, who has the ability to shapeshift gender to move more easily within these spaces, really makes for a unique read. It's hard to believe this is a debut novel because it feels so elegantly written (often about not so elegant topics!) I laughed a lot especially at the beginning.

60 likes7 stack adds
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batsy
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I admitted I let out a yelp of delight when I opened this. Thank you @erzascarletbookgasm it is so kind of you to get me this! ❤️❤️ Your kindness and thoughtfulness is always appreciated, thank you Jessie 😘🤗 It was a lovely start to my day, friend.

erzascarletbookgasm Now you know I‘m such a ‘stalker‘! 👀 😆Happy birthday! 💕😘 🎂🎉🎈🎁 Hope your day is wonderful! You‘re welcome and enjoy! 5y
Avanders Happy birthday! 🎉♥️ 5y
CarolynM Happy birthday 🎂🎈🎉 Hope you have a great day. 5y
See All 23 Comments
Tanisha_A Happy happy happy birthday my lovely! Wish you a lifetime supply of books. ❤️ 5y
TrishB Have a wonderful birthday 🎉🎉 5y
Reggie Happy Birthday, Suba!!!! 5y
AnneCecilie Happy birthday 🎈🎉🎁🎂 5y
batsy @erzascarletbookgasm You have amazing investigave skills and are super sweet!! Thank you so much ❤️ 5y
batsy @Avanders @CarolynM @Tanisha_A @TrishB @Reggie @AnneCecilie Thank you all for your lovely wishes, you've brightened my day 😍😘 5y
Cathythoughts Oh my goodness today is your birthday! 🥳🥳🥳Happy Birthday Suba X 5y
batsy @Cathythoughts Thank you, Cathy 😘 5y
saresmoore Happy birthday, dear one! You are bright beacon of hope and thoughtfulness in a dim world. I appreciate you very much! ♥️♥️♥️ 5y
batsy @saresmoore Thank you so much, lovely, and right back at you ❤️❤️❤️ I'm so glad to know you! 5y
kspenmoll Happy birthday on your day!!! 🎉🎉 5y
batsy @kspenmoll Thank you! 🙂 5y
ValerieAndBooks Ooh! Happy birthday 🎂 📚📚!! 5y
batsy @ValerieAndBooks Thanks 🙂 5y
Centique Happy belated birthday! You are a light in this place, shine on Suba! 💕 5y
Suet624 Happy birthday a few days late! I thought of you on your birthday and sent you 💕💕💕 if that counts. Vacation with the family got in the way of actually writing. 5y
batsy @Centique Thank you for your lovely message and friendship, Paula ❤️❤️ 5y
batsy @Suet624 Thank you so much, Sue! ♥️ 5y
rubyslippersreads Happy belated 🎂🎂🎂! 😘😘😘 5y
batsy @rubyslippersreads Thank you! 😘❤️ 5y
97 likes1 stack add23 comments
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batsy
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A+ cover design and blurb placement 🙂 But it sadly didn't come home with me because it's pretty expensive and I've gotta rein in my book spending 😭💸

mrozzz I got this (different cover) a couple months ago though I‘m also trying to be better. I couldn‘t help myself. 🙂🙃🙂 5y
AbhisekBasu Check out the scariest book you'll read this year. Link in bio! ☠️ 5y
batsy @mrozzz I know, I'm amazed at my own restraint! 😂 I do want to read it, it's been on my radar for awhile. 5y
Reggie Ooooh, blurbed by Michelle Tea!!! Stacked. 5y
batsy @Reggie Another author I need to read! 5y
77 likes6 stack adds5 comments
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rmaclean4
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Mehso-so

Very interesting structure to this novel with fairy tales interspersed within the main narrative. I read this to fulfill the read a non-binary author category for the Read Harder challenge. Good solid writing... just was not my cup of tea. 2 🌟

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ontheBL
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Pickpick

Paul is young and queer in the 90s on a journey and shapeshifting along the way. It is quite the book. I've never read anything quite like it before.

https://onthebl.org/2019/06/27/paul-takes-the-form-of-a-mortal-girl/

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IndoorDame
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Pickpick

This one has been on my TBR for ages, finally pulling it off the shelf seemed like a good way to kick off Pride month 🏳️‍🌈😃❤️I got annoyed with the story at a few points, but overall found it an enjoyable read. It was gritty but funny, like a modern Catcher in the Rye

37 likes1 stack add
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kgriffith
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It felt right to purchase my copy of my professor‘s first novel (re-released yesterday) at Odyssey Books, on probably my last visit of the semester. And a belated thank you to the MHC alumnae of the Mount Holyoke Club of Maine for my #FebruMary celebration gift certificate!

42 likes4 stack adds
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Briget66
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Next !!

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shutupsmalls

What was sex but newness? And sensation and conquest and intrigue and desire and romance and fantasy, and specific people sometimes, sure, but not always.

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Misanthropester
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Pickpick

I hope to write a longer, proper review in the future but this novel is easily one of the best released in 2017. Set in the early 90s at an Iowa college, the protagonist Paul/Polly moves between being male/female like a contemporary Orlando

17 likes1 stack add
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Misanthropester
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Let us discuss the aesthetics of Paul/Polly‘s #mixtape to the distant Diane

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Misanthropester
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Today‘s #bookmail from Rescue Press

13 likes1 stack add