"Tiny Cooper stole our hearts." —Entertainment Weekly
Especially for those of us who ordinarily feel ignored, a spotlight is a circle of magic, with the strength to draw us from the darkness of our everyday lives.
Watch out, ex-boyfriends, and get out of the way, homophobic coaches. Tiny Cooper has something to say—and he’s going to say it in song.
Filled with honesty, humor, and “big, lively, belty” musical numbers, Hold Me Closer is the no-holds-barred (and many-bars-held) entirety of the beloved musical first introduced in Will Grayson, Will Grayson, the award-winning bestseller by John Green and David Levithan.
Tiny Cooper is finally taking center stage . . . and the world will never be the same again.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
Even better than I expected!
By Kelly
This is the script for Tiny Cooper's musical, Hold Me Closer (a fictional play that's mentioned in Will Grayson, Will Grayson, Levithan's stunning collaboration with John Green). It includes the entire play, from beginning to end, song lyrics and all. But it also includes Tiny's notes, which range from what the actors should look like to what the songs should sound like to how he was feeling when he experienced the play's events in his actual life.Because, just as the title claims, this play *is* The Tiny Cooper Story. It's the story of his childhood, his coming out, his search for love in all the wrong places, and the lessons he learns along the way. His parents' unconditional love made me tear up (parent-child scenes do that much more now that I'm a mom); his theatre references made me grin, feeling like I was in on some delicious inside jokes; and the clever song lyrics made me chuckle more times than I expected.I wish I could quote some of my favorite parts, but I didn't underline anything while reading because I just. couldn't. stop. to pick up a pencil. I'll be rereading very soon, though, and will try to move slower this time around, 'cause there are lots of quotable bits in there.I remember finding out that this book was going to be published, and how delighted I was that a fictional play was going to become real. Now, my desire is to hear the original cast recording of Hold Me Closer. I need to hear these songs. Can we get the Lopezes on board, please?!All in all: This is for you if you love musicals, or David Levithan, or Tiny Cooper. And even if you don't love any of those things yet, give this one a try. It's beautiful and fun and funny and oh-so-worth-reading.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.Tiny Cooper!!!!!!
By TheStoryGoes
So, if you've read Will Grayson, Will Grayson than you know that Tiny Cooper is one of the best characters ever. He's funny and sweet, he knows who he is and isn't afraid to show it, and he wrote a play about his life... So, In Will Grayson, Will Grayson Tiny Cooper's play is constantly mentioned, it's a huge part of the plot and it's so much fun to read about in that book and then you have this musical play/book hybrid that's actually Tiny Cooper's play! Basically, this book is just a lot of fun and anyone who read Will Grayson, Will Grayson, whether you liked the book or not, if you liked Tiny Cooper you must read his story.A Few Of My Favorite Things:- The references! Seriously, all over the place. References to Harry Potter(in song form), High School Musical, Blink-182(I don't remember what exactly I loved about this one but it made me very excited), and more.- The songs. They were so outrageously funny yet meaningful at the same time.- Tiny Cooper. He just has a strong, brilliantly funny, voice.- The whole thing is basically a musical...it doesn't get better than that.- Tiny Cooper's real name! It's in the end of the book and it took me an embarrassing long time to figure out that's what it was. But...excitement!Overall: Um...so, I kind of loved this. I read this book in under two hours while sitting in a waiting room and I got so many weird looks because, even though I tried to contain my laughter and stop smiling quite so widely, it never seemed to work. Basically, if you read Will Grayson Will Grayson, and no matter what you're feelings on the book were as long as you loved Tiny Cooper, read this.Would I Recommend This? Yup.Whom To? People looking for a fun read whether you've read Will Grayson, Will Grayson or not.Will I read more from this author(or series)? Yup.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
The return of Tiny Cooper (and the Will Graysons) in a musical full of heart, humor, and the ghost of Oscar Wilde!
By Larry Hoffer
I'd rate this 4.5 stars.Will Grayson, Will Grayson, by John Green and David Levithan, was one of the best books I read in 2010, and years later, it remains one of my favorites.That book, populated by two very different high school students, both named Will Grayson. One Will Grayson's best friend, "Tiny" Cooper, who isn't shy about his size or his sexuality, and tries to push Will to declare his feelings for his best friend, Jane, all while Tiny is getting ready to produce his autobiographical musical.This "companion piece," authored by Levithan, is the script of Tiny's musical, complete with his commentary/stage direction, which in some cases, lets the reader in on how the lives of both Will Graysons, Jane, and Tiny progressed after the book ends. But mostly, the musical gives tremendous insight into what it's like to live a life where everyone thinks they know who and what you are, and just how much courage it takes to put yourself so far out there and be happy with who you are every day."There are those of us who draw our power from those electric moments when everyone is watching, everyone is listening, and there is the most perfect silence you can imagine, the entire room waiting to hear whatever you will say next. Especially for those of us who ordinarily feel ignored, a spotlight is a circle of magic, with the strength to draw us from the darkness of our everyday lives."Tiny's character really resonates for me. I remember what it was like to feel most at home in the middle of a stage, singing my heart out to an audience, even if it was an apathetic one. I remember what it was like not feeling comfortable in my own skin, but still wishing that I'd find others like me. And I remember what it was like to like someone so much, and fall so fast, that the biggest mistake you could make was expressing how you felt too soon. His musical is full of the unconditional love Tiny gets from his family and his best friends, as well as flamboyant musical numbers, some of which even star the ghost of Oscar Wilde.While it's difficult to read a musical as if it were a book without knowing what the songs sound like, getting a glimpse into Tiny's heart, head, and personality more than makes up for it. Levithan once again treats his characters with the respect and love they deserve, and looks beyond the stereotypes. I hope this isn't the last we see of Will, Will, Jane, and Tiny...maybe Levithan and Green can team up again?
