The Tribulations of August Barton
GENRE
YOUNG ADULT DRAMA ROMANCE
Core Theme
SELF-ACCEPTANCE AND UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
TIME PERIOD
false
COMPARABLE TITLES
THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER; HAROLD & MAUDE, CHARLIE BARTLETT
CHARACTER LIST
• AUGUST BARTON: 18. LEAD. NERDY, GEEKY, NAIVE, EMPATHETIC, INSECURE, ANXIOUS, KIND.
• GRANDMA GERTIE: 78. CHARMING, UNAPOLOGETIC, OUTSPOKEN.
• ROSE VARLEY: 18. AUGIE’S BEAUTIFUL LOVE INTEREST.
Logline
The Tribulations of August Barton is a story about a young man with anxiety learning how to deal with the daily drama of family, love, and trying to figure out life as he starts college. With his feisty grandmother's help he might just defeat his anxiety and get the girl.
Target Audiences
Age: 18-34
Target Gender: Universal
Setting
North Dakota, North Dakota State University, United States of America
Based on a True Story
No
Publishing Details
Status: Yes: self-published
Publisher: Ink Bee Publishing LLC
Year Published: 2016
Starting Description
The story begins with August Barton, a young man with anxiety, moving into his college dorm room. After meeting his roommate he quickly returns home to find his mom is still dealing with a divorce lawyer. To top it off, they both find out his grandma Gertie has escaped from her nursing home again.
Ending Description
Augie has come out of his shell with the help of his grandma and her crazy antics. He has a more solid sense of who he is after overcoming his tribulations and learning life lessons. He now has friends, a family support system, confidence and was able to get the girl.
Group Specific
Information not completed
Hard Copy Available
Yes
ISBN
9780578453798
Mature Audience Themes
Language/Profanity, Nudity, Substance Abuse, Language/Profanity,Substance Abuse
Plot - Other Elements
Coming of Age, Happy Ending, Meaningful Message,,Happy Ending,Meaningful Message
Plot - Premise
,Coming of Age,Internal Journey/Rebirth
Main Character Details
Name: August Barton
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Role: Protagonist
Key Traits: Naive, Romantic, Selfless, Underdog, Strong Moral Code, Clumsy, Charming, Empathetic, Insecure, Engaging,Clumsy,Charming,Empathetic,Underdog,Insecure
Additional Character Details
Name: Grandma Gertie (The Floozy of Fremont Street)
Age: 78
Gender: Female
Role: Mentor
Key Traits: Complex, Charming, Engaging, Leader, Secretive, Sexy, Unapologetic, Beautiful, Blunt, Empathetic, Outspoken, Romantic, Skillful, Adventurous, Badass, Confident, Funny,Funny
Additional Character Details
Name: Isaac Clark
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Role: sidekick
Key Traits: Sexy, Visionary, Blunt, Charming, Confident, Honorable, Outspoken
Additional Character Details
Name: Rose Varley
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Role: Emotional
Key Traits: Sexy, Beautiful, Charming, Complex, Desperate, Insecure, Naive, Secretive
Brief
Augie is nervous about starting college, but Augie is nervous about almost everything--he has severe anxiety and suffers from sporadic panic attacks. This isn't helped with his mother divorcing his stepfather, and his grandmother's frequent escapes from her nursing home. However, as Augie starts to spend more time with his grandmother, he overcomes his troubles and learns to stand up for himself.
What We Liked
- Unique;
- The book shows anxiety in an honest, non-exploitative way;
- All of the characters are complex and affected by their backstories;
- This would be a good coming-of-age indie drama film;
- Funny, independent older women;
- Sex-positive feminism;
- Romance.
Synopsis
Augie is moving into his freshman dorm at college, aided by his mother, Diane. Augie meets his new roommate, Isaac, who invites Augie to a party that night. Augie drives back home, only a short way away, but his mother is distracted as she has just been served divorce papers by Augie's stepfather. They get a call from the nursing home--Diane's mother, Gertie, has run away. As Augie is driving back to his dorm, he sees his grandma, picks her up in the car and tries to take her back to the nursing home, but she convinces him to go to the party that night and take her with him. Augie has a panic attack and Gertie helps him recover, winking to him that she learned it from one of her old clients. They go to the party and people stare at Augie walking in with an old woman with a tutu and pink hair, but everyone at the party soon grows fond of Gertie and her funny stories about her time as the "floozy of Fremont Street." Augie leaves the group and meets Rose Varley. He immediately develops a crush on her and they exchange numbers before her boyfriend, Scott, comes up and takes her away. The next morning, Augie has a nasty hangover and takes his grandmother back to the nursing home, but promises to visit her weekly.
Augie is delighted to find that Rose is in his chemistry class and they become lab partners. Augie's grandmother encourages him to ask her out, and they go to a Halloween party together. Rose starts to have sex with Augie, but Augie soon stops it when he realizes that Rose is high out of her mind. He confronts her and tells her that he wants her but not like this. They both leave the party upset and Augie fears he will never hear from Rose again.
During one of Gertie's escapes, Augie also helps her break out her friend Tunes. Even Diane is pleased to see Tunes, an old "co-worker" of Gertie's from back in the day, with strong mob ties. Tunes reveals that she's dying of terminal cancer. Eventually, Augie talks to Rose and the two get together. Rose apologizes and tells Augie that he was right and she's had feelings for him this whole time. Rose goes away for a vacation to see her family, and when she comes back Augie picks her up in a fancy car borrowed from thug friends of Tunes, and takes her to the fancy restaurant. The two are together and are able to have sex without Rose getting PTSD. The group reunites with Augie's family at Tunes' funeral, which turns out to be a jubilant affair. Augie realizes that he has overcome the majority of his panic attacks thanks to Gertie and his new friends.