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johncairns's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Found it pretty slow to get going on - took me a while to break over the plateau with this book. Also I found it pretty densely written (a mark of the times and a reflection of my reading skills I know) but overall I enjoyed
theaceofpages's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"Night after night, while his mother lay awake waiting nervously for his return, he fought with himself alone on the quiet streets, under the stars or the hiss of summer rain. A walker by night. The struggle went on wearingly, everlastingly, with small promise of victory on either side. The secrecy of his position maddened him, and yet it was a sweet madness. "I am the love that dare not speak its name — shame — name — shame — " the words were an insinuating counterpoint to his feet. The exaltation of his love sent him running, sometimes, along the grass-grown roads at the edge of the village, his arms raised to the sky, his face thirsting for the stars.
Nothing so rich, so filling, so troubling, so goading, could be evil. The world might say what it chose. "He is my lover! He is my lover!" He longed to shout it from the roof-tops — "Behold, world, my lover!" He wept in the grass by the roadside for the blindness, the unfeeling stupidity, the unfairness of the world. He hated them all, the scoffers, the leaden-eyed. He throbbed with the music of rebellion and youth. He clutched his fingers in the cool dark sod and exhausted himself with weeping."
An incredibly important book in queer literature, I have seen this book (amongst others) being described as the first positively gay book. We follow Kurt as he discovers and accepts his sexuality. As a child raised in a religious household, he has always been taught that it's a sin, but he learns how to love fully and truly.
I can only imagine how incredible it must have been to have come across this book as a gay man after it was published (in 1933) and being able to see gay love portrayed as the beautiful thing it is, rather than as the abomination it was taught as. I'm sue this would have helped many man along their own journey of accepting themselves. I did find some parts of the book a little slow (although I'm neither religious nor a musician or in the arts) but I did love seeing Kurt's growth and seeing how his relationship and comfort with men grew over the course of the book. Definitely worth a read (or listen), especially if you are interested in the beginnings of LGBTQ+ literature
Nothing so rich, so filling, so troubling, so goading, could be evil. The world might say what it chose. "He is my lover! He is my lover!" He longed to shout it from the roof-tops — "Behold, world, my lover!" He wept in the grass by the roadside for the blindness, the unfeeling stupidity, the unfairness of the world. He hated them all, the scoffers, the leaden-eyed. He throbbed with the music of rebellion and youth. He clutched his fingers in the cool dark sod and exhausted himself with weeping."
An incredibly important book in queer literature, I have seen this book (amongst others) being described as the first positively gay book. We follow Kurt as he discovers and accepts his sexuality. As a child raised in a religious household, he has always been taught that it's a sin, but he learns how to love fully and truly.
I can only imagine how incredible it must have been to have come across this book as a gay man after it was published (in 1933) and being able to see gay love portrayed as the beautiful thing it is, rather than as the abomination it was taught as. I'm sue this would have helped many man along their own journey of accepting themselves. I did find some parts of the book a little slow (although I'm neither religious nor a musician or in the arts) but I did love seeing Kurt's growth and seeing how his relationship and comfort with men grew over the course of the book. Definitely worth a read (or listen), especially if you are interested in the beginnings of LGBTQ+ literature
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Minor: Toxic relationship, Infidelity, and Religious bigotry
danielshelsel's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
fronksnotdead's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
snowydaze's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
It's really good for the time it was written. Would definitely reccomend because of how relatable some parts are and how beautifully written it is.
zefrog's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Two loves I have of comfort and despair,
Which like two spirits do suggest me still:
The better angel is a man right fair
I can only imagine what it must have been like for a gay man to read such a book as Better Angel when it was published in 1933, and for several decades after that too. Here is the coming-of-age, coming out story of a naïve and idealistic young man, that is affirming and doesn't end in tragedy.
Until the last 30-odd years, before the advent of the Internet and the incredible access to information it offers, books, and novels in particular, have been a central way for young (and not so young) gay men to learn about themselves and others like them. Sadly many of the authors of those books daring to deal with the subject of homosexuality in the face of public disapproval, have felt compelled to make allowances for society's views by leading their heroes and heroines along tortuous dark paths, that all too often end tragically.
Not so with "Richard Meeker". Forman Brown had to resort to the protection of a nom de plume, but as he explains in the epilogue, "(and surprise ending) for the new edition," the book, named after a quote from Shakespeare's sonnet No 144, is largely autobiographical, and the ending was indeed very much the happy one suggested by the book.
<SPOILER>
The story, which is set in the late 1920's and early 1930's, starts during Kurt Gray's early teens, and feels incredibly timeless. He is a reserved only son, that feels isolated by his difficulties to relate to other, "normal," boys, and finds refuge in books, fantasy and, before long, music, which will become his career. This section resonated with my personal experience, as I'm sure it would have with many a reader lucky enough to come across the book.
This is probably the better section of the book, which is linearly divided into four consecutive parts, themselves made up of chapters. As Gray grows older he forms unsatisfactory relationships with a few other gay men until he finally comes together with his true love (though things are (truthfully) not rosy there either) and the narrative increasingly looses focus.
Tony McGauran is an engaging and believable character. A jaded and talented young thespian, he is a proudly promiscuous bisexual man, and the counterpoint to Gray's romantic ideals. Derry Grayling is much less convincing. Although he has a more prominent place in Gray's life, he feels like a sketchy plot devise to move the story along, rather than a fully formed protagonist. Gray has his first sexual encounter and relationship with him, something he promptly mistakes, in his naivety, for love. David Perrier, the true love interest of the story, presented as a conflicted character redeemed by his love for Gray, is also tentatively underwritten though in a lesser extent. It would have been interesting to have more insight into his backstory and point of view.
</SPOILER>
This is not by any means a perfect book, but the writing is good and it presents a believable, engaging story that feels unabashedly addressed to gay men, rather than heterosexual readers. The characters and relationships are shown without embellishments and without pleading for acceptance, as other early gay books can sometimes do.
As Perrier says on page 228, in what is clearly Meeker/Brown's manifesto for the novel, such a book"'s got to be a sort of vindication of our kind of loving, you see. A vindication to the world. Nobody's ever done it, really." Interestingly, all the straight relationships presented in the book are somehow failing. The only excepting being that of Gray's parents, which hardly qualifies as a relationship anyway.
In the last section, the books takes on an almost militant tone, and a jarring rhythm as a result. Meeker/Brown includes a number of episodes that seem artificially tacked on to the story to allow himself the chance to make points about the injustices faced by gay men.
While Meeker/Brown, like Gray, seems to be yearning for some romantic ideal, it is remarkable that, unlike in many other similar books (see for example the contemporaneous The Hustler), there is no slut and/or sissy shaming here. This is perhaps an influence of Edward Carpenter and Havelock Ellis, who are both mentioned in the book.
The book ends with Gray in darkness agreeing to letting a servant put the lights on. This is a symbol of the future Meeker/Brown rightly imagined both for his characters and for himself, but also no doubt for all gay men. Almost 90 years later, there is still much darkness surrounding too many of us, but there is also some light. Better Angel was and remains a bright flicker of hope, particularly with the information provided in the epilogue of the 1990 edition.
Which like two spirits do suggest me still:
The better angel is a man right fair
I can only imagine what it must have been like for a gay man to read such a book as Better Angel when it was published in 1933, and for several decades after that too. Here is the coming-of-age, coming out story of a naïve and idealistic young man, that is affirming and doesn't end in tragedy.
Until the last 30-odd years, before the advent of the Internet and the incredible access to information it offers, books, and novels in particular, have been a central way for young (and not so young) gay men to learn about themselves and others like them. Sadly many of the authors of those books daring to deal with the subject of homosexuality in the face of public disapproval, have felt compelled to make allowances for society's views by leading their heroes and heroines along tortuous dark paths, that all too often end tragically.
Not so with "Richard Meeker". Forman Brown had to resort to the protection of a nom de plume, but as he explains in the epilogue, "(and surprise ending) for the new edition," the book, named after a quote from Shakespeare's sonnet No 144, is largely autobiographical, and the ending was indeed very much the happy one suggested by the book.
<SPOILER>
The story, which is set in the late 1920's and early 1930's, starts during Kurt Gray's early teens, and feels incredibly timeless. He is a reserved only son, that feels isolated by his difficulties to relate to other, "normal," boys, and finds refuge in books, fantasy and, before long, music, which will become his career. This section resonated with my personal experience, as I'm sure it would have with many a reader lucky enough to come across the book.
This is probably the better section of the book, which is linearly divided into four consecutive parts, themselves made up of chapters. As Gray grows older he forms unsatisfactory relationships with a few other gay men until he finally comes together with his true love (though things are (truthfully) not rosy there either) and the narrative increasingly looses focus.
Tony McGauran is an engaging and believable character. A jaded and talented young thespian, he is a proudly promiscuous bisexual man, and the counterpoint to Gray's romantic ideals. Derry Grayling is much less convincing. Although he has a more prominent place in Gray's life, he feels like a sketchy plot devise to move the story along, rather than a fully formed protagonist. Gray has his first sexual encounter and relationship with him, something he promptly mistakes, in his naivety, for love. David Perrier, the true love interest of the story, presented as a conflicted character redeemed by his love for Gray, is also tentatively underwritten though in a lesser extent. It would have been interesting to have more insight into his backstory and point of view.
</SPOILER>
This is not by any means a perfect book, but the writing is good and it presents a believable, engaging story that feels unabashedly addressed to gay men, rather than heterosexual readers. The characters and relationships are shown without embellishments and without pleading for acceptance, as other early gay books can sometimes do.
As Perrier says on page 228, in what is clearly Meeker/Brown's manifesto for the novel, such a book"'s got to be a sort of vindication of our kind of loving, you see. A vindication to the world. Nobody's ever done it, really." Interestingly, all the straight relationships presented in the book are somehow failing. The only excepting being that of Gray's parents, which hardly qualifies as a relationship anyway.
In the last section, the books takes on an almost militant tone, and a jarring rhythm as a result. Meeker/Brown includes a number of episodes that seem artificially tacked on to the story to allow himself the chance to make points about the injustices faced by gay men.
While Meeker/Brown, like Gray, seems to be yearning for some romantic ideal, it is remarkable that, unlike in many other similar books (see for example the contemporaneous The Hustler), there is no slut and/or sissy shaming here. This is perhaps an influence of Edward Carpenter and Havelock Ellis, who are both mentioned in the book.
The book ends with Gray in darkness agreeing to letting a servant put the lights on. This is a symbol of the future Meeker/Brown rightly imagined both for his characters and for himself, but also no doubt for all gay men. Almost 90 years later, there is still much darkness surrounding too many of us, but there is also some light. Better Angel was and remains a bright flicker of hope, particularly with the information provided in the epilogue of the 1990 edition.
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