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hunterlikesturtles's review against another edition
4.0
The first 59 pages were a bit slow and i didn’t love the writing style. It gets a lot better after that. There were still some parts that felt slow/ unnecessary/ dragged on a bit. Overall I really enjoyed the books analysis of gay people’s relationships with their parents, its views on aging, and the way it talks about growing and learning. There is a bit of a lack of plot but the individual ideas presented are very interesting.
dunnadam's review against another edition
3.0
Why aren't Holleran's books out as e-books? It's a mystery. Reading this my carpal tunnel flared up so much I can barely lift my arm. Grr...
The book is flawed, I can imagine it was difficult to pen the follow-up to the immensely popular [b:Dancer from the Dance|232431|Dancer from the Dance|Andrew Holleran|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327892295s/232431.jpg|225125], and that kind of shows here. There are moments of five-star brilliance in the middle, and the author is clearly at home in the gay world of New York in the eighties. When he leaves this scene the narrative wanders.
I would imagine the book is called "Nights in Aruba" in an attempt to liven up the dull subject matter. The book has nothing to do with nights in Aruba. It starts out with the author's childhood, surely "days in Aruba" if anything, then moves to his late teens in the army and finally to NYC and visiting his parents in Florida. He visits his parents way too often and attaches far too much meaning to the visits, as he does with most things in his life. The mid-thirties malaise at the end of the book really colours the whole book to an unflattering degree. Childhood through the veil of mid-thirties malaise, not good.
The book starts slow, attains a moment of perfection in the middle, and then comes crashing back down. A watered-down "Suddenly, Last Summer" without the murder. But the middle, classic and brilliant Holleran, is still worth reading the book for.
The book is flawed, I can imagine it was difficult to pen the follow-up to the immensely popular [b:Dancer from the Dance|232431|Dancer from the Dance|Andrew Holleran|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327892295s/232431.jpg|225125], and that kind of shows here. There are moments of five-star brilliance in the middle, and the author is clearly at home in the gay world of New York in the eighties. When he leaves this scene the narrative wanders.
I would imagine the book is called "Nights in Aruba" in an attempt to liven up the dull subject matter. The book has nothing to do with nights in Aruba. It starts out with the author's childhood, surely "days in Aruba" if anything, then moves to his late teens in the army and finally to NYC and visiting his parents in Florida. He visits his parents way too often and attaches far too much meaning to the visits, as he does with most things in his life. The mid-thirties malaise at the end of the book really colours the whole book to an unflattering degree. Childhood through the veil of mid-thirties malaise, not good.
The book starts slow, attains a moment of perfection in the middle, and then comes crashing back down. A watered-down "Suddenly, Last Summer" without the murder. But the middle, classic and brilliant Holleran, is still worth reading the book for.
andbarr_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lilacslasting's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
eriknoteric's review against another edition
4.0
Because of the ravaging effects the AIDS crisis had on the cultural contributions of and in the gay community, so few books exist that accurately and emotionally portray the complexities of aging while queer. Holleran's early aughts reflection on aging, queerness, and family - "Nights in Aruba" - provides a much needs and complicated portrayal of all of these.
Told from the perspective of a gay man who grows up in Aruba, moves with his family to the Florida panhandle, and then, as he begins to understand - and accept - his own sexuality, moves to New York City, this book tracks the emotional journey as this man grows to understand the complications that exist between a gay man who can't discuss his sexuality with his family and his family. What makes the story so rich, though, is the broad take it has on the lifespan in general - speaking to how these complications don't disappear but only become more complicated as our parents age and geographical distances between gay spaces and our hometowns make us more aware of these tensions.
Unfortunately, in a typical Holleran style, he spends too much time taking a condescending tone and providing problematic commentary on gay male sexuality. This seems to be Holleran's tripwire in every book he writes and if he could only get himself away from the incessant demand to shame gay men for their robust sexual lives, his other social commentaries - on aging, family, and AIDs - would stand out as so much richer.
Nonetheless, Holleran's book stands out as a remarkable reflection on a topic too infrequently discussed: how to age, love, and be loved as a gay man.
Told from the perspective of a gay man who grows up in Aruba, moves with his family to the Florida panhandle, and then, as he begins to understand - and accept - his own sexuality, moves to New York City, this book tracks the emotional journey as this man grows to understand the complications that exist between a gay man who can't discuss his sexuality with his family and his family. What makes the story so rich, though, is the broad take it has on the lifespan in general - speaking to how these complications don't disappear but only become more complicated as our parents age and geographical distances between gay spaces and our hometowns make us more aware of these tensions.
Unfortunately, in a typical Holleran style, he spends too much time taking a condescending tone and providing problematic commentary on gay male sexuality. This seems to be Holleran's tripwire in every book he writes and if he could only get himself away from the incessant demand to shame gay men for their robust sexual lives, his other social commentaries - on aging, family, and AIDs - would stand out as so much richer.
Nonetheless, Holleran's book stands out as a remarkable reflection on a topic too infrequently discussed: how to age, love, and be loved as a gay man.