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craig_knox's review against another edition
3.0
The themes in this book are what kept me reading, rather than the plot. The plot was… hectic (deliberately so) but I found it distracting at times. Maybe that’s the brilliance of it? The themes and questions it raises on love and sex and ageing and queer culture, despite being firmly rooted in the 70s, feel timeless. Like all good books I came away questioning my own life. However, it was a hard read at times and the intricacies of the detail meant it lagged in places. Solid 3 stars.
nielskramer96's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.5
shivani_n's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
the way it’s written is giving very great gatsby, the whole book is written through the lens of the main character’s friend, except in in the great gatsby it proves to be effective but in this it was just kind of useless. i didn’t see the point to this book at all actually, it wasn’t even really a story, just an amalgamation of random moments and thoughts?? i would not recommend.
ricci's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
mil4's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
tyler_machotka's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
cult_consumer's review against another edition
4.0
“Go out dancing tonight, my dear, and go home with someone. And if the love doesn’t last beyond the morning, then know I love you.”
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Dancer from the Dance pins its focus predominantly on two characters : Sutherland, an eclectic hedonist, and boy-wonder Malone who is on a quest for love in New York City’s gay circuit. Examining the nature of “love” in this environment and for the community of men who participate in it, Holleran explores beauty, age, and intention in this “novel-within-a-novel.”
______________________________________________
Mesmeric prose vivid enough to outshine the story itself; Holleran’s characters act as compelling caricatures of stereotypical gay archetypes. I adored the epistolary sections which had me floored from the jump. While I appreciated being transported to and experiencing this particular era, I’m unsure that the story being told about Malone and Sutherland is clear and consistent throughout the novel. To be honest, I could have been sidetracked by the language itself.
Serving Great Expectations with Sutherland an anti-Havisham and Malone a Pip entering into “society” as it was. Something deeply depressing brewing between the lines which I am sure will only continue to bubble as the book sits.
3.5-4. Enjoyed her, would recommend, probably won’t read again. Score may inflate with time!
______________________________________________
Dancer from the Dance pins its focus predominantly on two characters : Sutherland, an eclectic hedonist, and boy-wonder Malone who is on a quest for love in New York City’s gay circuit. Examining the nature of “love” in this environment and for the community of men who participate in it, Holleran explores beauty, age, and intention in this “novel-within-a-novel.”
______________________________________________
Mesmeric prose vivid enough to outshine the story itself; Holleran’s characters act as compelling caricatures of stereotypical gay archetypes. I adored the epistolary sections which had me floored from the jump. While I appreciated being transported to and experiencing this particular era, I’m unsure that the story being told about Malone and Sutherland is clear and consistent throughout the novel. To be honest, I could have been sidetracked by the language itself.
Serving Great Expectations with Sutherland an anti-Havisham and Malone a Pip entering into “society” as it was. Something deeply depressing brewing between the lines which I am sure will only continue to bubble as the book sits.
3.5-4. Enjoyed her, would recommend, probably won’t read again. Score may inflate with time!
umisuki's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
4.75
Restless and decadent. Lush and immersive prose. So much charisma and honesty. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Though it’s a product of its time, so the perspective is very white, cis, and 1970s. Tread carefully.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use and Drug abuse