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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
I only understood about half of what was going on but I still think this should be studied in high school instead of Fitzgerald
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“They faced each other at opposite ends of an illusion.”
fair warning that this book drips with racial fetishization/weird rhetoric. aside from that, holleran does write beautiful, descriptive prose. the second half of chapter 3 was my favorite part of the book and it set up malone’s character well.
fair warning that this book drips with racial fetishization/weird rhetoric. aside from that, holleran does write beautiful, descriptive prose. the second half of chapter 3 was my favorite part of the book and it set up malone’s character well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Racism, Suicide
Minor: Antisemitism
Reading about pre-AIDS New York City queer nightlife will never cease to amaze, intrigue, and inspire. As a child of the '90's, faced with the only mentions of queerness on the news or in the newspaper being tragic and sorrowful, diving into the before-times is healing. I found Holleran's characters full and honest, and their escapades were exciting and heartbreaking. The craving for community, the freedom of letting it all out on the dance floor, and the rocky quest to balance the want for instant validation in connection versus lasting connection were cathartic to read about. These tropes, at least judging by my queer experience, are timeless, and that hurts and heals.
my edition had the quote, “an astonishingly beautiful book. the best gay novel written by anyone of our generation” on the cover from harper’s magazine. i think a better description would be the best white cis-man gay novel. it only referenced an extremely small part of the gay community, which was the point to be fair. but in terms of way the novel treats race and gender—it’s definitely a product of its time (a bit racist and misogynistic). beautiful prose and seems to be self aware in respect to the superficiality of the story and writing though!
Trust me, I really, really wanted to like this book. I’ve seen it referred to as ‘the Gay Gatsby’ - how could I possibly not love it?! Well reader, I did not. In fact, I ended up disliking it and found it a real, difficult slog to finish.
The novel revolves around the lives of Malone and Sutherland, two very different characters who form an unlikely friendship on the queer scene of New York in the 1970s. I appreciated this post-Stonewall, pre-AIDS window into life for the queer community, as I think that is a really interesting period of modern history. However, this was about all that I found interesting in the book.
Malone spends the whole book pining for love (then avoids it like the plague when any is offered); Sutherland ignores his friend’s sadness and takes him to some extravagant, yet soulless, party full of drink and drugs instead. Rinse and repeat. For the entire book. I was unconvinced by the friendship between the pair, which seemed totally superficial, and I did not warm to either of them at all.
The sheer monotony and repetition of the book was so frustrating. For pages and pages, Sutherland just lists off inconsequential characters and some bizarre anecdote about their sex lives. They dance. Everyone has sex, or talks about sex. They dance. Whilst I can appreciate that Holleran was encapsulating a specific moment of hedonism and extravagance, this book just felt like a party that you can’t wait to leave.
The novel revolves around the lives of Malone and Sutherland, two very different characters who form an unlikely friendship on the queer scene of New York in the 1970s. I appreciated this post-Stonewall, pre-AIDS window into life for the queer community, as I think that is a really interesting period of modern history. However, this was about all that I found interesting in the book.
Malone spends the whole book pining for love (then avoids it like the plague when any is offered); Sutherland ignores his friend’s sadness and takes him to some extravagant, yet soulless, party full of drink and drugs instead. Rinse and repeat. For the entire book. I was unconvinced by the friendship between the pair, which seemed totally superficial, and I did not warm to either of them at all.
The sheer monotony and repetition of the book was so frustrating. For pages and pages, Sutherland just lists off inconsequential characters and some bizarre anecdote about their sex lives. They dance. Everyone has sex, or talks about sex. They dance. Whilst I can appreciate that Holleran was encapsulating a specific moment of hedonism and extravagance, this book just felt like a party that you can’t wait to leave.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I felt a spiritual connection to the main character Malone. His search for love, his yearning, him wandering the streets of New York like a lost soul, it all really resonated with me. And Sutherland was of course a delight to read about.
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced