Leni Zumas's writing crackles. Her books are sharp, bleak, funny, and possibly dangerous. When her collection of short stories, Farewell Navigator,...
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Amazingly written with depth and breadth. The author's writing is so descriptive, the events and characters come alive. Throughout the sad, nostalgic, yearning novel, the reader truly connects with the protagonist and feels him. Excellent coming of age story.
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(7 of 12 readers found this comment helpful)
It was a light read. The author cleverly weaved the back-story into the novel as it unfolds.
I'm uncertain why some location details were correctly relayed while others were not -- Wheaton Plaza was described fairly accurately, while University of Maryland's McKeldin library was called McKibbie. Either stick with the facts or make it all up -- don't mix and match. The inaccuracies pulled me out of the story.
Also, the author makes it seem like Hal and Chuck are continents apart rather than a quick trip around the beltway. College Park and Wheaton are, what, 20 minutes away from each other!?!
Chuck's character felt inauthentic -- too much of a gay sensibility. Hal's "love" interest sounds more like a gay fantasy v. reality.
I think it was obvious that the author was not of the generation he was writing about -- i.e., too old.
It was cute fluff and, I believe, written with the notion of making it into Mr. Sloan's next gay short movie.
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(5 of 8 readers found this comment helpful)
It was obvious that the author is not gay. The protagonist's internal dialogue did not seem authentic -- e.g., he seemed too sexually charged/satisfied with sexual relationships with women. Also, he was extraordinarily neurotic.
I felt some of the situations described in the novel were odd and disturbing and did not add any real value -- e.g., the bodily excretion scene between the two leads.
Oliver's character was not fully developed. Here was a handsome, charming, gadfly man who is described as being able to have anyone he pleases and is somehow inexplicitly attracted to this neurotic, shy, boy. The relationship between the two felt like Elio had an unhealthy fixation rather than a mutually-shared affection.
Many times I felt the author was trying to impress the reader with his vocabulary than tell a story -- i.e., use a "big" word when a "small" word would have been satisfactory.
Finally, it was a variation of a story we've seen/read many times before -- the emotionally immature, lonely, and lost gay boy who is still emotionally-stunted, lonely, and lost as an adult -- Oliver's character gets to grow up, but Elio doesn't.
All that being said, it was emotionally moving -- not so much because of the writing, but because of the loss and loneliness of the lead character as well as him never being able to move on or find love as an adult.
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(16 of 36 readers found this comment helpful)
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shoppingforstuff has commented on (3) products.
A Boy's Own Story (Modern Library)
shoppingforstuff, February 18, 2007
Amazingly written with depth and breadth. The author's writing is so descriptive, the events and characters come alive. Throughout the sad, nostalgic, yearning novel, the reader truly connects with the protagonist and feels him. Excellent coming of age story.(7 of 12 readers found this comment helpful)
Tale of Two Summers by Brian Sloan
shoppingforstuff, February 10, 2007
It was a light read. The author cleverly weaved the back-story into the novel as it unfolds.I'm uncertain why some location details were correctly relayed while others were not -- Wheaton Plaza was described fairly accurately, while University of Maryland's McKeldin library was called McKibbie. Either stick with the facts or make it all up -- don't mix and match. The inaccuracies pulled me out of the story.
Also, the author makes it seem like Hal and Chuck are continents apart rather than a quick trip around the beltway. College Park and Wheaton are, what, 20 minutes away from each other!?!
Chuck's character felt inauthentic -- too much of a gay sensibility. Hal's "love" interest sounds more like a gay fantasy v. reality.
I think it was obvious that the author was not of the generation he was writing about -- i.e., too old.
It was cute fluff and, I believe, written with the notion of making it into Mr. Sloan's next gay short movie.
(5 of 8 readers found this comment helpful)
Call Me By Your Name (07 Edition) by Andre Aciman
shoppingforstuff, February 10, 2007
It was obvious that the author is not gay. The protagonist's internal dialogue did not seem authentic -- e.g., he seemed too sexually charged/satisfied with sexual relationships with women. Also, he was extraordinarily neurotic.I felt some of the situations described in the novel were odd and disturbing and did not add any real value -- e.g., the bodily excretion scene between the two leads.
Oliver's character was not fully developed. Here was a handsome, charming, gadfly man who is described as being able to have anyone he pleases and is somehow inexplicitly attracted to this neurotic, shy, boy. The relationship between the two felt like Elio had an unhealthy fixation rather than a mutually-shared affection.
Many times I felt the author was trying to impress the reader with his vocabulary than tell a story -- i.e., use a "big" word when a "small" word would have been satisfactory.
Finally, it was a variation of a story we've seen/read many times before -- the emotionally immature, lonely, and lost gay boy who is still emotionally-stunted, lonely, and lost as an adult -- Oliver's character gets to grow up, but Elio doesn't.
All that being said, it was emotionally moving -- not so much because of the writing, but because of the loss and loneliness of the lead character as well as him never being able to move on or find love as an adult.
(16 of 36 readers found this comment helpful)