Synopses & Reviews
A classic, hilarious coming out novel about growing up in the 1960s—can Benson be both gay and Catholic? Gay and happy? What do you do when you're fat, 14, and your obsessions include the Catholic Church, doing the right thing, scones and sweets, and other boys and their private parts? Well, if you're Benson, you panic and flee, hiding from the flesh as a novice in a monastery. Alas, St. Finbar's monastery is as full of temptation as the grammar school he'd left behind. The devils of desire find Benson once again and throw him back into the world from which hed tried to escape. Returned to school, Benson is still trying to square the circle of his conflicting enthusiasms and desires. This comic epic is a warm, funny, and bold reminder of just how new, and superficial, sexual tolerance in contemporary society really is.
Review
"Makes you want to cheer." —New Yorker
Review
"A gay Adrian Mole . . . the funniest book Ive read all year." —Simon Callow
Review
"[A] wonderful and maddening coming-of-age novel" —Publishers Weekly
Review
"A story that makes you want to cheer for the hero." —Publishers Weekly
Review
"Its a happy thing to have this thought-provoking book back in print to become discovered by a whole new generation of readers." —Booklist Online
Review
"Timeless...the author has us laughing and crying at the same time." — Reviews By Amos Lassen.com
Synopsis
The classic and classy gay comedy about how Benson comes out after many experiences first in the garage where the gear he is interested is not mechanical or chemical. Then he is sent to learn to be a monk which makes him a permanent temptation for the older brothers who lust for fresh meat in a most unBiblical way. A great book with a new introduction by Simon Callow.
Synopsis
A classic, hilarious coming out novel about growing up in the 1960s--can Benson be both gay and Catholic? Gay and happy? What do you do when you're fat, 14, and your obsessions include the Catholic Church, doing the right thing, scones and sweets, and other boys and their private parts? Well, if you're Benson, you panic and flee, hiding from the flesh as a novice in a monastery. Alas, St. Finbar's monastery is as full of temptation as the grammar school he'd left behind. The devils of desire find Benson once again and throw him back into the world from which he'd tried to escape. Returned to school, Benson is still trying to square the circle of his conflicting enthusiasms and desires. This comic epic is a warm, funny, and bold reminder of just how new, and superficial, sexual tolerance in contemporary society really is.
About the Author
Michael Carson's previous novels include Stripping Penguins Bare and Yanking Up The Yo-Yo. Michael Cashman is a former actor, a Labor politician, and a Member of the European Parliament. Simon Callow is an actor and the author of Orson Welles: Volumes 1 and 2.