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akring's review against another edition
2.0
A Boys Own Story by Edmund White
2 stars
The narrator is a teenage boy growing up in blue collar America in the 1940's or 50's. Things around him are changing and he doesn't know what to do, mainly with is sexuality. He isn't the only one at the time trying to deal with being gay but this is his story. After coming to terms with his reliance on his mother he convinces his father to send him to boarding school where he tries desperately to fit in but after a year he hasn't gotten much further of fitting in.
I finished this a couple days ago and have been debating on what to say in terms of a review. I'm not sure how I honestly felt about this one. I didn't like it as much as other books that I have read recently. It was at one point quite descriptive on certain aspects of a sexual relationship between two men but overall wasn't terrible but wasn't great either. I am finding that I have having a hard time finding books on the 1001 list that I actually find enjoyable. All of them that I have read recently have been terrible!
2 stars
The narrator is a teenage boy growing up in blue collar America in the 1940's or 50's. Things around him are changing and he doesn't know what to do, mainly with is sexuality. He isn't the only one at the time trying to deal with being gay but this is his story. After coming to terms with his reliance on his mother he convinces his father to send him to boarding school where he tries desperately to fit in but after a year he hasn't gotten much further of fitting in.
I finished this a couple days ago and have been debating on what to say in terms of a review. I'm not sure how I honestly felt about this one. I didn't like it as much as other books that I have read recently. It was at one point quite descriptive on certain aspects of a sexual relationship between two men but overall wasn't terrible but wasn't great either. I am finding that I have having a hard time finding books on the 1001 list that I actually find enjoyable. All of them that I have read recently have been terrible!
goldenfox96's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I think this is my first jump into lgbt focused literature. I really wanted to explore the experience of others within the gay community and happened upon this novel pretty quickly.
Edmund White has a nice style of writing. I liked how each chapter seemed self contained and explored a different part of his adolescence. Although it didn’t read chronologically and jumped here and there, it suited the narrative he was driving and explored different phases in his sexual awakening.
In saying that, I’m not sure what the narrative achieved in the end. What did Edmund learn, how did he perceive himself and his actions? There’s a moment near the end where he talks about the characters after the events of the novel, but it honestly doesn’t seem like an ending. It’s a conclusion without any resolution to the internal conflicts faced by Edmund. We don’t really know where he stands with his sexuality, if he approves of it, and how the events of the novels influenced his idea of what being a gay man meant.
Based on real events, I’m alarmed by some of the experiences Edmund manages to go through during adolescence, and how easy they came upon him. It made for an interesting read, but I wonder if his experiences were the outlier of the average American homosexual man’s experience during the 50’s. I can’t say I related to them at least.
Anyway, overall, it was a fun read. Good to see another gay man’s story respective and how sexuality directed and influenced their life, even if I’m still unsure what it is I just read.
Edmund White has a nice style of writing. I liked how each chapter seemed self contained and explored a different part of his adolescence. Although it didn’t read chronologically and jumped here and there, it suited the narrative he was driving and explored different phases in his sexual awakening.
In saying that, I’m not sure what the narrative achieved in the end. What did Edmund learn, how did he perceive himself and his actions? There’s a moment near the end where he talks about the characters after the events of the novel, but it honestly doesn’t seem like an ending. It’s a conclusion without any resolution to the internal conflicts faced by Edmund. We don’t really know where he stands with his sexuality, if he approves of it, and how the events of the novels influenced his idea of what being a gay man meant.
Based on real events, I’m alarmed by some of the experiences Edmund manages to go through during adolescence, and how easy they came upon him. It made for an interesting read, but I wonder if his experiences were the outlier of the average American homosexual man’s experience during the 50’s. I can’t say I related to them at least.
Anyway, overall, it was a fun read. Good to see another gay man’s story respective and how sexuality directed and influenced their life, even if I’m still unsure what it is I just read.
cameron_fss's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
spicy_g's review against another edition
3.0
This book is pretty much like the description below. Edmund went through a lot on his way to becoming himself. Such a touch era to be in. I like how it's written from his perspective as a youth. Or at least I read it that way.
colofj's review against another edition
3.0
Incredible talent with words and brilliant fluency of description but such an erratic and meandering mess of half-told stories that I had to sometimes force myself to read to get through it. It’s on so many lists, I wanted to like it more.
isabelgracce's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
timothyjmcl's review against another edition
4.0
White’s writing is beautiful, but the novel suffers from a lack of setting. The author tries to paint a very specific, personal account of his childhood, but without naming the place(s) he grew up or the time period. I suppose that’s meant to make the story seem universal, but that seems like the opposite of White’s goal. That said, the prose is gorgeous, the characters all richly drawn and the plot is sprawling but engrossing.
tomleetang's review against another edition
4.0
Crafts introspection out of solipsism. The imagery is almost ludicrously grandiloquent, but the purple prose also seems to function as a distancing mechanism, so that the intimate and honest sexual confessions don't become overly maudlin.
amyw_97's review against another edition
4.0
It was a pretty good book. At the beginning, there is a relatively graphic scene. However, having read Dennis Cooper's books, I wasn't too phased, but others may feel uncomfortable reading it. The writing is beautiful, I am looking into reading more of Edmund White's works. However, I feel that at times, the description of situations smothered me and was drawn out. Other times, I felt it suited and described what was happening beautifully. I like the comparison he draws with "...density and tedium and its concealed passion, never divined or expressed, the dull brown geode that eats at itself with quartz teeth?", when speaking about his own sexuality.
faintgirl's review against another edition
3.0
It's over a month since I finished A Boy's Own Story, and although I remember quite enjoying it, it turns out that I've forgotten almost everything about it, aside the the bits that can be gleaned from the back cover. Not any of the characters, events or language. I had a quick flick through and nope...nothing.
I don't have the best memory these days and there's a lot going on but still - not much of a recommendation for a book!
I don't have the best memory these days and there's a lot going on but still - not much of a recommendation for a book!