Like People in History

Rating:
Summary: Forgettable....in fact I think I have!
Review: ...I read this endless book over a holiday in Mexico this past year. Think of Crystal and Alexa from the campy television show Dynasty, and you have the lives and depth of these two characters. I wish I could say it was trashy fun, and maybe it would have been if it had been severely edited. If you want to read someone who can accurately chronicle gay lives, read Andrew Holleran's Dancer from the Dance, The Beauty of Men, and his collection of short stories, In September the Light Changes. He is a master storyteller, and very adept at creating sympathetic and real characters.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Book
Review: As a 20-something, I find it fascinating to read or hear about the lives of gay men during the last century. Picano weaves an intricate tale of the two cousins Roger and Alistair, about how their lives intersected at pivotal points in our shared gay history. I especially enjoyed the scenes set on Fire Island - though only a generation removed, the fun they depicted seems from another world. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the glbt movement in the latter half of the 20th century, and how remaining loyal and diligent to friendships can make a difference in our lives.

Rating:
Summary: Why we need Felice Picano
Review: Every culture seeks writers to chronicle history. The last century exploded with changes in the perception of gay men (by outsiders as well as among gay men), climaxing in Stonewall. All of the events, movements, madness, sexual freedom and the catastrophy of AIDS need documentation AND novelization and who can do this better than Felice Picano, Andrew Holleran, Edmund White, Alan Hollingshurst, Jim Grimsley, to name only a few. In PEOPLE LIKE HISTORY Picano takes all of this on, molds the history into characters who are unforgetable, and in doing so he makes us examine the past and look carefully at the future. This is an important (and very enjoyable) novel.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Book
Review: I read this book right after it came out and fell in love with it. So much so, that I purchased several copies and mailed them to my friends as XMas gifts. While some topical devices are incorrect, this is a great read. When Matt died, I really cried. Allister is the typical bitchy queen one sees so often and Roger seems to be an observer more than a participant in many of the novel's adventures. All in all a great read and one worth making into a film.

Rating:
Summary: A BIG JUICY WHOPPING OPUS
Review: LIKE PEOPLE IN HISTORY is a meaty epic spanning 40 years and which chronicles the ups and downs of a love/hate/envy relationship between gorgeous and charismatic cousins Roger and Alistair. These boys are sooooo in the very thick of things that this juicy plot-driven novel also serves as a overall history of a lost gay generation. Wherever there's a place to be these boys are THERE - Woodstock, Fire Island, The 'A' list parties, ACT-UP, you name it. This book is also about changing over time and with age - maturing and adapting. Accomplished author Picano pours a wealth of drama, melodrama, and humor into this VERY absorbing pot boiler. Loose yourself in these pages...it's lotsa fun.

Rating:
Summary: Implausible trash I couldn't put down
Review: Like people in history IS certainly campny and to a degree, not very believable; nonetheless, it chronicles major events in (gay) history: the pre-Stonewall sixties, followed by the revolution and the disco-glam culture, followed by the remorse, apathy, regret and reflection of the nineties and AIDS. It certainly is not a believable book in that it isn't dealing with the average gay man's life. Nonetheless, for gay men who want to know where we come from, and what we have endured, the book is exellent in giving a broad overview of the final decades of the 20th century.

Rating:
Summary: Not Picano's best
Review: Like People in History is really not what I thought it would be. It is grand to be certain. It is epic for sure. But is it really good? No. And this is unfortunate. I am a rabid fan of Picano's based on only one of his works: The Lure. Unfortunately, LPIH and The Lure seem to have been written by two different people. LPIH's Picano has obviously seen too much Dynasty, 90210, and other late night soaps. This is a superficial work. The characters lack any real human depth that was so very present in The Lure. I wasn't repulsed or turned off by the characters in LPIH; actually, I just didn't care about them at all.

It took me a while to read this book, not because it is long (which it is - in my opinion, too long), but because it didn't grab me. With The Lure, I literally could not put the book down. The characters in that book are so engaging and believable that I was completely immersed in the rich tapestry he wove.

I found that with LPIH, I felt sadness while I read it, but not for the characters, rather for the author, who seemed to have not really cared for his own characters.

I'm sorry Felice. I'm a huge fan, just not of this book.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable reading, yet very disturbing and thought provoking
Review: Roger is not my idea of a nice gay guy. I came out in the 80's and I am happy to have missed to drug and drag and orgy and open relationship scenes. Yet I know a number of people who lived through the period--and who are still alive to tell!

The main character is a clueless soul mislead and generally misguided by a conceited cousin Alstair. I found myself having a lot of difficulty liking either of these two men, especially the way they wound up messing with beautiful Matthew.

Okay, I laughed a lot. The story can be downright funny and erotic at the same time. Nonetheless I went through various bouts of depression --along with Roger -- and sadness. I identified a great deal with Roger when he said that he really, really loved Matt. However, he simply could not bring himself to say it to him. Roger could not admit to anyone, at a certain point in his life, that they were his center and heart. This minor problem cost him the love of his life and years of heartbreak and pain.

This is a good book for people wanting a slice of gay life since the 50's. It provides perspectives as well as lessons in love, life and coming to grips with being a gay individual.

Rating:
Summary: Unforgettable
Review: This is an update to my review of December, 1998. I read this book five years ago, and still I consider it one of my all-time favorite books. I have recommended it to just about everyone I know. Give it a try! You won't be disappointed! Other books I would like to recommend are Frontiers by Michael Jensen, Funny Boy by Shyam Selvadurai, Lawnboy by Paul Lisicky, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon, and Dream Boy by Michael Grimsley. The text of my previous review 12/28/98 is below:

This is one of those books that when you're finished, you wish you weren't! The characters are realistic, the dialogue is believable, and the plot totally engaging! It also helps us put "our" history into some perspective. It was interesting for me to compare being gay in the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's. I loved the characters in this book. You will recognize all of them. Don't let the length of this book scare you away - it's worth it, and you'll be wishing for more! His writing style takes a little getting used to as he jumps back and forth between time periods, but you'll get used to it! After I've read most books, I give them away to friends. This is one of those books that I can't bear to give up. It will have a place on my bookshelf forever. Oh, by the way, I read this book in the summer of 1996 ! :>

Rating:
Summary: Unforgettable
Review: This is an update to my review of December, 1998. I read this book five years ago, and still I consider it one of my all-time favorite books. I have recommended it to just about everyone I know. Give it a try! You won't be disappointed! Other books I would like to recommend are Frontiers by Michael Jensen, Funny Boy by Shyam Selvadurai, Lawnboy by Paul Lisicky, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon, and Dream Boy by Michael Grimsley. The text of my previous review 12/28/98 is below:

This is one of those books that when you're finished, you wish you weren't! The characters are realistic, the dialogue is believable, and the plot totally engaging! It also helps us put "our" history into some perspective. It was interesting for me to compare being gay in the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's. I loved the characters in this book. You will recognize all of them. Don't let the length of this book scare you away - it's worth it, and you'll be wishing for more! His writing style takes a little getting used to as he jumps back and forth between time periods, but you'll get used to it! After I've read most books, I give them away to friends. This is one of those books that I can't bear to give up. It will have a place on my bookshelf forever. Oh, by the way, I read this book in the summer of 1996 ! :>