The Wild Man

Rating:
Summary: Torrid, Like a Tango
Review: "The Wild Man" is Patricia Nell Warren's eighth novel-a reworking of a first novel draft set aside thirty years ago because it wasn't "ready." What we have now is the product of Warren's three decades of observing Spanish and American cultural evolution as influenced by such conflicting forces as the gay liberation movement and the growing noise-and power-of the "silent majority." Her book is a mature work of insight and import as well as a story of passionate romance, intrigue, and character.

Framed in today's Los Angeles, the story flashes back to the waning years of fascist ruler, Generalisimo Franco. Spain has not changed much in centuries, and Spanish homosexuals bitterly recall the anal torture and murder of the great modern playwright, Garcia Lorca, by government goons. But change is in the wind. Closeted gays have heard of Stonewall and Soho. The free speech movement and religious reform have even begun to erode the ages-old family and church absolutism. In this arena Antonio Escudero, a wealthy, thirty-year old bullfighter on a come back, must stand his ground-against state, community, and family--for Antonio is gay, and though his only homosexual experiences have been during foreign travel, he's suddenly obsessed with Juan, a proud peasant who loves him but cannot get beyond the wealth, education, and fame that separate them.

Warren's novel is rich in conflict, suspense, character, and romance. Her portrayal of fascist Spain is solid history and an ominous warning in these times of Christian Coalition politics-a theme she emphasizes in lectures and articles as well as in her fiction. The conflicts are many: between democracy and dictatorship; rich and poor; elders and youth; traditional and "yeah-yeah" Catholicism; concepts of sex roles, marriage, and propriety; and gay and straight sexuality. But the greatest conflict lies within Antonio and Juan, who are torn by culturally instilled notions of honor, respect, and manliness. Complicate all that with family jealousies, manipulations, zealotry, and an integral love story of two women. To tell more would give too much away.

But can a lesbian write authentic man-on-man romance? Absolutely. Warren has written about masculine, gay athletes in other novels, including her international best sellers, "The Front Runner," nd "Harlan's Race." Her youth on a Montana ranch and over a decade within the inner circle of Spanish bullfight aficionados give her a rare understanding of male sensibilities. Yet her female acumen knows that desire is more delectable than "the achieve of, the mastery of the thing."

"The Wild Man" is tantalizing, sometimes bringing the feverish lovers almost together, then frustrating them by interruptions. No cheap thrills here; but sex at its best: lustful, passionate, fulfilling; steeped in heart, soul, and blood. "The Wild Man" is torrid, like a tango; spell binding, like a bullfight. It may be Ms. Warren's masterpiece.

Rating:
Summary: It's a Romance Novel, and a Damn Good One, Too!
Review: amazon.com's editorial reviewer complains that The Wild Man too often reads like a romance novel. DUH! It IS a romance novel, among other things . . . the best romance novel I've ever read.

I can't say enough good things about this book. I'm about halfway through, and I love it, love it, LOVE IT . . . the mix of romance, religion, history, environmentalism, feminism, the bullfighting metaphors, and especially the underlying message that lesbians and gay men need one another to survive in a hostile world. The difficult love scenes between Juan and Don Antonio ring so true! I never dreamed women understood about gay men who refuse to kiss and who won't accept the sexually passive role because it isn't "manly," but Ms. Warren understands, and she dares to write about it here. And she is courageous in addressing physical abuse in gay relationships (i. e. the characters of Josefina and Sera). I picked up this book after reading James M. Cain's extremely homophobic novel "Serendade," which is set in Mexico. This book is the anecdote to that one . . . it's like a breath of fresh air.

I'm reading it now as a library lend, but I plan to buy The Wild Man as soon as I can afford to do it. It fairly cries out to be made into a movie! I can practically hear the flamenco guitars on the soundtrack.

Rating:
Summary: It's a Romance Novel, and a Damn Good One, Too!
Review: amazon.com's editorial reviewer complains that The Wild Man too often reads like a romance novel. DUH! It IS a romance novel, among other things . . . the best romance novel I've ever read.

I can't say enough good things about this book. I'm about halfway through, and I love it, love it, LOVE IT . . . the mix of romance, religion, history, environmentalism, feminism, the bullfighting metaphors, and especially the underlying message that lesbians and gay men need one another to survive in a hostile world. The difficult love scenes between Juan and Don Antonio ring so true! I never dreamed women understood about gay men who refuse to kiss and who won't accept the sexually passive role because it isn't "manly," but Ms. Warren understands, and she dares to write about it here. And she is courageous in addressing physical abuse in gay relationships (i. e. the characters of Josefina and Sera). I picked up this book after reading James M. Cain's extremely homophobic novel "Serendade," which is set in Mexico. This book is the anecdote to that one . . . it's like a breath of fresh air.

I'm reading it now as a library lend, but I plan to buy The Wild Man as soon as I can afford to do it. It fairly cries out to be made into a movie! I can practically hear the flamenco guitars on the soundtrack.

Rating:
Summary: Patricia Nell Warren has done it again
Review: Having been a fan of "The Front Runner" and many of Ms. Warrens's other books, I ordered "The Wild Man' as soon as I learned of its availability.
The author bookmarked this tale with what, at the beginning, seems to be a personal account of her meeting with the protagonist. Her story starts out in a bull ring, where after a successul kill, we meet a matador in his final days of glory...When a handsome young butcher is pressed against him outside of the bull ring, my juices started to rise. Not for a moment does she let the killing suspense stop. At times I hated her for what was happening to the characters, but in the end, all was forgiven. A remarkable tale which I recommend with no reservations whatsoever.

Rating:
Summary: How can this woman know?
Review: I'll keep it short, but this book is so captivating, you can't put it down when it is bedtime. How she knows the little nuances of male sex is beyond me. I also admire her ability to describe her surroundings (ala Louie l'Amour). She certainly captured my attention early and held it there to the end.

Rating:
Summary: Love and Death in the Afternoon
Review: In Spain, the rapturous fans toss carnations into the ring at their favorite toreadors. Let this be my electronic carnation to Patricia Nell Warren for writing such a beautiful and powerful novel as "The Wild Man." (My review title is of course a play on Hemingway's famous book about bullfighting, and Warren, a Montana ranch girl who spent years in Spain as a journalist watching the "corrida," knows her bulls.) Most would have doubted that Warren would ever equal, let alone surpass, her legendary novel "The Front Runner," published 27 years ago. But I think "The Wild Man" will come to be recognized as her greatest work (to date anyway; Warren, a vigorous 65, has declared her intention to keep writing until age 102 at least!). I am disappointed, by the way, that so many reviewers have given away crucial plot developments and resolutions in this harrowingly suspenseful novel. Be warned: read other reviews at your own risk if you don't like spoilers! Warren has that natural-born, page-turning storyteller's gift that so many elite-anointed "literary" writers couldn't dredge up if their lives depended on it. That and Warren's popular bestsellerdom may account for such snubs as the outrageous omission of "The Front Runner" from a recent list of "100 best gay novels" compiled by a clubby group of "elite" gay (mostly male) writers and reviewers. In any event, "The Wild Man" is far more than an entertaining "popular" novel, just as Warren is far more than a mere "popular" novelist as some would classify her. Her account of this fictional love affair set in fascist 1960s Spain between Antonio, a famous but closeted gay bullfighter, and Juan, a working-class youth with a special touch for animals and a burning desire to be a veterinarian, is the best exploration of the macho male heart that I have ever read. It's as soaringly lyrical an evocation of romantic love as "The Front Runner," but also (like "Harlan's Race," Warren's underappreciated sequel to "The Front Runner") darker, more mature, more revealing of the violence lurking at the heart of such strong emotions. Perhaps it takes an Earth Mother feminist like Warren to probe the male psyche so expertly, and to write a novel of such erotic intensity without obsessing over the pornographic mechanics of sex. Warren, though she has long identified as lesbian, was married to a man for many years and has been soul-friends with many gay men since. She knows us better than we know ourselves. And indeed, without giving away any plot points, Warren interweaves Earth Mother spirituality into this story in a way that will both entrance and educate many of her readers. But this never becomes didactic, and does not detract from the ferocious dramatic force of this novel, which had me up till 3 am two nights in a row, falling asleep in strange contortions on my living room sofa, as I literally could not put it down.

Rating:
Summary: Another Warren novel to cherish
Review: Just a few days before writing this review, I received the honor of meeting Patricia Nell Warren in San Diego and having her sign a copy of The Wild Man. I breezed through it, admiring her sense of how history and tradition often overpower reason, and her sense of how to choose incredibly descriptive and evocative details. Warren's closing "Notes and Acknowledgments" offer surprising insights into an already unforgettable reading experience. I've yet to read a novel by this beloved author that I don't cherish, but this one may well be my favorite.

(Duane Simolke's books include The Acorn Stories, Degranon, and New Readings of Winesburg, Ohio.)

Rating:
Summary: Legendary Author' Best Novel
Review: Patricia Nell Warren is a legendary icon in gay literature. Her landmark novel "The Front Runner" has captivated over 10 million readers in two generation since its publication in 1974. It has been published in ten languages.

Warren's newest novel, "The Wild Man" is argueably her greatest novel. The saga is set in fascist Spain in the late 1960s during the reign of Franco. The book is captivating. Once your read the first twelve pages you are hooked. The story revolves around a gay bullfighter, Antonio Escuedero, poised on the verge of retirement. A chance encounter with a peasant, Juan Diano Rodriguez, who has a unique ability to raise animals, leads to an unthinkable love story in an oppressive environment. The story is deepend through the relationship of Antonio and his twin sister, Jose, who is a lesbian with a hidden love life of her own.

Warren has often come under for writing about men. "The Wild Man" is proof that she writes drmaticly about women as she does about men. Once again, however, she is able to get into the emotions and psyche of gay men in a way that is unique in glbt literature.

Though set in Fascist Spain, Warren points out in the Notes and Acknowledgement section that follows the novel, that the increasing power of the religious right spells needed concern. Liberties fought for valiently can be easily lost if not carefully guarded.

"The Wild Man" is an excellent book. It is a quick read, a glimpse into a distant time and culture and a great deal of fun....

Rating:
Summary: A Legend Returns
Review: Patricia Nell Warren wrote the definitive gay novel obver 20 years ago with her landmark novel THE FRONT RUNNER. With The Wild Man, Warren again gets into the heads of gay men ever with a tale of love, desire, and the longing we all share to find the love of our life and make it work.

The title stems from the love interest, the story is told form the point of view of the central character, a bull fighter in Spain in the 1960s.

What makes this story so special is that Warren started it in the 1960s when she lived in Spain. It is only now that she felt she was ready to fully tell the story.

It reads like a piece of finely researched biography, travelling through almost four decades of growth, pain, love and harmony!

This is a must read for any one who loves gay fiction!

Rating:
Summary: Wild Man is in my Top Ten -- Unbelievable !!
Review: Wow, I didn't think Ms. Warren could ever top "The Front Runner". But then comes "The Wild Man". Truly an amazing book, neck-and-neck with Mary Renault's "The Persian Boy". The best words to describe this book are in her book itself, so get it and read it. And don't make the mistake of passing over the Author's Prologue -- this little bit at the beginning of the book sets the stage for the entire novel.