Living Upstairs

Rating:
Summary: Ending doesn't do justice to Hansen's sexy, alluring novel.
Review: Approaching it with few expectations, but enticed by the cover, I found Living Upstairs to be a wonderful book, reminiscent of Maupin's Tales of the City and similar novels. It pulls the reader in, draws them along at a fast pace, positively demands that they read on to discover what happens next, and delivers more than adequately. It's a rare novel that's almost impossible to put down for any period of time.

Both the main and supporting characters are colorful and intriguing. Hansen's depiction of the members of this artistic community in 1940s Hollywood is extremely appealing-- sexy, even. I feel with the characters and for them. It is a rare book that manages to produce such a strong physical response in me with such little (yet obviously masterful) description.

Hansen is obviously extremely talented. My single problem is that the almost "cliffhanger" ending doesn't do the book justice. It is the device of cheaper, lower-quality series fiction. The dramatic tension the book builds up to deserves better resolution than the "until next time" attitude of the cliffhanger.

Despite the ending, however, the quality of the rest of the work ensures I will be first in line to recieve the next installment, should there be one. I highly recommend Living Upstairs to anyone seeking polished, sexy, high-quality literature with which to devote, as I did, many consecutive hours of their days.

Rating:
Summary: certainly not the best gay novel of that year
Review: i was a judge for the lambda literary awards in the poetry category during the year this book was nominated. not only was this novel not the best of the five nominees, none of the five nominees was the best book of the year. the best book of that year, and, perhaps, one of the best gay books of the decade, was SEA OF TRANQUILITY by paul russell. read that novel and leave this lightweight winner on the shelf.

Rating:
Summary: A fine achievement in gay fiction.
Review: Not too often are you able to pick up a gay novel without having to wade through an abundance of sex/erotic imagery only to get through a story, as opposed to getting into a story. Though I feel eroticism has it's points and purposes in any fiction, it was refreshing to read about a character that you were made to like before suggesting you lust after him (which comes after.) Nate, our protagonist in Living Upstairs and Jack of Hearts, is believeable, loveable, and painfully innocent. Never before had I felt so much for a fictional character. It was difficult to finish these books without feeling I was losing time with a friend, or simply losing the ability to spy on an infatuation.

Though this is far from the best gay novel, it is surely a worthy contrast to the coma-inducing sexual rants of Edmund White or the unbelievably pretentious worlds of Felice Picano. This novel gives up the goods with a gripping and emotional story mixed with subtle eroticism and all-too-familiar characters. A quick and fun read.