- Hardcover: 200 pages
- Publisher: Subterranean Press; Signed edition (August 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1931081670
- ISBN-13: 978-1931081672
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15.5 x 2.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 431 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #835,651 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
New Orleans native Brite has a number of horror novels to her credit and is a minor cult figure in goth kid circles (she is also the author of Courtney Love: The Real Story). Her latest novel is a rose-tinted gay coming-of-age story set on the mean streets of New Orleans' rundown Lower Ninth Ward. The son of hardworking blue-collar Catholic parents, 16-year-old Gary Stubbs is growing increasingly troubled by his sexual feelings for John Rickey, his best friend since childhood. Rickey, living with his divorced mom, takes the realization that he himself is gay in stride, but he is afraid his feelings are not reciprocated by Gary... Brite's novel is clumsy feel-good pulp, but its artless sweetness is a welcome respite from more jaded gay genre fiction.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
In a change of pace, cult horror author Brite (Exquisite Corpse) tells the story of Ricky and Gary, who as best friends coming of age in 1990 New Orleans discover a mutual attraction. Ricky, who aspires to become a chef, secures them both occasional jobs in a diner so that he can indulge his passion for cooking and they can spend time together. Life is complete until their parents discover their true relationship and try to separate them by sending Ricky to a culinary institute in New York. The ensuing hardships (will their relationship survive the separation?) are fairly predictable and frankly not very interesting. Brite offers an all too brief look at the cooking culture-the most interesting parts of the story have to do with the behind-the-scenes world of restaurants-but, unfortunately, these glimpses only scratch the surface. Of interest mainly to adolescent audiences and Brite fans, this book is recommended for large public libraries only.
Caroline Mann, Univ. of Portland Lib., ME
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Caroline Mann, Univ. of Portland Lib., ME
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Writing per usual,
By
This review is from: The Value of X (Hardcover)
I just finished reading The Value of X. Poppy Z. Brite is totally holding on to her spot as one of my favorite writers. I don't particularly enjoy the whole gay love story aspect of it not that I'm against it so much just that I don't "get it" or relate to it, but the story and the setting in which it takes place really is told in such a way that a little part of me lives in that time and space. That's the kind of writing I dig. I am looking forward to getting my paws on Liquor, her latest book and a continuation of the story of the characters I feel like I now know.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A whole new world,
By
This review is from: The Value of X (Hardcover)
The first PZB tale I read was "Lost Souls", over a decade ago. In the time since then, she has been called a "Queen of Vampire Erotica", which is not fair, as only one of her ten original books even has vampires in it. She has dealt with vampires, zombies, spooky cats, the Beatles, and a coroner alter-ego named Dr. Brite. PZB has been one of my favorite writers since the first time I read Lost Souls back in the early 90s. Each volume she releases, be it a simple chapbook or a 300 page novel, shows growth and more depth. In Value of X, PZB continues her departure away from the horror tales of her early career. X is the story of (John) Rickey, and (Gary) G-Man Stubbs, two residents of New Orleans, and best friends since the fourth grade. Rickey and Gary are not just best friends. They are gay and in love with each other, only they don't realize it. The secret each holds - that he is in love with the other - is complicated by the fact that all of their other friends spout homophobic slurs on a daily basis, and neither knows the other is gay. After they finally figure it out, they become inseperable ... much to the annoyance of Rickey's mother and Gary's parents. A plan is hatched to drive them apart, by sending one of them across the country, while the other must stay in New Orleans, both missing each other terribly and wondering if they will ever see each other again. This book is part one of a trilogy, which includes Value of X, Liquor, and The Big D. Liquor, the second book in the series, was actually written first. Absolutely typical of what I've come to expect from Poppy. 5 stars, and well worth your time. Brilliantly written and engaging, these characters will stay with you for a long time to come.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Genre schmonra,
By
This review is from: The Value of X (Hardcover)
The most frequent comment I've read of the novel is that it's a "coming of age tale of two young boys". The phrase makes me laugh a little, mostly because I feel the characters of the book, John Rickey and Gary "G-Man" Stubbs, would hate hearing it as much as I believe the author, Mrs. Brite, might. The story introduces us to John, Gary, and their families, and sets the stage for life as adults, as friends and lovers, as well as their introduction to the culinary world. Taken by itself, the novel comes across to me as a little bit light, but I think that it lays some very important groundwork for the boy's relationship and aspirations that will pay off for readers in later novels, like Liquor, which follows the two through the opening of their first restaurant, and the forthcoming The Big D. For me this works, as if each entry is another glimpse of a much larger whole that will be filled in as time goes by.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
