Customer Reviews

City of Night

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Though it's been forty years since its publication, John Rechy's "City of Night" still packs an emotional wallop. The novel's storyline is well-known: Rechy writes of one young male hustler who wanders from El Paso to New York to Los Angeles to New Orleans meeting and experiencing male customers, drag queens, tough men and "nellies." While partaking of this life, he is also observing the pain and joy of a world filled with "youngmen" and those who are no longer young. Will he find meaning in any of it? Will he come to terms with his sexual orientation? The answers are not clear. But in the end it doesn't really matter. The prose is powerful, the dialogue poignant and, at times, hilarious. This is a remarkable and unforgettable book that should be read by everyone.

A wonderfully compelling (and sometimes disturbing) look into the world of hustling. The first time I read it I couldn't put it down! Totally captivating!!

This is one of the best books I've ever read. Rechy's characters are so distinctive and individual, they've become like actual people to me. The voice is so real, the book is almost visual, like watching a movie, or life even, rather than reading a book. And there's no sentimentality about these characters. At some points, the otherwise likable narrator is downright cruel. Excellent, excellent book.

the charictors are real, the store has stayed with me many years after i frist read it. a must have for a gay lit fan or a fan of John Rechy he is one of the best that will be missed so grately

Each epidsode in this stitched-together book is so flat and tepid that the book as a whole doesn't even really manage to be episodic. The reason this book is famous is because it was the first to deal openly with gayness. Nowadays, you can watch TV and see questions about famous gay people and events on game shows, for crying out loud. This book is so dated, it's not even funny. And none of the characters come alive, including the narrator. If you want to read a good book about this same sort of milieu, check out Hubert Selby Jr.'s "Last Exit To Brooklyn". If you're gay and you're desparate to find traces of gayness in the media, I suppose "City of Night" will satisfy you for a day or two.

I say "surprisingly" because Rechy is seldom considered one of our finest writers. That's too bad, really, because "City of Night" turns out to be miles better than most of the laborious Great American Novels that sprang up like so many red, white, and blue weeds during the 50's and 60's. As a look at an important subculture, this novel is amazingly comprehensive, with many memorable character portraits, and feels entirely authentic. Better yet, Rechy manages to imbue the nameless protagonist's trials with real emotional gravity, up to and very much including the pensive, haunting conclusion. The prose manages to be rich and florid without seeming overwrought; it reads very well. I could be snippy and blast Rechy for some forced attempts at Meaning late in the proceedings, but these feel like minor flaws compared to the sweep of the novel as a whole. It is, at very least, a minor classic.

When City of Night was published in 1963, I was a 19 year old freshman in Cincinnati. I recall having to keep this scandalous book hidden, except for those precious moments alone with it...and his story told me of a world I had only hoped might really exist. The effect was visceral, sexy, fightening, and it made my spirit soar. In 1965 this book helped lure me to California. Although decades have trooped by, I took a chance last year and decided to re-read City of Night, although hesitatntly, fearful that it might disappoint now, so many years later. But, like the first time, I couldn't put it down. In many ways, it was a different book for me, this time around; some portions were like old friends, other parts seemed strange and new, as if I had never read them at all. Other parts that had gripped and taunted me in 1963, were now fellow travelers. Times change and so do we. City of Night was a groundbreaking novel in 1963 that, I am certain, changed many lives. Whether or not it still has that power is no longer as important. City of Night remains a powerful novel and a graceful composition, from an author who loves the language enough that he wastes no words in the telling of his story. This book is a classic, and should be required reading (at least for every gay man). The very fact of its publication was extraordinary at the time, and a look at the literary controversy surrounding its publication is eye-opening...and chilling!

the book was awesome! My friend ranted and raved about the book so I got a copy and read it. It gave me another perspective on life for people.

I guess my tipoff should have been the word "classic" used in so many previous reviews. Yep, it sure reads like one. Reminds me of high school and Shakespeare. I'm a reasonably intelligent guy and I found this one to be extremely difficult to understand. The style is so poetic and chock full of metaphors as to really obscure meaning a lot of the time. It often took great concentration on my part to even understand some of the metaphysical arguments the protagonist had going on in his head continually. Nonetheless, I did finish the book out of curiosity, and I have to say I did enjoy a good bit of this novel. It does indeed paint a what I guess is realistic picture of streetlife. And boy it's grim! I certainly felt for the main character. This is just not a style of writing that I particularly enjoy. Perhaps I am just not sophisticated enough. For those looking for something one doesn't need a doctorate in philosophy to comprehend, I recommend Like People in History by Felice Picano, The Front Runner by Patricia Nell Warren, Frontiers by Michael Jensen, Dream Boy by Jim Grimsley, And The Band Played On by Randy Shilts and The Best Little Boy in the World by John Reid.

This book hit me like a million bricks. As a sexually confused 18 year-old male who never reads I actually believed I was present in the situations. I know this book has changed the way I look at life, I suggest anyone, gay or strait, to read this fascinating novel.