Customer Reviews

Arkansas: Three Novellas

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Read this book for the first novella in it: "The term paper artist" which is perfect, no less. In this novella, Leavitt combines autobiographical details with what seem to be pure fiction. However, no one can know for sure. The novella is fascinating, daring, in my opinion even revolutinary. The other 2 novellas are nice, but nothing like the first one.

The first novella, "The term paper ARTIST," is a daring work--literally daring the reader to take the exchanges as memory rather than fiction, and asking him/her to think about how they may differ from the fiction built on Stephen Spender's memoir. There is no graphic sex. There is a lot of desperate desire (not all of it the characters named or based on David Leavitt, either) in all three novellas.

The uncomprehending female narrator (Lizzie) of "The wooden anniversary" is not always plausible, but is a good vehicle for exculpating the heedlessness or sadism of Nathan, a recurrent stand-in for David Leavitt in my reading.Good local (Tuscan) color and haunting portrait of English speakers' adjustment to living in Italy and the havoc old ties can introduce (yes, very Forsterian, not least in longing for an attractive and very self-confident Italian stud).

I'm not sure what the point of the last novella is. It seems good reportage of the AIDS service industry, but can't compare to Mars-Jones's _Waters of Thirst_.

I haven't read Leavitt in awhile and had Arkansas sitting on my shelf. Arkansas is a collection of 3 stories -- each about 60-70 pages in length. Like much of Leavitt's work, while it is fiction, it gives at least to sense of being autobiographical. The main protagonist is often a stand-in for Leavitt himself.

The strongest story of the 3 is the first one, "The Term Paper Artist" which deals with a 'David Leavitt' who, in a slow spot in his own writing, winds up writing term papers in exchange for sex for several undergraduates. In contrast to the one review below this is far from erotica or pornography -- sex is part of the story as it is in many works, but this tale is far from erotica.

In "The Wooden Anniversary" Nathan and Celia -- two characters from Leavitt's earlier works -- reunite in Tuscany after a 5 year absence. This story was in my opinion the weakest of the 3. It was enoyable and a good read, but as times seemed a bit lurching, especially near the ending.

Finally in "Saturn Street" a writer in LA winds up delivering meals on wheels for an AIDS service (this is set in the mid-to-late 90's so one must take into account the shorter life span of HIV+ people even 10 years ago) Through the delivery service, the writer Jerry becomes close to one of the patients Phil, and that relationship (though it doesn't really proceed to that level) enables Jerry to see what's been missing in his life.

I would give the Term Paper Artist an A, Saturn Street an A-/B+, and The Wooden Anniversary a B-. An overall 4 star rating. If you are a fan of Leavitt, or gay short fiction in general, you won't be disappointed.

Educational, original, minutely observed, belly-muscle-crampingly funny, and at times too touching and real, Arkansas was the first book I'd ever read of Leavitt. Liked it so much I bought all his previous work too. Have been reading it since and still enjoying (and analyzing, if I may) every word of it. Long live Dave's work!

David Leavitt's novels are filed under the "alternative literature" section in our local bookshops. His works come recommended as that of an important modern writer. Apart from his award winning debut "Family Dancing" which focussed on a myriad of dysfunctionality in modern families, his subsequent novels and short stories have (I am told) been exclusively about gay life. "Arkansas - Three Novellas" is no different. It is purportedly also his most daring. Though graphic and explicit in some of its sex scenes, it is never pornographic. Leavitt has such a natural and easy writing style his prose never comes across forced. Neither does his plots seem contrived. Of the three novellas, "The Term Paper Artist" work best. It is both touching and funny. I found myself laughing through most of it. "The Wooden Anniversary" is also great. The twist at the end is simply ingenius. This makes me want to read its prequel in one of Leavitt's earlier short story collections. However, "Saturn Street" isn't quite as good. I found the story shallow and unconvincing. If "Arkansas - Three Novellas" is anything to go by, Leavitt is a writer that will appeal to readers of all persuasion. His stories and are both entertaining and enjoyable.

I enjoyed reading this book.. In facr, I have read it more than 5 times!!!

David Leavitt's new collection of three "novellas," *Arkansas,* has attracted a lot of attention because of the first story, "The Term Paper Artist." But you should buy it for the second one, "The Wooden Anniversary," which--in its sly portrayal of reality suddenly showing itself to be illusion, if not delusion, and relationships as but a creation of the character's or the reader's imagination--comes close to the best efforts of a James or a Racine. (The third novella, "Saturn Street," on the other hand, is just Forster's famous charge to our century, "Only Connect," once again writ large.) "The Term Paper Artist" is probably the more likely candidate to find its way into anthologies. Leavitt has shrewdly recognized that he could take an MLA fantasy--Famous writer cures a creative block by writing term papers in return for sex--overlay it with the personal--the writer is one "David Leavitt," who shares much of his recent history and backlist with his creator--and create 15 minutes of sensationalism. (The real) Leavitt has patiently assured each interviewer eager for (The Real) Story that, no, he's never written papers for UCLA hunks in return for a closeup of their tan lines, and that the personal elements provide the jumping off point for fiction, not the gray matter of memoir. (He does, after all, post a neatly worded disclaimer toward the end of the story.) Christopher Isherwood, looking down from his table at the heavenly Kit Kat Klub, is probably laughing, Been there! Done that! (and 60 years ago, too). Esquire pulled this story from publication, afraid that the gay content would offend advertisers. So how spicy is it? About a poblano on the chile scale. Leavitt tends to break for a discreet line space when payment comes due. And with all the confusion about what's fiction and what's David Leavitt, do you think he wanted to be grilled on the details of the sex scenes!?

This book is so special. All three novellas here are just wonderful. I think my favorite is probably "The Wooden Anniversary" because of the ending. I usually don't bother writing reviews for Amazon because they seem to just go down a black hole. However this ([...]) article about white (straight) male writers being disproportionately reviewed in the NY Times Book Review made me want to save a gay book from the gutter. Don't get me wrong, if you haven't read Armistead Maupin's Tales of the city, do that first, but this book is a wonderful gem that captures people with so much depth. IMHO, a good story implies that there's so much more to the story than is said, and that definitely happens here. However, as I recall, the sex-stuff might ick out the more squeamish, but I think whether you find the sex stuff icky or sticky, you won't find it dull. Hope this helps.

All three of these stories are excellently written. I don't even know where I got this book, it was just on my shelf. So, this is the first Leavitt that I've read, and I really like his style. He writes in a nonfictional/fictional way about his own life. The Term Paper Artist and Saturn Street make you feel like you are reading his diary or some other secret revealing documents. He's very open about very personal things that you don't usually read about, which makes reading the stories kind of a guilty pleasure, akin to reading a tabloid.

I'd definitely recommend the book to anyone who just enjoys reading as he has a pretty masterful grasp on writing. And his writing style is very honest, you'll feel like you really know who David Leavitt is.

The first story here, "The Term Paper Artist," is little more than a piece of gay erotica. "The Wooden Anniversary" is a return to hold characters and is written in a very wooden manner. "Saturn Street," is a good story, but unusual to Leavitt, the writing falls flat. Give him time; this is Leavitt's return after a slump inspired by a lawsuit (which you'll get a pretty good idea about upon reading "The Term Paper Artist." Pass.