Blind Items: A Novel [Paperback]

Matthew Rettenmund (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 12, 2000

In this hilarious romp through gay New York, author Matthew Rettenmund once again delivers with acerbic wit, dead-on dialogue, and perfect pop culture references. This time, a lonely magazine editor has fallen for a TV star hunk, who, unfortunately, must remain firmly in the closet or risk his career. Which will win out, true love or shallow fame? Rettenmund answers the question with verve and attitude, in this wonderful second novel of love and loss in modern Manhattan.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Matthew Rettenmund's 1994 fiction debut, Boy Culture, was a surprise smash hit: a funny, playful, endearing slice of life from the late-20-something Chelsea crowd in Manhattan's fast lane. Rettenmund is also a cataloguing connoisseur of media and culture who has produced such fare as Totally Awesome 80s. His second novel, Blind Items, combines his twin passions of pop culture and boy romance. David Greer is an unwilling editor of a chain of gay male porn magazines who would rather be a famous novelist. His best friend is the noted gossip-meister Warren Junior, whose "Off the List" column consistently roasts the talks of the town. One evening, at a party by Warren's invitation, David meets the love of his life: the kind, intelligent, and hunky TV star Alan Dillinger. One problem: David is determinedly out and political, while Alan is deeply closeted. Readers will delight in Rettenmund's ease with the chatty, relaxed aspects of relationships, relating how one handles safe sex and jealousy control in a world where talking about Tab Hunter and Raymond Burr constitutes real communication. Rettenmund may not take himself seriously, but beneath the faux-glamour and the high wit, he manages to tell a story about real men with real emotions that has real lasting power. --Michael Bronski --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

If not completely blind, love seems a bit shortsighted in Rettenmund's latest foray (after Boy Culture) into the gay milieu. Despite some repartee that strains for comic effect, enough one-liners find their mark to provide numerous chucklesAand the occasional flash of insightAthroughout this amorous adventure. New Yorker David Greer is eking out a living editing gay porn magazines while his best bud, "somewhat flamboyant queen" Warren Junior, pens a gossip column replete with blind items that stop just this side of libel. David attends a TV network bash, dizzy with the prospect of glimpsing Alan Dillinger, the hunky star of a wildly popular beach series (think Baywatch) who's rumored to be gay. Not only do the men meet, but they embark on a tenuous affairAdespite Alan's anxiety about coming out. Alternating with these close encounters are chapters centering on John Dewey, a "pale and minor" 12-year-old being raised by his grandmother in a New Jersey trailer park. This shy youngster, who has been told that his real father was gay, has increasing doubts about his own sexual identity. Becoming fixated on Granny's photo of a handsome 1920s movie star, John discovers that a Seattle film buff owns a supposedly lost film starring his idol. The boy, now 17, boards a cross-country bus to find the movie mavenATruitt Connor, an 81-year-old gay man who gives John a home. The eventual intersection of Rettenmund's two plot lines is far-fetched. Indeed, several elements here border on the improbable, but Rettenmund sprinkles the proceedings with an ultimately beguiling blend of fairy dust, fun and fantasy.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (June 12, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312262957
• ISBN-13: 978-0312262952
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,067,901 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars gay lives as points of diversity, pain, and salvation, October 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Blind Items: A (Love) Story (Hardcover)

this novel caught my eye for its bookjacket promise of bitchy fun. that was certainly a good selling point, but after reading Blind Items: A (Love) Story, i think there's even more to recommend it. the representation of diversity in queer culture is wonderful, and many of the passages are actually quite moving. this IS a marvelously bitchy gossipfest, but it's also a touching account of what it means to grow up gay.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting ... but lackluster, May 4, 2001

By 

C. Bouchard (Paris, France) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blind Items: A Novel (Paperback)

In the vein of "contemporary gay fiction" I must say that there are many other books worth buying before this one. The fairytale quality of the plot is cute at best, but the dialogues ... are pretty awful. Everything about this book pointed to the eventual deception that I felt, so I suppose it was not that surprising. If you have a long flight (and you count on sleeping a little, but not too much...) this is a perfect choice.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hysterical comedy, July 11, 2000

By 

J. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blind Items: A (Love) Story (Hardcover)

Not only was I laughing out loud causing people to stare at me on the subway when reading this, I was often in tears trying to control myself from a loud outburst of laughter, causing little old ladies to ask if I was okay. And what happened, I laughed harder right in their faces!

This Baywatch meets the porn industry (Yes I am over-simplifying things here) is witty and biting.

If you love pop culture, and love to laugh this book is a great choice for you!