Customer Reviews

Boy Culture: A Novel

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I can't believe there are people who did not like this book. Not only did I read it, but I was wise to how short it was and read some parts over and over because I dreaded coming to the end of it. It is sad and funny and a very quick read that left me screaming "SEQUEL!" at the end of it. In an age where writers are struggling to stand out with impressive and long-winded stories, this was simple and entertaining. But it's simplicity is not a flaw. In fact, I wish more novels were written this way - unassuming and unpretentious. Matthew Rettenmund's writing is like a kick in the nuts, and I mean that in a good way. It grabs you and doesn't let go.

I read this on a plane while returning from a vacation in Los Angeles, where I spent a lot of time in West Hollywood, watching men dance around each other, pair off and return the next night just as unfulfilled. He put this into words so well and I'm amazed he isn't world famous by now. I plan to read this at least two more times. But don't listen to me ramble on about it. Scroll back up the page and order it. Go! Go!

This book has a very promising plot, but what would have been a unique, insightful view of relationships (romantic and otherwise, gay and otherwise)is really undermined by humor that falls short of its mark--and not to mention an annoyingly self-satisfied main character, who goes through the entire story learning absolutely nothing from his experiences. Isn't change what fiction is all about? It doesn't happen here; no one undergoes even a smidge of self-discovery. If anything, the only thing that changes is the living arrangements. What's the moral then? That gay men are sex-starved and one-dimensional? How bleak.

It is like being around someone who is constantly trying to prove he is funny and witty, but is very not. I finished it because it only because it was so short. The "wry" observations come off like forced, posed, self-conscious attempts to write good.

This terrible novel made me angry I'd spent my time and money reading it. It is not a bit funny and will embarrass any self-respecting gay man.

I started this book expecting the same tired old writing: passable, bland. The main character is a hustler, so perhaps that's what led me to expect blandness. Instead, I was treated to well written humor, subtle and less subtle, and a great deal of depth. The self-analysis of the main character gave me much food for thought about my own outlook on life, and about the often mindless aspects of "gay culture", which far too often consists of night after night of prowling bars for one night stands. I find it very refreshing to see that there are others who find that particular lifestyle empty and devoid of any real satisfaction. An excellent book... I will be looking for more from Rettenmund.

It is interesting reading the different commentaries of this novel here on AMAZON.COM I totally disliked this novel after X was on the #6 Jeffrey Bus!! But I decided to give it a chance and I read...and I read. And as I continued reading I became aware of the stupidity of this novel. The improbable dialogue between X and Joe, X's arrogance. But I read so that I could legitimately criticize this novel. Some critics compare this book to THE STORY OF O (or was it the author himself?)which is as literary as erotica can get. But this book was neither erotica nor literary. Some schools of literary criticism believe that one should distinguish between the writer and the narrator of the story as two separate entities. But I don't believe a spirit comes into a writer's body and makes them write these novels which we are suppose to see as separate from the writers. I, for one, believe that writing comes from the subconscious, from one's life experiences. So if this a semi-autobiography? After all the AUTHOR does give special thanks to <<Ron, who's forgotten me by now; the best f**k i ever had>>I did not like the 'narrators' view on many things. Which is fine. I could have read this novel and enjoyed it for what it was....toilet reading. But when it is compared to other literary works...it just makes me wonder. Hmm?!? This book is humiliating to read, not only for gay people, for whomever decides to read it.

I wanted this book initially because of the cover design. However, there is also a really entertaining story behind the cover.

His narration is very unique. Each chapter has a theme that puts a different spin on the story at hand. Very entertaining. Plus, the chapters aren't too long, so if you're busy like me this book is easy to put down until later. It's also exciting to pick up again.

It's a common tale about love that many gay men can relate to. Guy 1 likes his rommate, Guy 2. Guy 3, down the hall, likes Guy 1. Guy 3 will never have Guy 1 and Guy 1 will never have his roommate. So much love that isn't going anywhere. But the book also tries to explain why gay men fall in love this way to begin with.

The book also delves into the many different ideas about sex. Some gay men see it as just sex while others see it as a bond between two people that love each other. The main character here is a hustler. So, the thought on sex that flow from his mind are very entertaining and throught provoking.

Also, there is a happy ending.

I reccommend this book to anyone that just wants a quick read that will make them happy.

It's always an hard task to write a good novel from a very good movie, and I think that most of the time you like one of them, the novel or the movie, but not both. So I was hesitant to read "Boy Culture" since I think the movie is one of the most wonderful gay romance movie out there. But the book is even better! Maybe since it's not an adaptation, but it was a novel way before it was made into a movie?

I think that the novel is better since the main hero, "X", has an innocence that was lost in the movie; the movie was also more "Hollywood" style, in the break and following declaration of forever love (wonderful scene with the two actors making out on the stairs), that X and Andrew actually don't have: their love story is more intimate, and it evolves nicely, there is no dramatic event that pushes X to take his decision to retire from being an hustler, he does it since he loves Andrew and I prefer this reason, for me it's a real proof that his love his sincere, he doesn't change who he is to "please" Andrew, he changes since he wants to be a better man "for" Andrew.

A thing I didn't like of the book is the output of X's relationship with Gregory, the octogenarian trick who tells X stories, and who helps him to realize he is in love with Andrew. Like in the movie, Gregory lies to X, but in the novel X is not able to forgive him... I feel sad for Gregory, I think it's not his fault if he was like that, it was a generation gap. But probably X has to break with Gregory since of all his tricks, he is the only one with whom X really betrays Andrew.

For being an hustler, X has a strange concept of betrayal and fidelity, something I'm not sure it came out from the movie. X's first love was a cousin of him, the boy who took his virginity when he was 13 years old and who broke his heart soon after. From this very bad first experience X learned two things: to associate true love with being a bottom, it's like you give yourself totally to another person, it's a so intimate act that it's scaring, and second that having sex without love is simple and better if done with an older man, less chance to fall in love. So X as an hustler tops only, and in a way, he remains pure and innocent, he is not selling love, he is selling something (being a bottom) that he will not share with his real lover, so it's not important. When X starts to think that it would be nice to have a boyfriend, to find Mr Right, he falls for his roommate Andrew, a man that in the book is stronger than X, both in body that in morality. It's so tender to hear X's thoughts when he said that he is no longer a virgin, he did everything with his body, but he is still virgin in one thing, no one ever really loved him. Only for this thoughts I think he is a lot stronger than what he thinks.

The book closes in a nice way, in a way that makes me think if there is not something of the author himself in X... All in all, thinking that this is a novel published in the '90, I'm surprise of how much a romance it's (there is even a reference to Fabio, the romance cover model...): I'm used to find gay romance good like this one now, but I didn't expect it in this one.

I did not care about the people in this book. It seems to want be a romance story but fails. The writer sacrifices any chance of eliciting real feelings from his readers in favor of making sarcastic remarks disguised as cogent observations. One particularly icky description of a first sexual encounter, supposedly recounted by an elderly character, does not have the ring of words being spoken and instead comes off as nothing but cheesy erotica writing. Additionally an entire scene at a shotgun wedding in the sticks replete with bitter, bulging bride and fluffy lavender bridesmaid gowns (a scenario that's been done to death) is nothing but a bad excuse to take cliched potshots at the straight world. I bought this based on a rave review from the NY Times that appeared on the cover. I do not know how this book received such a review. The writing style is snappy and shows promise, if only the author chooses to tackle a story with a bit more depth. Otherwise, this book offers nothing more than a couple of brief moments of humor, that is all.

I enjoyed this book very much. The only thing that was wrong with it was that it was to short. It is the type of book that you will wish never had a end. This book had every thing you could ask for Funny, Sad, and Erotic. "Thumbs-Up to the author"