Customer Reviews

Buddies

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

OK, that's too strong, but the man can write. The Buddies series is a "Tales of the City" for the New York '80s. This collection of short stories tied together by the main characters that inhabit Mordden's world is at turns hysterically funny and deeply poignant. I cannot get enough of his work. I ripped through two books in three days which demonstrates his books to be an easy read as well as compelling. You care about the characters as much as you memorize the brilliant put-downs and asides which dot the stories. Have I said enough?

I picked this book out of the blue from Amazon, and man-oh-man was I thrilled by my lucky choice. I ended up reading every book in the series, and I continued to be blown away by how high quality the writing/story telling/dialogue was. He emphatically chose not to "dumb down" these books. They are written intelligently, and intelligibly. Yeah, I had to grab the dictionary occasionally -- but that's a good thing. There's something for everyone in this book, love - justice - psychology - counseling - sex - politicization of the cause - etc. It's great. Buy it, and you'll be happy.

Buddies, and the rest of the Buddies Cycle, represent an important piece of literature not only for the gay movement, but for everyone. Unlike many authors, Mordden doesn't gloss over the uncomfortable facts of life. He tells of abusive lovers and the sometimes truly bizarre relationships we find ourselves in. And yet, at the end of the book there is some hint of hope that the world is a good place and that we CAN rely on our buddies.

I have enjoyed every one of Ethan Mordden's books I can get my hands-on. I think it is reasonable to compare him to Edith Wharton. His finely drawn characters and his ability to capture the texture of a moment are beyond compare. Where Holleran is often depressing and Picano a bit introspective, Mordden presents a rich synthesis of both the joys and the tears of what it is to be gay in our time. I still think the best of what he has written remains "How Long Has This Been Going On?"

Mordden is my favorite gay author. The entire series keeps one enthralled. He is a New York centrist and has a hard time relating to Gay Life anywhere else, but since he's not writing about anywhere else, that's ok. I've read the entire series through at least 3 times. Because they're novels set up in short story format, it's easy to read small segments in a single sitting and not be caught up in cliff-hangers. These books are very much worth your time and money.

Mordden improved on his original "Buddies" series book with this second installment. While the book moves in a way more disjointed than the first and certainly more so than the last two of the series, the tales he weaves are still well-written and convey an amazing lyrical quality which is often absent from other contemporary authors of gay fiction. Mordden's command of conversational style between characters is masterful. Similarly, the milieu that he portrays (the Manhattan-Fire Island axis of the 1970s-1980s) is evoked so clearly that the reader almost feels present at that time. Unlike so many other authors who lived through the 1970s and then into the plague years of the 1980s, Mordden did not lose hope nor become a detached observer -- he is part of the lives of his characters, even if he more or less tries to keep himself out of the action, albeit ultimately without success on that front. Still, his involvement makes the book that much more readable: a human being lived this story, and is relating it to others so that the memories of this special set of interrelationships does not pass from consciousness when its participants do. A fine piece of fiction; highly recommended and one that cannot be put down.

I have never read a series I enjoyed more. I love the way Ethan Mordden writes.

I found this second book in the buddies series to be far more enjoyable than the last, which could be in part because I've now a familiarity with the characters. That being said, some of my favorite sections of the book were his 'essays' about Bud's family, and growing up gay. Makes me anxious to read the next.

This book was well written, simple to read, full of gay themed experiences but lacked the excitement of many modern day novels. I recommend this a Sunday read not as a nightly cuddle.