Customer Reviews

Dancing in the Dark

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

 

 

Everyone suffers in this novel, and no one can really say why. I loved the format, and some of the secondary characters (Claudio, Kate, You-Bear) were very appealing, but the main character, Gabriella, was really clueless and shallow and refused to grow up, and somewhere in the middle of the book I lost all empathy with her and just wanted to smack her. Hobhouse is a wonderful writer and tells a beautiful story. I'd just like to care more about her characters.

This little treasure, vastly under-rated, perhaps because of its author's untimely death, or perhaps because of its unusual themes of love - but without the usual themes of loss - is one of the better novels of the 20th century. The characters are exceedingly well-drawn. Few people have reviewed it on Amazon or Facebook, and some seem disappointed that they were led to it as a "gay novel" - it isn't, like some books, about "gay people," but it's about New Yorkers. It's about people in general, some of whom are gay. Most importantly, it's about what it takes to be a friend or part of a deep couple relationship, about the numberology of relationships, and how many people can actually be part of a...couple.

I just couldn't get into this book...it felt like work to read it, wasn't enjoying any of the characters, and it felt trite. Seems to be written well, but just didn't grab me and I had to lay it aside after only a third of the book. Apologies to the author if the last 2/3 of the book are dynamite.

This tripe got glowing reviews from The New Yorker, The New York Times and Village Voice. Why did I waste my time reading such garbage?