Equal Affections: A Novel [Paperback]

David Leavitt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1989

Written with poise, insight and passion, here is an intimate portrait of a family struggling to come to terms with the death of its independent, defiant matriarch. Leavitt explores the complex emotions that make up human relationships between lovers--and families.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Leavitt's second novel follows the four members of the Cooper family through the mother's illness and death. "In understated, perfectly targeted prose, Leavitt illuminates the ordinariness of his characters, giving them and their sorrows and joys a long-lasting afterglow," observed PW.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The latest novel by the author of Family Dancing (8/84) and The Lost Language of Cranes (9/15/84) examines the complex relationships of the Cooper family. Family matriarch Louise Cooper, mother of gay siblings April and Danny, suffers one medical malady after another, while Nat, her computer scientist husband, enjoys a long-term affair on the side. As Louise's condition deteriorates, tensions mount and family members attempt to define and justify their conflicting feelings. Leavitt's plot twists and turns around various relationshipsof Nat and Lousie, Danny and his lover Walter, Louise and her polio-crippled sister Eleanorand April's decision to have a baby while maintaining her tremendous appeal as a star of women's music. A compassionate, moving work.Kevin M. Roddy, Oakland P.L., Cal.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins (December 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060972874
• ISBN-13: 978-0060972875
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,285,087 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Something Deeper..., August 8, 2004

By 

Kristin Miyagishima "Self-proclaimed bookworm" (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Equal Affections (Hardcover)

My fellow students and I were assigned this book in an American Studies class. While I have read a great deal of books--have been enthralled by a multitude of works--I keep going back to this book.

It's not that the characters in Equal Affections do extraordinary things, or that the situations presented are extraordinary; what attracts me to this book is because who and what are depicted are real. David Leavitt paints a picture of many issues that affect contemporary American society. Suffice it to say that he even depicts thoughts and opinions of generations past. While his characters' struggles and experiences may not apply to ALL Americans and/or their families, David Leavitt produces images, ideals, ideologies, anxieties, and other issues that continue to play an inherent role in the shaping and structuring of contemporary American culture.

While discussing this novel in my class, I was struck by how much of an impact this book had on my classmates. We each felt the need to discuss our own opinions and thoughts, including factual personal experiences, pertaining to the characters and situations in the novel: April's lesbianism and pregnancy, Walter's infidelity, Danny's demeanor, Louise's illness and her struggle for identity and independence, Nat's affair with Lillian Two-Names. In my opinion, a qualifying characteristic of a good novel lies in what kind of response (not exactly quanitity, but quality) it can provoke.

Although there are some issues in the book that I would have liked David Leavitt to explore more thoroughly (such as April's sexuality and her response to it), I believe that this is a very good novel. To me, David Leavitt conveys the fact that Americans' lives are not "perfect." He tells us that nothing can be exactly permanent, whether in sexuality, love, the stipulations that previous generations and society have placed upon us, and even society itself.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Moving, with restraint...., September 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Equal Affections (Paperback)

I thought this novel was quite touching and poignant. Leavitt writes with empathy and is able to delve into the different perspectives of each character. He employs restraint in his writing yet it effectively brings out the emotion of the story.

However I thought that this reserved style may be hampering at times, for example the part where the family just witnessed the passing away of Louise. I was surprised that Leavitt didn't explore their emotions further on a deeper level other than just shedding tears; maybe because everyone, including Leavitt himself, was getting a bit tired of Louise's sickness by this stage that no one has the energy for much introspection. I just felt this part was rather 'wooden'.

But by and large, this is an engrossing novel and a good read. The weaving of the characters' lives was well developed and the non-linear progression was a good complement to the story.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 50 / 50 Chance You'll Enjoy It, October 31, 1998

By 

Maurice Williams "mauricewms" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Equal Affections (Paperback)

Not a bad read. The storyline kept me intersted; however I'm not sure if that was because I kept thinking that there wourld be some really profound emotional connection with Danny and/or April on the next page. . . ., but it never happened. By the time I finished the book I felt neither cheated out of my time nor extremely rewarded for the effort. We'll see how the next book by Leavitt works for me.