Jack of Hearts [Paperback]

Joseph Hansen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1996

A prequel to the successful and award-winning Living Upstairs Hansen's latest novel takes readers back to early 1940s California, when 17-year-old Nathan Reed comes of age, creatively, sexually, and emotionally. A funny, tender, achingly truthful coming-of-age novel from the "father of all gay and lesbian writers" (Michael Nava).

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Readers who became acquainted with Nathan Reed in Living Upstairs will be pleased to encounter him again in this new work, set in California in 1941, two years prior to the events in the previous novel. The gay would-be writer is here 17-and in his own words, "a nobody high school kid with a secondhand typewriter, a hundred sheets of blank dime-store paper, and voices in his head." His literary aspirations prompt him to join the staff of a local college newspaper, which in turn draws him into a group of thespians starting up a theater. Several opening nights, in fact, figure into Hansen's many story lines, which include a police scandal, rumors of Nazis and an attempted murder. His brief, well-paced scenes are fueled by abundant dialogue and lean, unsentimental prose. The multiplicity of characters is handled skillfully, though many are only lightly sketched. (Nathan's parents-an unemployed musician and a fortune-teller-come off as quirky and borderline cartoonish.) Hansen's readers may be disappointed that the gay California subculture is not as keenly detailed here as in Living Upstairs. Nathan's gay awakening is driven more by plot than by psychological or sexual exploration, but Hansen sagely keeps his attractive protagonist, the object of lust from characters of both sexes, full of self-doubt about his identity.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

From the author of the popular mystery series featuring gay sleuth David Brandstetter now comes this prequel to Hansen's nonmystery novel, Living Upstairs. The previous novel saw young aspiring novelist Nathan and his lover, Hoyt, attempting to solve a murder in 1940s California. Jack of Hearts is set a few years earlier as 17-year-old Nathan attends junior college in his hometown, gets involved not only on the school paper but also with a local theater group, bears the ultimate responsibility for keeping the household together with a nonworking musician father and a fortune-telling mother, and comes to terms with his homosexuality. This is a warm, tenderhearted coming-of-age novel, not a maudlin one. Nathan is endearing but real; he's heroic in his own way but not squeaky-clean. A fine addition to gay literature, but it will appeal to anyone partial to fiction that is well paced and offers characters worth caring about. Brad Hooper --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Plume (January 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452273439
• ISBN-13: 978-0452273436
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,301,447 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A cut above the average coming of age tale, February 5, 2005

By 

greyhound1954 "greyhound1954" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jack of Hearts (Paperback)

I'm not big on mystery stories, so I've never bothered with Hansen's Brandstetter series. But in crafting Jack of Hearts, Hansen is responsible for one of the best coming-of-age tales of a gay youth. The writing is first-rate, with a well-developed central character and story line. The realism of Nathan Reed makes him the kind of reluctant hero most authors unsuccessfully strive to create. I've read scads of coming-of-age books and Jack of Hearts is head and shoulders above most of them. It's too bad most high school kids will never discover this book. The sequel, Living Upstairs, doesn't have the same impact, but is worth reading for those who want more of Nathan Reed.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A captivating story with a central character you'll fall in love with, December 2, 2008

By 

Benjamin (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Jack of Hearts (Paperback)

Jack of Hearts is set in 1941 in a small town in California. The central character, Nathan, is seventeen years old and in his last year of high school. He has a talent for writing, and is keen to have his work accepted by the college newspaper; he is also working on his first play. The newspaper connection draws him into a group of theatrical hopefuls who become his first real friends, and with whom he learns much about growing up.

Filled with fascinating characters, the young gay lanky face-pulling Travers, the driving force behind the theatre group, his robust mother who runs the café where they all gather; Donald Donald who takes delights in being obnoxious, Stone the lonesome teacher whispered to be a German spy, Desmond Foley who lives in a mansion and entertains handsome young boys; and Nathan's dysfunctional parents, his fortune telling mother and his father Frank, a one time musician whom Nathan dearly loves.

This is an appealing coming of age story, a tale of sexual awaking. Nathan is confused as he struggles with his indifference to girls and his obvious arousal when he finds of his childhood friend waiting for him in his bedroom wearing only his sock and with something stiff in his hands. Beautifully told, at times touching, at times funny; with a strikingly handsome, modest and compassionate central character it is impossible not to fall in love with, this is a story which is captivating from the very first page.