Like People in History: A Gay American Epic [Unknown Binding]

Felice Picano (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1995

Traces forty years in the life of two gay men who share a madcap but enduring relationship and a passion for a handsome Vietnam veteran, against the backdrop of gay urban culture from the fifties up to the present.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Though Picano's latest may lack the significance implied by its subtitle, his memorable characters and wonderfully dishy dialogue evoke changing gay sensibilities with affecting measures of both tragedy and comedy. The novel opens in New York City, 1991, with literary maven Roger Sansarc, who narrates, and his current boyfriend attending a 45th-birthday celebration for Roger's flamboyant second cousin, Alistair Dodge. Alistair is suffering from AIDS, and Roger has brought the requested pills to hasten his demise. The action flashes back to 1954, when Roger and Alistair first meet, as fourth graders; subsequent sections alternate between the present?detailing Alistair's fate, as well as a heated ACT UP demonstration?and assorted professional and amatory episodes in the lives of the conservative Roger and his ever-outre relation. Comparisons with Ethan Mordden's similarly themed How Long Has This Been Going On? are inevitable: both books portray America's evolving gay culture during the past few decades. Picano's tale is the more traditional in style and structure, while Mordden brings greater scope and sweep to his freewheeling, in-your-face novel. Despite the dramatic events and requisite period references here (e.g., mentholated Kent cigarettes, Mary Renault's The Persian Boy), the historical perspective Picano brings seems somewhat forced. Nevertheless, his finely crafted prose makes these People consistently absorbing.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Picano's big new novel is the story of two cousins, Roger Sansarc and Alistair Dodge, from their boyhood through Dodge's death in his forties from AIDS. The two live through several major cultural moments in later-twentieth-century America: Woodstock, San Francisco in the days of Harvey Milk, Fire Island's heyday, and recent AIDS activism and gay militancy in New York. Both manage to have incredible (literally!) lives--managing expensive stores and art galleries, inheriting fortunes, editing highfalutin opera magazines, having long-term relationships with Adonises, and generally making Lives of the Rich and Famous look like middle-class America. Picano fills the dialogue with humor and the plot with interest, yet his characters lack the depth and genuineness of Armistead (Tales of the City) Maupin's. So, ultimately, the book doesn't work all that well as a serious chronicle of gay America. Rather, being both gay and an epic (i.e., it's campy and it's long), it succeeds as a story that doesn't take itself too seriously and will be much in demand as a beach book. Charles Harmon

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Unknown Binding: 528 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult (July 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670860476
• ISBN-13: 978-0670860470
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 6.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,601,863 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unforgettable, August 23, 2001

By 

[e-mail] (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Like People in History (Paperback)

This is an update to my review of December, 1998. I read this book five years ago, and still I consider it one of my all-time favorite books. I have recommended it to just about everyone I know. Give it a try! You won't be disappointed! Other books I would like to recommend are Frontiers by Michael Jensen, Funny Boy by Shyam Selvadurai, Lawnboy by Paul Lisicky, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon, and Dream Boy by Michael Grimsley. The text of my previous review 12/28/98 is below:

This is one of those books that when you're finished, you wish you weren't! The characters are realistic, the dialogue is believable, and the plot totally engaging! It also helps us put "our" history into some perspective. It was interesting for me to compare being gay in the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's. I loved the characters in this book. You will recognize all of them. Don't let the length of this book scare you away - it's worth it, and you'll be wishing for more! His writing style takes a little getting used to as he jumps back and forth between time periods, but you'll get used to it! After I've read most books, I give them away to friends. This is one of those books that I can't bear to give up. It will have a place on my bookshelf forever. Oh, by the way, I read this book in the summer of 1996 ! :>

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Every cliche in the book, May 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Like People in History (Paperback)

This book is embarrassingly bad. I find it incredible that he got it published. Every character is an unbelievable cliche. He tries to include everything that has happened to the Gay community in the US over the last few decades, and it all ends up reading like a really, really bad romance novel. Yuck.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marvelous, March 16, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Like People in History (Paperback)

I've read this book 3 times now and I know I will read it again and again. Don't we all have our own image of Roger and, of course, Matt Loguidice. This is probably my second favorite gay novel, after How Long Has This Been Going On? by Ethan Mordden.