Joseph Hansen has been praised by The New York Times as "one of the best we have" and by the Boston Globe as among "our finest writers." Known for his bestselling Dave Brandstetter series, Hansen here tells a richly atmospheric story of a young homosexual man's coming of age. Nominated for a Lambda Literary Award.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Author of 25 novels, including the Dave Brandstetter mysteries, and winner of the 1992 lifetime achievement award from the Private Eye Writers of America, Hansen here offers an affecting, atmospheric coming-of-age tale set in the seedy bohemian enclaves of WW II Los Angeles. Twenty-year-old Nathan Reed is struggling to make ends meet while he finishes his first novel. His relationship with Hoyt Stubblefield, a painter some years his senior, is clouded by Hoyt's mysterious disappearances. Then an FBI agent hints that there is more to his lover than Nathan knows. Hoyt has ties to the Communist Party and seems somehow involved with the murder of fellow radical Eva Schaffer. Since Hoyt will not discuss his past, Nathan decides to investigate on his own, an undertaking encouraged by Steve, Eva's handsome young G.I. son, who is (incidentally) attracted to Nathan. A host of subsidiary characters (an alcoholic writer working for the film studios, a failed playwright hustling for writing gigs, a family retired from the circus) round out the tale, making it reminiscent of Fitzgerald's Pat Hobby stories or a Nathanael West novella. The plot moves at a leisurely pace, and there's little overt sex. A surprise ending wraps up this gentle and melancholy coming-out tale.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Kirkus Reviews
From the 1991 Lambda Award-winning author of the acclaimed Dave Brandstetter mysteries: a wartime idyll of Hollywood's colorful, disreputable gay community, told from the point of view of an aspiring young novelist. Suspicious of his artist roommate Hoyt Stubblefield's unexplained absences, Nathan Reed follows him to a memorial service for Communist organizer Eva Schaffer. There's something funny about Eva's ``accidental'' death--she was run over by a streetcar--but Hoyt, who's quietly trying to track down her killer, is as closemouthed as the Party regulars. Meanwhile, life goes on. An FBI agent warns Nathan to move out of Hoyt's to protect himself: ``I've seen your IQ scores.'' Nathan gets an advance on his autobiographical first novel and quits his drudgery at a bookstore to write full-time. Reggie Poole, Nathan and Hoyt's tenant, worries that Mike Voynich, the Adonis he thinks could be a star, will run out on him; Hoyt's friend Benbow Harsch, a philosophy professor who'd rather play the piano, cripples his fingers by stiffening the action on his new instrument. Rick Ames--once a writer, now a drinker--entangles Hoyt and Nathan with his threatening landlord Percy Hinkley and Percy's come-hither child-wife Linnet. Hoyt's erotic paintings of Nathan and himself enjoy a big success among private collectors. A skeleton at a Halloween party at the seamy Black Cat club tells Nathan he knows who killed Eva Schaffer; the next morning, police find the body of an unidentified man a block from the club. Nathan's awkwardly loving father shows up and sees Hoyt's tell- all paintings. Miraculously, all the plots eventually get tied up, though the lingering effect is one of unrushed reminiscence. Nathan is always contrasting his unfinished book with the falseness of The Human Comedy, but the ardent tenderness suffusing his own story--despite Hansen's evocation of constant uneasiness and veiled threats--recalls no one more than Saroyan. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ending doesn't do justice to Hansen's sexy, alluring novel.,
By
This review is from: Living Upstairs (Mass Market Paperback)
Approaching it with few expectations, but enticed by the cover, I found Living Upstairs to be a wonderful book, reminiscent of Maupin's Tales of the City and similar novels. It pulls the reader in, draws them along at a fast pace, positively demands that they read on to discover what happens next, and delivers more than adequately. It's a rare novel that's almost impossible to put down for any period of time.Both the main and supporting characters are colorful and intriguing. Hansen's depiction of the members of this artistic community in 1940s Hollywood is extremely appealing-- sexy, even. I feel with the characters and for them. It is a rare book that manages to produce such a strong physical response in me with such little (yet obviously masterful) description. Hansen is obviously extremely talented. My single problem is that the almost "cliffhanger" ending doesn't do the book justice. It is the device of cheaper, lower-quality series fiction. The dramatic tension the book builds up to deserves better resolution than the "until next time" attitude of the cliffhanger. Despite the ending, however, the quality of the rest of the work ensures I will be first in line to recieve the next installment, should there be one. I highly recommend Living Upstairs to anyone seeking polished, sexy, high-quality literature with which to devote, as I did, many consecutive hours of their days.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just really good literature...,
By spiderorchid (Germany) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Living Upstairs (Mass Market Paperback)
Alright. You can read this book as "gay fiction". It is, and the author describes the hero's environment and relationships detailed and believeable. Or you can read it as a novel about growing up. Or about writing your first book and the struggles to get it published. Or to get to know more about the time during World War II.
Or you can just read "Living upstairs" as the wonderful novel it is, without searching for a cause. Hansen's style and language are better than ever and one has to love his sense of humour. The characters are well written and interesting, as is the plot. There's a lot of emotion and suspense and - typical for Hansen - even more social critisism, but without the author getting patronising. It's a very entertaining book that's well worth your time. You can read it as part of a series (first would be "Jack of Hearts" with "The Cutbank Path" as the third and final volume), but you don't have to because there are no important informations in the first book that you'd need for "Living upstairs". Highly recommended!
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A fine achievement in gay fiction.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Living Upstairs (Mass Market Paperback)
Not too often are you able to pick up a gay novel without having to wade through an abundance of sex/erotic imagery only to get through a story, as opposed to getting into a story. Though I feel eroticism has it's points and purposes in any fiction, it was refreshing to read about a character that you were made to like before suggesting you lust after him (which comes after.) Nate, our protagonist in Living Upstairs and Jack of Hearts, is believeable, loveable, and painfully innocent. Never before had I felt so much for a fictional character. It was difficult to finish these books without feeling I was losing time with a friend, or simply losing the ability to spy on an infatuation.Though this is far from the best gay novel, it is surely a worthy contrast to the coma-inducing sexual rants of Edmund White or the unbelievably pretentious worlds of Felice Picano. This novel gives up the goods with a gripping and emotional story mixed with subtle eroticism and all-too-familiar characters. A quick and fun read.
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