Customer Reviews

The Men from the Boys

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

After reading (mostly) glowing reviews, I decided to give this book a try, despite the tired subject matter cited in the cover blurb. The fluid writing kept me expecting more than the book actually delivered. Gay ghettos, open relationships, youth-obsessed culture... Anyone who's ever picked up a single issue of Genre or Out knows enough about these subjects to have written this novel. The language and the structure are stong, but not strong enough to carry the thin plot, wherein the protagonist mostly laments the fact that he can't have a deeply satisfying relationship with every beautiful man he meets. Supporting characters, most of whom spend time finding and discussing what "paths" they should follow, don't do any more growing than the main character.

This lack of character growth was my main problem with the novel. The characters rehash every conversation that has been part of the urban gay forum for the last ten years, but only from the perspective of people who are in the urban gay life. That the (exclusively sex-driven) culture of the novel is the only possible culture is taken for granted by all characters, thereby removing any real tension between opposing viewpoints. When an open relationship between the protagonist and his primary partner begins to lack "passion" for the partner, the question of whether opening the relationship is part of its downfall is never seriously considered. Similary, the problem of youth-obsession is solved through anonymous sexual encounters at roadside rest stops, where the protagonist is still made to feel young. Less "sophisticated" - but equally valid - views such as monogamy never provide a contrast for the characters to make compelling arguments for their current, unfulfilling lifestyles.

One minor character, introduced near the end as a sort of "voce ex machina," has had what he feels is a full life and beautiful relationship, but is introduced so artificially, and briefly, that it doesn't have much impact beyond distraction. And in the end, distraction - from one man to the next, from one self-imposed dramatic episode to the next, is all these characters seem to desire or achieve. They don't need to find all the answers, but the story itself should ask more questions.

The writing is promising enough that I wouldn't hesitate to pick up another book by Mann, if the novel had more perspective than the characters.

At a time in my life when I was thirsty for gay culture, gay films, and especially gay novels, I encountered The Men From the Boys.

While not my favorite gay-themed novel, it is one of the better ones that I have read.... . It is hard to find an average, every day gay novel to read at times, about an average, everyday gay man in average, everyday circumstances.

But while yearning for just such a find, in reading this novel, I found so many extraordinary features to gay life that perhaps had never dawned upon me before. Jeff, the central character of the novel, is in his thirties, as I am now. And, true to the description the author applies to this time of life for gay men, he is 'gay middle-aged.' It struck me as horribly realistic that the author would describe the character as such, middle-aged, amidst a youth-obsessed culture. But, like it or not, it is the truth. And William Mann, the novelist, captures this in the pages of this book.

The story centers on the past and present relationship of Jeff and Lloyd, his lover of several years, as well as Javitz, a former lover, stricken with AIDS. While at times I felt as though Javitz was thrown in as 'comic relief' to the severity of the novel in the disintegration of Jeff and Lloyd's relationship, feeling that there is no longer any passion left, Javitz is utterly recognizable in gay culture and society. Every city has a Javitz, the jaded, bitter, but unwaveringly, hysterically funny friend. Javitz's AIDS affliction is not a major plot point, but very poingantly portrayed in the novel.

This book is about so many different things, it is hard to list them all. The obsession of gay men with youth and beauty, the horrors of AIDS, the fickle nature of gay relationships, and the lack of determination to work out problems when they arise, the bitter, vengeful nature of many gay men, and the occasional loneliness of gay life, just like any other lifestyle. Although not the best gay novel I have ever read, this is one of my favorites.

The only gay novel I have yet read that even compares to "Men From the Boys" is Forman Brown's "A Better Angel" (written & published originally in 1933). Nothing compares to Wm. Mann's searching novel. I have rarely read anything better, and I have never read anything sadder. Yes, the character is self-absorbed, but his own blindness makes him that much more interesting to watch as he develops in maturity and even wisdom.

In "Creed for the Third Millenium", when Colleen McCullough's character is told to 'write a book', I almost threw down the novel in disgust. Writing a book will NEVER save the world. When Wm. Mann's character struggles to write his book, it's his attempt to save his soul, the perfect forum for this kind of venture. The book is full of moments like this one, as each character in turn struggles to find his way through his life and its challenges.

Structurally, this novel was phenomenal. The way the back-and-forth of time and space spins around left me SPINNING. Masterfully done, a great story with lively characters, this is one book I'm glad I had passed on to me, and I recommend this to anyone interested in man's struggle to find his own soul.

grabbed this while in an airport (san francisco) and needed something to read. didn't expect to be so thought provoked.

i read a great deal, so i'm not sure why this one hit me, but it did. william mann has managed to capture that painful time when a relationship is neither here nor there, neither broken nor working, neither fulfilling nor empty - and it needs to pick a direction. the two characters - neither of whom are particularly enjoyable - have enough aspects, that you will identify with at least one.

the story is told from jeff's point of view and flashes back and forth in time. the juxtapositioning of past and present is an interesting effect and mann avoids having it become tedious. it's an interesting effect.

teh relationship and it's problems brought many thoughts to mind and i found myself often travelling on introspective tangents. i also found myself speaking out loud to several of the characters. fairly embarassing on a crowded flight.

worth the time and effort. an extremely commendable first effort.

I have read Mr. Mann's journalistic works since the early 90's and I hoped this book would be different. It is not. Mr. Mann continues to use every tired old gay cliche known. This is the type of book you hope no straight people will read because they will come away with such an unrealistic and cliche-ridden view of the gay world. There is nothing new, fresh or invigorating in this dreary book...

Even though I had bought the book sometime ago and set it aside, I finally located it...To say I was blown away would be an understatement. There are very few books that I deliberately read slowly so that I won't finish it too quickly, but this is one. I thought the structure of the book worked very well for the author's purposes; it certainly didn't interrupt the flow for me. And the content: characters that I cared about and thoroughly understood. Possibly it spoke to me so completely because I had had a similar experience some (quite a few!) years ago. The devlopment of the hero from a boy to a man is a remarkabletale; in any event, I can't recommend this book too strongly!

To keep their seven-year relationship alive, Jeff and Lloyd have opened themselves up to seeing other people. Their love for each other has always sustained them, until Lloyd announces he feels no passion for Jeff anymore. The previous summer, Jeff all but fell in love with a young man named Eduardo, and he still laments losing him. Jeff's best friend Javitz is dying of AIDS, and wants to return to Provincetown for his last days. Alternating from 1995 to the previous summer and back again, "The Men from the Boys" charts the love lives of these men as they navigate their own definitions of love and family and friends. William Mann includes some sensible commentary about an aspect of gay men's culture, and creates a breezy story around these thoughts. I found myself not liking the main character, Jeff, because he was so obnoxious and narcissistic though, but I was curious enough about where Mann was going with the story to finish the novel.

Never mind that we're asked to sympathize with the dreaded plight of being all of 33-years old in a youth-obsessed gay society. Never mind that the narrator is shallow and self-absorbed. All that could be have bearable until the halway point where the characters start spouting fourth-rate cliche dialog that brings to mind bad Joan Crawford movies. At first I thought this novel was truly speaking to me; then I realized it didn't really have anything to say -- but it just kept talking anyway.

I ordered this book and let it sit on my desk for 6 months before a friend saw it and starting gushing about how it was one of the "best books I've ever read." All I can say is "Damn". This book is phenomenal. Perfectly captures the intricacies of relationships between men. Dating women and dating men are just different beasts. The deals with the devil that we make to keep things going are haunting. Do we face the worst in us (lust / cheating) with honest and deal with it through trust and openness, and when we do, do we still lose. Breathtaking writing -- found myself consciously slowing down to revel in the subtle genius of the author. Makes me glad to live in a world where artists at the peaks can be shared with millions. Share this book with others if you love them. What a gift to give.

I enjoyed this novel. My only regret is that I did not read it before reading Mr. Mann's other novel, "Where The Boys Are." I think I would have enjoyed this prequel much more if I had read the books in the order they were written. Mr. Mann is an extraordinary writer and his characters are very true to life. I must admit though that "Jeff" drives me a little crazy with his attitude towards his relationship with Lloyd. Not a whole lot happens in this book, however, I did enjoy it and I look forward to reading other fictional works by this author.
Guy De Rosa
Los Angeles, California