My Best Man [Paperback]

Andy Schell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2001

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hapless protagonist Harry Ford told his blue-blooded Kansas family he was gay when he was a teenager; his angry father changed his will to state that Harry must marry a woman by the time he's 24 or lose a multimillion-dollar inheritance. Schell's well-meaning, goofy debut novel focuses on the year--1984--that Harry, now a 23-year-old airline steward, oscillates between his gay identity and the possibility of marrying a woman. The devoted love he feels for his beautiful best friend, Amity Stone, may just be enough, he imagines, to turn him into a happy, heterosexual husband and nab him the family fortune to boot. Harry had thought he'd already foregone being rich, having turned up his nose at Ivy League colleges, law school and fancy cars, and choosing instead the freedom to be himself, date men and travel the world. And he falls hard for Argentine waiter Nicolo. But on the other hand, Harry's older brother, Winston, a closeted gay man, is licking his chops at the prospect of collecting his brother's inheritance, which annoys Harry. And then there's Amity, a Dallas wild child whose lust for wealth and luxury is equaled by her true feelings for Harry. The plot twists and turns, pitching money against emotional values and friendship against romantic love, but it and the promising premise escape the grasp of debut author Schell. The question of whether homosexuality can be chosen, changed or willed away is a hot topic, one that hopefully will be explored in fiction not so impeded by smug, unlikable characters and a self-consciously outr? narrative style. This book is light fare for those who like their gay fiction glossy, glib and giggly. Agent, Alison Picard. 8-city author tour. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Schell explores the many facets of friendship and love in this fast-paced page-turner interlaced with spiritual longing and possessed of an overall sweetness that's hard to resist. Harry Ford drives a beat up VW and works as an airline flight attendant despite the fact that he's from a wealthy midwestern family that has disdained him since his admission of being gay at age 17. His hated brother Winston will inherit everything from their recently dead father if Harry fails to marry at age 24 and remain married for 10 years. Though the stakes are multimillions high, he remains undaunted until he is dumped by Matthew. He then meets fellow attendant Amity Stone, a Fort Worth girl who's down-home and authentic, and they quickly become best friends. They'll marry, and continue with their various men, but who and what exactly is Amity Stone, who consumes increasing amounts of cocaine and whose life seems to be spinning out of control? Whitney Scott --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 348 pages
• Publisher: Kensington (June 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157566660X
• ISBN-13: 978-1575666600
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,931,181 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Andy Schell is a graduate of the University of Kansas, and worked as a freelance joke writer for Joan Rivers to help with expenses during college. He has performed with the famed Los Angeles improvisation group, The Groundlings, and won a Los Angeles Dramalogue Award for his theatrical play, "Confessions of a Boy Stewardess." His first novel "My Best Man" was published by Kensington Books in 2000, and his novella, "The Outline of a Torso" was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award as part of the 2002 collection by Kensington entitled, "Summer Share." Schell, who has traveled the world as a fight crew member serving the US military, lives in San Diego and divides his time between his surfboard (he is a lame longboarder) and his figure skates (he is a two-time championship US Adult medalist). His latest novel, "Flying Camels and Tiger Mothers" is now available in the Kindle store.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars page turning romp, May 1, 2000

By 

H. W. Taeusch (Jerusalem) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Best Man (Hardcover)

The setup is great--a gay male must find a wife to obtain his inheritance. Amity is a great character in fiction--bawdy, outrageous, gorgeous, amoral, compliant,sexy, uninhibited, and adventurous--a perfect wife, unless she discovers one of her own most attractive elements--a hidden streak of morality. This is a masterful comic novel that you will leave you anticipating the movie--who will play Amity?

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My Best Man....My Best Fluff, January 2, 2001

By 

Shannon L. Yarbrough "Shannon L. Yarbrough" (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: My Best Man (Hardcover)

If you are looking for serious character development and deep thought-provoking plots and themes, then this is probably not the book for you. However, if you come home from a hard day at work and just don't want to turn on the television; you'd rather read some light, fun, laugh-out-loud soap opera-like comedy. Then, Andy Schell's first novel, My Best Man, is the book for you. So many other reviewers have demanded stronger supporting characters and detail from Schell, but maybe they have overlooked the different kinds of reading that are out there. There are lots of great gay authors out there who give you drama, theme, history, detail, etc. But there are also great authors, like Schell, who have done an excellent job of keeping those pages turning with what makes us laugh. And we all like to laugh from time to time. So, looking for a light read for the beach or some "fluff" after a rough day at the office? Schell's book is top of the list. Need drama, plot, or book club discussions? Try Oprah!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than I expected..., August 10, 2000

By 

Nathan G. Tipton - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Best Man (Hardcover)

Like many of the other reviewers, what first drew me to (though actually kept me from initially buying) My Best Man was the bright, eye-catching cover. The jacket synopsis, however, gave me pause. I wasn't sure I wanted to read yet another vapid Boy-Meets-Girl-But-Really-Wants-Boy book (in the vein of McCauley's The Object of My Affection, et al.). In the end, though, I have to say that I ended up pleasantly surprised by Schell's Best Man.

Schell has crafted a marvelous yarn starring the "No, Really, I AM Gay" Harry and his fag hag with a MAJOR twist, Amity. Their madcap misadventures, including her myriad boyfriends and frequent drug abusage, are dealt with a little too lightly for my tastes but never totally laughed off. Beneath the seemingly innocuous (and at face value farcical) plot device of Harry marrying Amity in order to secure a Dudley Moore in "Arthur"-type fortune lies a surprisingly poignant, love-for-love's sake story.

Although the novel has some truly low points: Amity and Harry have sex (and more than once), thus creating an uncomfortable "Love In Action"-esque moment, Schell ultimately salvages Harry's "true" sexuality and brings back the narrative to the (not so) straight and narrow. In the process Schell also masterfully rehabilitates Amity's character, which too often threatens to become a sluttish dumb blonde caricature.

My Best Man can be read on two levels: as a quick, fluffy, mindless escape, or as a moving exploration on the meaning of true friendship. This duality is, in fact, what makes it succeed.