Customer Reviews

In September, the Light Changes: The Stories of Andrew Holleran

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I often return to books for repeated readings when my first impressions are lasting. Short story collections by such authors as Andrew Holleran renew the vigor of initial impact, the joys of lingering. IN SEPTEMBER THE LIGHT CHANGES is a treasure of smaller stories that prove once again that Holleran is one of our best writers today. Without depending on one locale, familiar and constant faces, recurring themes to keep us aligned, Holleran strings together tales like the best of Song Cycles by Schubert and Schumann (and Ned Rorem, more poignantly!) and allows us to absorb his luxuriant prose through very complete novellas about love, age, lust, and friends. His hour is magical...and never more evident than in his final In Septmeber the Light Changes. Smart, elegant, and yet very much from the heart.

I have been a great admirer of Andrew Holleran for many years, and have always enjoyed his stories he wrote for Christopher Street magazine. Every month I waited with anticipation for the next issue for his latest writing. He always writes from the heart and these 16 stories prove it. Andrew's writing is so polished and easy to read, you feel you are listening to him tell these stories in person. Some of these stories are pleasant to read, and others are very sad because they deal with loss(AIDS), loneliness, getting older, and still having desires, especially to be young again, and the yearning for youth.

I found myself finishing one story and then continuing right on into the next chapter without stopping, they are so interesting. Maybe its because these stories relate to my generation and the times I lived through in the 70's and early 80's. I feel this book will interest anybody, there is so much beauty and history in his writing. Andrew Holleran, I believe, has not been given enough recognition or credit for his brilliant writing. I truly enjoyed this book.

Andrew Holleran is an example of why I read books. _The Beauty of Men_ will always be with me, I suspect, somewhere in the back of my mind, as the measure of what writers are "supposed" to do with their art. This collection of short stories I loved almost as much. Mr. H can, technically, set up sentences that are complicated and still lucid. Artistically, he can designate a character with an amazing minimum of details; it's like he knows just the right characteristics to show you to make his characters stand out. None of his characters are perfect, and most are struggling with growing older and being lonely, but I cared about all of them. Joshua, in "Blorts," for example, was hilarious. Morgan, in "Petunias," was self-absorbed and afraid, but struggling to rise above it all and even though the story is tragic, it still ends on a mystifyingly hopeful sentence. Mr. Holleran might not churn out novels every year, but when he does put one out, I'm always deeply affected by it. I wonder, though, why no author's picture on book jackets?

This is a brilliant collection of stories, one of the strongest I've read ever. Each story is a marvel, the prose, the emotions, the characters. Holleran has a brilliant sense of place and he is very specific about the period of time that he writes about. Aids is barely mentioned in these stories, although the disease does appear towards the end of the collection. The saddest thing for me as a reader is that Holleran is still being marginalized as a writer. Certainly is area of knowledge and interest is the gay demi-monde of New York/Fire Island circa 1970 +...but which great short fiction writer throughout history did not have his favourite epoch that he wrote about over and over again. Is HOlleran any different then an Updike or a John Cheever or even the master himself Anton Chekhov? This is a collection of great short fiction that speaks to all readers who adore brilliant prose. This book has become one of my favourites of all time.

The language in these short stories is at once powerful and delicate. I was reminded of F. Scott Fitzgerald several times. (Hey. He married a drag queen and drank himself to death for art. What's not gay about THAT?) I'm drawn to gay writing but often miss great writing. Not in this wonderful collection. They are both in there and in great abundance.

One thing that Chua does exceedingly well is stylizing. Nevermind the story (if it were a bit more connected, I'd give him 5 stars). He is brassy, he is vulnerable. He is vulgar, he is tender. This is the sort of book that requires much of its readers. Those who take it at face value will hate it (as some of the reviewers above have). The narrator may not be likeable, but then again there is a reason why the author made him that way. Those who prefer to be spoonfed should turn to Stephen King or Higgins or Danielle Steel.

I like this book because it has guts. It'll make you wince and gag and chew your lips to shred. Chua has the power of a very keen poet. Highly recommended to writers or those with a deep appreciation for prose.

I'm alittle torn on this one:

Ok, first off I have to say that I loved the book because Andrew Holleran's writing shines marvelously in short story form. Seriously I think I enjoyed his WRITING more in this than in any of his novels.

Also, "The Penthouse" (one of the stories) was DIVINE! I give "The Penthouse" like 100 stars! I read it twice!

HOWEVER, I cannot give this book more than 3 stars because...with only a few exceptions...all the stories are the same. They are all about gay men in New York in the 70's. All of them. Even ones that are technically set later on or in a different place INEVITABLY end up about gay men in New York in the 70's. And I'm sorry there's too many stories to justify the lack of diversity in subject. When place names, events, and pretty much characters themselves are repeating from story to story it gets old.

I really wish this book was shorter and included a cross-section of the stories in there. Heck, if it was just "The Penthouse" I would of been supremely happy. Even Andrew Holleran's fabulous writing can't save the stale subjects he ruminates on endlessly.

However if you love Holleran as I do, and are in the mood to search for the diamond in the rough (did I mention "The Penthouse" yet?) then I recommend!

Andrew Holleran's collection of short stories is nothing short of marvellous. Written during a period that spans over twenty years, Holleran offers his readers funny, original stories about gay life. While sometimes tragic, the stories are told in energetic, vibrant prose and are ultimately very uplifting. It's all here: aging, AIDS, cheating, sexual perversity, etc. You will NOT be disappopinted.

I've been a fan of Andrew Holleran since Dancer was first published and read many of his pieces in Christopher Street over the years. I'm also quite interested in short stories. This collection is wonderful. Holleran's facility with the language and his ability to involve you with characters in a relatively brief encounter is enviable. This is one of the best short story collections I've encountered in a long time, and after all these years, Holleran still has the ability to engage the reader like a spider luring the unknowing into his web. He is doing a workshop in Provincetown this summer -- and his picture appears in the catalog!

Having been an ardent fan of Holleran's work for over a decade, I pre-ordered this collection of short stories prior to publication. The title of the collection alone- "The Light Changes in September"- seemed to promise lyrical, intelligent, introspective prose, such as I had relished in The Beauty of Men and Ground Zero, and some stories from Men on Men. Very disappointed with the reality! Most of the stories were trivial, dull, and homocentric. Several of the stories deal with isolation and obsession with anonymous sex. A sad comment on the nature of homosexual expression at the end of a century of awareness and growth!