Customer Reviews

Small G-a Summer Idyll

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Highsmith's last novel, very hard to find, is probably best reserved for die-hard fans only (like me). It is NOT a suspense novel, and bears only the faintest resemblance to her other works (most notably, "Found in the Street," her penultimate book). "Small g" is a rambling character study about sexual preference and freedom among various characters associated with a semi-gay bar in Zurich. Its chief merits are the many strong and likable characters, plus a fluid writing style that makes for a very easy read. Also, like one or two other Highsmith works, it addresses gay issues without seeming like pro-gay propaganda. For a Highsmith fan like me, it was amazing to encounter so many very likable characters here -- a real switch for Highsmith, who has always seemed like a profound cynic about human nature -- and a generally upbeat book, with several happy scenes and some actual romance. This NEVER happens in other Highsmith books! I was fascinated that she left such an upbeat novel as her last work, considering that most of her novels are so incredibly downbeat and depressing. One wonders what else she might have done if she had lived another 10 years. . . .

There is no denying that Patricia Highmsith was one of the great suspence writers of the past century. However, not everything that glitters is gold.

The easiest way to describe Highsmith's final novel "Small g: A Summer Idyll" is to say it's a 150 page story trapped in a 300 page book. Having said that, I must admit that this novel is not without virtues: actually, the story is quite strong, the characters are an endearing assortment of straights and gays tangled up in a pseudo-mystery, the scenario is not uninteresting (it could make a first rate film - Rupert Everett would be great as Ricky) - which is why I pushed myself to finish. Unfortunately for readers, the physical writing is so stodgy that many may give up the struggle long before the mystery is solved. But DON'T give up. This book is well worth reading.

Small g is an introduction into socializing with gay people for those who are not gay. The title refers to a guidebook designation for Jakob's, a bar in Zurich, which stands for having a mixed crowd of gay, straight and bisexual customers. For contrast, the book describes those who are homophobic as being either physically or mentally deformed. The lampooning of the homophobic is a little overdone or this could have been a landmark novel for its subject.

As it is, I found the book to be a refreshing description of the creative life filled with concern and caring for others. Creative life is solitary, so the characters alternate their solitary work with moments of conviviality at Jakob's, which is the center of the action in the story. The book is also filled with humor which reminded me of Shakespeare's use of this device, often relating to the dog Lulu who plays the clown and helps others do so too throughout the book.

Several of the characters are especially appealing, none more so than Rickie Markwalder, a gay man who is still grieving for the loss of his young lover, Petey Ritter. Rickie shares that grief with the beautiful Luisa Zimmerman who also loved Petey. Luisa is an apprentice to the seamstress Renate Hagnauer who is as homophobic a character as you can imagine for a woman. Renate is more controlling than most mothers are of the young Luisa, and that circumstance provides the conflict in the novel. Luisa, on the other hand, wants to find love and life away from Renate, but is dependent on Renate to finish her apprenticeship and to provide a good reference for future jobs.

A sort of balance in these relationships has been reached until handsome young Teddie Stevenson arrives into their lives. Both Rickie and Luisa fall in love with him, and their relationships with one another begin to evolve in new, unstable directions.

The book is filled with fine ironies that will appeal those who enjoy reading about psychological portraits. Renate wants love and appreciation, but by being so demanding she gets only a grudging compliance. Rickie is ready to help anyone, and receives love and appreciation from unexpected sources. Plans that are made way in advance have unintended consequences that change each character's life.

I found the book to be a little slow to develop. With faster pacing, it would have sustained my interest better.

May you be open to others, always!

Patricia Highsmith's last work, SMALL g, A SUMMER IDYLL, gets its title from Jakob's, a Zurich bar, that would have a small "g" written after it in guidebooks to indicate that it attracts a sometimes gay crowd. This novel thus has a clever title and begins with a young man Peter Ritter getting stabbed as he came out of a cinema on a cold January night-- a good beginning. A lot of the action takes place in or about Jakob's with a rather motley group of characters frequenting that establishment. Rickie, who had been in love with Peter; Luisa, a young woman who was also in love with him. She works for the club-footed Renate, who is homophobic beyond words. We suspect right away what her problem is. Then there is Teddie, who is gorgeous and straight, who gets mugged because he is perceived as being gay, Rickie's trick dog Lulu; Willi, the village simpleton; and one of my favorite characters, the decent Freddie, a married police office whom Rickie sleeps with from time to time.

The story, after a good beginning, does not always proceed as well as it started. Renate is so one-sided that she lacks credibility although she partially redeems herself in the end of the novel in a predictable way. I do not believe there is such a disease as "Kaposi's Syndrome" but Ms. Highsmith can be forgiven for that lapse since Homer himself "nodded." On the other hand, Rickie is a sympathetic character, as is Luisa and others. Her [Luisa's] definition of first love is worth remembering: "It hadn't mattered that Petey hadn't been in love with her. She had felt outside herself, like a person everyone on the street might look at twice--through people hadn't. She had been happy, and she wondered if that feeling would ever come again." The reader wants to assure her that she may never have that exact feeling again, but that, yes, she will love again.

Thought born in Fort Worth, Texas, Ms. Highsmith spent most of her life abroad, giving a sophisticated international flavor to her novels, something I find most appealing. Although these characters are no Tom Ripleys, many of them will pique your interest, making this author's last novel worth the precious time you spend reading it.

It doesn't take too long to realize that, for all her usual atmosphere of suspense, this isn't going to turn into much of a thriller but it's precisely in its exploration of the interactions between gays and straights, young and old, marginal and established centering around a small neighborhood cafe, that Highsmith creates something perhaps even more gripping and if fear makes for good suspense so, too, does human longing.

If you expect this to be a mystery/suspense novel in the line of Highsmith's other work, you may be disappointed. This is a slice of life in gay Zurich in the 80's, albeit a slice with perhaps more crime and death than most. If you wish to enjoy a novel whose main strengths are atmosphere and a series of sharply-drawn incidents, and you are prepared to overlook weaknesses that consist of a few unconvincing characterizations and an abrupt deus-ex-machina 'climax', try this.

Okay, so I normally read fantasy novels, but I wanted a change of pace so I picked up this murder/mystery summer love story on a whim from a "new in paperback" shelf of the bookstore.

The first chapter is very exciting. Someone dies (I am not spoiling anything because this is written on the back cover)

From there a whole lot of nothing happens. The ENTIRE 310 page story is revolved around someone getting something thrown at them. They were not even injured enough to go to the hospital. You tire very quickly of hearing about this injury. Another main plot is about an overbearing housemate, which gets equally tiring, but not to the same degree.

In the end I was hoping to at least have the (yawn) questions that were brought up to be answered, but I was SO very wrong. Everything is left to the imagination. Not exciting!

Now, don't get me wrong, it was not so bad that I had to stop reading, I just kept hoping SOMETHING would happen and it never did. It should be called "Small g: Summer Idle" vs. "Small g: Summer Idyll"

Not worth the read.
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SPOILERS ALERT BELOW!!!!

Also, I did not realize when I picked this book up that it was a gay/lesbian title. Not that I'm opposed to that by any means, but.... AIDS is brought up several times in the book and one patient is told that he has AIDS for one half of the book and then his doctor says "just kidding" I wanted to teach you a lesson, you do not have it!!! WHAT!#R%$ It's just ridiculous!

Another major problem that I have with this title, the one "villan" in the book is killed off randomly to leave you without a climax to the story. Absolutely nothing is resolved.

This is the story of a gay guy, Rickie, in Switzerland who goes to a bar called Jakob's about 50 times a day, along with everyone else in the neighborhood. He meets Luisa, a young girl who is apprenticed to a gay-hating clubfooted dressmaker named Renate. Renate is quite possesive of Luisa, won't allow her phone calls, dates, etc., and Luisa puts up with this because Renate might give her bad references after her remaining 5 months of apprenticeship are up - as though there are absolutely no other jobs out there except seamstress. Rickie and a gay girl, Dorrie, bend over backwards to try to help Luisa out of the situation, but she refuses to budge from her prison and move in with either of them, much like an abused wife afraid of angering her husband. Although she did run away from her sexually molesting step-father, so that makes no sense.

The story is very slow, with Rickie falling in love with any good-looking guy, just because of his looks, and spending much time deciding what to wear. Luisa was madly in love with a young lover of Rickie's, but he was gay, plus he got murdered. There is much bed-making, beer-drinking, pastry-eating, doctors making house calls in the middle of the night as a matter of course, and walking here and there, especially to the bar, Jakob's.

SPOILER - in the end, when Renate's will is found, strangely enough, since she has known Luisa less than a year, she makes Luisa her co-beneficiary along with her sister. The attorney has Renate's sister's address on file, but she can't be located. Finally it's determined that the sister died OVER a year ago. How is it that Renate was not contacted at least sometime within that YEAR?

Also, the thing with Rickie's doctor lying to him. COME ON.

Not sure I'll ever finish this book -- it's set aside just now. Agonizingly slqw in getting under way, repititious, rather dull characters. little action. Rick is no Ripley.

I got this book which was in perfect condition from a public library. Only checked out once, I heard about Patricia Highsmith from the Ripley tales. I have never read those books neither. Maybe it prepares me to better like this book which is not about Ripley but a contemporary portrait of gay life in urban Switzerland. I don't know because I'm not gay myself. I do support gay rights though. What bothers me is that this book sets the straight women for a fall from the very beginning. As a heterosexual female, the last thing I want to do is fall in love with a male homosexual because it would be doomed and I would be the one with all the heartbreak. Of course, I think gay men are far better off than straight women in this world but that's another story. I think Highsmith tries to engage all readers regardless of their sexual orientation under the umbrella at Jacob's. We don't really care who murdered Petey but it's Rick we learn about. Of course, it doesn't help that Rick is HIV positive and I am glad the author pursues the subject tactfully without morbidly obsessive. Petey's murder is a weak storyline to center it around because it just is nothing more than robbery gone bad at least that is what the author wants us to think. I don't care for the female characters like Luisa and Renata and especially Dorrie Wyss who I find irritating. What I am trying to say is that even today, I think people of any sexual orientation is looking for the wrong thing. Rick seems interested in finding another partner to replace his loss but he has his dancing dog, Lulu. I don't know if the author uses Lulu as sort of a literary device. The way childless people like myself have personified our animals into our surrogate children. I know this was her last book with us. I don't think the author ever found happiness anywhere on this earth. Maybe in heaven, she is found peace and the love that she was trying to find that eluded her here too. REst in peace, Patricia!