A Smile in His Lifetime (Plume) [Paperback]

Joseph Hansen (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 30 pages
• Publisher: Plume (March 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452262674
• ISBN-13: 978-0452262676
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,048,011 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Quiet Work of Art Captures the Shared Gay Personality, April 19, 2002

By 

Josh Thomas "Author of 'Murder at Willow Slough'" (West Lafayette, IN, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A smile in his lifetime (Hardcover)

I am reviewing this book because, to date, no one else has done so. That is a crime. "A Smile in His Lifetime" may be the best Gay book ever written.

It is certainly the best Bisexual one.

It is a story of obsession, as sensitive, married, impoverished writer Whit Miller goes off the deep end for his down-canyon neighbor, a seldom-available ne'er-do-well with "stud" written all over him.

Whit's wife Dell makes ends meet, simultaneously emasculating him and supporting him in his writing. He mustn't do physical labor around their dilapidated house, she warns; he must protect his hands so he can type.

So he types, sometimes, but no one cares; very few people, anyway. Whit knows he'd spend his days better patching the roof, but Dell insists he come down; so he does.

She eventually runs off with a "real" man Whit envies and despises, then a second tragedy strikes: Whit sells a book. Not only does it sell, it's a huge hit. He gets totally disoriented. Success makes it even harder for him to connect with another person. A sudden bigshot, he gets involved with a bunch of hippies, has a heterosexual tryst under a pier, but the only creature who really cares for him is his cat.

What makes this a great novel? That's a lot to claim, and I don't tout books lightly. This is art, in my opinion, because Mr. Hansen has captured the quintessence of Gay men: we are lovers. More than dickhounds or drag queens, we want to be husbands. To my knowledge, this is the first book to point that out. As throbbing and insistent as the sexual impulse is, our need and ability to love is stronger than sex. Whit is often foolish; he is never insincere. He thinks constantly of the best interests of others, and wears his heart on his sleeve, knowing it will be broken repeatedly. He's not a masochist, he just wants someone to belong to.

You can't help thinking, he deserves that.

He succeeds in his work, but wanders clueless in life. Sometimes success is worse than failure, especially in California. Have you ever known a happy movie star?

I've read "Smile" half a dozen times; my most recent reaction was more critical than before, as I finally got tired of all the anti-Gay epithets the author uses. But then, internalized homophobia is the Gay man's biggest problem, and Mr. Hansen seems to recognize that, without solving it. What would Whit's life have been if he hadn't gotten married, but found an emotionally open, available Gay guy to love? Maybe he'd have constantly lusted after the elusive rough trade; or maybe he'd have discovered something masculine in his lover, the decorator.

Stereotypes aside, love is a tricky and tragic business; for all Whit's talent, he succumbs like the rest of us. His heart not only gets broken, it stays that way. At least he's always got his cat--until a storm blows up...

Read this book with your highlighter pen nearby, as Hansen's phrase-making will put you in awe. He is a stylist of the first magnitude, who has never received the recognition he deserves from Gay readers. He puts the Lavender Quill crowd to shame; they yammer endlessly about pecs and pricey merchandise, obscure opera stars and viruses, while Whit Miller falls in love impossibly, stirring his coffee "little boy-style" with lots of cream and sugar to mask its bitterness. Maybe it's better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all; or maybe the most we can hope for is a loyal housepet.++

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Incredible Treasure, March 19, 2007

By 

Yohawks (Lawrence, KS USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Smile in His Lifetime (Plume) (Paperback)

Occasionally, but, unfortunately not often, I run across a book that is totally, absolutely wonderful. A book that completely captivates me...that takes over my life and changes it. It happened once upon a time when I first read "The Catcher in the Rye"...and then again when I read "Shogun" and again with "Sophie's Choice".
I wasn't particularly interested in reading Joseph Hansen's "A Smile in His Lifetime," and certainly didn't expect a classic. But I had finished all of Mr. Hansen's Dave Brandstetter mysteries and his novels, "Living Upstairs," and "Jack of Hearts," so I decided to have a go at "A Smile."
For me, this book is an indescribable joy. It's a compendium of gay and bisexual feelings and urges and needs and desires - and a dead-on description of what it's like to be gay in a straight society. It's.... well......it's just an incredible treasure.
Thank you, Josh Thomas, for your review of "A Smile in His Lifetime." It caused me to read this outstanding book, and for that, I'm very grateful.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars my fave gay writer, January 1, 2011

By 

dennis potter - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Smile in His Lifetime (Plume) (Paperback)

ok hansen is my favorite gay writer from way back. this book is lovely; elegant, and truthful, accurate, a key part of the gay mans consciousness forming, at least in my aging generation. maybe thats why i love hansen so much. plus he was married... interesting. to a woman i assume. his gay detective novels are some of the most fun and informative and gay-revelatory trash reading i have ever done, but his growth to the novels is respectable. impressive. this may be the best, or at least my fave. check out his other more accomplished novels. his descriptions of seedy central california suburbs are unforgettable, one of those trademark image styles that i think of every time i see an asbestos shingled bungalow in weedy golden hills backed by eucalyptus and surrounded by sage and coyote bush. broken asphalt. big old 60s cars... lovely.