Spontaneous Combustion [Paperback]

David B. Feinberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1992

B.J. Rosenthal--the dishy, neurotic, horny, cranky, and adamantly gay hero of Feinberg's Eighty-Sixed--is resurrected in this harrowing and insightful novel about AIDS and enduring with dignity and humor in a world that seems bent on stripping him of both.--The Advocate.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Feinberg's sequel to Eighty-Sixed is a mixed bag, its capricious voice overwhelming its story of gay amatory capers in the shadow of AIDS.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

B.J. Rosenthal, the neurotic and witty hero of Feinberg's successful first novel Eighty-Sixed ( LJ 11/1/88), is back, continuing his tale of life in the post-AIDS gay community of New York. Amidst the "constant tide of deaths," B.J. tests positive for HIV antibodies, attends ACT UP meetings, has phone sex, begins taking AZT, gets arrested in a protest, and attempts to tell his mother about his seropositive status. All the while, he searches for a boyfriend, "hopefully with a life expectancy longer than that of my five-day deodorant." Feinberg covers five years in an overly episodic fashion with a hero who, for all his honesty, isn't much deeper than a dime and whose friends remain flat sketches. Combined with the subject matter, the result is oddly cursory. Nonetheless, this remains a compelling and often funny record of the resiliency of gay men during the past decade. Recommended.
- Brian Kenney, St. John's Univ. Lib., Jamaica, N.Y.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (November 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140148620
• ISBN-13: 978-0140148626
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,549,901 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite book for a long time, May 12, 2000

By 

A. Galinsky (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spontaneous Combustion (Paperback)

Funny, intelligent, serious, delightful...For anyone who's ever been through very difficult times and/or has been affected by the AIDS epidemic, this book will both hit home and uplift. I disagree strongly with the review at the top of this page. Yes, the book is disjointed, but in that sense it's an accurate picture of life in the midst of chaos and tragedy. The ultimate effect of the book, though, isn't a big disorganized mess, but rather the possibility for survival and even happiness. I highly recommend this book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Irreverent and serious look at AIDS impact, June 10, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Spontaneous Combustion (Paperback)

While Eighty-sixed was raw and frank, Spontaneous Combustion is more serious because it faces the AIDS epidemic. B.J. is a character much like the author who wrote me before his death. Irreverent, outrageous and in the middle of history.