Customer Reviews

Uncle Sean

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As a middle school (junior high) English teacher, I was delighted to run across this book. Every high school library should have it available for questioning youth, and it should be required reading for parents and teachers, alike. Not to give anything away, it is the painfully hand-written story of one Will Barnett, who falls in love with his Uncle Sean, a Vietnam vet who has recently come to stay with his family: his sister Arlene and her husband and four children. He has recently been discharged from a military hospital, though for exactly what kind of "wound" is not made clear in the beginning. But 14 year-old Will is about to find out. He is so struck with his uncle's beauty, so emotionally caught by his feelings, that he feels compelled to write about them. We readers are his uneasy observers as he slathers his thoughts onto the pages of a Big Chief tablet. At first it is painful to read Will's butchered prose, but as he progresses, so does his command of the language as he forces himself to write and read and squeeze the words from deep down within his soul. Maybe this work is a bit too mature for junior high students (maybe not), but one never doubts that those very students would quickly identify with Will Barnett. I wouldn't hesitate to urge high school students to read it, however.

A Big Chief tablet, a letter, a spiral notebook, and a pair of Vietnam era dog tags. When Ronald L. Donaghe throws these ingredients into the pot, the result is a sumptuous tale of love, need, and self-discovery. Thirty years ago, the tablet belonged to Will Barnett, a farm boy in New Mexico who found himself inexplicably drawn to his troubled uncle, Sean. Through Will's writings, the reader literally feels Will's thoughts about Sean evolve from curiosity to an odd but real love. After discovering Will's crush, Sean takes on the role of mentor, gently helping his nephew understand the implications of his feelings, and setting him on the path to finding a love of his own. As the other components of Mr. Donaghe's recipe are revealed, Will's story unfolds with the beauty and simplicity of a rose attaining full bloom.

Masterfully written, Uncle Sean is a realistic tale of one family's struggle with a harsh environment, Vietnam era politics, and the homosexual taboo. The characters are well defined and multidimensional, the setting is so real it made me crave a drink of cold water and the shade of an Elm tree, and the pace is comfortably quick. This book will remain in my library, and I expect to read much more of Mr. Donaghe's work.

Ron Donaghe has done it again with his latest novel, Uncle Sean. It wasn't so much the plot that fascinated me with this latest story, but rather his brilliant use of voice. Ron not only captured a 14 year old's voice, but he also used an uneducated one, as well. Then he shifts the voice just enough for us to see Will in various stages of growing up. This is what good writing is all about: the ability to time-shift and make us believe. Well, Ron certainly made me believe. In addition, Ron is such a good storyteller that he had me actually believe (at first) that he had indeed torn down a barn and had found the tablet, the letter and the spiral notebook. I'm really looking forward to the sequel to this story entitled 'Lance', which continues with Will's relationship with his new boyfriend.

I grew up in similar ways to Will Barnett in this great book. Lonely, in love with another boy, though I never thought about writing about my feelings like Will did for his Uncle Sean. So what if this book is written for younger guys? Younger guys should have books written for them. Though I'm in my early 20s, I still enjoyed reading about Will's crush and how his uncle handled it with caution and wisdom, and how Will learned to live with that love and go one with his life.

This is a little gem of a book, a compact little story about a boy coming to terms with his sexuality. Told in the form of journals 'written by' Will, we see the boy discover himself as he discovers the truth about his uncle Sean. It's a lovely little book. However, I would have like to read a little more about how the 'family' made out after Will's father die. Also, fans of Joel and Tom from 'Common Sons,' of whom I'm one, would love their sneaky little appearance in this book inserted by the author. Although I wouldn't have minded at all if the appearance was longer.

While much shorter than Ronald L. Donaghe's other novels, Uncle Sean is certainly no less realistic, thought-provoking, or intriguing. Though told entirely in first person, the narrative actually uses three different voices. The first voice is that of a man who finds the materials and instills in readers a desire to learn the story they hold. Another is of the young man Will Barnett, who realizes that he wants a boyfriend. And the third voice is of Uncle Sean himself, the object of Will's affection. Donaghe uses each voice as a different way of exploring the complexities of same-sex attraction and, more universally, the frustrations of feeling isolated and rejected. The Salvation Mongers remains my favorite of Donaghe's novels, but Uncle Sean is perhaps his most touching novel, and I think countless readers will relate to Will's desire to find someone "pretty" to love forever.

To my fellow hopeless romantics, and I know there are quite a few of you, I want to recommend Ronald L. Donaghe's trilogy, THE CONTINUING JOURNALS OF WILL BARNETT, three books so full of simple honesty and heartfelt sincerity that even a few cynics out there may be swayed. UNCLE SEAN, LANCE and ALL OVER HIM share the unique perspective of a country boy who discovers love and his homosexual nature on a dusty dry New Mexico farm in the early 1970's.

Will Barnett is only 14 years old when his Mother's brother Sean (UNCLE SEAN) comes to stay with Will's family after returning from Viet Nam. Will is instantly smitten with his beautiful Uncle. Sean, who is dealing with the murder by "friendly fire" of his army lover, eventually recognizes Will's infatuation and tries to distance himself from it, but he sees the truth inside the boy and eventually begins to become emotionally attached. Through the course of the first book the reader experiences Will's growing love for his Uncle, as well as his Uncles attempts to teach Will, the beauty of what he is feeling as well as the impossibility of the two of them ever becoming "boyfriends". Frightened by the magnitude of his feelings for the boy, Sean eventually moves on, but not before he impresses upon Will, the importance of finding the right person to share his love with.

A few years pass and Will meets Lance, a frightened abused boy, in the desert. Lance's family has recently moved to the area from New Orleans and Lance has run away after a sever beating by his Stepfather. It's near love at first sight for the two teenage boys, and Will realizes the importance of his Uncle's lesson about waiting for the right person to love. Will's parents take in the battered boy, even though Will's father passes on soon after. Lance joins Will (LANCE) at the local high school where eventually their relationship is discovered. Both boys learn quickly about what to expect from the world where their relationship is concerned, but their passion holds strong.

Eventually the boys finish school, the family sells the farm and Lance, a very talented artist, accepts a scholarship to art school in San Francisco while Will takes a scholarship to U.T., and goes to live with his Uncle Sean in Austin. (ALL OVER HIM) Can their love and commitment survive this major separation, especially in light of the burgeoning gay scene in Austin and San Francisco? Can Will, help his Uncle to finally move on from his devastating loss? Or will Lance and Will's relationship fall victim to the new Gay Revolution?

I was mesmerized by how accurately Donaghe describes the times and places in these books. Without a lot of hoopla the reader is given a very important history lesson. When Will briefly describes reading THE FRONT RUNNER, it gave me chills. Reading THE FRONT RUNNER was the catalyst that made me come out 1974. I lived these times Donaghe writes about and felt these feelings he so wonderfully describes. I am forever in his debt for this love story.

Perhaps it is because I am the same age as Will or because I live in the same part of the country but I feel a bond to this story and its characters that I find difficult to adequately describe. I think more than anything it is the fundamental truth that runs through the books that makes them so special. In HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON, Ethan Mordden describes the characters of Walt and Blue as that extremely rare thing, a perfect fit. He could easily have been writing about Will and Lance. In relaying their story, Donaghe, provides hope for all the rest of us, especially our younger brothers who are just beginning their challenging gay lives. Donaghe's books speak to the magic of love, the desire to find the right guy, and be one. All the claims that gay men want a lifestyle different than what straight people have, all the assumptions that men are promiscuous by nature, are nothing more than misguided, weak attempts to erase this magic. Through the course of these novels Donaghe holds tight to these ideals, and it resonates on every page.

From the first pages the reader is totally absorbed in this story. One easily forgets who really wrote it and believes without question that fourteen year old Will 's journal has been found and reproduced. The story is tender and romantic and at times very bittersweet. Will's innocence is totally endearing as he comes to understand all the nuances of what it means to be a gay boy and a gay man in the time and place where he grows up. You really feel for this boy; the writing is so realistic that you know how he feels because you it feel with him.
I don't often find a book that I can't put down, but this is one of those rare ones.
If you want to read a truly beautiful story about a gay boy's awakening, read this book!

Donaghe is one of my favorite writers and Uncle Sean does not disappoint. Uncle Sean may be a trifle short even if it is meant to be the first of a trilogy. However the depth of the characters and the heart warming story more than made up for it. Will's coming-out and his love for his uncle which was not meant to be is touchingly told. Finally Will's finding his true love, Lance, just brightens my day. I am glad this is not the end.

Uncle Sean is the first in what promises to be a fantastic series of novels (are they really novels or did Ron really find Will's journal) Whatever you do be sure and read Uncle Sean and Lance the soon to be released sequal!