bookzofonzarelli's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Honestly, I was left speechless and full of thought after this book ended, sat with my feelings and reflecting on how it ended following such a long story, full of love, despair, change, difference, alienation, denial and every other emotion that you can think of. It truly was an unforgettable look at a neon-lit life on the edge of a world told in a way which felt like I truly understood the alienated gay-culture of the 60s and I was left feeling incredibly touched but confused, in a good way. The ending was so incredibly captivating that I was late to a class in school because of it. The way this book truly captures the feelings and emotions of the ‘youngman’ at the time makes you feel apart of the contemporary society living along the disorientation of the protagonist, discovering their intimacies and their insecurities. I can’t do it justice within a mere review, but I can by giving it a recommendation which I feel suits the gravity of this book.
aklil's review against another edition
“Disgusting!” a queen sneered, turning away from The Heterosexual Spectacle and bumping into a lesbian dressed like a male Apache dancer. “Excuse me, sir,” the queen said.
orndal's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Sometimes sad, sometimes funny, always lonely
joehartman's review against another edition
4.0
On my first two attempts to read City Of Night, I found it impossible to get past opening incident of the book, which I found pitiful, heartbreaking and infuriating. As much as I tried to move past it, I decided I did not want to steep myself in a world in which this kind of sadness was likely one of many. so I closed the book and tried to forget it. Twice. And yet its place in the canon of LGBTQ fiction, the time during which the novel is set, and the implied promise of a seamy underbelly of life that would likely seem somewhat tame by today's standards, these things brought me back to it last week.
I was able to make it through those first few moments of the book, in which the narrator recalls a moment in his childhood when he was powerless to stop the harsh realities of the world from hammering down upon him and those he loved, and powered through until the youngman had set off to New York to seek his future. It was a world populated by cruel and colorful characters who reflexively jab and pick at and dismiss others, participating in a world that has scarred them without questioning the rules they are following. It's dark friends. It's bleak. And it feels very, very true.
As I continued reading it, this book left me feeling tainted long after I closed it. It sat with me on the subway, as I walked through Times Square, polluted my fantasies of Hollywood past, it just seeped into me. And yet, I couldn't abandon it this time. I had to see it through to the end to try and understand what the author was saying about his world, and America, and life in general, in spite of how I felt about a world in which sexual allure is the only thing of real value, and then only as a commodity to be traded and bartered for and used to make oneself feel worthy, and to staunch the pain of what can be a very poisonous world.
Having finished the book last night, I have to disagree with those who dismiss this as irrelevant today, or who clash with the out of date practices and beliefs it shows in regards to race and gender. It is a book reflecting the belief's of its time, and the people in that world survive as best they can, unquestionably accepting the pablum they've been fed. Rebelling against it as best they know how, but in that rebelling they pay forward the little betrayals and begrudgingly accepted gropings that fuel this world. They are not strong enough to question the rules, because these rules feel too ingrained, to powerful, to ancient to be challenged and overcome. And make no mistake, there is nothing half hazard or accidental about this book. Each seamy detail and barely missed opportunity is there for a reason.
Its characters are not people I want to know, and its cruelties are those I want to deny out of existence, but it is incredibly well crafted book, almost tenderly so. And it forces the kind of self examination in the reader that the narrator seems so desperate to elude. Which is why, as much I feel it has affected me in adverse ways during its reading, and as grateful as I am to at least in some way be putting it behind me, my respect for it continues to grow, and I believe it deserves its place in the canon of LGBTQ literature.
I was able to make it through those first few moments of the book, in which the narrator recalls a moment in his childhood when he was powerless to stop the harsh realities of the world from hammering down upon him and those he loved, and powered through until the youngman had set off to New York to seek his future. It was a world populated by cruel and colorful characters who reflexively jab and pick at and dismiss others, participating in a world that has scarred them without questioning the rules they are following. It's dark friends. It's bleak. And it feels very, very true.
As I continued reading it, this book left me feeling tainted long after I closed it. It sat with me on the subway, as I walked through Times Square, polluted my fantasies of Hollywood past, it just seeped into me. And yet, I couldn't abandon it this time. I had to see it through to the end to try and understand what the author was saying about his world, and America, and life in general, in spite of how I felt about a world in which sexual allure is the only thing of real value, and then only as a commodity to be traded and bartered for and used to make oneself feel worthy, and to staunch the pain of what can be a very poisonous world.
Having finished the book last night, I have to disagree with those who dismiss this as irrelevant today, or who clash with the out of date practices and beliefs it shows in regards to race and gender. It is a book reflecting the belief's of its time, and the people in that world survive as best they can, unquestionably accepting the pablum they've been fed. Rebelling against it as best they know how, but in that rebelling they pay forward the little betrayals and begrudgingly accepted gropings that fuel this world. They are not strong enough to question the rules, because these rules feel too ingrained, to powerful, to ancient to be challenged and overcome. And make no mistake, there is nothing half hazard or accidental about this book. Each seamy detail and barely missed opportunity is there for a reason.
Its characters are not people I want to know, and its cruelties are those I want to deny out of existence, but it is incredibly well crafted book, almost tenderly so. And it forces the kind of self examination in the reader that the narrator seems so desperate to elude. Which is why, as much I feel it has affected me in adverse ways during its reading, and as grateful as I am to at least in some way be putting it behind me, my respect for it continues to grow, and I believe it deserves its place in the canon of LGBTQ literature.
dbogen47's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual harassment
kjdwoodside's review against another edition
5.0
This does for gender identification and sexuality what Thinking in Pictures (Temple Grandin) does for brain function. Each book gives the reader such a sense of all the complexities and nuances in different human beings. They both change the way the reader looks at humanity. Some characters are cross-gender but not gay, some are cross-gender and gay...there was such an incredible spectrum in this book, and all of the characters were real and raw and true.
radioactve_piano's review against another edition
3.0
I really couldn't stand this book.
Not because of the subject matter, mind you. Not because it's somewhat autobiographical, either. No, because of the damn writing!
I hate writers who write simply to read themselves and say, "Oh hell yes, that's me. I am a god among authors." And, whether deserved or no, I felt that John Rechy was doing just that.
Interesting glimpse into the life of a male prostitute in the 60's, and maybe the style was perfect for such a story. It just wasn't my idea of an enjoyable -- or even satisfying, intriguing, enlightening, etc - read.
Four stars for the importance of it, two stars for the writing. Eh.
Not because of the subject matter, mind you. Not because it's somewhat autobiographical, either. No, because of the damn writing!
I hate writers who write simply to read themselves and say, "Oh hell yes, that's me. I am a god among authors." And, whether deserved or no, I felt that John Rechy was doing just that.
Interesting glimpse into the life of a male prostitute in the 60's, and maybe the style was perfect for such a story. It just wasn't my idea of an enjoyable -- or even satisfying, intriguing, enlightening, etc - read.
Four stars for the importance of it, two stars for the writing. Eh.
errrick's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
A classic and extremely important book that I ended up skimming a lot because I found it difficult to read.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death
afterthegoldrushes's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5