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101st out of 291 books
—
279 voters
Alternatives to Sex
Boston real estate agent William Collins knows that his habits are slipping out of control. Due to obsessive-compulsive daily cleaning binges and a penchant for nightly online cruising for hookups, he finds his sales figures slipping despite a booming market. There's also his ongoing struggle to collect the rent from his passive-aggressive tenant and his worries about his...more
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
January 9th 2007
by Simon & Schuster
(first published April 5th 2006)
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William Collins from Somerville, MA is a single, gay, 44-year-old realtor who has fallen into a funk of online sexual encounters. Seeking a more productive way to occupy his time, he enters (or disrupts, rather) the life of potential homebuyers, Charlotte O'Malley & Sam Thompson, a suburban couple suffering from empty nest syndrome. As William becomes more of a fixture in their lives, he inadvertently neglects his best friend, Edward, a panic-attack-prone flight attendant so desperate to cur...more
A light summer read.
That's what I was after.
And, while this book is certainly light, it was not the engrossing read I was hoping for. In fact, it seems a bit inept.
The writer is clearly fond of his own character ideas, but he should weed them out ... then flesh them out. Far, far too many characters, most of them two-dimensional exaggerations of what an actual person might be, populate this meandering and aimless novel. I'm not sure there was a point ... ? There are a lot of scenes with upper-mi...more
That's what I was after.
And, while this book is certainly light, it was not the engrossing read I was hoping for. In fact, it seems a bit inept.
The writer is clearly fond of his own character ideas, but he should weed them out ... then flesh them out. Far, far too many characters, most of them two-dimensional exaggerations of what an actual person might be, populate this meandering and aimless novel. I'm not sure there was a point ... ? There are a lot of scenes with upper-mi...more
So, this was my venture into the fiction realm. This was a recommendation from the Book Swapping website underneath Gay Literature. But seriously, it could have been about any type of sexuality and still have been boring.
Set in the aftermath of 9/11, the main character William Collins a 44 year old Gay man who currently works in Real Estate, has a cleaning obsession and no steady relationship starts worrying about his life. The past year of his life has consisted of any number of meaningless sex...more
Set in the aftermath of 9/11, the main character William Collins a 44 year old Gay man who currently works in Real Estate, has a cleaning obsession and no steady relationship starts worrying about his life. The past year of his life has consisted of any number of meaningless sex...more
If this book were a film, it would be a RomCom starring Hugh Grant as the lovable misanthrope-bachelor who is just too eccentric and bemused to recognize that True Love is staring him in the face. Alternatives to Sex is a quick, mostly enjoyable read, but very thin soup, and McCauley’s obvious pleasure in his own irrepressible drollery more than occasionally overwhelms the reading: There are only so many clever, self-referential doses of post-modern irony that a reader can take before the urge t...more
That it took me about five months to trod through this novel probably says something about what I thought of it.
Though I did find the writing at-times clever, smart and funny, I never seemed to connect with the characters. It was almost as if there's was too much to their backstory that I didn't know, and didn't come to realize.
I would have liked to have known more about Edward and his personality. William's character could have done a better job at revealing these things...
And since part of...more
Though I did find the writing at-times clever, smart and funny, I never seemed to connect with the characters. It was almost as if there's was too much to their backstory that I didn't know, and didn't come to realize.
I would have liked to have known more about Edward and his personality. William's character could have done a better job at revealing these things...
And since part of...more
This book started out on a good note. That was the best part.The characters were introduced, and by the end of the book we learn pretty much nothing about them. There is a couple that fights and is looking for a house, the main characters tennant, and a few other characters that had storylines that never went anywhere. The entire storyline is pretty weak. The main character doesn't have many likeable characteristics. His goal is to become abstinent, and...wait for it...he can never accomplish th...more
I have always found Stephen McCauley's books to be enjoyable, witty, lightweight reads. William is a real estate agent with a bit of an internet hook-up sex hobby on the side. He is crushing on a married couple who are his latest bickering clients looking for a home, but may actually be in love with his best friend who has decided to move out of town and get a fresh start. Fun and easily digestible, it's one of those perfect books to read just before bedtime.
"Alternatives to Sex" is a likable middlebrow gay novel, set in Boston shortly after 9/11. The central character, William Collins, is a middle-aged realtor, single, who at the outset of the book makes a half-hearted commitment to celibacy. The plot follows Collins' professional life as much as his personal one. Really, this is as much an example of the "real estate" genre, as Collins is shown making several lucrative deals involving a variety of colorful characters. If you've ever fantasized abo...more
Stephen McCauley, author of books including The Object of My Affection (1987), has written perhaps his best novel to date. A mix of satire, moral ambiguity, and insight into human foibles, Alternative to Sex also contains raw nakedness as William searches for meaning in his life. William's characterization as a softhearted, sharp-witted, and neurotic gay man__and his touchingly chaste relationship with Edward__rang true with critics, as did the "loony and delicious" cast of secondary characters
...more
I'm a fan of the fucked up character and this novel's star attraction, William Collins, is definitely one. When he's not trolling the Internet for cheesy hotel hookups with other men, little Willy is obsessing over ironing and the cleanliness of his surroundings. So the novel starts out in a predictably fun for me way. Are men or drugs the answer after all? However, while little snatches of genius like "...you're nearing forty. Just ride it out and do what everyone else does: get your teeth whi...more
William Collins, single, 43, Boston real esate agent, and addicted to tricking via the internet decides that that last thing might be a bad thing. His attempt to go cold-turkey is a massive failure, but one of the alternatives he tries to distract himself with leads him to discover that, like Dorothy, his heart's desire was always within reach. That aspect of the story is sweet and fun. However, the novel uses the events of 9/11 and how everyone said it made them realize how fragile life was and...more
Eh. Very light style writing, which is fine. Set in Boston, which is super fun for me. But the main themes/plots are perilously underdeveloped. It's all there, it just evidently needed a massive rewrite and fleshing out that it never got. The love story between William and Edward never really happens. It's all William thinking about it, but somehow realizes it without the aid of a major come to Jesus moment so how do you believe it? I mean, I know what the come to Jesus moment is supposed to be,...more
Stpehen McCauley writes perfect "sit down with a fun book" reads. What a shame that something he clearly puts a lot of effort into flies by so quickly.
I read this a while ago, so can't write a detailed review, but I remember it being witty, loaded with social commentary and very polished and well-edited. It's sad to see how many people here didn't take it seriously. I picked this book up spontaneously at a thrift store, because the cover reminded me of a chart we had in high school Health Ed "Things to do instead of doing it." It did not disappoint. Since then I fell in love with McCauley and read most of his other works, but this one's still...more
Random: the comment about not having taste but opinions about others at the bottom of page two made me say "hah" and then suddenly think about how this book was so "American", it just popped into my head that American books always have their books, heroes, whatever take themselves as important, British seem the very opposite - hence they have a great impact on me, and Americans often don't. Of course that can't be right, it was just a disconnected pseudo-epiphany, but I wonder if even About A Bo...more
Fiction. 44-year-old William lives in Boston, sells real estate, and is maybe in love with his best friend Edward. So, disclaimer, I found The Object of My Affection so boring I had to read it twice, just to make sure it was actually as bad as I remembered. It was. But in my unrelenting optimism (evident only here, in the part of me that deals with books), I decided to give McCauley another chance.
I liked this book much better! It has no chapters, only titled section headings, which gives it a...more
I liked this book much better! It has no chapters, only titled section headings, which gives it a...more
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This novel -- about being over-40 and struggling with how to be, as a secondary character says, "at the center" of your own life rather than "outside" of it -- could be so much more than it is. Already, it's frank, funny, and observant. The narrator's social commentary is right on. Furthermore, the pace is lively; scenes are short and the narrative never drags. That's good, right?
Yeah, but the liveliness is also at the heart of the problem with this novel: It doesn't, until the final scene, take...more
Yeah, but the liveliness is also at the heart of the problem with this novel: It doesn't, until the final scene, take...more
I think I can credit Entertainment Weekly for this recommendation - clearly the reviewer read the jacket but never cracked the book open. What is the Alternative to Sex? Real estate. There are a number of genuinely witty lines throughout, loosely held together by some truly god-awful prose. Seriously, reading this book is like spending an entire day at the dentist. Just say no.
Jun 18, 2010
Bobby Vallecillo
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
gay-fiction
This was a suitable book for anyone looking for light reading. I completed it in just over a week. The characters are not very complex and are easy to relate to in a disfunctional way. I was expecting something to happen in the story... looking for that big moment, but the book just kinda fizzled out leaving me feeling like I've somewhat wasted my time.
Really fun and funny book. Loved reading something that takes place so local to where I live. Love all the stuff about gay sex, obvi. The transformation of the character, and the ending, is very satisfying, although I enjoyed the first half more. Dysfunction and humor is more enjoyable to read than a satisfying conclusion, no?
A chicklit featuring a gay man nearing middle age (what do you call that genre?), so if you don't expect too much (or too deep, for that matter) you wouldn't be disappointed.
Here's a snippet:
=====
"Someone that manipulative and sick can string you on for years."
"I prefer to think of her along the lines of eccentric."
"No, no. She crossed that line long ago."
=====
Here's a snippet:
=====
"Someone that manipulative and sick can string you on for years."
"I prefer to think of her along the lines of eccentric."
"No, no. She crossed that line long ago."
=====
I thought this would be a perfect beach read, and it started out strong. However, the book dragged for me. I don't really "get" the significance of Charlotte and Samuel in William's life other than C triggering the perfectly-wrapped-up ending for William.
Enjoyable, but maybe could have been shorter or boasted a better plot.
Enjoyable, but maybe could have been shorter or boasted a better plot.
Amusing and fun, but mostly predictable, this one kind of reads like chick lit for gay men. :P Got a little silly at the end, but the characters are mostly likable and interesting, and the plot moves well, making it a pretty quick read. Not a must-read, but would be good for a beach trip or just easy weekend reading.
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fast read. typically, everything ends conveniently and happily enough. the straight couple shouldve been a gay couple. actually i should get over it. i just wanted a big gay book and instead the characters were mix. like real life. oh, will he come vacuum my house?
Like most McCauley books, it's an amusing read, but a couple of days after you've finished, you kind of forget exactly what happened. Well, except you know it happened in Boston and involved a somewhat lonely middle-aged gay man.
Borrowed this from Eric's library. At first it seemed really fun and exciting but as it went on I realized that it has nothing more to offer. I was bored. I had to finish it only to have that peace in mind that I read it all. Oh well.
I thought this book was great because it treated the speaker as an obsessive compulsive rather that focussing on his gayness. It felt like a real person talking. I wonder how much is autobiographical?
Good fiction book about a real estate agent looking for love, friendship, and meaning in all the wrong places. Warning....the main character is gay and while not explicit some sexual references.
Not my favorite of his, but still one I would have read happily for another hundred pages or more...
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