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The Front Runner (Harlan's Story #1)

4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 · rating details · 1,877 ratings · 133 reviews

Harlan Brown is a tough, conservative track coach hiding from his past at a small college. Billy Sive is a brilliant young runner who is homosexual and doesn't mind who knows it. When they fall in love, they enter a race against hate and prejudice which takes them to the '76 Olympics and a shattering, shocking conclusion.With 10 million copies in 7 languages, this landmark...more

Paperback, 320 pages

Published June 1st 1996 by Wildcat Press (first published 1974)

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The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

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The Front Runner by Patricia Nell Warren

Classic Gay Male Literature

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Apr 26, 2012 Scott rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thepinkroom

I enjoyed reading this book - it wasn't the best written story, but it depicted an honest and candid story involving two men in love when the gay liberation movement was just picking up steam. It was written by a woman, which I find intriguing, and involves a relationship between a college track coach and one of his students separated in age by a considerable gap.

The story has quite a few issues for me - mainly the development of a relationship between the two main characters - it is clear that...more

6 likes · like · see review

Aug 27, 2009 Katie M. rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008, queer

Sigh. What to say about this book? I do understand that it was brave and sensational and groundbreaking. I do understand that it changed the lives of many people who read it. I do understand that it was a product of its time and that times are different now. I do understand how it helped lay the foundation for other queer novels to follow. But seriously, it is just so. Extraordinarily. Bad. There, I've said it.

4 likes · like · see review

Jan 20, 2013 Leslie Nicoll rated it 3 of 5 stars

I've heard about this book for years but never read it. Finally it popped up in a Kindle edition and I figured it was time to give it a try.

I can understand why this book was groundbreaking in 1974. But reading it now it comes across as sort of quaint and naive, especially when I think of what has happened in the years since. I found that if I put my mind in 1974, I enjoyed the book more.

This book is often mentioned in the same breath as The Lord Won't Mind by Gordon Merrick, in that they were t...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Kath rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have been waiting for this to be released on Kindle ever since I got one. I first read this book back in the 90s when I was given a copy by a friend. I started to read it and pretty much couldn't put it down. I was at uni and was supposed to be going out with my housemates and was reading this when they went out. I told them I would catch them up. When they returned I was sat in the kitchen still reading, with tears rolling down my face.
It was the first book that really had an impact on me. It...more

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Aug 17, 2012 Erulisse rated it 4 of 5 stars

The book, although not outstanding, is an excellent glimpse of gay society and mores around the time of Stonewall in the late 1960's and early 1970's. I had a horrid e-copy of this book, but struggled through the misspellings and paragraph errors because the story was compelling. The author is quite cognizant about her specific subject matters - running track and gay history and attitudes. It was like glimpsing male gay culture from a scope - a very limited view, but in-depth with what it portra...more

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Apr 28, 2011 manatee rated it 3 of 5 stars

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Aug 25, 2009 Kayez rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone interested in gay rights and sports novels

Recommended to Kayez by: amazon

I sat down to read this because I had read reviews hailing it as a pivotal gay novel. Truthfully I didn't expect much from the novel in the way of man on man thrill, after all the book was written in the mid seventies.

I'm not going to sum up the book here, if I did I may start crying again and I'm finally calm enough to write this.

This book is wonderful.
The fact that it was written during the seventies has no bearing on how well written or marvelous it really is.

It is told in first person by H...more

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Jun 08, 2009 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, glbtq

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Feb 28, 2012 Donna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: gay-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I liked it as a m/m romance and as a fictional accounting of gay activism in the 1970's. But I had some problems with it. The biggest problem being the misogynistic attitudes so pervasive throughout the book. Which is strange, seeing as how a woman wrote it.
Harlan Brown summed it up at one point by saying "Men give and women take." He even went so far as to admit that if Billy had had any feminine qualities, he never would have been able t...more I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I liked it as a m/m romance and as a fictional accounting of gay activism in the 1970's. But I had some problems with it. The biggest problem being the misogynistic attitudes so pervasive throughout the book. Which is strange, seeing as how a woman wrote it.
Harlan Brown summed it up at one point by saying "Men give and women take." He even went so far as to admit that if Billy had had any feminine qualities, he never would have been able to tolerate it. Even Billy was anti-female to a certain degree, though he did have a friend who was a lesbian. I suppose it was because both men had some bad experiences with women along the way--Billy being abandoned by his mother and Harlan feeling trapped into marriage after getting a woman pregnant(as if he'd had nothing to do with this?).
It made it difficult to like these characters at times, though I liked them well enough to keep reading about them and never wished any of them ill. But I believe this book did an injustice to gay men, portraying them as bitter, women-haters, without providing some balance with another gay character who might have seen women in a better light. Also, I found Harlan to be selfish and self-centered much of the time, and emotionally stunted. I didn't really buy his claim that he loved Billy from the start. But I do believe that he was in lust with him and it grew into love which bloomed fully only after Billy was gone.
Certainly the book is dated. And it was sad throughout, even during the best of times, making it a test of endurance while reading it. But I am glad I read it. It was well worth my time. As an aside, the cover of the edition I read was perfect for the book. From behind, it shows an older and a younger man walking side by side down a path, their heads bent toward one another as if in conversation. I could well imagine Harlan and Billy looking like this. It is the best of the covers that I have seen--First Plume Printing, March 1988.
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Dec 10, 2012 Saura rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-fiction, classics, glbt, older-fiction, romance, cried-my-eyes-out

I’ve wanted to read this book since I first heard about it a year or so ago. Actually, I got really close once, found it at the library, but returned it without opening it. Last week, after reading two depressing books in a row, I decided to finally find this book and just start. I thought the story about a runner and his coach in love would be just what I needed to get me out of, what I call, a ‘book-sorrowful state’. I was right about one thing: the story is about the love between a runner and...more I’ve wanted to read this book since I first heard about it a year or so ago. Actually, I got really close once, found it at the library, but returned it without opening it. Last week, after reading two depressing books in a row, I decided to finally find this book and just start. I thought the story about a runner and his coach in love would be just what I needed to get me out of, what I call, a ‘book-sorrowful state’. I was right about one thing: the story is about the love between a runner and his coach. The rest though … If you’ve read the book, you know what surprise was waiting for me (and you’re probably laughing at my bad luck).

Before I get ahead of myself, let’s start with a synopsis. This book is about Harlan Brown, a bitter coach who’s gay. He is down on his luck – his dream of running in the Olympic Games has long been thwarted and he has lost his position as a coach in one of the best universities because of rumors of him being gay started spreading. In comes 3 young runners, Billy, Vince and Jacques – they’re brilliant, well-known in the amateur running-world and also gay. Harlan falls in love with Billy’s self-confidence and personality, though he fights the attraction with teeth and nails. Billy dreams of The Olympic Games and Harlan helps him toward that goal. It feels almost impossible, since homosexuality is not accepted in the sports world and many want to stop Billy’s way to Montreal before it even begins.

Well, I liked this book. The story gripped me from the start and I fell for Billy. He’s a character I don’t usually see in fiction – he knows what he wants and who he is and isn’t ashamed of his wants and faults. He was my favourite character all the way through. Harlan, on the other hand, is completely different. He’s strong, but keeps himself guarded. He also has a very biased view of the world. His comments about women especially are very hateful. But as he changed throughout the book, I found myself warming up to him a little bit.

The other characters are great too, especially Vince. I like how protective he is of his friends.

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Aug 03, 2012 Alexis Muirhead rated it 4 of 5 stars

While the quality of the writing is questionable, The Front Runner is an important artifact of a particular point in queer history. Set in the early 1970s, the novel explores not only the burgeoning Gay Rights movement (sparked by the Stonewall Riots in 1969) but the social and political implications of a highly-publicized romance between a promising young collegiate track star and his coach.

The characters are rather broadly drawn and the relationship patterns may seem alien to contemporary eye...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 21, 2013 Letty Chihoro rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was simply gripped by this book. I have lived through the horrors of apartheid and know of the horrors of slavery and the slave trade in the United States. This book describes the discrimination and brutality suffered by gay people from the 1930s to the 1970s and in many ways it is like apartheid. I was simply riveted. Quite often I was brought to tears. The book describes the life of a gay athlete whose private life with his coach became the focus of attention for politicians, the media and t...more

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May 07, 2013 A rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook

I felt equal parts dread and relief as I came to the end of this book. I read most of The Front Runner with a knot in my stomach. I knew it wouldn't end in a typical fashion and, while I loved this book with all of my heart, I had to force myself to continue with it. But in the end, it's the fact that this book made me feel so strongly, whether it be sadness or pain or outrage or inspiration or happiness, that put it at the top of my favorite books list. Technically, it's far from perfect. There...more

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Sep 21, 2010 Rebecca Cohen rated it 3 of 5 stars

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Jun 10, 2009 Adam Hodgins rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: queer

I picked this up because it’s supposed to be influential or whatever and I figured I should read it, big mistake. I groaned and rolled my eyes through this whole book. Where to start...outdated ideas about gender, masculinity, sexual orientation, annoying references to astrology every 5 seconds, complete mis-representation of Buddhism, ridiculous depiction of vegetarian nutrition.... all of which I could maybe, maybe overlook considering when it was published but on top of all that the writing i...more

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Apr 22, 2012 Nathan Burgoine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: glbt

A smarter man than I might have noticed the word "Tragic" on the back cover of this book. That's all I'll say about how it was that I ended up blubbering in the midst of the Atlanta airport last week on my way to New Orleans.

This book was phenomenal. That it has just had its 20th anniversary makes it all the more stunning to me for its ability to hold up over time, as so many books struggle to do. Set in the year leading up to the Montreal Olympics, we follow the life of an ex-marine Coach who b...more

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Jun 14, 2011 Librarian Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

Fascinating description of how much things have changed (nobody gets thrown off a sports team for long hair these days) and how much they haven't (homophobia is still a major influence in sports). Surprisingly comparable to many of the contemporary m/m books I've read, although the "70s-ness" of it sometimes gave me serious flashbacks, and makes me realize how clueless and unaware I was about the existence of gay rights issues when I was young. It's pre-AIDS, which gives it an innocence I hadn't...more

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Mar 03, 2009 Djrmel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: classic, fiction, glbt

Written and set in the late 1970's, this book has a very dated feeling to it, and I thought of it as a period work. But, the further I got into it, I realized that not a whole lot has changed, that if the events of the story (young world class track star falls in love with and marries his coach) happened today, it possibly could play out the same way. That's sad, but it makes it a book relevant for our time, imo. The story-teller (the coach) get a little wordy at times, especially when explainin...more

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Oct 09, 2011 Christopher Cook rated it 2 of 5 stars

I can't say that I completely hate THE FRONT RUNNER, because that wouldn't be true, but I'm not too thrilled with it either. First published in the 1970s as a "problem novel" regarding homosexuality, the story follows Harlan Brown, a reclusive ex-Marine who has come to identify himself as homosexual but has hidden away as a running coach at a college in Upstate New York. He meets three young runners that all come to the college for refuge, since they were thrown out of a previous school for bein...more

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May 26, 2007 Jenne rated it 2 of 5 stars

Wow, things have certainly come a long way since 1974.
Now, they actually publish gay novels that are good, instead of schmaltzy claptrap like this.

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 16, 2012 Kim rated it 2 of 5 stars

Oy! I give this book two stars for the historical significance of it and the slow tango between Harlan and Billy in the first four chapters, but it went totally off the rails after that. Harlan was nuts and I couldn't understand why Billy was drawn to him. When Billy told Harlan he'd make a great father, I laughed out loud. Harlan had two sons he didn't even try to have a relationship with! Then he was angry when his kids turned against him. He was so ugly towards women and pretty much everyone...more

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Mar 12, 2009 Johnnie Terry rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book gets four stars because it made my adolescent, gay heart pound. I fell in love with Billy. It was tragic. It broke my heart. I read and reread it because it was about people like me who'd met other people like me and I wanted to run away and join those people. I kept this book hidden under my bed. I'm scared to reread it now that I'm in my forties because it could pop that romanticized bubble. It's better for me to remember this one. If you read this book because of my recommendation,...more

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Oct 06, 2011 Edneppp rated it 4 of 5 stars

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Nov 04, 2012 Anne-Marie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-romance

What can I say. Gripping, tender and deeply moving story telling. I was dreading those final chapters, wishing I didn't know what was going to happen, and as expected they were a heart-breaking read but there was so much love there, that it provided healing and comfort as well.

Harlan and Billy are wonderful characters, fleshed out so fully that they and their love story come to life, nearly sprinting off the page. Billy is simply radiant. Many secondary characters are also interesting: John, Vi...more

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Mar 01, 2013 John E rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: gay-themed

This book is the quintessential "coming out/of age" book. Harlan Brown & Billy Sive, discontemporaries in more than just age, find themselves on a journey that even Danielle Steele couldn't touch. Patricia Nell Warren weaves a story that, although set in the early/mid-1970's, is totally timeless and moving and ethereal and — Dare we hope? — true. The characters are fully-drawn and totally unambiguous; the pacing is sublime. I picked up this book after lunch on a rainy Sunday in April, 1979.....more

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Jun 05, 2012 Kevin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: queer

An affecting, well-plotted, somewhat dated story (must have been revolutionary in 1975. It's still gripping today, but it wears its age). There were some very authentic, tender romantic moments between the two main, male characters, which is even more impressive given that the author is a lesbian (unless Wikipedia is lying to me, which it would never do, right?). I was never bored, and I looked forward to picking it up. It's a fast 300 pages, however there are some things that got in the way. Fo...more

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Oct 27, 2008 Beth rated it 4 of 5 stars

I definitely understand why The Front Runner is considered a classic of gay literature. The plot and characters were compelling and the social issues felt real. Needless to say, I think every reader is (or should be, at least) a little bit in love with Billy Sive. The narrator, on the other hand, was less than admirable, but he did improve over the course of the book.

As a feminist, it bugged me to see how chauvinistic gay male culture of the 70s was. Although that is something I knew before from...more

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Feb 12, 2008 Jerome Baladad rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Offhand, I like this better than "The Fancy Dancer" of the same author. And if ever there was a book that got me into reading more about gay literature, this is the book that got me into my search for the definitive gay novel - if ever there was such a work that could come to mind to readers like myself of the genre. I recall reading this book when I was still in high school after I discovered it from the shelves of the Philippines' leading bookstore (National Bookstore). There were certainly ot...more Offhand, I like this better than "The Fancy Dancer" of the same author. And if ever there was a book that got me into reading more about gay literature, this is the book that got me into my search for the definitive gay novel - if ever there was such a work that could come to mind to readers like myself of the genre. I recall reading this book when I was still in high school after I discovered it from the shelves of the Philippines' leading bookstore (National Bookstore). There were certainly other books of the same genre, but this book caught my fancy due to the illustration on its front cover.

I recall having totally enjoyed reading details about the love affair of a closeted sports coach and his student (who fell over heels upon meeting his coach but didn't display it at once -- the coach must have sensed it, based on my recollection now, but he couldn't cope well with the very strong physical attraction between them, hence he made things very difficult between them). I don't remember much about the details of how the story went about but I remember how sad I was about the death of the student ('The Front Runner'). But all these sad details were soon overtaken by the ending where the Coach was shown having started moving on from the memory of his dead student/lover.

And it's important to my mind that the one who wrote this happened to be a woman, which somehow gave the book a different perspective and with a mellower treatment. I don't mind being called 'sexist' just because I pointed this out, but there's a huge difference if it's a man who's writing about gay love affairs - I'm claiming this from having read other books of the same/similar genre. I think there's more emphasis on giving descriptions on what's graphically sexual plus more focus on the genitals when a gay novel (with mostly gay male characters) is written by a man. Women writers seem not to be focus on these areas based on what I've read todate.

Looking back, I don't think I'll actually be reading novels like this these days (unless there are strong reasons, e.g., if I personally knew the author). But it's important we have books like for all curious readers like myself. Books such as these serve as sort of great bridges to use in one journey when crossing over to life's other wider and colorful avenues; they're also great previews on what's in store for individuals with different sexual preferences. (less)

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May 12, 2011 Kaje Harper rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, m-m

This is a classic m/m romance, written back when that was a far more rare and risky thing. It is a wonderful book, and has lost nothing in the decades since it was written. The 1970's setting is a vivid backdrop, the main characters are wonderful and complex, and the ending still makes me cry after many readings. As we browse through the candy store of contemporary m/m romances, this is one to read and savor, and to remind us of the things that change, and the things that remain the same.

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Jan 30, 2010 Jonathan Treadway rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'd heard that this was another gay classic love story, like The Charioteer. Everyone's right! I can't believe I waited this long to read it, but I was absorbed immediately and caught up in the drama. Some of it seemed a little too good to be true, but all in all it was an excellent story. The romance between the two men is believable and heartwarming. Yes, I cried at the ending of this one too...but I bet everyone does! This is definitely a keeper, and one I will reread over and over.

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About Patricia Nell Warren

Patricia Nell Warren grew up on a historic ranch in Montana, spent many years working in the New York media, and has lived and traveled extensively in Europe. She now resides in Los Angeles County, where she writes both best-selling fiction and provocative political commentary. While her earlier works came out from establishment publishers like William Morrow and Random House/Ballantine, today Wil...more

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Quotes from The Front Runner

“In my old age, I was at last being permitted to make the discovery that lovemaking gets better and better with time, if it's with someone you care for.” — 5 people liked it

“How many more times would I have embraced him that night, how many more times would I have kissed him, if I had known the name of that stranger lover who was already in Montreal, who had already bought his stadium ticket from a scalper for the 5,000 tomorrow.
That implacable lover who was going to turn Billy's eyes away from me forever.” — 3 people liked it

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The Front Runner (Harlan's Story #1)

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