false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171448237m/99641.jpg 99641 11 Take the sensuous, fecund New Orleans setting, add a generous helping of tangled Southern family history, and season liberally with a sensitive teenage boy rejected by his friends and frightened of his own homoerotic impulses and you wouldn't be surprised to discover that the novel containing all of the above was written by someone named Rice. But a few paragraphs into the first page, it's clear that Anne Rice's son's first novel isn't about vampires or witches and does not otherwise read like one of her exceedingly popular books. The only family resemblance is in the setting, the sexual orientation of the lovingly described male characters, and the scent of overripe magnolias. <p> There's murder, suicide, and madness at the heart of this rather clumsy coming-of-age story, which focuses on the youthful friendship of Stephen Conlin, Meredith Ducote, Greg Darby, and Brandon Charbonnet. This friendship is destroyed by a sexual incident that takes place just before the foursome enters Cannon, an exclusive prep school. There, Stephen is ostracized by his former friends, now the most popular kids on campus, who'd just as soon forget their own complicity in the event. Envy, passion, and rage drive the narrative, but the emotions are as juvenile as the characters, and the long passages depicting the rituals and cruelties of high school, from pep rallies to football games, slow down the pace without really illuminating character or motivation. The novel reads like a roman à clef. Rice might have been wiser to tell someone else's story rather than his own. <I>--Jane Adams</I> 3338226 2000 A Density of Souls total:1140|5:306|4:379|3:308|2:107|1:40| 1140 4224 1401 121 3 2 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Oct 03 20:25:49 -0700 2007 Fri Oct 05 00:14:02 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 2 false false Sat Apr 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 29 17:07:06 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 29 17:26:50 -0700 2009
Firstly, Rice manages to tell a story. Character ...more...]]> 0 0 false false Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Jan 04 13:17:43 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 04 13:17:43 -0800 2009
Four kids grow up together and are never separated before they get to highschool. Gregg and Brandon become popular in highschool as football jock...more...]]> 2 0 false false Wed Feb 25 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 14 12:07:16 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 25 13:35:22 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Nov 22 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 23 06:08:39 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 23 06:15:20 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Oct 08 08:16:50 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 08 11:35:30 -0700 2009
The story itself was engaging with a speedy pace. I loved how he viewed main occurrences from the perspective of most all characters invol...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Apr 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 05 20:15:19 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 12 19:37:06 -0700 2009
Well...gay theme or not, this was a good read and became just another good book on my bedside table. Stro...more...]]> 5 2 false false Sat Jan 03 21:54:53 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 03 22:06:21 -0800 2009 ...more...]]> 2 1 false false Tue Dec 02 11:22:49 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 02 11:31:17 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Mon Aug 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 31 16:39:01 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 31 16:43:52 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Oct 10 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 30 15:16:10 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 24 07:26:12 -0700 2008 1 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sun Jun 15 07:17:18 -0700 2008 Sun Jun 15 07:27:28 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sun Apr 06 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Mar 27 05:34:32 -0700 2008 Sat Apr 05 22:12:40 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Mar 16 11:15:19 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 02 06:26:07 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Aug 11 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Mar 27 10:43:59 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 27 10:47:01 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Fri Oct 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 15 19:06:50 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 17 00:50:06 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Feb 02 20:57:13 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 02 20:59:23 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Nov 01 16:25:59 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 01 22:04:54 -0800 2009 1
The story touches on some difficult topics; rape, homosexuality and tragedy. Though some of the heart wrenching words are hard on one's emotions, it is well worth the read. Only by reading this book, can you understand the tru...more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 26 15:09:56 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 18:51:52 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Aug 10 02:48:34 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 10 03:32:36 -0700 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=99641