The Fancy Dancer
Just finished reading "The Fancy Dancer" by Patricia Nell Warren, published in paperback back in August 1977 by Bantam Books.
Confession time, I was friends with Patricia Nell Warren here on Facebook near the end of her life, but she "defriended" me because I was a disgraceful - her words - Conservative Jewish Republican (still am) who speaks out against Progressive Socialistic Policies (still do.)
I'm always amused by the people who claim to be Free Speech Advocates until they disagree with you and try to use hate speech to silence your voice. Which is ironic when you consider that many people found their voice with her first novel "The Front Runner," and the impact that she had on professional and amateur sports that she would "defriend" and block someone who has a different political view that she did.
Her second novel, "The Front Runner," was the first gay novel to achieve critical and financial success here in America. The Sexual and Gay Liberation movements were in full swing in the mid-and-late 1970, which made "The Front Runner" a huge success and widely popular because it centered around the life of Billy - a gay student athlete who competed in the Olympics. Only despite being such a ground breaking novel, "The Front Runner" stuck to the traditional formula of gay men can never have a happy ending, which was a common theme in American and British literature at this time. Billy does win the gold in one event, but is gunned down by an anti-gay activist just as he's about to win the gold in his second event.
Warren would go on to self publish three sequels to "The Front Runner" under her Wildcat Publishing House.
Before Warren came out as a lesbian, she was married and she converted to her husband's religion - Catholicism. So it was only natural I suppose that she decided to explore how Tom Meeker a newly minted priest would make peace with himself about being gay and having an intense romantic and physical relationship with
town troublemaker and ex-convict Vidal Stump in the wilderness of rural Montana.
Like all newly minted priests, Father Meeker has dreams of rising up through the Church's hierarchy to perhaps being a Monseigneur if he can raise to the challenge of caring for the flock in his dying parish. Father Meeker is just a tad bit prideful in his imagined glories of leading his flock to salvation.
After a regular monthly visit to his parents, Father Meeker does rescue Vidal when he's getting beaten up. And the good father does something disturbing. He loaned his handkerchief to Vidal and alone in this room, Meeker kisses the handkerchief where it had soaked up Vidal's blood.
Father Meeker becomes obsessed with Vidal and when Vidal confesses to be gay, Meeker tries his hand at anti-gay therapy, which fails and he and Vidal consummate their relationship at a room in a Holiday Inn.
Meeker than suffers a spiritual crisis which impacts his relationship with Vidal.
"The Fancy Dancer" ends with Vidal and Father Meeker parting ways for a while to start the next phases in their lives with Meeker given a new and expanded role by his bishop.
It's a compelling novel of coming to terms with who you are.
Strongly Recommended.
Five Stars.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/068...
Confession time, I was friends with Patricia Nell Warren here on Facebook near the end of her life, but she "defriended" me because I was a disgraceful - her words - Conservative Jewish Republican (still am) who speaks out against Progressive Socialistic Policies (still do.)
I'm always amused by the people who claim to be Free Speech Advocates until they disagree with you and try to use hate speech to silence your voice. Which is ironic when you consider that many people found their voice with her first novel "The Front Runner," and the impact that she had on professional and amateur sports that she would "defriend" and block someone who has a different political view that she did.
Her second novel, "The Front Runner," was the first gay novel to achieve critical and financial success here in America. The Sexual and Gay Liberation movements were in full swing in the mid-and-late 1970, which made "The Front Runner" a huge success and widely popular because it centered around the life of Billy - a gay student athlete who competed in the Olympics. Only despite being such a ground breaking novel, "The Front Runner" stuck to the traditional formula of gay men can never have a happy ending, which was a common theme in American and British literature at this time. Billy does win the gold in one event, but is gunned down by an anti-gay activist just as he's about to win the gold in his second event.
Warren would go on to self publish three sequels to "The Front Runner" under her Wildcat Publishing House.
Before Warren came out as a lesbian, she was married and she converted to her husband's religion - Catholicism. So it was only natural I suppose that she decided to explore how Tom Meeker a newly minted priest would make peace with himself about being gay and having an intense romantic and physical relationship with
town troublemaker and ex-convict Vidal Stump in the wilderness of rural Montana.
Like all newly minted priests, Father Meeker has dreams of rising up through the Church's hierarchy to perhaps being a Monseigneur if he can raise to the challenge of caring for the flock in his dying parish. Father Meeker is just a tad bit prideful in his imagined glories of leading his flock to salvation.
After a regular monthly visit to his parents, Father Meeker does rescue Vidal when he's getting beaten up. And the good father does something disturbing. He loaned his handkerchief to Vidal and alone in this room, Meeker kisses the handkerchief where it had soaked up Vidal's blood.
Father Meeker becomes obsessed with Vidal and when Vidal confesses to be gay, Meeker tries his hand at anti-gay therapy, which fails and he and Vidal consummate their relationship at a room in a Holiday Inn.
Meeker than suffers a spiritual crisis which impacts his relationship with Vidal.
"The Fancy Dancer" ends with Vidal and Father Meeker parting ways for a while to start the next phases in their lives with Meeker given a new and expanded role by his bishop.
It's a compelling novel of coming to terms with who you are.
Strongly Recommended.
Five Stars.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/068...
No comments have been added yet.
