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A Boy's Own Story
(The Edmund Trilogy #1)
by
A groundbreaking novel about coming out from one of America’s preeminent gay writers
Critically lauded upon its initial publication in 1982 for its pioneering depiction of homosexuality, A Boy’s Own Story is a moving tale about coming-of-age in midcentury America.
With searing clarity and unabashed wit, Edmund White’s unnamed protagonist yearns for what he knows to be sham ...more
Critically lauded upon its initial publication in 1982 for its pioneering depiction of homosexuality, A Boy’s Own Story is a moving tale about coming-of-age in midcentury America.
With searing clarity and unabashed wit, Edmund White’s unnamed protagonist yearns for what he knows to be sham ...more
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ebook, 256 pages
Published
December 23rd 2014
by Open Road Media
(first published 1982)
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A series of six short character studies, A Boy’s Own Story charts the emotional and aesthetic development of a sensitive young gay artist. The story follows the unnamed son of a newly rich couple as he struggles to come to terms with his sexuality and reject his conservative upbringing. In elaborate prose, White paints a vivid portrait of an adolescence characterized by shame, confusion, and longing, whether the author’s describing his wealthy protagonist’s first furtive sexual encounter or fles
...more
Elegant prose describing here a unique experience that hardly resembles my own. (The paramount reason I adore fiction!) In this, the truth of the matter. That there are all types, there are many stories. Sexuality is fixed only in our minds. This is no mix between "Salinger & Wilde." White is an American Alan Hollinghurst, or sometype bourgeois William Burroughs.
...more
Edmund White portrays his younger life in a narcotic and poetic style. not exactly the most flattering self-portrait... the protagonist's travails are emotionally affecting yet he remains creepily distanced from the events and people in his own life - in particular from his equally creepy, distant, self-absorbed father. the apple does not fall far from the tree, i suppose. overall, the language is some of the most beautiful, in my experience, of all of gay fiction - rivaling even Giovanni's Room
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This is a hard book to rate, but I would give it a 3.5.
It's said to be partly autobiographical and it does read like a memoir. However, the story is not linear and at times the timeline is confusing. Progressions of events are broken up by anecdotes that are sometimes told through narrative but are other times written out scene-by-scene. The digressions are sometimes interesting but often felt unnecessary or disconnected from the main character's adolescent journey.
Despite those criticisms, the ...more
It's said to be partly autobiographical and it does read like a memoir. However, the story is not linear and at times the timeline is confusing. Progressions of events are broken up by anecdotes that are sometimes told through narrative but are other times written out scene-by-scene. The digressions are sometimes interesting but often felt unnecessary or disconnected from the main character's adolescent journey.
Despite those criticisms, the ...more
What a disappointment. I thought I was an Edmund White fan but it turned out I just like the funny Edmund (The Beautiful Room is Empty, My Lives). There wasn’t the faintest impression of the wan attenuated ghost of any kind of humour in the half that I read. Not whatsoever. This was Serious Edmund, this was Literary Edmund. I just don’t care for that guy. He’s more than somewhat pompous.
The other thing, and I haven’t seen any other reviews refer to this, is that right there in chapter one we ha ...more
The other thing, and I haven’t seen any other reviews refer to this, is that right there in chapter one we ha ...more
Achingly beautiful...and that's before the "corn-holing" even begins. White levels some serious stingers at you in this sucker, written with his customary flair for Proustian filigree. While evidence that a truly fucked up childhood can engender great Art, the beneficiary (me/you/etc) thereof is behooved to ask—
Q: Does that justify it?
A: No. It can never be worth the manifold tortures adults foist upon their young—physical, psychological, or any variation of both. I think cummings is applicable ...more
Q: Does that justify it?
A: No. It can never be worth the manifold tortures adults foist upon their young—physical, psychological, or any variation of both. I think cummings is applicable ...more
Judging by this book, the average young boy can, before the age of 15, look forward to being approached for sex by:
*A 12-year-old "straight" baby jock who's really into anal
*Not one, but two separate camp counselors
*A "special" student who wanders around with a constant erection, which everyone just accepts, like, "Oh hey, it's whatshisname with his perma-boner"
*A teacher and his wife looking for a three-way
*A totally different teacher
*A female black prostitute
*A guy in a park who's actually jus ...more
*A 12-year-old "straight" baby jock who's really into anal
*Not one, but two separate camp counselors
*A "special" student who wanders around with a constant erection, which everyone just accepts, like, "Oh hey, it's whatshisname with his perma-boner"
*A teacher and his wife looking for a three-way
*A totally different teacher
*A female black prostitute
*A guy in a park who's actually jus ...more
I read this for my lifetime challenge (1982).
I picked "A Boy's Own Story" because it's also on the "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die" list. Unfortunately, it's another one from the list I didn't particularly enjoy. It is not a long book, but it felt long and was a chore to get through it.
The book is the memoir of a boy coming to terms (or not) with being gay. While that topic interested me, and I had no issues with the sexual content in the book, the actual writing didn't hold my interes ...more
I picked "A Boy's Own Story" because it's also on the "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die" list. Unfortunately, it's another one from the list I didn't particularly enjoy. It is not a long book, but it felt long and was a chore to get through it.
The book is the memoir of a boy coming to terms (or not) with being gay. While that topic interested me, and I had no issues with the sexual content in the book, the actual writing didn't hold my interes ...more
There's a kind of bittersweet loneliness/excitement at sexual awakening that most gays will intrinsically understand and that White always manages to caputure so perfectly. Somehow, he romances the unromantic, charming us with images of cruising in parks and getting STD's.
...more
Aug 23, 2019
Proustitute (somewhat here, somewhat there)
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
"Like a blind man's hands exploring a face, the memory lingers over an identifying or beloved feature but dismisses the rest as just a curve, a bump, an expanse. Only this feature—these lashes tickling the palm like a firefly or this breath pulsing hot on a knuckle or this vibrating Adam's apple—only this feature seems lovable, sexy. But in writing one draws in the rest, the forgotten parts. One even composes one's improvisations into a quite new face never glimpsed before, the likeness of an in
...more
Feb 05, 2010
K.D. Absolutely
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to K.D. by:
1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
A book about a gay boy in the US during the 50's. This coming-of-age story is peppered with lyrical prose and said to be an instant hit when it was first published in 1982. Considering that the setting of the story is in the heartland of the conservative US and it was in the 50's (before the rock n roll era), the difficulties that the author of this semi-autobiographical novel went through to fight for his desire to be loved (by men including his father) are something worth knowing. As the blurb
...more
A Boy's Own Story is about a young boy's coming of age and his coming out in the 1950s. It is told in a very sensitive voice and the language used is very beautiful. At the beginning of the book there is a very explicit sex scene. I was quite surprised at that because I had never expected that. I've read a lot of books by John Irving who especially in his later work uses a lot of sex scenes as well but never anything like that.
I always enjoy reading coming of age stories including the ones set a ...more
I always enjoy reading coming of age stories including the ones set a ...more
This groundbreaking novel about a gay teenage boy coming of age in the 1950s is full of nostalgia and the yearning to be comfortable with oneself. The narrator recalls snippets of his formative years in which he struggles with his sexuality and the sense of shame that accompanies his then-forbidden desires. The writing is elegant and the story is an important one to tell, though I found certain sections to be far more affecting and compelling than others. This was an uneven read for me, though I
...more
You know it was definitely good. The writing and language was truly beautiful and I honestly enjoyed the short novel. Why only three stars? Well... perhaps the writing was ~too~ beautiful. I often found myself having to go back a re-read paragraphs because I realized I wasn't really paying attention to what I was reading. I'm glad I picked it up and I fully intend on continuing with the three book series but maybe I may need to wait until the semester is over to limit my distractions.
...more
Essentially the homosexual’s The Catcher in the Rye, this modern classic is beautifully rendered; lush language and haunting passages abound. This one earns a spot amongst my all-time favorites.
A strong 3.5!
"Is it real wet and slippery in there? Some guy told me it was like a wet liver in a milk bottle"
One of the many weird and funny quotes from this book.
A boy's own story follows a young boy's story and his relationship with his family and exploring his sexuality.
It isn't what you would expect to be from the outset, which makes is quite refreshing.
I had some problems while reading the book, for example, A boy that is 15 that is goes from calling his father "daddy" in a child like m ...more
"Is it real wet and slippery in there? Some guy told me it was like a wet liver in a milk bottle"
One of the many weird and funny quotes from this book.
A boy's own story follows a young boy's story and his relationship with his family and exploring his sexuality.
It isn't what you would expect to be from the outset, which makes is quite refreshing.
I had some problems while reading the book, for example, A boy that is 15 that is goes from calling his father "daddy" in a child like m ...more
To be sixteen again, curled up on a bed devouring a novel in one afternoon! Of course, in 1982--the year ABOS was published--few gay-themed novels were readily available. I was lucky to live in an area with a public library that stocked the book. The 1980s: the apex of gay fiction (written by gay men for gay men). A celebration of the American spirit, with a homoerotic twist. The essence of individuality. Man versus society. American authors fed us the antihero (from surname-less Ishmael to drop
...more
Nov 15, 2007
Eric
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
malick-should-film-it,
ficciones
The last of White's novels that I picked up, and to be honest I wasn't expecting any surprises. Was I stupid! I cringe when I hear this book praised as if it were the first and best thing White ever wrote...but it is very good. After the fervid manner of Nocturnes for the King of Naples (still my favorite of his books) White took to heart Isherwood's advice to write more plainly. The style he achieves in this book is a marvel. A formal chasteness that doesn't trammel lyricism, a clarity that doe
...more
When I first started reading this, I couldn't figure out why I had never heard about it before: the writing is really quite good. But then I realized that for all of his belletrism, White doesn't really write about anything very compelling or interesting. Sure there's some smut and the carefree (if shopworn) experience of the rich white boy away at boarding school, wearing his immunities to consequence like his house's heraldic colors. But nothing much goes on.
I read this because it's the first ...more
I read this because it's the first ...more
An account of growing up queer when growing up queer wasn't as mainstream as it is today. I think will appeal almost universally to a gay audience, but also to anyone who has felt different or like an outsider. It also deals with some interesting father-son issues.
...more
One of the most original coming-of-age/coming out stories I have ever read. While clearly influenced by Yukio Mishima's Confessions of a Mask or even The Cather in the Rye and Proust, White manages to create a character that feels real and that you end up falling in love with this through the journey of his childhood and young adulthood.
Edmune White is quickly becoming my favourite queer author and I cannot wait to read the other two novels in this trilogy. ...more
Edmune White is quickly becoming my favourite queer author and I cannot wait to read the other two novels in this trilogy. ...more
Apr 04, 2008
Robert
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
gay-lesbian-queer,
contemporary-literature
Edmund White is the type of writer who freely uses words like “uxorious” in his novels without batting an eyelash. Thus it’s small wonder it was such a chore for me to plod through this book back as a young twentysomething - my little punkass simply wasn’t ready for such writerly erudition and I henceforth banned Mr. White to the shameful rank of Privileged Irrelevant Old Gay White Male Writer (PIOGWMW), basically the literary equivalent of a Sweater Queen to my judgmental young mind. But that’s
...more
"Like a blind man's hands exploring a face, the memory lingers over an identifying or beloved feature but dismisses the rest as just a curve, a bump, an expanse."
Originally published in 1982 'A Boy's Own Story' is the first of White’s trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels. Initially the book was banned which almost certainly added to its popularity it became an instant classic for its pioneering portrayal of homosexuality. .
Told from the perspective of an adolescent boy who represents the auth ...more
Originally published in 1982 'A Boy's Own Story' is the first of White’s trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels. Initially the book was banned which almost certainly added to its popularity it became an instant classic for its pioneering portrayal of homosexuality. .
Told from the perspective of an adolescent boy who represents the auth ...more
Mar 31, 2018
Claire Fuller
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2018
I really enjoyed the writing, especially the physical descriptions of people which are always rather disgusting: 'Her teeth overlapped. Her eyeteeth were unusually long and pointed and wet'. Or, 'Mr. Pouchet had very full lips the color of raspberry ice when it's still in the carton, before it's licked lighter...' The book is six chapters, but really they are anecdotes that flit around different times during the narrator's adolescence, detailing his different encounters with men and boys, and hi
...more
"A popular quiz on masculinity in those days asked three questions, all of which I flunked: 1) Look at your nails (a girl extends her fingers, a boy cups his in his upturned palm); 2) Look up (a girl lifts just her eyes, a boy throws back his whole head); 3) Light a match (a girl strikes away from her body, a boy toward - or perhaps the reverse, I can't recall)."
He can't recall!? I need to know!
"Kevin was the sort of son who would have pleased my father more then I did. ... On the surface he had ...more
He can't recall!? I need to know!
"Kevin was the sort of son who would have pleased my father more then I did. ... On the surface he had ...more
This wasn’t what I expected to find when I picked this book. I expected a story based on a real life experience…what it turned out to be was a collection of anecdotes from a life, tied together loosely through a vaguely chronological perspective and a bunch of generously worded descriptions of people, emotions and locations.
The narrative is personal and from the foreword we learn that it is indeed an autobiographical story. The author also lets us know that he was an addict while he wrote this ...more
The narrative is personal and from the foreword we learn that it is indeed an autobiographical story. The author also lets us know that he was an addict while he wrote this ...more
I’ve been eager to acquire this book for some time now and although I didn’t enjoy it nearly half as much as I thought I would, I’m still pleased I finally managed to read it. Here we go:
A Boy’s Own Story features a nameless protagonist living in America and struggling to discern his own identity through an intangible web of pain, loneliness, and homophobia. After a somewhat innocent commingling with a younger boy, purely for experimental (read: pleasurable) purposes, he begins to realise his f ...more
A Boy’s Own Story features a nameless protagonist living in America and struggling to discern his own identity through an intangible web of pain, loneliness, and homophobia. After a somewhat innocent commingling with a younger boy, purely for experimental (read: pleasurable) purposes, he begins to realise his f ...more
I read this back in the mid 80s. I was enthralled with the dense and lyrical prose and found the protagonist and his struggles very identifiable. I thought this would be a book that I’d return to every couple of years and find more depth with ever reread I’d make. I haven’t read it again since that first time, so perhaps it wasn’t as powerful a book as I’d at first thought. Perhaps it’s something that worked well in the era when it was released, but now readers have moved on and can no longer re
...more
It feels like a crime, giving 2 stars to this beloved gay classic. When I started this book 2 years ago, I loved how it began and decided to read it later because I wanted to read it in a physical copy instead of the ebook. This time round, I was put off by the tediousness of reading it and I dreaded getting back to it every time. White spends way too much time describing the external appearances of people and this seriously bothered me. I'm not accusing him of lookism, but it exacerbated my alr
...more
Wow this was so crap ! Bought it because the blurb sounded like my cup of tea but alas. Yes it’s set in the 50s but the racism, misogyny and ableism in this have just aged SO badly - i don’t know why picador rereleased. all of the working-class characters are flimsy stereotypes and I’m pretty sure that the Holocaust denial (no, seriously) in this book is just glossed over and made light of ??? A few moments of interesting gay theory but all are very capital T and mingled with boring psychoanalys
...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Books & Banter: June 2020 - LGBT Pride (Fiction) | 1 | 6 | Jun 02, 2020 01:37PM | |
| Reading 1001: A Boy's Own Story by Edmund White | 5 | 14 | Jun 27, 2018 01:17PM |
Readers also enjoyed
Edmund White's novels include Fanny: A Fiction, A Boy's Own Story, The Farewell Symphony, and A Married Man. He is also the author of a biography of Jean Genet, a study of Marcel Proust, The Flâneur: A Stroll Through the Paradoxes of Paris, and, most recently, his memoir, My Lives. Having lived in Paris for many years, he is now a New Yorker and teaches at Princeton University. He was also a membe
...more
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The Edmund Trilogy
(3 books)
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“For the real movements of a life are gradual, then sudden; they resist becoming anecdotes, they pulse like quasars from long-dead stars to reach the vivid planet of the present, they drift like fog over the ship until the spread sails are merely panels of gray in grayer air and surround becomes object, as in those perceptual tests where figure and ground reverse, the kissing couple in profile turn into the outlines of the mortuary urn that holds their own ashes. Time wears down resolve--then suddenly violence, something irrevocable flashes out of nowhere, there are thrashing fins and roiled, blood-streaked water, death floats up on its side, eyes bulging.”
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“Despite my fears and my aching loneliness, I believed without a doubt in a better world, which was adulthood or New York or Paris or love.”
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