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Small G: Une idylle d'été
Peter, vingt ans, est assassiné par des toxicomanes en manque. Dans le milieu homosexuel zurichois, qui gravite d'ordinaire assez paisiblement autour d'un bar, le Small g, ce drame révèle les haines, attise les angoisses, dévoile les blessures secrètes des êtres. Rickie, l'ami de Peter, hanté par la peur du vieillissement et du sida, Luisa, la jeune couturière candide, sous la coupe d'une patronne haineuse, bien d'autres encore... Dans cette dernière œuvre, la romancière de Monsieur Ripley et du Journal d'Edith révèle avec plus d'évidence que jamais ce qui fait le prix de son regard et de son écriture : lucidité, compassion, subtile cruauté, authentique vérité humaine.
Pocket Book
First published January 1, 1994
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About the author
Patricia Highsmith
477 books5,121 followersPatricia Highsmith was an American novelist who is known mainly for her psychological crime thrillers which have led to more than two dozen film adaptations over the years.
She lived with her grandmother, mother and later step-father (her mother divorced her natural father six months before 'Patsy' was born and married Stanley Highsmith) in Fort Worth before moving with her parents to New York in 1927 but returned to live with her grandmother for a year in 1933. Returning to her parents in New York, she attended public schools in New York City and later graduated from Barnard College in 1942.
Shortly after graduation her short story 'The Heroine' was published in the Harper's Bazaar magazine and it was selected as one of the 22 best stories that appeared in American magazines in 1945 and it won the O Henry award for short stories in 1946. She continued to write short stories, many of them comic book stories, and regularly earned herself a weekly $55 pay-check. During this period of her life she lived variously in New York and Mexico.
Her first suspense novel 'Strangers on a Train' published in 1950 was an immediate success with public and critics alike. The novel has been adapted for the screen three times, most notably by Alfred Hitchcock in 1951.
In 1955 her anti-hero Tom Ripley appeared in the splendid 'The Talented Mr Ripley', a book that was awarded the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere as the best foreign mystery novel translated into French in 1957. This book, too, has been the subject of a number of film versions. Ripley appeared again in 'Ripley Under Ground' in 1970, in 'Ripley's Game' in 1974, 'The boy who Followed Ripley' in 1980 and in 'Ripley Under Water' in 1991.
Along with her acclaimed series about Ripley, she wrote 22 novels and eight short story collections plus many other short stories, often macabre, satirical or tinged with black humour. She also wrote one novel, non-mystery, under the name Claire Morgan , plus a work of non-fiction 'Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction' and a co-written book of children's verse, 'Miranda the Panda Is on the Veranda'.
She latterly lived in England and France and was more popular in England than in her native United States. Her novel 'Deep Water', 1957, was called by the Sunday Times one of the "most brilliant analyses of psychosis in America" and Julian Symons once wrote of her "Miss Highsmith is the writer who fuses character and plot most successfully ... the most important crime novelist at present in practice." In addition, Michael Dirda observed "Europeans honoured her as a psychological novelist, part of an existentialist tradition represented by her own favorite writers, in particular Dostoevsky, Conrad, Kafka, Gide, and Camus."
She died of leukemia in Locarno, Switzerland on 4 February 1995 and her last novel, 'Small g: a Summer Idyll', was published posthumously a month later.
Gerry Wolstenholme
July 2010
She lived with her grandmother, mother and later step-father (her mother divorced her natural father six months before 'Patsy' was born and married Stanley Highsmith) in Fort Worth before moving with her parents to New York in 1927 but returned to live with her grandmother for a year in 1933. Returning to her parents in New York, she attended public schools in New York City and later graduated from Barnard College in 1942.
Shortly after graduation her short story 'The Heroine' was published in the Harper's Bazaar magazine and it was selected as one of the 22 best stories that appeared in American magazines in 1945 and it won the O Henry award for short stories in 1946. She continued to write short stories, many of them comic book stories, and regularly earned herself a weekly $55 pay-check. During this period of her life she lived variously in New York and Mexico.
Her first suspense novel 'Strangers on a Train' published in 1950 was an immediate success with public and critics alike. The novel has been adapted for the screen three times, most notably by Alfred Hitchcock in 1951.
In 1955 her anti-hero Tom Ripley appeared in the splendid 'The Talented Mr Ripley', a book that was awarded the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere as the best foreign mystery novel translated into French in 1957. This book, too, has been the subject of a number of film versions. Ripley appeared again in 'Ripley Under Ground' in 1970, in 'Ripley's Game' in 1974, 'The boy who Followed Ripley' in 1980 and in 'Ripley Under Water' in 1991.
Along with her acclaimed series about Ripley, she wrote 22 novels and eight short story collections plus many other short stories, often macabre, satirical or tinged with black humour. She also wrote one novel, non-mystery, under the name Claire Morgan , plus a work of non-fiction 'Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction' and a co-written book of children's verse, 'Miranda the Panda Is on the Veranda'.
She latterly lived in England and France and was more popular in England than in her native United States. Her novel 'Deep Water', 1957, was called by the Sunday Times one of the "most brilliant analyses of psychosis in America" and Julian Symons once wrote of her "Miss Highsmith is the writer who fuses character and plot most successfully ... the most important crime novelist at present in practice." In addition, Michael Dirda observed "Europeans honoured her as a psychological novelist, part of an existentialist tradition represented by her own favorite writers, in particular Dostoevsky, Conrad, Kafka, Gide, and Camus."
She died of leukemia in Locarno, Switzerland on 4 February 1995 and her last novel, 'Small g: a Summer Idyll', was published posthumously a month later.
Gerry Wolstenholme
July 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
November 24, 2021
If I ordered this book from a menu at a good restaurant, I’d probably (and I am always reluctant to do this, in fact, I never have) return it and say politely “This isn’t what I ordered”.
Yes, Small g, by my favourite author, Patricia Highsmith wasn’t what I expected. After reading a number of her books, I am used to being tricked, duped, played with – or surprised with certain character revelations (or not), shocked even. There’s usually a good dose of sordid events, murders and usually a whodunnit element.
There is a murder in this book and a little bit of violence – tick!! But it didn’t really play a central role in the narrative. This story is really character-based, involving the themes of love, control and relationships centred around a ‘small g’ (straights and gays) bar called Jakob’s in Switzerland.
Our main character is a lovely oldish gay man called Rickie who seems to be the heartbeat of this community. Everyone knows Rickie and his popularity is enhanced by his ever-present pup, Lulu – this wee dog does tricks, wears sunglasses and scarves, walks like a person and keeps everyone entertained. Highsmith paints a detailed picture of Rickie, his thoughts, profession, sex-life – a wonderful inside world view of the spontaneity of some of his sexual encounters. This bit I liked, I really liked Ricky and adored Lulu.
The other significant character is Luisa, a young woman who is apprenticed to a control freak called Renate. Luisa lives with this dragon lady, who demands to know where she is, what she’s doing and she will even lock her out of the apartment if she comes ‘home’ late. There’s no doubting this is an abusive dynamic, one which inflicts more misery upon a young girl who has suffered enough in her life. Luisa has a relationship of sorts with a dashing young bloke called Teddie (Ricky fancies him too!) and a young lesbian called Dorrie. There’s also a smattering of other characters, one or two of them dodgy, but all in all, an interesting bunch of punters.
This is all interesting stuff and it’s well written. BUT, I’ve spent the last few days expecting to be Highsmithed and it didn’t happen. In some ways this level of excitement, expectations, nervous energy and over-analysis (on my part) of every character and what they were doing was exhausting!!! I’m knackered!!!!
This well written book was the last Highsmith wrote before her death. Something, I couldn’t get out of my mind for some reason. I need to score this one purely based on my level of enjoyment and alas, my expectations just weren’t met. Others may like this, as it’s not bad.
Yes Patty, it’s you it’s me!! It’s just not what I expected.
3 Stars
Yes, Small g, by my favourite author, Patricia Highsmith wasn’t what I expected. After reading a number of her books, I am used to being tricked, duped, played with – or surprised with certain character revelations (or not), shocked even. There’s usually a good dose of sordid events, murders and usually a whodunnit element.
There is a murder in this book and a little bit of violence – tick!! But it didn’t really play a central role in the narrative. This story is really character-based, involving the themes of love, control and relationships centred around a ‘small g’ (straights and gays) bar called Jakob’s in Switzerland.
Our main character is a lovely oldish gay man called Rickie who seems to be the heartbeat of this community. Everyone knows Rickie and his popularity is enhanced by his ever-present pup, Lulu – this wee dog does tricks, wears sunglasses and scarves, walks like a person and keeps everyone entertained. Highsmith paints a detailed picture of Rickie, his thoughts, profession, sex-life – a wonderful inside world view of the spontaneity of some of his sexual encounters. This bit I liked, I really liked Ricky and adored Lulu.
The other significant character is Luisa, a young woman who is apprenticed to a control freak called Renate. Luisa lives with this dragon lady, who demands to know where she is, what she’s doing and she will even lock her out of the apartment if she comes ‘home’ late. There’s no doubting this is an abusive dynamic, one which inflicts more misery upon a young girl who has suffered enough in her life. Luisa has a relationship of sorts with a dashing young bloke called Teddie (Ricky fancies him too!) and a young lesbian called Dorrie. There’s also a smattering of other characters, one or two of them dodgy, but all in all, an interesting bunch of punters.
This is all interesting stuff and it’s well written. BUT, I’ve spent the last few days expecting to be Highsmithed and it didn’t happen. In some ways this level of excitement, expectations, nervous energy and over-analysis (on my part) of every character and what they were doing was exhausting!!! I’m knackered!!!!
This well written book was the last Highsmith wrote before her death. Something, I couldn’t get out of my mind for some reason. I need to score this one purely based on my level of enjoyment and alas, my expectations just weren’t met. Others may like this, as it’s not bad.
Yes Patty, it’s you it’s me!! It’s just not what I expected.
3 Stars
November 17, 2023
Rating: 3* of five, though it seems mingy
The Publisher Says: Finally published in the United States ten years after Patricia Highsmith's death, Small g, in the words of her biographer Andrew Wilson, is an "extended fairy tale suggesting that…happiness is precarious and…romance should be embraced."
In unmistakable Highsmithian fashion, the novel opens in a seedy Zurich bar with the brutal murder of Peter Ritter. Unraveling the vagaries of love, sexuality, jealousy, and death, Highsmith weaves a mystery both hilarious and astonishing, a classic tale executed with her characteristic penchant for darkness. Small g is at once an exorcism of Highsmith's literary demons and a revelatory capstone to a wholly remarkable career. It is a delightfully incantatory work that, in the tradition of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, shows us how bizarre and unpredictable love can be.
My Review: By now everyone knows Highsmith was a lesbian. It wasn't that widely known early in her career, which is why she wrote her single best novel-type novel (ie, not a thriller), THE PRICE OF SALT, under a pseudonym...one couldn't write a book about happy lesbians in 1952! So I decided to read this book, long unavailable in the US, to honor a fellow Queer artiste.
Wish I hadn't.
It's not the best of Highsmith's books. It's not at all bad. But it's just not that interesting. There is a murder in the first two pages, and that seemed as though it would set things off...but it set off a dull little interspecies romance between an older gay man and a young woman, who is under the protection of a dreadful old closeted lesbian. I understand that this character was Highsmith's bitter self-caricature, and that it's devastatingly accurate.
It's got the thing that Highsmith's readers like best, though...lots of spot-on character building! And it's not devoid of action, it's just...well, the Ripley novels kinda spoiled me for action, and The Price of Salt is so excellent...just not the high point for Highsmith.
The Publisher Says: Finally published in the United States ten years after Patricia Highsmith's death, Small g, in the words of her biographer Andrew Wilson, is an "extended fairy tale suggesting that…happiness is precarious and…romance should be embraced."
In unmistakable Highsmithian fashion, the novel opens in a seedy Zurich bar with the brutal murder of Peter Ritter. Unraveling the vagaries of love, sexuality, jealousy, and death, Highsmith weaves a mystery both hilarious and astonishing, a classic tale executed with her characteristic penchant for darkness. Small g is at once an exorcism of Highsmith's literary demons and a revelatory capstone to a wholly remarkable career. It is a delightfully incantatory work that, in the tradition of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, shows us how bizarre and unpredictable love can be.
My Review: By now everyone knows Highsmith was a lesbian. It wasn't that widely known early in her career, which is why she wrote her single best novel-type novel (ie, not a thriller), THE PRICE OF SALT, under a pseudonym...one couldn't write a book about happy lesbians in 1952! So I decided to read this book, long unavailable in the US, to honor a fellow Queer artiste.
Wish I hadn't.
It's not the best of Highsmith's books. It's not at all bad. But it's just not that interesting. There is a murder in the first two pages, and that seemed as though it would set things off...but it set off a dull little interspecies romance between an older gay man and a young woman, who is under the protection of a dreadful old closeted lesbian. I understand that this character was Highsmith's bitter self-caricature, and that it's devastatingly accurate.
It's got the thing that Highsmith's readers like best, though...lots of spot-on character building! And it's not devoid of action, it's just...well, the Ripley novels kinda spoiled me for action, and The Price of Salt is so excellent...just not the high point for Highsmith.
March 24, 2021
This starts with a murder but it's not a whodunit. And I wouldn't call it a psychological thriller either. Indeed, a reader, following the author's waning attention, might well forget the deceased and his killers by bookmiddle.
It's vague and banal, plot-wise; the characters are not complex; the writing wasn't lush. There seems to be a consensus in Goodreads and at large that this is perhaps one of Highsmith's lesser works. And yet, I became invested.
There is a large ensemble cast, predominately Gay and Lesbian, with one irredeemable Gay-basher. Oh, and one dog. I wanted to like the dog, but I never warmed to her.
The sex, while never graphic, is ever present.
The characters were mostly nice, employed, warm and welcoming, even as a tension hung in the air. It's a novel that could give one hope. It was intentional, no doubt, for the author to paint these characters (which was her community) in such a positive light. And was why, also no doubt, it was rejected by her American publishers, only hitting American bookstores nine years after her death.
It's vague and banal, plot-wise; the characters are not complex; the writing wasn't lush. There seems to be a consensus in Goodreads and at large that this is perhaps one of Highsmith's lesser works. And yet, I became invested.
There is a large ensemble cast, predominately Gay and Lesbian, with one irredeemable Gay-basher. Oh, and one dog. I wanted to like the dog, but I never warmed to her.
The sex, while never graphic, is ever present.
The characters were mostly nice, employed, warm and welcoming, even as a tension hung in the air. It's a novel that could give one hope. It was intentional, no doubt, for the author to paint these characters (which was her community) in such a positive light. And was why, also no doubt, it was rejected by her American publishers, only hitting American bookstores nine years after her death.
November 19, 2024
my goodness, what a beautiful book. this was the last novel patricia highsmith wrote, and if you know about the difficult life she led you find that in SMALL G: A SUMMER IDYLL, she was able to put her demons to rest.
many of the things she hid throughout her life find a peaceful resolve in this fairy tale set in zurich. there are characters that might be familiar to her readers, but things turn out differently. the book left me with a feeling that i wanted to experience at the end of andrew wilson's biography - i wanted the writer to find peace with the anguish she experienced in life and this novel reveals that she found that serenity and was able to pass it on to her characters.
in addition, i think in this last book highsmith was still finding ways to break new ground. she had her tools, or themes. in this book she reshapes them, as all great iconoclasts will do, and i enjoyed the surprises that ensued.
many of the things she hid throughout her life find a peaceful resolve in this fairy tale set in zurich. there are characters that might be familiar to her readers, but things turn out differently. the book left me with a feeling that i wanted to experience at the end of andrew wilson's biography - i wanted the writer to find peace with the anguish she experienced in life and this novel reveals that she found that serenity and was able to pass it on to her characters.
in addition, i think in this last book highsmith was still finding ways to break new ground. she had her tools, or themes. in this book she reshapes them, as all great iconoclasts will do, and i enjoyed the surprises that ensued.
February 14, 2012
With barely any plot to speak of, what paltry story there was centred around a gay advertising copywriter who lives in Zurich and his circle of friends. As I am not gay, I have never worked in advertising, and I have never been to Switzerland, and the author was not really able to bring me into any of these worlds, it was difficult to relate to any of the characters. For example, apart from everybody drinking plenty of beer and speaking the occasional word in German, the text failed to evoke a feeling of Switzerland, whatever that is; I kept thinking they were in Germany. There was little in the way of Highsmith's trademark suspense or intricate plotting and characterisation that made her other novels so brilliant. Published posthumously, it was more a book about the author coming to terms with her own sexuality rather than anything truly literary. Sadly, this is an example of a writer at the end of her career, nearing the end of her life. I tried hard to like it, but unfortunately I did not really enjoy this book, a disappointing last novel for Patricia Highsmith.
July 20, 2011
I am at a loss for words, but has that ever stopped me?
Patricia Highsmith is AMAZING. This is only the third book of her catalog I've read and I am completely enthralled... I think I'm in love with her.
The way she writes. Her style. It's elegant and raunchy and she creates this other, very definite world without hardly any detail.
She leaves things out and lets your imagination take over. It's scary how I've got this visual in my head, and I'm certain of what the room she's describing looks like from "old-fashioned small flower print." or some other such description. How I know exactly what Luisa's wearing from "white slacks and her best blouse."
Nonchalance. It's great.
She villainizes the villains instead of being revolted by anything that seems politically incorrect. Blech. I hate to even use that term...
So incredibly worth reading. I did find myself rooting for Rickie Markwalder and Luisa throughout the book. They were both just charming.
There was scheming but none of it was done with malice, so the characters not-too-invested reactions to the terrible things that happen are kind of unsettling but immediately forgivable.
Patricia Highsmith is AMAZING. This is only the third book of her catalog I've read and I am completely enthralled... I think I'm in love with her.
The way she writes. Her style. It's elegant and raunchy and she creates this other, very definite world without hardly any detail.
She leaves things out and lets your imagination take over. It's scary how I've got this visual in my head, and I'm certain of what the room she's describing looks like from "old-fashioned small flower print." or some other such description. How I know exactly what Luisa's wearing from "white slacks and her best blouse."
Nonchalance. It's great.
She villainizes the villains instead of being revolted by anything that seems politically incorrect. Blech. I hate to even use that term...
So incredibly worth reading. I did find myself rooting for Rickie Markwalder and Luisa throughout the book. They were both just charming.
There was scheming but none of it was done with malice, so the characters not-too-invested reactions to the terrible things that happen are kind of unsettling but immediately forgivable.
March 13, 2011
Patricia Highsmith leaves the world the way she came in: writing about homosexuality, and not surprisingly just as she experienced adversity over her first novel “The Price of Salt” her American publishers refused to release “Small g”.
“Small g” is good Highsmith, it follows the aftermath of a fatal gay bash in a Zurich alleyway and how it affects the late young man’s aging lover, his deluded girlfriend and the close-knit Zurich gay community. I found the choice of location, Switzerland, interesting in that it’s not really notorious for having a high crime rate.
Highsmith infuses her story with some very Brechtian characters, not the least of which include a dancing circus dog, a homophobic snitch at the after-hours club and a club-footed repressed lesbian. Don’t let the John Rechy worship motorcycle boy cover fool you. This is Lotte Lenya’s side of the corner all the way.
“Small g” is good Highsmith, it follows the aftermath of a fatal gay bash in a Zurich alleyway and how it affects the late young man’s aging lover, his deluded girlfriend and the close-knit Zurich gay community. I found the choice of location, Switzerland, interesting in that it’s not really notorious for having a high crime rate.
Highsmith infuses her story with some very Brechtian characters, not the least of which include a dancing circus dog, a homophobic snitch at the after-hours club and a club-footed repressed lesbian. Don’t let the John Rechy worship motorcycle boy cover fool you. This is Lotte Lenya’s side of the corner all the way.
May 8, 2023
Since I finally discovered Patricia Highsmith, I've read six of her books, including Small g: A Summer Idyll, originally published in 1995. I've got mix emotions about her books. I can't say I 'like' her books, but there is something about her style and story-telling that draws me in and keeps me reading. I started with Strangers on a Train, after watching the Alfred Hitchcock movie version and have then picked through various others, all mysteries of a sort... but not necessarily. Confused you muchly?
Small g is set in Switzerland. The story starts off with the murder of Petey Ritter, killed outside the local bar, fondly known as the Small g, or more commonly as Jacob's, a popular bar frequented by the gay community. His death brings together Rickie, a gay advertising artist, and Luisa, a seamstress. Luisa works for Renate, who is training Luisa and therefore has a hold on her. Renate hates the gay community and has many other issues, including possibly some feelings of love for Luisa?
The murder of Petey isn't a major factor in the story, rather it's always in the background and seems to contribute to the actions and feelings of the other characters. There are other characters who interact with the main three, Teddie, a young well-to-do man and budding writer, to whom Rickie is attracted but who likes Luisa. There is Dorrie, a lesbian store designer, who frequents Jacob's and takes Luisa under her wing. You've also got Willi Biber, a mentally challenged man who is under the thumb of Renate and may have been involved in the death of Petey and a later violent act.
It's an intriguing kind of story, mostly concerned with the lives of Ricke, Luisa an Renate and their acquaintances. The gay aspect is there, Rickie has AIDS, but not really a factor in the main story... whatever that is. It's basically a story of people. living their lives, dealing with their own issues and their interactions. Does a lot happen? Yes. But it's the resolutions of these situations that make the story interesting. I have a few other books on Highsmith sitting on my shelves to try. Looking forward to it. (4.0 stars)
Small g is set in Switzerland. The story starts off with the murder of Petey Ritter, killed outside the local bar, fondly known as the Small g, or more commonly as Jacob's, a popular bar frequented by the gay community. His death brings together Rickie, a gay advertising artist, and Luisa, a seamstress. Luisa works for Renate, who is training Luisa and therefore has a hold on her. Renate hates the gay community and has many other issues, including possibly some feelings of love for Luisa?
The murder of Petey isn't a major factor in the story, rather it's always in the background and seems to contribute to the actions and feelings of the other characters. There are other characters who interact with the main three, Teddie, a young well-to-do man and budding writer, to whom Rickie is attracted but who likes Luisa. There is Dorrie, a lesbian store designer, who frequents Jacob's and takes Luisa under her wing. You've also got Willi Biber, a mentally challenged man who is under the thumb of Renate and may have been involved in the death of Petey and a later violent act.
It's an intriguing kind of story, mostly concerned with the lives of Ricke, Luisa an Renate and their acquaintances. The gay aspect is there, Rickie has AIDS, but not really a factor in the main story... whatever that is. It's basically a story of people. living their lives, dealing with their own issues and their interactions. Does a lot happen? Yes. But it's the resolutions of these situations that make the story interesting. I have a few other books on Highsmith sitting on my shelves to try. Looking forward to it. (4.0 stars)
December 22, 2008
This gets one whole star because I can't give it a half star. One wonders how much Highsmith's tin ear is to blame for the preposterous dialogue or was it bad British editors or both.
My advice on Highsmith, having read all her novels, is don't bother with anything after 1965, that includes that later Ripley novels.
My advice on Highsmith, having read all her novels, is don't bother with anything after 1965, that includes that later Ripley novels.
January 14, 2014
"Idílio no Verão" é uma comédia amarga sobre a educação e os modos das pessoas, principalmente em relação à homossexualidade.
A acção tem lugar em Zurique, onde Rickie acaba de perder o seu amante, Peter, que foi esfaqueado até à morte. Seis meses depois, apesar de o trágico acontecimento ainda estar presente na sua mente, Rickie vê-se novamente apaixonado.
Sempre acompanhado pelo seu pequeno cão Lulu, filho de cães de circo, Rickie vai diariamente ao bar Jakob's, para tomar o pequeno almoço e conviver com os seus amigos e conhecidos. O estabelecimento tem vários clientes diferentes, estando a maioria deles apaixonados por quem não devia!
Renata é uma mulher de meia idade, que tem uma perna de pau. É dona de um atelier de costura e anda sempre acompanhada por uma das suas trabalhadores, Luisa. São ambas clientes regulares do Jakob's e a homofobia é a característica principal da mulher mais velha. Quanto a Luísa, está debaixo das suas saias, mas tem ideias próprias e uma inocência um bocadinho enervante!
Teddie é o homem que se segue a Peter, e é alvo da atenção de Luísa e de Rickie, que entretanto se tornaram bons amigos. A história desenvolve-se à volta das suas paixões e das pessoas que são contra elas.
Apesar de a narrativa nunca desfalecer, também nunca "levanta vôo". Highsmith é mestre na descrição do ser humano e na análise dos seus pensamentos e comportamentos, mas apesar da sua escrita ser sempre divinal, como o enredo apenas estimula levemente, torna-se difícil adorarmos este livro.
Este é um dos livros mais fraquinhos que li da autora, mas as personagens são magistralmente descritas, como sempre, dando-nos a sensação real que as conhecemos e que fazem parte do nosso mundo e da nossa vida. Por outro lado, o tema já muito debatido pela autora, é bem explorado e o lado mesquinho das pessoas evidenciado.
Em suma, não gostei muito, nem gostei pouco, mas gostei, porque têm um bocadinho do coração da Highsmith, ainda que menos que os outros livros. O tema também é bastante interessante e apesar de a história em si não ter nada de especial, vale pelas personagens. E mesmo tendo sido o último livro escrito por Patricia Highsmith, publicado postumamente, continua a ter a sua marca.
A acção tem lugar em Zurique, onde Rickie acaba de perder o seu amante, Peter, que foi esfaqueado até à morte. Seis meses depois, apesar de o trágico acontecimento ainda estar presente na sua mente, Rickie vê-se novamente apaixonado.
Sempre acompanhado pelo seu pequeno cão Lulu, filho de cães de circo, Rickie vai diariamente ao bar Jakob's, para tomar o pequeno almoço e conviver com os seus amigos e conhecidos. O estabelecimento tem vários clientes diferentes, estando a maioria deles apaixonados por quem não devia!
Renata é uma mulher de meia idade, que tem uma perna de pau. É dona de um atelier de costura e anda sempre acompanhada por uma das suas trabalhadores, Luisa. São ambas clientes regulares do Jakob's e a homofobia é a característica principal da mulher mais velha. Quanto a Luísa, está debaixo das suas saias, mas tem ideias próprias e uma inocência um bocadinho enervante!
Teddie é o homem que se segue a Peter, e é alvo da atenção de Luísa e de Rickie, que entretanto se tornaram bons amigos. A história desenvolve-se à volta das suas paixões e das pessoas que são contra elas.
Apesar de a narrativa nunca desfalecer, também nunca "levanta vôo". Highsmith é mestre na descrição do ser humano e na análise dos seus pensamentos e comportamentos, mas apesar da sua escrita ser sempre divinal, como o enredo apenas estimula levemente, torna-se difícil adorarmos este livro.
Este é um dos livros mais fraquinhos que li da autora, mas as personagens são magistralmente descritas, como sempre, dando-nos a sensação real que as conhecemos e que fazem parte do nosso mundo e da nossa vida. Por outro lado, o tema já muito debatido pela autora, é bem explorado e o lado mesquinho das pessoas evidenciado.
Em suma, não gostei muito, nem gostei pouco, mas gostei, porque têm um bocadinho do coração da Highsmith, ainda que menos que os outros livros. O tema também é bastante interessante e apesar de a história em si não ter nada de especial, vale pelas personagens. E mesmo tendo sido o último livro escrito por Patricia Highsmith, publicado postumamente, continua a ter a sua marca.
September 2, 2022
While I get why this very last novel by longtime thriller writer Patricia Highsmith seems to have disappointed many readers here--where's the murder mystery? The accused innocent man? The clever psychopath? all features of most of her novels--I found it to be a quite interesting, if admittedly humble, little study of the mystery of sexual attraction in novel form. Why is it we'd die to be with some, are indifferent to others, and loath and are terrified by still others? Why are some of us attracted to the opposite sex, others to their own sex, and still others seemingly indifferent to the gender of a lover? Or, worse, channel our sexuality into games of control and abuse? Not that the novel solves any of these mysteries; rather it presents the spectrum in the form of six major characters, two gay, one straight, two apparently bisexual, and one who ultimately self destructs because she is unable to express her sexuality directly, but rather manipulates and seems to get off by controlling others. They all have different histories and tribulations, often stemming from their sexuality and/or family. As others here state, the plot is weak because the plot is hardly the point. It's more of a meditation. And, as at least one other reviewer here mentioned, it's nice to see that Highsmith, at the very end of her long life and substantial literary output, was content to write a non-tragedy here at the end, as if she herself, through these characters, was able to allow for healing and something of a happy, if indeterminate, outcome for them after this little adventure driven by the vagaries of each characters' sexual desires.
July 15, 2024
“And Luisa realized that a lot of her happiness - yes, happiness - was because she felt able to count on Dorrie Wyss now as a friend, just as Rickie was a friend, someone who would lend money, a key, a bed, in case of need. I’m not an orphan anymore, Luisa thought.”
forever one of my favorite books. there’s nothing better than queer joy, queer love and chosen family.
forever one of my favorite books. there’s nothing better than queer joy, queer love and chosen family.
Read
August 14, 2012Queer As Folk, Zurich style.
August 22, 2024
me ha gustado mucho..
September 20, 2008
For her very last full-length novel, this is entertaining but relatively uninvolving, a hard to imagine but nearly 'cozy' mystery from Patricia Highsmith. If by cozy you mean a murder on the first page and a swirl of contempt and suspicion ...
Foul play occurs amongst the diverse & multi-sexual clientele of the 'small g' bar and restaurant in Zurich .. the title itself a designation from a guidebook meant to convey gay but unrestricted... If you've ever lived in a gentrifying neighborhood, you know this place... The first and best espresso machine in the neighborhood, casual lunch/dinner, drinks, and then-- a fullscale scene-change, around 11 pm, whereupon lighting and music are drastically reset for the evening's real festivities.
A good idea, I suppose, if this were the setting chosen by the time-tested and devastatingly diabolical Patricia Highsmith of the old novels. But this is her farewell, a valedictory composition that she's made into a light and quick slice of life, a set of rotating points-of-view, a few last turns on the carousel. Each member of a fairly large ensemble breifly takes the stage and provides the perspective, (not entirely different from villagers in a Ms Marple outing, I'm afraid) and the narrative tiptoes forward with each scene.
The trouble with all of this is that we don't go to Ms Highsmith for cozy mysteries, or naturalistic portraits of the villagers. It's like asking Beethoven for something a little less heavy, a little more vivaldi-ish, perhaps ?
No. We go to Ms H for wrenchingly devious psychological mysteries, and at those she's the confirmed maestro. This rotating-character gloss on things is more of a midsummer-nights-sex-comedy than it is grosse fuge.
And let's recall, Patricia Highsmith's work was most memorably brought to the cinema screen not by Woody Allen, but by the inscrutable and darkly vicious Alfred Hitchcock.
I suppose she knew it would be her last, though, and let some of that over-rated "wisdom" business interfere with her better instincts. So, the floor-show, coffee, dessert, and home to bed.
A gossamer tale, a creme torte, but I wouldn't have missed it.
Foul play occurs amongst the diverse & multi-sexual clientele of the 'small g' bar and restaurant in Zurich .. the title itself a designation from a guidebook meant to convey gay but unrestricted... If you've ever lived in a gentrifying neighborhood, you know this place... The first and best espresso machine in the neighborhood, casual lunch/dinner, drinks, and then-- a fullscale scene-change, around 11 pm, whereupon lighting and music are drastically reset for the evening's real festivities.
A good idea, I suppose, if this were the setting chosen by the time-tested and devastatingly diabolical Patricia Highsmith of the old novels. But this is her farewell, a valedictory composition that she's made into a light and quick slice of life, a set of rotating points-of-view, a few last turns on the carousel. Each member of a fairly large ensemble breifly takes the stage and provides the perspective, (not entirely different from villagers in a Ms Marple outing, I'm afraid) and the narrative tiptoes forward with each scene.
The trouble with all of this is that we don't go to Ms Highsmith for cozy mysteries, or naturalistic portraits of the villagers. It's like asking Beethoven for something a little less heavy, a little more vivaldi-ish, perhaps ?
No. We go to Ms H for wrenchingly devious psychological mysteries, and at those she's the confirmed maestro. This rotating-character gloss on things is more of a midsummer-nights-sex-comedy than it is grosse fuge.
And let's recall, Patricia Highsmith's work was most memorably brought to the cinema screen not by Woody Allen, but by the inscrutable and darkly vicious Alfred Hitchcock.
I suppose she knew it would be her last, though, and let some of that over-rated "wisdom" business interfere with her better instincts. So, the floor-show, coffee, dessert, and home to bed.
A gossamer tale, a creme torte, but I wouldn't have missed it.
May 21, 2015
When asked about my favorite authors, Patricia Highsmith is usually in the top four or five that I'll rattle off. That said, her final book (completed a year before her death in 1995) was a disappointment. While it featured plenty of vivid, descriptive writing and off-kilter characters (including--naturally--some sociopaths), the plot ended right where it began: nowhere. Given the suspense and intrigue of her earlier writing, I kept expecting something more to happen, some surprise twist...right up until the last page. No such luck. If you're curious about Highsmith, start with "The Talented Mr. Ripley" (and forget about the Minghella film before you do, since the book is far superior and some characters quite different), "The Tremor of Forgery" or one of her short story collections. She has many offerings greater than "Small g."
December 15, 2015
"Alone, alone, the piece ended...funny, Rickie thought, that the paper would print it, and yet its naivety, its intensity, was much in its favor" writes Highsmith about a newspaper article published within this story . Odd how this quote pretty much sums up the story: we have mostly naïve characters at the mercy of an intense, twisted villain. Very odd the book jacket tells us this is a "delightful story." And it's particularly odd that Highsmith's American publisher refused this final work and that Highsmith passed within a few months of this negation. (A UK publisher did, indeed, publish it a few months after her death.) A strange book with a strange pedigree, certainly, but it is exactly Patricia Highsmith, start to finish.
December 5, 2009
The easiest way to describe Highsmith's final novel "Small g: A Summer Idyll" is to say it's a 150 page story trapped in a 300 page book. Having said that, I must admit that this novel is not without virtues: actually, the story is quite strong, the characters are an endearing assortment of straights and gays tangled up in a pseudo-mystery, the scenario is not uninteresting (it could make a first rate film - Rupert Everett would be great as Ricky) - which is why I pushed myself to finish. Unfortunately for readers, the physical writing is so stodgy that many may give up the struggle long before the mystery is solved. But DON'T give up. This book is well worth reading.
August 17, 2009
I miss those characters already...
August 3, 2021
3.5'dan 4 yıldız. 90'larda Zürih'te geçen Ricky, Louisa, Renate başta olmak üzere ilginç bazı karakterlerin hafif masalsı hikayesi. Homofobi, aile içi tecavüz gibi konulara da "dokundurma" yapıyor. Çeviri tek kelimeleyle muhteşem.
March 8, 2013
BookList: This final book from esteemed crime writer Highsmith, who died in 1995, is more a complement to her pseudonymous lesbian novel Price of Salt than to her better known Ripley thrillers. The action centers on Jakob’s, a pub in Zurich known as “Small g” for its “partially gay” clientele. A colorful clash of characters meet and mingle at Small g, including Rickie, a self-consciously aging gay man; Luisa, a young seamstress with a troubled past; Renate, Luisa’s controlling and viciously homophobic employer and landlady; and Renate’s neohenchman, Willi, a sinister and brooding halfwit. Following the stabbing death of Petey, Rickie’s young lover, Rickie befriends Luisa, who had once been his rival for Petey’s affections. They similarly both fall for and lust after the fetching Teddie, whose arrival at Small g triggers an escalating series of disastrous events. While Highsmith’s last book--only now published in the U.S.-- does not live up to its potential as a suspense thriller, it does offer an intriguing exploration of gay culture and the complexities of love, jealousy, possessiveness, and friendship. -- MishaStone (BookList, 05-01-2004, p1508)
March 6, 2014
PH was an erratic writer - look at the brilliance of the first couple of Ripleys and contrast that with the last. Same writer? We are told it is.
After skimming through the first few ratings for this, I am now expecting a pretty awful time...
...but I have been known to differ from the mainstream lol. Eyes down and here we go with that first sentence:
A young man named Peter Ritter came out of a cinema in Zurich one Wednesday night around midnight.
Sorta like this: RIKKI DON'T LOSE THAT NUMBER (1974) by Steely Dan
Last line: The funny thing was, Rickie in a quiet way felt happy
After skimming through the first few ratings for this, I am now expecting a pretty awful time...
...but I have been known to differ from the mainstream lol. Eyes down and here we go with that first sentence:
A young man named Peter Ritter came out of a cinema in Zurich one Wednesday night around midnight.
Sorta like this: RIKKI DON'T LOSE THAT NUMBER (1974) by Steely Dan
Last line: The funny thing was, Rickie in a quiet way felt happy
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 2, 2025
Patricia Highsmith's final novel is a microcosm of found community and self-renewal. It's not her best, but it's one of her better novels.
January 15, 2011
I just don't care about Rickie, the circles he moves in, his dog, his business or the city he lives in. There's something hollow about the book and I have a feeling it's not going to get any better. I have always felt that I have missed out on Highsmith and was pleased to pick this book up in one of my Goodwill forays, but this can't be one of her best.
January 21, 2016
I enjoyed this book very much. It's obviously not as strong stylistically as Patricia Highsmith's other books (those that I've read, so far, anyway) and there's much less plot, but the characters are very strong, as usual. Not my favourite by her, but it'd still be a new favourite had it been written by anybody else.
August 12, 2011
Patricia Highsmith's final novel before her death. I found the story and set of characters interesting. Sympahized with the young employee stifled by her oppressive employer. Followed with interest the various relationships centered around the clientele of a mostly-gay local pub. Was a lightly entertaining read, but not captivating.
August 14, 2012
So, it turns out that there are other things in life besides who you sleep with. And that people whose sleeping-with decisions are made unlike your own can still actually be good friends.
April 14, 2015
As other authors have written this posthumously published book suffers from a lack of plot. Nothing really happens to a collection of characters who frequent an LGBT friendly bar in Zurich. Highsmith paints great word pictures but these are not enough to sustain a reader.
February 27, 2015
If this were the first Highsmith book I had read, I doubt I would have looked at another. Stick to the earlier works.
January 1, 2012
Kesinlikle bir film tadında. Okurken sanki film izler gibi oldum.
Tebrikler PATRICIA HIGHSMITH!!!
Tebrikler PATRICIA HIGHSMITH!!!
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