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In September, the Light Changes: The Stories of Andrew Holleran
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Manufacturer: Plume
Author: Andrew Holleran
Publisher: Plume
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Our Price:
You Save: $ 12.95 ( 100% )
Manufacturer: Plume
Author: Andrew Holleran
Publisher: Plume
Average Customer Rating:
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In September, the Light Changes: The Stories of Andrew Holleran Description
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780452281714
ISBN: 0452281717
Label: Plume
Manufacturer: Plume
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 320
Publication Date: 2000-05-01
Publisher: Plume
Studio: Plume
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780452281714
ISBN: 0452281717
Label: Plume
Manufacturer: Plume
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 320
Publication Date: 2000-05-01
Publisher: Plume
Studio: Plume
Editorial Review of In September, the Light Changes: The Stories of Andrew Holleran
Andrew Holleran's first novel, Dancer from the Dance, is recognized as a classic portrait of gay life in New York in the 1970s. His subsequent works, from Nights in Aruba and The Beauty of Men to the essays in Ground Zero, established Holleran as the preeminent voice in the contemporary gay literary canon. His fiction has earned comparisons to that of Guy de Maupassant, Somerset Maugham, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, and now Holleran returns with a collection of sixteen powerful short stories. Exploring the lives and times of those who have lived past the exuberance of youth, these tales make for a moving journey across landscapes of regret and loss, shame and pride, loneliness and love. With a surprising yet sensitive comic touch, Andrew Holleran has written his most mature work to date--a poignant, polished collection.
"Like John Cheever's work, these stories are suffused with a sense of magic and the possibility of grace." --San Francisco Chronicle Book Review
"Like John Cheever's work, these stories are suffused with a sense of magic and the possibility of grace." --San Francisco Chronicle Book Review
Customer Reviews of In September, the Light Changes: The Stories of Andrew Holleran
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Fun and Good Reading
Review: I don't care what anyone else says, Andrew Holleran's book are the best in gay fiction!!!! I have every one of them and love to read him! I have a habit of keeping a red pencil near me when reading his books, as every so often I come across a statement or comment he uses that reminds me totally...of my own experiences when younger. He knows gay men and gay life, pre AIDS. Probably post AIDS too, but I less like to read stories from this era. His books are a blast from the past for me and they are so enjoyable and his style is SO wonderful. When my best friend was alive, we would discuss passages from his books and identify with his stories-and when I reread his books, I relive all of it. This collection of short stories is very good reading and Holleran's books are some of my most favorites which I will always keep. He couldn't write enough for me.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Beautiful Stories
Review: Holleran, Andrew. "In September, the Light Changes: The Stories of Andrew Holleran", Plume Reprint, 2001.
Beautiful Stories
Amos Lassen and Literary Pride
When I first read Andrew Holleran's "In September, the Light Changes" found it to be a beautifully written collection of short stories. I reread it last night and now I think that by saying the stories are beautiful is an understatement. I have always admired Holleran's writing because of his keen sense of observation and his wonderful prose. He draws his characters sharply and he writes with a sense of immediate reality and in doing so shows a world where gay sex is plentiful and love and romance do not seem to exist. This is a theme of Holleran's and can be found in most of his work but this does not mean his work is pessimistic or depressing; what is does say is that he writes of things as they are--in many cases. It is Holleran's ability to describe that brings gay literature to a new level and his extraordinary style pervades his writings.
I love Holleran's novels but these short stories really spoke to me. He writes about the lives of gay men in the 1970's in New York. The grit of the real world is there and he deals with issues that are true such as loneliness and abandonment as well as self-recognition and friendship.
My rereading of the book renewed the initial feeling I had when I first read it. The stories are small and even though all of the stories in some way return to the idea of New York of 30 yeas ago, Holleran varies the locales and themes. His stories are part of a larger whole like movements of a symphony. When he writes about love and lust and friends, he touches emotions that have been hidden or sublimated.
These stories were written over a period of twenty years and they are original and funny as well as tragic. Holleran writes from the heart and you will easily feel this as you read through the sixteen stories that make up this wonderful book. His polished prose coupled with his command of the English language make even the sad stories a pleasure t read. In fact the author's voice is so well felt that you question whether you are reading or listening to him tell the stories.
The collection is strong and powerful, it is the sense of place that makes the stories so wonderful. I think however that Holleran has the potential to be a great crossover author because of the beauty of the way he writes. I do not feel that he has been given the credit he deserves and this is because he has been classified and marginalized as a gay author. I am truly thankful that we can call him our own but I certainly wish society at large would have a look at his writings. Since they don't, they are missing a great deal.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: beautiful
Review: beautiful simply because holleran's observations are keen and well-written. deeply satisfying and true.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Light and Dark
Review: I am just as impressed with this book on my second reading as on my first, years earlier: the beauty of the prose, the sharply drawn characters and the sense of reality that the writing imparts. On my second perusal, however, I noticed more strongly, the loneliness and restrained sadness that suffuses nearly all the stories. Andrew re-creates on paper, a homosexual world wherein sex is abundant, love a rarity and romance non-existent. This book might have sunk into pessimism and gloom but Andrew lifts it up to rarified layers with his sheer talent for description. Whether it's a graduate house or a lifeless station platform, a small town or a big city, the precision and economy of his style is extraordinary.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Running short
Review: I'm alittle torn on this one:
Review Summary: Fun and Good Reading
Review: I don't care what anyone else says, Andrew Holleran's book are the best in gay fiction!!!! I have every one of them and love to read him! I have a habit of keeping a red pencil near me when reading his books, as every so often I come across a statement or comment he uses that reminds me totally...of my own experiences when younger. He knows gay men and gay life, pre AIDS. Probably post AIDS too, but I less like to read stories from this era. His books are a blast from the past for me and they are so enjoyable and his style is SO wonderful. When my best friend was alive, we would discuss passages from his books and identify with his stories-and when I reread his books, I relive all of it. This collection of short stories is very good reading and Holleran's books are some of my most favorites which I will always keep. He couldn't write enough for me.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Beautiful Stories
Review: Holleran, Andrew. "In September, the Light Changes: The Stories of Andrew Holleran", Plume Reprint, 2001.
Beautiful Stories
Amos Lassen and Literary Pride
When I first read Andrew Holleran's "In September, the Light Changes" found it to be a beautifully written collection of short stories. I reread it last night and now I think that by saying the stories are beautiful is an understatement. I have always admired Holleran's writing because of his keen sense of observation and his wonderful prose. He draws his characters sharply and he writes with a sense of immediate reality and in doing so shows a world where gay sex is plentiful and love and romance do not seem to exist. This is a theme of Holleran's and can be found in most of his work but this does not mean his work is pessimistic or depressing; what is does say is that he writes of things as they are--in many cases. It is Holleran's ability to describe that brings gay literature to a new level and his extraordinary style pervades his writings.
I love Holleran's novels but these short stories really spoke to me. He writes about the lives of gay men in the 1970's in New York. The grit of the real world is there and he deals with issues that are true such as loneliness and abandonment as well as self-recognition and friendship.
My rereading of the book renewed the initial feeling I had when I first read it. The stories are small and even though all of the stories in some way return to the idea of New York of 30 yeas ago, Holleran varies the locales and themes. His stories are part of a larger whole like movements of a symphony. When he writes about love and lust and friends, he touches emotions that have been hidden or sublimated.
These stories were written over a period of twenty years and they are original and funny as well as tragic. Holleran writes from the heart and you will easily feel this as you read through the sixteen stories that make up this wonderful book. His polished prose coupled with his command of the English language make even the sad stories a pleasure t read. In fact the author's voice is so well felt that you question whether you are reading or listening to him tell the stories.
The collection is strong and powerful, it is the sense of place that makes the stories so wonderful. I think however that Holleran has the potential to be a great crossover author because of the beauty of the way he writes. I do not feel that he has been given the credit he deserves and this is because he has been classified and marginalized as a gay author. I am truly thankful that we can call him our own but I certainly wish society at large would have a look at his writings. Since they don't, they are missing a great deal.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: beautiful
Review: beautiful simply because holleran's observations are keen and well-written. deeply satisfying and true.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Light and Dark
Review: I am just as impressed with this book on my second reading as on my first, years earlier: the beauty of the prose, the sharply drawn characters and the sense of reality that the writing imparts. On my second perusal, however, I noticed more strongly, the loneliness and restrained sadness that suffuses nearly all the stories. Andrew re-creates on paper, a homosexual world wherein sex is abundant, love a rarity and romance non-existent. This book might have sunk into pessimism and gloom but Andrew lifts it up to rarified layers with his sheer talent for description. Whether it's a graduate house or a lifeless station platform, a small town or a big city, the precision and economy of his style is extraordinary.
(...)
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Running short
Review: I'm alittle torn on this one:
Ok, first off I have to say that I loved the book because Andrew Holleran's writing shines marvelously in short story form. Seriously I think I enjoyed his WRITING more in this than in any of his novels.
Also, "The Penthouse" (one of the stories) was DIVINE! I give "The Penthouse" like 100 stars! I read it twice!
HOWEVER, I cannot give this book more than 3 stars because...with only a few exceptions...all the stories are the same. They are all about gay men in New York in the 70's. All of them. Even ones that are technically set later on or in a different place INEVITABLY end up about gay men in New York in the 70's. And I'm sorry there's too many stories to justify the lack of diversity in subject. When place names, events, and pretty much characters themselves are repeating from story to story it gets old.
I really wish this book was shorter and included a cross-section of the stories in there. Heck, if it was just "The Penthouse" I would of been supremely happy. Even Andrew Holleran's fabulous writing can't save the stale subjects he ruminates on endlessly.
However if you love Holleran as I do, and are in the mood to search for the diamond in the rough (did I mention "The Penthouse" yet?) then I recommend!