Probation in Queereaders

Apr 15, 2011 Dan rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Mendicino's take on the belated coming-of-age tale, while beautifully written, is dominated by an utterly unlikeable narrator who is well sunk in a spiral of pity and self-destruction. It only gets 3 stars because Mendicino is clearly a good writer on a sentence-by-sentence level, and because there are true moment of grace. I'm just disappointed by the story overall.

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Dec 25, 2010 Chris rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: gay-fiction

Great book - glad to have read it. I loved the bluntness and honesty of the book. The writing style is wonderful. This is a book I will remember for a long time.

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Mar 29, 2011 Scott rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: lgbt

The loneliness within this novel is a theme that I have learned of from one of my peer's past lifestyles. Therefore, this book was very identifiable and I ended up buying it for him since he comedically told me of similar struggles. At first, I had difficulty getting invested in the actual writing but once I had a clear image of Andy Nocera's goal in life, I bought in. Andy continues to make choices that are familiar but continue to leave him more isolated. He doesn't recognize this or make it t ...more

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Jan 02, 2011 Jendi rated it liked it · review of another edition

Beautifully written, sophisticated insights into characters and their milieu. I would rate this book 3.5 out of 5 because the pacing of the second half could have been better. If length was an issue, I'd have preferred fewer scenes of Andy's downward spiral, so that the conclusion didn't have to be rushed. Significant new relationships are introduced too late. I liked Andy, anti-hero that he is, and wanted more time to enjoy the flowering of his new life after so much sadness. ...more

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Nov 10, 2010 Joseph Longo rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I thought this was a very good novel. The main character was interesting and I could identify with his conflcits and issues, though I have never been on probation. The situations that were created for the main character were real and similiar to problems most middle-aged gay men (an non-gay men) would face: dealing with an aging parent, a parent's death, what to do with one's life,job unhappiness, committing to another person. The novel is involving and at times elegantly written. I highly recom ...more

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