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Title: War Against the Animals: A Novel by Paul Russell ISBN: 0-312-20935-5 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 27 August, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.08 (13 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Henry James Revisited
Comment: Anyone familiar with the plot of "The Wings of the Dove" will know where this book is going. A doomed character is taken advantage of by someone he is smitten with at the instigation of a third party. The two plotters succeed beyond their wildest dreams but the victory is a hollow one. Mr Russell handles his material excellently and transposes the theme into the gay world very successfully. My only disappointment was that the situation of Jesse, the brother with a conscience, is still not resolved by the end of the book - but that's life!
Rating: 4
Summary: Surprising depth and compassion after a shaky beginning.
Comment: I very nearly put this book down after the first couple of chapters when it seemed to be veering toward tired cliche and stereotypes. Fortunately, I laid that judgement aside for a moment and was soon lost in the gothic drama and melancholy of this small New York mountain town. Talented writing brings freshness and originality to a tale is essentially the old fable of brother against brother. Cameron is a man who has been granted a reprieve (albeit temporary) from the ravishes of AIDS related illness and is facing life alone after a long-term, nearly sexless relationship. He is man capable of being surprised by joy despite his gentle scorn for the New Age spirituality of many of his friends. His compassion for wild things is evident in his tolerance when he discovers a half-starved deer munching plants in his beloved "Chaos Garden" and his humane removal of a dead 'possum from the middle of the road.
When Jesse, the younger, thoughtful brother of a wild, charismatic, and alcoholic redneck, enters his employ, Cameron's gentle, unself-conscious manner awakens something in the young man that he had tried to bury n the past. In turn, Jesse's uncouth beauty and occasionally startling candor, awakens something Cameron thought had died when the love of his life succumbed to AIDS. Like stars viewed in a city skyline, Jesse's light was obscured by the dazzle of his brother Kyle's larger than life personality. He is not even aware, most of the time, of what his brother takes from him. His own brilliance shines when he away from the toxic influence of Kyle. In the end, this is Jesse's story and he will haunt you when the book is over. I found myself re-reading certain passages this morning after staying up until 3 a.m. to finish the book.
Rating: 4
Summary: Culture clash and unlikely lovers
Comment: Cameron Barnes is a PWA. In fact, he nearly succumbed to the illness but rebounded so miraculously, he feels like a new man. With renewed verve and interest in life, he refocuses on his pride and joy: the wonderful garden in his backyard that had also begun to show signs of decay. For this, he hires two local youths, brothers who are close enough in image and attitude they could be twins. But all is not as it seems amongst the natives.
Demonstrating once again his prowess for taking a small community, injecting it with an external gay influence and making the results sing like a high-tension wire in a windstorm, Paul Russell does an excellent job in his newest novel, "War Against the Animals." Rich with metaphor and symbolism, "...Animals" is a subtle, poignant, and wonderful novel. No one can cultivate nuance from his characters like Russell, and he is in fine form here. Though the plot was a bit predictable, the journey was well worth it.
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Title: Last Summer by Michael Thomas Ford ISBN: 0758204051 Publisher: Kensington Pub Corp Pub. Date: August, 2003 List Price(USD): $23.00 |
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Title: The Concrete Sky by Marshall Moore ISBN: 1560234369 Publisher: Harrington Park Pr Pub. Date: July, 2003 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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Title: Lives of the Circus Animals : A Novel by Christopher Bram ISBN: 0060542535 Publisher: William Morrow Pub. Date: 30 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Man About Town by Mark Merlis ISBN: 0007156111 Publisher: Fourth Estate Pub. Date: 29 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Leave Myself Behind by Bart Yates ISBN: 0758203489 Publisher: Kensington Pub Corp Pub. Date: March, 2003 List Price(USD): $23.00 |
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