John Donovan (1) (1928–1992)

I read this when it was first published in 1971 and rereading it forty years later reminds me why I remembered liking it. The voice of Davy and his love for his dog Fred are memorable and true to life. While I have never been a dog person I can still appreciate the importance of Fred to Davy as an anchor during the tremendous changes that are taking place in his life. In some respects it is amazing that he is able to survive the events in his life beginning with the death of his grandmother show more and continuing through a move from Boston to New York and the changing relationships that ensue. He is resilient and for a while that resilience is girded by a close friendship - a first love. Davy is real and faces the vicissitudes of his life in a way that endears him to the reader. Well written and believable, this is a novel that is encouraging for its reader no matter what his (or her) age. show less

Narrated by Michael Urie. There's a quaint feel to this book because of the dialog (I don't know anyone who says "make" when referring to pooping) but ultimately this book is remarkable for its topic and the time in which it was published. No dramatic resolution or shouts of gay pride, just a period in a young teen's life where he's learning to figure it out as he goes along. Petty gripes: The boys on the cover look much older than the 13-year-old characters Davy and Altschuler. Also, Urie show more oddly chooses a Clint Eastwood-like whisper for Altschuler. show less

All show no tell, so the reader is left to figure out who the boys are and what happened and how the boys are going to figure out what to do about it, and about everything else in their lives. And judging by the reviews here, different readers have different ideas. I, personally, think it'll be a long time before each of them figure out whether they're gay or bi, and whether they're going to fake being straight or not... and they're not likely to be more than friends to each other. My take/ show more not a spoiler.

But, yeah, dated. Cuz gay boys are more adorable and a little older and a lot more self-absorbed in newer books. And I don't think it would be accepted by so many that this 13 yo would be living with a falling-down-drunk mother now, not when there are other choices and he doesn't particularly want to, anyway. And I don't think a modern character would work so hard to hide his own opinions and desires, saying 'sure' and 'I guess so' to everyone to the point where he barely knows that it's ok to grieve for his dead grandmother.

Oh, and the vibe of the read is very much like Catcher in the Rye. But is Caulfield a good kid underneath, like Davy is? I dunno, cuz I do not like that book. Nor do I like the word 'phoney.'

Seriously, I wish my library system had finished discarding all copies of this old book so I didn't have to waste my time. That is to say, at the time it was written, fine, but not now. show less

I was in junior high. I made a note that I checked it out from the library and didn't like it. My note about this book merely says "It's stupid" which, incidentally, was my note about a lot of books I read back then. So now reading what this book is about I can see that I probably just didn't get it in any way whatsoever. Be interesting to re-read this one.