Chris Hunt (1)

STREET LAVENDER is the witty and spirited narrative of young Willie Smith, a perky redhead born in Victorian London whose precocious sexuality enables him to escape his dirt-poor origins in one of the few ways available to the working-class - namely, by going on the game. The result is a marvellous narrative that functions simultaneously as an account of a sexual awakening; an acute socio-political commentary on the Victorian era; a faultless pastiche of Victorian writing; a shamelessly show more erotic expose (the "black velvet" scene will leave you rapt!); and, finally, a life-affirming Bildungsroman in which a young man discovers his purpose in life.

An absolute must-read for aficionados of gay historical fiction, STREET LAVENDER is one of those works that has helped define the genre (in interviews Sarah Waters has acknowledged its influence on her own first genre-busting novel, TIPPING THE VELVET). show less

Told from Edward II’s point of view, Gaveston relates the life of his friend and lover from the time of his arrival in England as a teenager until his murder during the early years of Edward’s reign. Edward’s attraction is immediate.

"Piers Gaveston was the most beautiful creation on God’s earth…. [He] had eyes as green as emeralds and a smile that dazzled like the sun…."

But Gaveston’s beauty was to be, in Edward’s eyes, his curse. For as much as Edward loves him, others show more seethe with anger over his special treatment. They resent the gifts Edward bestows on him. They further blame him for Edward’s inattention to important matters ranging from securing his inheritance to dealing with the Scottish wars.

Read the full review at http://fuzzyhistory.com/2008/09/01/gaveston-by-chris-hunt/. show less