I might lower my rating later, but it seemed impossible to give only 3.5 considering the prose, the subtlety of the story telling, and the generosity extended to the the unlikely social class and that protagonist finds himself swept up by. At a certain point I realized that I was completely uninterested in the "plot" of the novel, and was a little disappointed that it was crammed into the end of the book, though I think the ending was ultimately a good decision. I think there were some pacing problems and I got a little lost in certain places- wait, are we still in France?! Total fluke that I read this in June and I really had no idea what the book was about, it was just mentioned in an interview of an author I really like. I mentioned to a friend that I was reading it, and she said that it's her favorite book! ( )

Meh.... first book of 92nd street Y international literature class. ( )

In early 1980s London, Nick Guest walks an interestingly fine line. He's a postgraduate student lodging with the family of a member of parliament. He's gay. And he's not entirely closed off about it. But the family is accepting, so it all seems okay.
But even in the 80s, prejudice against gays was more than just the norm. Many of the guys that Nick finds are still closeted themselves. And Nick finds himself having to make some choices about the men he chooses to be with. Secrets aren't uncommon in Nick's world, but he's not usually the one who is keeping them.

Add to that the outbreak of the AIDS epidemic, and Nick certainly faces some challenges. But he's not going to let them hold him back from living his life.

But Nick might just find that when one lives in a house of cards, it just takes a light breeze for it all to come crashing down.

--

I saw the film version of this a few years ago, and I'm still trying to decide if I liked that or the book better. What I do like about this story is that it's one that's not usually told. Yes, there are plenty of historical novels that take place in London. And there are many m/m stories that take place in the 80s and address the AIDS epidemic. But I feel like this may be the first I've read that combines both. Most stories on that topic I've read seem to be US-based.

There's also something about Nick's tentative status as observer/participant that makes this one resonate for me. There are those moments in live where we find ourselves in a place where we're not entirely sure why we're there. We feel a bit out of our element. It's not our world, but now we live in it. And at those times, it can be hard to figure out how to fit in. This is one of those stories. ( )

A very good novel, well paced and stylish writing. What kept me enthusiastic too, was the merciless depiction of the Conservative Party milieu as evil, unintelligent, irredeemable.
The one character who I found sympathetic was Catherine the perverse, but more likely bi-polar, daughter of grotesque Tory, Gerald Fedden. She has the insight to appreciate the catastrophe of her family, the directness to ask the questions and the destructive urge to blow the fatuous edifice apart, with the help of her boyfriend, Jasper.
The protagonist, Nick Guest, having been invited to live with the family to keep an eye on Catherine, is free to pursue his own obsessions in this privileged world - sex with beautiful men, words, objects and cocaine.
Brilliant wit and delicious insight permeate this book.

The protagonist of The Line of Beauty, Nick Guest, is aptly named: he reminds us of Nick Carraway, the middle-class observer of Gatsby's high life; and he is a guest, at the home of a Member of Parliament. He is also a gay man in the 80s, anxiously pursuing sex for the first time in the years just before AIDS rears its ugly head.

Nick has been invited to the conservative MP's home ostensibly as a friend of their son's, but his secret mission is to keep an eye on their mentally unbalanced daughter. Our protagonist pursues beauty and romance, while the straight and respected around him have affairs and hide mental illness. The hypocrisy is glaring, as well as a setup for heartbreak: the lower class but well-educated loyal dependent comes to think he is part of the family; sadly, blood and money turn out to be much thicker than water. The novel explores gay love and lust, Thatcherism, and social prejudice in England.

Hollinghurst's writing is beautiful, including the graphic sex scenes. I was reminded of the understated sophistication of Claire Messud's The Emperor's Children.

I'm reading all the Booker Prize winners since 1968 this year. Follow me at www.methodtohermadness.com. ( )