The Book of Lies

by Felice Picano

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Description

Bright, ambitious and handsome, Ross Ohrenstedt, a high-flier in the fashionable field of Queer Studies is flourishing amid the back-stabbing, resentments and petty intrigues of academia. He has just taken up a prestigious university post in Los Angeles and has been appointed to oversee the collection of the papers and works of Damon Von Slyke, prominent man of letters and leading light of the gay literary salon known as the Purple Circle. Sorting through the papers, Ross stumbles across a show more 'lost' work by an unknown author. His quest to identify the mystery writer and achieve the glory of scholastic tenure unveils the lives and wild times of a group of writers who in the 1970s and 1980s broke new ground in the creation of a gay literary sensibility. But the truth contained within THE BOOK OF LIES is even more surprising... With sharp wit, powerfully unexpected revelations and a luscious sense of place and character, Felice Picano's new novel explores the ties of love, friendship and betrayal with rewarding depth and emotional honesty. With a luscious sense of place and character and with powerfully unexpected revelations, Felice Picano's new novel explores the ties of love, friendship and betrayal with rewarding depth and emotional honesty. show less

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Member Reviews

4 reviews
A young professor is given the task of cataloging the works of a famous group of gay writers "the purple circle" (in real life like the violet quill group). But someone doesn't want him to do his research. And things are... not what they seem at all.

A very fun read, and informative about gay american culture.
The title of this book turns out to be very appropriate! It's a literary mystery, fun, suspenseful, and with a surprise or two at the end.
½
It's hard to say too much about this book without giving the end away. It's mostly a mystery with a twist that changes your whole view of the book in the final pages. The mystery is related to a group of author's who resemble the Violet Quills.

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Books Read in 2006
418 works; 7 members

Author Information

Picture of author.
41+ Works 2,580 Members
Felice Picano, a five-time Lambda Literary Award nominee, is the author of 19 books

Awards and Honors

Common Knowledge

Original publication date
1999
Disambiguation notice
1999 - Abacus Books
2000 - Alyson Books
2020 - ReQueered Tales

Classifications

Genres
LGBTQ+, Fiction and Literature, General Fiction
DDC/MDS
813.54Literature & rhetoricAmerican literature in EnglishAmerican fiction in English1900-19991945-1999
LCC
PS3566 .I25 .B66Language and LiteratureAmerican literatureAmerican literatureIndividual authors1961-
BISAC

Statistics

Members
172
Popularity
189,810
Reviews
4
Rating
(3.92)
Languages
English
Media
Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
6
ASINs
2