Clicking Beat on the Brink of Nada by Keith Hale Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Clicking Beat on the Brink of Nada
Book Review: heart breaking...
Summary: 5 Stars
wow, this book is so well written and mature...it's nice to read a book that was actually about teenagers and regular life and not have it somehow be so cheesy as these genre's are known for...i really like the authors visuals and the prose in which he wrote...the characters all relate in such an intimate unaffected way...sad, funny, and heart felt...this is a really great book, to read more than once or even twice...i highly recommendBook Review: Loved It!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am always looking for good coming of age/coming out/gay novels, and bought this ones based on the great reviews it got here. Well I agree with all the reviews!
First of all, since I am around the same age (well a bit older) as the main characters, I can relate to them in many ways, and can relate to a lot of the things talked about. That said, anyone who has ever grown up can enjoy this book! I think that includes pretty much everyone.
I also enjoyed the slight existentialist theme, as I am quite interested in existentialism myself. I don't think it's a dominating theme in the book, but I enjoyed the philosophical parts as well as the coming out parts.
I would recommend this book to anyone, gay or straight, it doesn't matter. Anyone can enjoy this book!
Book Review: So glad this is back in print.
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of those books that stays with you a lifetime like Catcher in the Rye. I first read it while studying abroad in London where it had something of a cult following I think. It certainly was popular among the youth there at the time and it seemed like everyone I knew had read it. It's just a very unusual novel with characters you'll never forget, people you wish you knew. It was becoming impossible to find a copy for under $50 so it really needed to be reprinted. I've given so many copies away to friends over the years it's good to know now it is widely available at a reasonable price.Book Review: The depth of true love
Summary: 4 Stars
The narrator, seventeen year old Steven Trottingham Taylor lives with his mother Helen, his father having been killed just before he was born, and his fourteen year old half brother Freddy. His father was an active socialist, and his mother still holds to these ideals, Steven was named Trottingham with the intention he be called Trotsky in homage to these beliefs. Used to moving home frequently and the family has recently moved to Little Rock, Arkansas where Helen Taylor has taken a teaching position at the local university.
Trotsky is pretty sure he is gay, especially following a failed attempt at seduction by Sarah whom he first met at the State Employment Service. At his new school Trotsky becomes aware of Cody, a charismatic and striking looking well built youth with soulful blue eyes and intriguing orange/blond long flopping hair, with whom he shares some classes. When they eventually meet face to face it is the start of a friendship that eventually develops in to something very special.
Trotsky is no ordinary lad; he has a good open relationship with his mother, and is especially fond of his half brother and takes a positive interest in him and his well being. In turn Freddy holds Trotsky in very high esteem, looking upon him as protective older brother and a father figure. He is socially aware and is interested in politics, poetry and literature, and is prone to exchanging poems with his friends including Cody.
The friendship between Trotsky is Cody becomes an especially close one, such that they can almost communicate on a spiritual level, yet it becomes clear to them both that while Trotsky would like to enjoy a physical relationship, Cody being straight claims he cannot reciprocate. Yet their love for one another becomes such that eventually Cody does make a move. By that time Trotsky is already enjoying a loving relationship with Freddy's best friend Mark.
Eventually tragedy strikes with profound consequences.
This is a very enjoyable story about friendship, love and understanding. It is also a story with a definite socialist leaning, and happily makes political point. The main characters come over as positive and appealing, and it is particularly pleasing that the account avoids some of the clich?s found in many young gay love stories.
Book Review: A Treasure!!! A Coming of Age Novel Many Can Relate With!
Summary: 5 Stars
I stumbled on this novel by chance, hoping for an easy summer read to hold me over until another novel I had been waiting for arrived. I quickly realized what a true gem I had as Trotsky's life in a new school in Little Rock unfolded. The depth of human emotion between Cody and Trostky is real and their connection can be felt by the reader. I don't want to ruin the unexpected and compelling ending, but it captures you and you feel what Trostky and Cody feel. This is a very short novel and easily could have gone one for another 100 pages. I would have liked to get to know some of the characters better. I think there are many similarities to Patricia Nell Warren's Front Runner here in this book. While the final pages offer a quick glipse into the future for our young heroes, I'd love to see a follow-up. I think this is the author's only published novel. That's a shame. If you have the good fortune to run across Cody, read it, enjoy it, and tell a friend. Cody and Trotsky will always live on in our hearts.