Seventy Times Seven
by Salvatore Sapienza
List Price:
Our Price: $8.15
You Save: $7.80 (49%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $4.49 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Salvatore SapienzaEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2006-06-30
ISBN: 1560235993
Number of pages: 261
Publisher: Haworth Press
Book Reviews of Seventy Times Seven
Book Review: A Thoroughly Satisfying Read
Summary: 5 Stars
Seventy Times Seven was a tough read for me. As a somewhat bitterly ex-catholic gay boy who has been battling HIV for eleven years, I found that many parts of Sal Sapienza's novel hit very close to home. After I reached the end, though, I recognized that the journey had been well worth it, despite the emotional bumps I hit along the way.
The story's main character is Vito, a cute gay Italian boy who is just getting ready to take final vows in his Catholic brotherhood. The book chronicles his struggle to incorporate his religious calling with his more sensual, secular urgings. To be honest, I liked Vito. I wanted to sleep with Vito, but I didn't identify with Vito - not one bit. I empathized much more with his best friend Tim, a light-hearted hedonist who seems to take great delight in leading his conflicted friend astray. My guess is that most gay guys who, like me, reached young adulthood in the eighties will also more closely identify with Tim. To me, he is more or less the embodiment of gay eighties culture - chastened somewhat by the looming threat of AIDS, but still trying to live life to the fullest.
And speaking of gay eighties cultural references - Sapienza uses them liberally, but not gratuitously, throughout the book. He weaves the pop songs and mega-stars from that time right into the story, using them as metaphors for the various issues that Vito struggles with along the way. This gives the novel the quality of a modern-day parable, and though I'm sure I'm not the only reader who wanted to shake Vito by the shoulders from time to time and scream "Are you out of your mind?", I found his crisis, as a whole, to be genuine and believable.
A fine first novel by Sal Sapienza. It had a nice, steady pace, well developed characters and just enough pathos to engage readers emotionally without carrying them into the realm of soap opera. Seventy Times Seven roughed me up a bit emotionally, but in the end it left me feeling hopeful about myself and about life in general. Can one ask any more of a novel than that?
Gay & Lesbian Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Audiobooks on Cassette
- Audiobooks on CD
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- e-Books
- Engineering
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Medicine
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Books by Challenging Gay Writers
The First Verse: A Novelby Barry McCrea
Carroll & Graf; Published: 2005-05-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.35
Price in other shops:
Mordred, Bastard Son (Mordred Trilogy)by Douglas Clegg
Alyson Books; Published: 2007-02-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.85
Price in other shops:
King of Catsby Blake Fraina
iUniverse, Inc.; Published: 2004-02-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.28
Price in other shops:
Querelleby Jean Genet
Grove Press; Published: 1994-01-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.88
Price in other shops:
The Hell You Say: The Third Adrien English Mysteryby Josh Lanyon
iUniverse, Inc.; Published: 2006-03-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $20.00
The Price of Temptationby M.J. Pearson
Seventh Window Publications; Published: 2005-09-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.50
Price in other shops:
Seventy Times Sevenby Salvatore Sapienza
Haworth Press; Published: 2006-06-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.15
Price in other shops:
The Literary Sixby Vince A. Liaguno
Outskirts Press; Published: 2006-07-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.50
Price in other shops:
Common Sons: Common Threads in the Lifeby Ronald Donaghe
iUniverse, Inc; Published: 2000-06-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.28
Price in other shops:
The Rest is Illusionby Eric Arvin
Booklocker.com, Inc.; Published: 2006-09-29; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.95
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
The God Boxby Alex Sanchez
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; Published: 2009-05-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.68
Price in other shops:
Dream Boy: A Novelby Jim Grimsley
Touchstone; Published: 1997-01-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.49
Price in other shops:
Caught Runningby Abigail Roux, Madeleine Urban
Dreamspinner Press; Published: 2007-12-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.43
Price in other shops:
A Secret Edgeby Robin Reardon
Kensington; Published: 2007-06-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.86
Price in other shops:
Code of Conductby Rich Merritt
Kensington; Published: 2008-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.99
Price in other shops:
Call Me by Your Name: A Novelby Andre Aciman
Picador; Published: 2008-01-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.97
Price in other shops:
An Imperfect Arrangementby Chris Amisano
iUniverse, Inc.; Published: 2007-06-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.78
Price in other shops:
When You Don't See Meby Timothy James Beck
Kensington; Published: 2007-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.86
Price in other shops:
The Tin Starby J. L. Langley
Loose Id, LLC; Published: 2006-08-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.78
Price in other shops:
Strings Attachedby Nick Nolan
BookSurge Publishing; Published: 2006-06-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.99