Mention Books Toward The Front Runner (Harlan's Story #1)
| Original Title: | The Front Runner |
| ISBN: | 0964109964 (ISBN13: 9780964109964) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | Harlan's Story #1 |
| Characters: | Harlan Brown, Billy Sive, Vince Matti, Jacques LaFont, Betsy Heden |
| Setting: | New York City, New York(United States) Montreal, Quebec (Montréal, Québec)(Canada) |
Patricia Nell Warren
Paperback | Pages: 320 pages Rating: 4.11 | 5150 Users | 341 Reviews
Interpretation During Books The Front Runner (Harlan's Story #1)
First published in 1974, The Front Runner raced to international acclaim - the first novel about gay love to become popular with mainstream.In 1975, coach Harlan Brown is hiding from his past at an obscure New York college, after he was fired from Penn State University on suspicion of being gay. A tough, lonely ex-Marine of 39, Harlan has never allowed himself to love another man.
Then Billy Sive, a brilliant young runner, shows up on his doorstep. He and his two comrades, Vince Matti and Jacques LaFont, were just thrown off a major team for admitting they are gay. Harlan knows that, with proper training, Billy could go to the '76 Olympics in Montreal. He agrees to coach the three boys under strict conditions that thwart Billy's growing attraction for his mature but compelling mentor. The lean, graceful frontrunner with gold-rim glasses sees directly into Harlan's heart. Billy's gentle and open acceptance of his sexuality makes Harlan afraid to confront either the pain of his past, or the challenges which lay in wait if their intimacy is exposed.
But when Coach Brown finds himself falling in love with his most gifted athlete, he must combat his true feelings for Billy or risk the outrage of the entire sports world - and their only chance at Olympic gold.
Point Out Of Books The Front Runner (Harlan's Story #1)
| Title | : | The Front Runner (Harlan's Story #1) |
| Author | : | Patricia Nell Warren |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 320 pages |
| Published | : | June 1st 1996 by Wildcat Press (first published 1974) |
| Categories | : | LGBT. Fiction. Gay. Romance. M M Romance. GLBT. Queer |
Rating Out Of Books The Front Runner (Harlan's Story #1)
Ratings: 4.11 From 5150 Users | 341 ReviewsRate Out Of Books The Front Runner (Harlan's Story #1)
I enjoyed reading this book - it wasn't the best written story, but it depicted an honest and candid story involving two men in love when the gay liberation movement was just picking up steam. It was written by a woman, which I find intriguing, and involves a relationship between a college track coach and one of his students separated in age by a considerable gap.The story has quite a few issues for me - mainly the development of a relationship between the two main characters - it is clear thatIt may have been ground breaking for its subject matter, but this book made me fairly uncomfortable. The love story was interesting, but the inclusion of all the track information made it, for the most part, boring. I appreciate what it did for gay literature, it just didn't affect me as it may have many others.
I definitely understand why The Front Runner is considered a classic of gay literature. The plot and characters were compelling and the social issues felt real. Needless to say, I think every reader is (or should be, at least) a little bit in love with Billy Sive. The narrator, on the other hand, was less than admirable, but he did improve over the course of the book.As a feminist, it bugged me to see how chauvinistic gay male culture of the 70s was. Although that is something I knew before from
I sat down to read this because I had read reviews hailing it as a pivotal gay novel. Truthfully I didn't expect much from the novel in the way of man on man thrill, after all the book was written in the mid seventies.I'm not going to sum up the book here, if I did I may start crying again and I'm finally calm enough to write this. This book is wonderful. The fact that it was written during the seventies has no bearing on how well written or marvelous it really is.It is told in first person by
This book has been on my "currently reading" shelf for months, and I'm just going to admit it at this point: I'm not going to finish it. Guess what? This book is gross. I don't know why so many people like it. The power dynamic between the main character and his student boyfriend is gross. The way sex is discussed is gross. The way women, and especially lesbians, are described, is super disgustingly gross (especially in a book written by a woman!).Maybe this book was not as gross in 1996. But
This is a classic bittersweet m/m romance, written back when that was a far more rare and risky thing. It is a wonderful book, and has lost nothing in the decades since it was written. The 1970's setting is a vivid backdrop, the main characters are wonderful and complex, and the ending still makes me cry after many readings. As we browse through the candy store of contemporary m/m romances, this is one to read and savor, and to remind us of the things that change, and the things that remain the
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