I’d be very appreciative if I could get some recommendations for where to go next when reading gay fiction. I’ve recently started getting back into fiction reading in a big way after being almost solely a non-fiction reader for, oh, 20 years or so. I’ve been really loving it and am mostly concentrating on classics.
Recently, I read, and loved:
– Maurice, by E. M. Forster (heartwarming, really spoke to me in a way I wasn’t expecting),
– A Single Man, by Christopher Isherwood (bittersweet in a beautiful way), and
– Tipping the Velvet, by Sarah Waters (such a fun romp!).
I think what I am after is that stuff that is ultimately heartwarming, fun, gives hope and/or makes you feel thrilled by the writing. I don’t mind sadness either, just don’t want to feel like there’s no hope at the end, if you get me.
After I read those, I read Dancer from the Dance by Andrew Holleran and that is an example of what I don’t want more of. I felt kinda miserable and hopeless afterwards.
Based on the above, where should I go next? I can’t explain the joy I felt after reading Maurice for example. I’d like to feel like that again (I do plan on reading the rest of Forster, am really excited to, based on how much I loved his writing).
One other thing, while I’m delighted there is so much YA stuff out there now and I think it’s very sweet, I find I can’t connect with that stuff as much either, so would prefer more adult works please.
Thank you in advance. I know it’s hard, taste is so subjective.
(NB – I’ve already read The Picture of Dorian Gray and Brideshead Revisited which sometimes come up as recommendations, plus most of Christopher Isherwood).
by rossuccio
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If you liked “Tipping the Velvet” you might like “Frog Music” by Emma Donoghue. It’s about a San Francisco prostitute investigating the death of her crossdressing frog-catcher friend. Or “Beyond the Pale” by Elana Dykewomon, about Jewish NYC immigration and labor organization.