Roof Beam Reader
A Writer and His Reading
Category: Fictional Memoir
Review: In One Person by John Irving
In One Person by John Irving Final Verdict: 3.25 out of 4.0 YTD: 18 Plot/Story: 3 – Plot/Story is interesting & believable. Irving is known for his bold approach to sexuality and the social/familial “other.” This latest is no exception to that well-established reputation. … Continue Reading “Review: In One Person by John Irving”
Review: Save Me the Waltz by Zelda Fitzgerald
Save Me the Waltz by Zelda Fitzgerald Final Verdict: 3.5 out of 4.0 YTD: 16 Plot/Story: 3 – Plot/Story is interesting & believable. Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald was the troubled wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald, one of the most famous American writers of all-time. Save… Continue Reading “Review: Save Me the Waltz by Zelda Fitzgerald”
Review: Nothing Like the Sun by Anthony Burgess
Summary: Anthony Burgess’s Nothing Like the Sun is a highly fascinating, albeit fictional, re-telling of Shakespeare’s love life. In 234 pages, Burgess manages to introduce his reader to a young Shakespeare, developing into manhood and clumsily fumbling his way through his first sexual escapade… Continue Reading “Review: Nothing Like the Sun by Anthony Burgess”
Review: Ambidextrous by Felice Picano
Ambidextrous: The Secret Lives of Children is part one of a three-part memoir trilogy, recounting events of the author, Felice Picano’s youth and life. Upon finishing, I found the blurb “not so much secret, as just forgotten” quite appropriate. As we age, much of the passion,… Continue Reading “Review: Ambidextrous by Felice Picano”
Review: A Boy’s Own Story by Edmund White
A refreshingly realistic tale of a gay boy’s “coming of age.” White makes a point of expressing his distaste for fanciful boy’s tales in which all boarding schools are brothels of young sex and violence, then proceeds to tell a painfully true story (autobiographic)… Continue Reading “Review: A Boy’s Own Story by Edmund White”
