Best Gay Coming of Age/Young Adult (1° place): Summer Song by Louise Blaydon

[reviews_and_ramblings]

I know I was expecting a lot from this novel, after all it was the Dark Horse of the Rainbow Awards, winning first place in the Coming of Age/Young Adult category when more or less no one even knew the story was out, but what I was not expecting for it is to be sweet, tender and yes, even a bit sexy.

First of all the story is pretty complex on the writing style field. The author decided to tell it from 4 different points of view, all in first person. Only that 3 of them, best friends Christopher “Kit” and Billy, and Kit’s girlfriend Caitlyn “Lyn”, tell the story like their thoughts are brainstorming in their mind, while Leonard “Lenny”, the new kid in town, is writing a journal. Plus the story starts at the beginning of the year school, with Kit wondering why Billy seems to be surprised, and even a bit scared, by the new kid in the school, Lenny, to then flashbacking three months before, in June, when Lenny is moving from Massachussetts to California to spend the summer with his maternal grandparents.

Kit is obviously jealous of the tight relationship Billy and Lenny developed during the summer, probably even more since he was not there to witness it; Kit spent the summer with his own grandparents, and he left a best friend, Billy, who was almost like a brother and who was telling him everything, to come back to an almost stranger, a Billy that is not even able to tell him that he has a new friend. Yes, Kit is jealous, but even if he wonders if this jealousy means something else, Kit is in love with Lyn, and that is not something he is questioning. What he is questioning, and what makes him angry, is that Billy is no more able to consider him a trusted friend, Billy is no more coming to him to share his soul, he is probably going to the other boy, the new kid, one that has no right over Billy since Kit was there before him.

That was how the story was developing at first, more about the friendship between Kit and Billy and how they were trying to save it; but then it suddenly moved to Billy and Lenny, and how they were instead trying to understand what was happenning between them. The time is the 1955, and it’s not that being gay is something common, let alone in a small town in California. There is no one they can talk to, and while Billy has some experiences with girls, Lenny has neither that, and so they are flumbling around, trying to understand what is good and what is right, what they like and what they don’t.

As I said I was surprised by the “light” undertone of the story; it’s not that the author forgot that being gay was illegal in 1955, it’s only that she decided to not weight it on these boys, letting them living their summer, and then year school, love affair. Truth be told, at the beginning, I had the feeling of reading a man on man version of “Grease”, with Billy in the role of a very surprised Danny Zucco who finds out that Sandy has not gone back to Australia. But Billy is more honest, and probably more in love, than the hero of Grease, and in no way he can deny Lenny’s existence or his love for him.

Summer Love is a very romantic story, and if you, like me, were worried of reading of a same sex love in the 1955, don’t worry, in this case love is stronger than anything else.



http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=1873

Amazon: Summer Song

Amazon Kindle: Summer Song

Reading List:



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Comments

[lucifuge-5.livejournal.com]

Oh, Elisa, I couldn't wait to hear your thoughts on this novel. Really bad cover aside (it doesn't hint at the jewel that is the story), this is one of the few M/M profic books that I recommend to everyone.

It *is* a very sweet story and (like you mention in your review) the author did chose to omit certain parts about what being gay in the 1950s must have been like in RL.

But then, this is a romance novel. And what a romance!

Part of what drew me in was seeing the story from all of those perspectives. The author did a fantastic job on the evolution of everyone without having to destroy any one character in order to make a meatier story. Also, like you, I was (pleasantly) surprised at the sexiness in its pages.

Anyhoo, you already know how much I love this novel. I guess I just wanted to squee a little bit more about it. :D!

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Yes, I know you loved it ;-) And yes, it's definitely a romance, sweet and sexy and I think a lot of people, worried about the setting, should put aside fears and take it up.

sounds great!

[leewindauthor.livejournal.com]

I'd love to tell my teen readers about this title, but I'm wondering just how erotica does it go? Oh, and I'll link to your review. Thanks for all you do,
namaste,
Lee

Re: sounds great!

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Hi Lee, and welcome! Well, yes, there is sex on going, and they have full intercourse, so, if I have to judge by my own experience, I would suggest it to a late teen (16-19 years old). Nothing more than what is probably happening on many prom nights, and not on a level of details that it's embarassing, but they go beyond the simple kiss. I think the main target of the publisher are not Young Adults, and so they probably edited the book with a more "adult" eyes.

Thanks!

[leewindauthor.livejournal.com]

That's really useful - I'll still share it with my readers, and now I can be upfront about how far it goes! If you have other titles you're aware of that with GLBTQ Teen characters and themes, I'd love to know about them - romance is NOT well represented in the YA books I have on my lists.
Thanks!!!
Namaste,
Lee

Re: Thanks!

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

I have 75 review for Coming of Age/Young Adult novels (meaning all with characters under 20) under my tag:

http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/tag/theme%3A%20coming%20of%20age

they are more or less all romances, with different degrees of erotica or no erotica at all like for one of my recent review, Another Kind of Cowboy, where there is barely an hint of romance; another one with more romance, but no erotica at all is Nothing Pink.

WOW - 75 titles!

[leewindauthor.livejournal.com]

awesome - I'll go through your list!!! I have "Nothing Pink" already, but not "Another Kind of Cowboy" - ohh, I LOVE discovering new GLBTQ teen books and sharing about them!
thanks so much,
Namaste,
Lee

Re: WOW - 75 titles!

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Another Kind of Cowboy is really nice, and a read I will suggest to under 16 without problem: it has very positive gay characters, but young, like the main characters, then older, like the two dressage instructor, but no sex at all, just some light kisses. If I remember well the main characters are 16 years old, and I think the development of their story is right for that age.