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| Plot Summary of Boulevard |
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FSB, Apr 2002, 23.95, 304 pp.
ISBN: 1565122518
In 1978 Newell leaves his hometown of Pastel, Alabama for New Orleans where he wanders the streets until he stops at a store intriguingly named Hendeman's Rare and Used to learn what they sell and to borrow a phone book. Newell mentions the YMCA and the woman, as handsome as a man, Louise Kimbro likes his look and offers him a room, which he takes. Broke, Newell obtains a busboy job at the nearby gay restaurant, which he loses when he rejects the manager's advances. His appearance enables him to score a new job at an adult bookstore.
The job lasts more than just a cup of soup and soon Newell explores the city. He begins to meet other males and hooks up with his boss who introduces him to the drug scene. Eventually his baby face and naive demeanor become the target of a nasty gay person who plans to teach Newell the “finer” things in life.
BOULEVARD is an insightful look at the gay scene in New Orleans through the eyes of the lead character and the cast that supports his urbanization. The story line is insightful and interesting and worth the read for those who want a different type of character study. However, the problem with this powerful relationship drama resides with Newell, whose ability to attain what he needs instantly takes away from the depth of observing an ingenuous newcomer struggling to adapt to a “foreign” lifestyle. Jim Grimsley's tale is actually carried by the support ensemble.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Boulevard |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- thoughtful
Time/era of story
- 1960's-1970's
Internal struggle/realization?
Yes
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Druggie/Wino problems?
- drugs
Love problems?
- gay guy urges
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- natural phenomena
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- small businessman
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 4 (a fair amount)
United States
Yes
The US:
- West
- Deep South
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Unusual Style:
- a lot of play on words
- a lot of stream of consciousness
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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