Eighty-Sixed - Softcover

Feinberg, David B.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0802139027 ISBN 13: 9780802139023

Publisher: Grove Press, 2002

Synopsis

In 1980, B. J. Rosenthal's only mission is to find himself a boyfriend and avoid setbacks like bad haircuts, bad sex, and Jewish guilt. In post-AIDS 1986, B.J.'s world has changed dramatically -- his friends and lovers are getting sick, everyone is at risk, and B.J. is panicking. Parrying high-wire wit against unbearable human tragedy, Eighty-Sixed now stands as a testament to an era. "If Woody Allen were gay and wrote novels, he'd produce something like David Feinberg's Eighty-Sixed." -- David Streitfeld, The Washington Post Book World "[Feinberg] has given us a painful story of one man coming of age in a terrifying age." -- The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) "Entertaining, harrowing, and powerfully unsensational." -- Booklist "[Eighty-Sixed] stands out for its frankness, ferocious wit, and total lack of sentimentality or self pity." -- Catherine Texier, The New York Times Book Review

About this title

From Library Journal:

In this witty first novel, Feinberg contrasts pre-AIDS 1980 with post-AIDS 1986, illuminating the changes that have come about in the gay community. In 1980, B.J. Rosenthal's biggest concern is finding a steady boyfriend, as he goes from one sex partner to another, but in 1986 his attention is focused on AIDS anxiety and the painful death of friends. Unlike the recent spate of somber novels dealing with AIDS, Feinberg's work mixes generous doses of humor with an increasing sense of pathos, bringing to mind the plays of Harvey Fierstein. To evoke the mood of each year, Feinberg injects a distracting string of pop culture references, but overall, this is an engrossing, honest novel. Highly recommended.James E. Cook, Dayton & Montgomery Cty. P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

This first novel records the changes in gay lifestyles precipitated by the AIDS epidemic. g "Diary-like monthly reports describe the narrator's romantic and sexual experiences with bracing immediacy, but finally the novel reads less like fully imagined fiction than a heavily detailed but uninspired newspaper account," said PW.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Grove Press
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0802139027
• ISBN 13: 9780802139023
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336