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Edmund White
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A Boy's Own Story Hardcover – September 28, 1982

by Edmund White (Author)
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 464 ratings
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At home, in school, and on the streets, a homosexual teenager moves through comic sexual experiments, isolation, fear, and exciting expectations toward an escape from childhood and a firm sense of self
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  1. Print length
    218 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Dutton Adult
  4. Publication date
    September 28, 1982
  5. Dimensions
    20 x 20 x 20 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0525241280
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0525241287
  8. See all details
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"All the Little Raindrops: A Novel" by Mia Sheridan for $10.39
The chilling story of the abduction of two teenagers, their escape, and the dark secrets that, years later, bring them back to the scene of the crime. | Learn more

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dutton Adult; First Edition (September 28, 1982)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 218 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0525241280
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0525241287
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 20 x 20 x 20 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 464 ratings

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Edmund White

Edmund White

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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
464 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book a poignant and moving story about self-acceptance. They describe it as poetic and visceral, with a yearning for self-comfort. However, some readers feel the narrative is uninteresting and lacks depth. There are mixed opinions on the writing style - some find it descriptive and sophisticated, while others find it wordy and difficult to understand.

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Self-acceptanceWriting styleNarrative quality
3 customers mention "Self-acceptance"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a poignant and moving exploration of self-acceptance. They describe it as poetic yet vivid, with a growing sense of self-awareness and acceptance.

"...of age in the 1950s is full of nostalgia and the yearning to be comfortable with oneself...." Read more

"...It's a soft, yet vibrant tale. Poetic, yet visceral. Masterful writing. Highly recommended." Read more

"...recounts selected episodes exploring his growing self awareness, self acceptance and developing understanding of how others manipulate and are..." Read more

19 customers mention "Writing style"13 positive6 negative

Customers have different views on the writing style. Some praise the descriptive prose, flawless grammar, and beautiful vocabulary. They find it poetic and compelling. Others feel the book is very wordy and difficult to read, with many adjectives and words they don't understand. The flow of the book is also criticized as being difficult to follow.

"...It has a comic tone, and it is well crafted, so the story flows along nicely. I'll be rereading this one for sure." Read more

"...The writing is elegant and the story is an important one to tell, though I found certain sections to be far more affecting and compelling than others..." Read more

"...In my opinion, the novel is too wordy--one longs for the end." Read more

"What exquisite and marvelous prose! White has mastered the English language in an artful, florid, and elegant manner exceeding the great Nabokov..." Read more

4 customers mention "Narrative quality"0 positive4 negative

Customers find the narrative lacks depth and is uninteresting. They feel the physical action descriptions are brief and redundant to the dialogue and plot. The abundance of metaphors slow down the narrative and detract from its sense of urgency. Overall, customers feel the story lacks insights and compassion.

"...There is an over abundance of metaphors which delay the narrative and detract from the sense that it is the reminiscence of a preteen and then a..." Read more

"...In addition to that, the story is uninteresting and has an anticlimactic ending. Does not live up to the reviews. This emperor has no clothes." Read more

"...By contrast, the book's expected phyical action descriptions were brief, starkly worded or trival to the diologue and the plot line...." Read more

"A Story with little insights or compassion..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • David
    5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this
    Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    First, this is a book for adults, and it's not like Harry Potter or Tom Sawyer. I think it's brilliant! It has a comic tone, and it is well crafted, so the story flows along nicely. I'll be rereading this one for sure.
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  • Jessica Sullivan
    4.0 out of 5 stars ... is full of nostalgia and the yearning to be comfortable with oneself
    Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    This groundbreaking novel about a gay teenage boy coming of age in the 1950s is full of nostalgia and the yearning to be comfortable with oneself. The narrator recalls snippets of his formative years in which he struggles with his sexuality and the sense of shame that accompanies his then-forbidden desires. The writing is elegant and the story is an important one to tell, though I found certain sections to be far more affecting and compelling than others. This was an uneven read for me, though I'm glad I read it.
    12 people found this helpful
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  • Frasquito
    3.0 out of 5 stars A tiring read
    Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    This is not one of White's best works. It is tiring to read because of all of the unnecessary descriptions of characters as well as their surroundings. There is an over abundance of metaphors which delay the narrative and detract from the sense that it is the reminiscence of a preteen and then a teenager. In my opinion, the novel is too wordy--one longs for the end.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • D. S. Heersink
    5.0 out of 5 stars Eloquent, Elegant, Incisive, Provocative
    Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2005
    Verified Purchase
    What exquisite and marvelous prose! White has mastered the English language in an artful, florid, and elegant manner exceeding the great Nabokov himself. This novel, my first, but by no means last, to read, is a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story about an upper-crust, well-educated, youth in the years of his gay discovery. Common to many a gay youth, a distant, unapproving father, a surrogate, unengaged step-mother, and a self-absorbed, fickle mother are found emotionally wanting. Coming of age with hormones raging, sexual exploration searches for an outlet of its expression. Attracted to his own gender, he finds satisfaction, but remains conflicted. White soughs the seeds and watches the growth of almost every gay man's deepest yearnings. It's a soft, yet vibrant tale. Poetic, yet visceral. Masterful writing. Highly recommended.
    12 people found this helpful
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  • Nathaniel R. Brown
    5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful as it is - rather
    Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This is a splendid book. When I first read it, years ago, I was stunned - it was so close to my own experience, but reconsidered and reviewed from another person's deeply honest perspective. Read it.

    But this is not about the book, wonderful as it is - rather, it is about Amazon's habit in its "Look Inside" function, of presenting all the front material, the table of contents, a snippet of actual text, and then the entire index. In this case, Amazon has seen fit to include Alan Gurganis' very good introduction - but NOT ONE WORD of the actual text! Please, Amazon - get some actual human being to take an actual look at the "Look Inside" material!!!
    25 people found this helpful
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  • Adventure Seeker
    2.0 out of 5 stars A Story with little insights or compassion
    Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Autobiography of a chapter in the life of growing up. Semi-spoiled boy recounts selected episodes exploring his growing self awareness, self acceptance and developing understanding of how others manipulate and are manipulated.
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  • Dave Shumway
    4.0 out of 5 stars Me, Me, Me
    Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Great use of language,observation and metaphor. I feel, however, that White is overrated as his only subject seems to be "White." There's a narcissism to his body of work. I would choose Colm Toibin or David Levitt as better authors.
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  • Dane
    5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant
    Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    White’s autobiographical work was a breakthrough for the time it was written and still resonates today.
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • leonardo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very nice
    Reviewed in Brazil on November 24, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I read this at the beach and it was very nice.
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  • Hauser
    5.0 out of 5 stars touching personal rendition of growing up gay...
    Reviewed in France on September 4, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Beautifully written, honest and touching...
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  • Bigio_bio
    4.0 out of 5 stars Altri tempi... ma i tempi sono poi così cambiati?
    Reviewed in Italy on August 7, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Il racconto in prima persona dell'infanzia e adolescenza di un ragazzino che cerca di trovare un equilibrio con la sua omosessualità. Una storia lontana dai nostri tempi, ma i conflitti interiori poi non sono così diversi. I rapporti con i genitori e la sorella sono quello che più di ogni altra cosa hanno turbato il divenire del giovane autore.
    Non è un testo semplice (in lingua originale) e la narrazione spesso è altalenante, e passa da un epoca all'altra nella vita del ragazzo. Sono certo che questo romanzo possa suscitare sentimenti contrastanti.
    Io ho provato a leggerlo con gli occhi di un bambino, di un ragazzo, che lotta per trovare il suo spazio nel mondo. Ho provato empatia ed ho trovato tanti temi, al di la' di quello dell'omosessualità, che sono cruccio nella vita di ogni bambino e ragazzo.
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  • Francis O
    5.0 out of 5 stars The secrets of growing up gay
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 6, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This is also a very interesting format for writing a novel. It is the author's life story, but told in a novel format. This makes it most interesting to read through.
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  • PEI Buyer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Of course, its EXCELLENT!
    Reviewed in Canada on January 8, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Definitely a classic, a must-read for anyone interested in this genre. The story is easy-to-follow and the detail provides you a vivid picture of this boy's experience coming out and experimenting with himself and others.
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