Audiobook8 hours
Man's World
Written by Rupert Smith
Narrated by Nigel Pilkington
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
()
About this audiobook
London today: a world of sex and drugs and designer clothes, where Robert searches for fulfillment in gay clubs. London 50 years ago: fresh out of National Service, Michael enters a secret queer underworld, negotiating the dangers of the law and the closet. Past and present collide when Robert moves into a new block of flats, and discovers that history is alive in his doorstep.
Related to Man's World
Related audiobooks
Vanya Says, "Go!": A Retelling of Mikhail Kuzmin's "Wings" Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Straya Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTainted Love Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEqual Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsClinch Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsImmaculate Blue: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEddie & Alan: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShorter of Breath: 8-Tracks. Aliens. Korea. Edmonton. And a chance to leave lame-o millennial culture for the '70s! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Law of Enclosures Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Very Ordered Existence of Merilee Marvelous, The Unabrid Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Westminster Whore Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDiary Of A Dead Man Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsI, Gloria Grahame Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Train Your Human: A Cat’s Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Emerald City of Oz Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDrift House: The First Voyage Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rainbow Conspiracy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAll the Right Places: Short Stories by Wayne Goodman Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Good Son Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Carnivore Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cool Air (Unabridged) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShort Stories About Grief: Allow this incredible collection of stories to help healing through words Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBel Ami Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ten Random and Very Short Stories Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5After Elias Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDanny Boy Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Rebuttal Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Price of Two Sparrows Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Outside Lands: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
General Fiction For You
A Court of Thorns and Roses Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5And Then There Were None Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Court of Mist and Fury Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bell Jar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finn Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Court of Frost and Starlight Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Ends with Us Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Court of Wings and Ruin Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Hunger Games Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5American Gods [TV Tie-In]: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Omens: A Full Cast Production Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Man Called Ove: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5American Gods: The Tenth Anniversary Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Name of the Wind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Alchemist Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/511/22/63: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Leave the World Behind: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Silmarillion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Finding Me: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Overstory Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dead Zone Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dutch House: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Their Eyes Were Watching God Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Return of the King Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Man's World
Rating: 3.772727345454545 out of 5 stars
4/5
11 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I really loved this and it taught me that I should stop opening every book with the cynical assumption that I'm going to hate it (no, really, what the hell is that all about?). The book has two stories running parallel to each other, one in the present and one in the fifties. The present has the character Robert with the freedom to be out and indulging in some of the facets of gay culture, and the past has Michael, in the closet, and doing his national service in the RAF.
Firstly, I thought I'd probably be inclined to dislike Robert's storyline because it smacked of excess with his designer clothes, his gym body, the drugs, the clubs the general Queer as Folk vibe (which is odd because that's one of my favourite TV shows ever). I also thought I'd prefer the fifties storyline because my brain was already reading it through some Merchant/Ivory filter. Yeah... the problem here is me.
Anyway, I loved both timelines and the characters too. I started off feeling bad for Michael's predicament of being homosexual at a time when it was considered illegal, but near the end I actually felt more sorry for Robert. I suppose the characters from the fifties timeline just seemed tougher for having endured so much, whereas Robert has a freedom they never really enjoyed and yet there's more of a fragility about him which makes you ignore his obsession with his abs.
Also, I loved one particular moment in this story where Robert and a character called Stuart (ugh, the worst) go to a sex club and Robert observes that it's the illegality of the atmosphere that holds the appeal for the clubbers, which is in stark contrast to Michael's closeted existence during a time where homosexual acts could land you in prison. It's such a simple little observation about how an atmosphere of danger adds to the thrill, but it was suddenly like watching these two timelines vibrate against each other like two guitar strings. It was a very cool moment.
Yes, absolutely adored this. Wonderful - touching, poignant and surprisingly funny too. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Man's World tells two parallel stories, the one in the present day told by Robert, and the one set in the fifties my Michael. Both gay young men they would appear initially to have little else in common, yet their lives follow a very similar path. Michael is a conscript serving in the RAF, believes he is probably queer but hides it, he thinks successfully, but some can see straight through his pretence. These include two fellow conscripts, the obviously queer and effeminate Stephen, and the handsome and well built Mervyn who has high aspirations.Robert has no doubts that he is gay, and lives life to the full clubbing and enjoying recreational drugs along with is best friend, the effeminate Jonathan. He has a relationship with Stuart, but his life is getting out of control and his job is at risk. His workmate Simon is concerned, but Robert has little time for the uncool Simon.Robert and Michael meet when Robert moves into the flat above Michael, and as the two men tell their own stories in alternate chapters we begin to recognise the many similarities in their lives, including their relationships with their friends and lovers. Both men ultimately find contentment, but for each it will come at a cost.Robert and Michael are interesting characters, as are their various friends, none is perfect, in fact Robert and Jonathan are initially self centred and obsessed with fashion and appearance. Michael is a more considerate young man, but even he behaves rather badly for the sake of self preservation. Yet over the course of the story we see good points emerging, and cannot but get to like these young men. My initial impression after the first couple of chapters was that this would be a slight but funny entertainment, but as I got into the account my view changed. It is frequently funny, but it is far from slight, rather it is very perceptive and though provoking, and quite moving. The parallels are sometimes subtle and adapted to fit the difference in the acceptance of gays according to the time period. Eventually Robert and finally Jonathan learn from their older counterparts with positive consequences.