there’s no question that White is a talented author and I loved the idea of this story, but half of the book is just sex scenes which was not for me

I'm not nearly fancy nor libidinous enough for this book. White's prose is fantastic but this story is just awful.

To start with positives, White's writing style is vivid. There's no denying the experience and style that comes across in his work.

However, I didn't like this book at all. There are several weaknesses that I think keeps it from being effective.

The book is marketed it as a "tragicomedy" and "wildly hilarious." I didn't find any of it funny, or even campy (which it may have been going for). Instead, it was primarily boring and sad, even mean, because everyone and everything is a train wreck. There's no satisfying story arc or closure, just a series of events.

Relatedly, none of the characters really work as funny either. They go straight to sad. Aldwych West starts off kind of funny in his besotted infatuation with August, but his obsessions and downfall end up just being tragic. August starts off kind of relatable as a hustler-turned-ballet dancer...but then gets sucked into a weird relationship and focused on how "not gay he is" and, ultimately, destroyed as well. Everyone and everything is painted so bleak and mean but without even black comedy to relieve it.

In full disclosure, as an aro-ace reader (usually sex-indifferent, but for some topics sex-repulsed), I found the sex scenes gross. They aren't poorly written or inherently grosser than sex scenes I've read in some other novels, but those sensitive to such content may go in with caution.

I tried to fall into this novel, but I just couldn't do it. Over the top, which was the purpose, but the heightened exaggeration just didn't work for me and kept me at a distance. And some things made no sense to me - how does August, a dancer, not know that dancers wouldn't drink before performing, wouldn't eat desserts? The novel moves at a quick pace, and yet reading it didn't move that way. It was my first foray into White's work, and while this did not work at all for me, I would try another novel by him.

I just could not appreciate the book. I hated the characters and just found the whole story underwhelming.

Bit of a disappointment, this one. It starts well enough, a cautionary tale of old, rich, NY aesthete falling for young, thrilling, French Canadian male ballet dancer. They get involved, dancer moves in but no sex. Obsessed older man invests his huge fortune in trying to give dancer his own company, etc. But slowly the book goes off the rails, mainly through the nonsensical intervention of a dominatrix/relative of old rich man. Lots of explicit sex, including the later SM stuff, but by now we are in cartoon land. A very sketchy conclusion brings things to an end. An editor should have stepped in.

I have mixed feelings about this novel.

On the one hand, White has already established himself as a writer capable of great stories, and yet, this novel just did not meet the standard that I have grown accustomed too.

The characters are "unlikable" but really they are people you hope to never meet in life. They are detestable.

The writing is poetic, but beneath the surface of poetic writing lies a story that is average at best, and it is not memorable.

Pride Month 2022 Read #4: .275 star, and that’s being generous.

A complete waste of my time. A few passages that speak to what can be the bleaker truths of some American gay males’ experience, but mostly just narcissistic and pointless. Might be right for some folks, I wouldn't immediately tell someone NOT to read it, but I would also share with them that I myself intensely disliked the book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The cover of White’s latest novel is as colorful and fluent as the words that grace the pages.
His work peels layers away from the characters and as in all of his work, he evokes emotion from the reader. I experienced the art, harshness and beauty of ballet.
When a much older ballet patron, Aldwych West casts his eyes on the much younger, talented and beautiful ballet soloist August Dupond, West’s life becomes a dance of obsession, rivalry and jealousy. The introduction of characters that enter the lives of West and Dupond shed light and depth to the unexpected twists and turns. White’s writing is no holds barred, everything to share and nothing to spare.
A recommended read with many thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review.

Edmund White is one of the greatest gay literary voices of all time. He continues that streak with this hard-to-put-down and twisted novel that explores age gap and power dynamics in new and enthralling ways!

I am embarrassed to say that this is the first book I have read by Edmund. It will NOT be my last. I loved his writing. I couldn't put this book down!

So I really liked this book, but I think it's definitely not for everyone. In a world where we finally have a bunch of like cute gay romances to choose from alongside the more common contemporary het romances, The Humble Lover is a story of an elderly man and his infatuation with a ballet dancer 59 years his junior. It's gross in parts, and fetishistic in parts, but also... people can be very Like That in actual reality.

My only "complaint" if it's even that is the third act really sped up to the point I wondered when certain things had happened, and the last few pages were very abrupt. I'm not sure if this was something that was expanded or sort of fleshed out for the published version but I'm curious to know as there were a few places in the dialogue nearer to the end that seemed sort of like placeholders too. Still, I was satisfied with the end, and it was an interesting jaunt in its short length.

Thank you to Bloomsbury USA/Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley for approval on this ARC request!

3.5 stars. Aldwych West is 79 and set in his ways. He's an old-money Manhattan aristocrat, used to getting what he wants but also quite generous to his staff. He attends the ballet every night, fixated upon a new young star: August Dupond. Eventually, Aldwych worms his way into August's life and extends a "no strings attached" invitation for August to live in his luxurious home and be doted upon. August warns Aldwych not to fall in love with him, but of course that ship has sailed long ago, despite Aldwych's assurances that he understands their arrangement. Things take a turn when August starts bringing home Pablo, then getting entangled with Aldwych's niece (through marriage) Ernestine. What will Aldwych do? Surely nothing rash. Surely?

WOW this novel was quite a ride!! I will warn potential readers that it is sexually explicit, and the whole thing reads like a train wreck that you want to look away from but are somehow transfixed by? Anyways. It is classified as a tragicomedy and that's exactly how I feel about it. Am I attached to any of the characters? No, not particularly, which makes the tragic events more comedic than they would be if this book was written with a different tone. The whole thing is farcical and light and pretty fast-paced, once you are a little ways into the story.

If you are looking for a book that will shock you out of a rut or out of your normal contemporary fiction lane, this is the one. It's unique, a bit insane, and often truly disturbing, but it sure was fun. Thank you to Edmund White, Bloomsbury, and NetGalley for my advance digital copy.

DRC provided by Bloomsbury USA, Bloomsbury Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I believe Edmund White is one of those authors who are not for everyone. His writing style, his stylistic choices can alienate some readers. I am certainly not of those people. I fervently enjoyed this reading experience.

I think this book could be a winner for some people but sadly it was not the book for me. The writing was fast-paced and I enjoyed the narrative voice; however, the overall story left me feeling put off. There were several parts that were intentionally disgusting or repugnant (the foot fetish, the main character’s masochistic descriptions of his body, and the whole porn play-by-play) but offered no payoff. Similarly, the ending felt like extremity just for the sake of extremity. Maybe if these passages had been paired with more captivating characters I would have felt challenged and invested. Instead, I only felt disinclined to continue.

I have no idea how to put how I feel about this novel into words. It's the first I've read by Edmund White and I was mostly drawn in by the title and cover. I typically like books about ballet so I figured there was a good chance of enjoying it. I enjoyed the middle section the most. The beginning dragged and the ending became a bit much for me. The pace of the story is quick but reading it felt dragged down. There was so much going on and I didn't really find anyone enjoyable or interesting. Everything was on the table and at some points it just felt like the extremes were chosen just for the sake of choosing them. I think this book will really hit the spot for some people. but it didn't for me.

Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing for the ARC of the Humble Lover in exchange for an honest review.

I sat with the Humble Lover for a few days after finishing it. This novel felt like a piece of art, like a vulnerable pound of flesh carved out of someone’s mind. It was at different times melancholy, erotic, and bizarre. It felt very human, a portrayal of sex and love and power that left room for the messy, less dreamy realities. The descriptions of dancing were beautiful and it kept me interested but finishing it felt like somewhat of a relief. The important thing about art is that it has some lasting impression on you, and this novel has stayed with me, continuing to loop in my mind.

The Humble Lover tells the story of Aldwych West, a gay bachelor living in Manhattan. A connoisseur of art, he frequents the ballet and soon falls to his attraction for the young dancer August Dupond. Though Aldwych loves August and would do anything for him, he is limited by his age and own perceptions of himself. After finding out August enjoys sleeping next to someone at night, Aldwych offers him his friendship and his bed, which begins a strange game of obsession, compassion and intimacy. While the two share physical closeness, they do not have sex, and Aldwych strives to cement himself deeper in August’s life, wanting to be needed. August is happy to have Aldwych, but his true desires are rarely known until the final third of the novel.

Edmund White creates a world of opulence, kink, and repressed desire. He does not shy away from anything, be it the brutalities of dancing or mess of sexual gratification. It is all laid before the audience, like a cat dragging in a dead mouse from the yard as some sort of offering. I still don’t know whether I enjoyed reading this novel; it is at times uncomfortable, ugly, and sad. At the same time, I felt connected to Aldwych’s loneliness and August’s desire to conform. It felt in some ways like being seen, with or without my consent. In the end, I’m better for meeting these characters, for knowing them fully, if only to serve as a cautionary tale in my own life. Like August's time on stage as a ballet dancer at his peak, life is fleeting and gone before you know it. Don’t waste it. The uncomfortable, ugly and sad is better than nothing. If we’re lucky, we’ll find a moment of contentment, of rest.

Although the writing moves the story at a brisk pace - cardboard characters, comical dialog and unpleasant, unerotic sex scenes - makes it all feel like a rushed mess. The story takes place in the world of ballet and there are some eloquent passages discussing and critiquing the art of ballet. The descriptions of homes, apartments, food, everyday life are entertaining but unfortunately as soon as the characters enter the scene, it isn't very interesting or believable.

Edmund White has never done me wrong and this title was no exception. I would anticipate some push back, perhaps, from audiences where some of the themes are concerned, but I myself enjoyed every minute of 'The Humble Lover'. He put forward some very authentic characters, the likes of which folks like to pretend don't exist in the queer community but which I can only imagine being very prevalent in the high stakes world of professional ballet. Expect explicit sexual escapades from start to finish, schemes, dashed hopes and striking realism.

Good, but could be great.

The plot is very interesting as the characters but many of the time, the writing sounded off. I believe it won't influence in most readers experience but it was very frustrating for me. I'm rating 3 stars