Product Description

". . . a love that had no place in those suburban homes and shiny cars and kitchen appliances."

In the shadow of the 1954 hydrogen bomb tests on the Bikini atoll, two sailors begin a tender, passionate affair. Fred is a tall, blond enlisted man; William is his superior officer, and the love affair that blazes between them will carry them halfway around the world: to San Francisco, Manhattan, Fire Island, and Washington, DC.

The lovers learn, with fumbling hands and lips, how to satisfy one another, but the erotic heat of their sexual explorations is matched by the tension of their dangerous situation. Can their forbidden love withstand the relentless hostility of the Eisenhower years?

On the second night of endless talk he got up from his bed and came to lie across the foot of mine. I was nervous. Cold from nervousness. Cold from fear that some man was finally going to love me. Cold from fear of saying good-bye to a world that was entirely romantic fantasy and boyish sexual experimentation.

Fred pulled himself up beside me and took me in his arms. Very slowly our faces met. . . .

Vividly evoking the mood of a vanished era, this tender love story shows a side of the 1950s that few readers have ever seen. You'll never forget this witty, honest portrait of gay life in pre-Stonewall America.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1497727 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 199 pages

Review
"A SEXY ROMP THROUGH 1950s AMERICA. Through a poignant juxtaposition of cold-war mentality and the love of two sailors -- Dennis Denisoff, PhD, Author of The Winter Gardeners; Assistant Professor, Ryerson University

This book recognizes that our sexual urges, when followed, lead us to our more complete selves." -- Tom Bianchi, Author of On the Couch, Volume I

Customer Reviews

"I cried twice"
"I cried twice." Leddick brings forth the past into the present in a homage to gay life that has come and gone - was it ever so simple? "Handsomest Man" is a quick read - something great for the pool or beach - gay or straight you will bond with the characters and be swept away into a love story (watch out for the ending)that we all have had (or hope to have.) What "My Worst Date" said about the '90s, "Handsomest Man" does the same for the '50s.

don't buy into the hype
I don't normally review books, as my reactions to them are somewhat more emotional than cognitive and I end up sounding like I'm on some sort of high. I make an exception for this particular work of fiction not because it is so very good, but because it is not. This is one of the only 2 books I have ever actually returned to Amazon. I couldn't stand to have it in my house another second. It had no redeeming qualities whatsoever. The ghost the of the tree that gave its life for the books' printing was postively screaming at me. The characters were flat, the dialogue was stilted, the relationships were abortive. If there was a rating in numbers less than 1, it would rate somewhere around there.

Charming!
THE HANDSOMEST MAN IN THE WORLD is a wonderfully written novel which provides the reader a glimpse of gay life in the '50's. The book reads like a series of diary entries. They are poignant and emotionally wrenching. This is a great read, and it will leave the reader satisfied.