Product Description

"Some people just have their own innate, unique voice within them that has to come out."

Aura is a tale of five friends-ambitious artists all-who live and play together in New York in the mid-seventies. Each knows for certain that they all will achieve the recognition they deserve-that they each have that certain something essential for a fulfilling and meaningful life. As the years pass, some find their success right away while others remain in obscurity. Their relationships are tumultuous-romances erupt and change as readily as their perceptions of success. Two decades later, will each be able to look back and see the real accomplishments?

Jane Purse-filled with cutthroat determination-sells her first novel immediately after college. Unwavering in her drive for celebrity, can she live with the casualties her ambition leaves behind?

Richy Glass-a promiscuous and carefree gay playwright-has the ambition but no plans. His immediate goals are to find a great place to live and have lots of sex. His life is full of fun and adventure, but will they be enough to sustain him in the future?

Leo Lupovitz-wealthy and contemptuous-aspires to be a renowned painter and poet, but is pressured by his family to become a doctor first. Unable to have everything, he is embittered by the artistic pursuits of his friends. Will he recognize his achievements or will regret and envy obscure all but his failures?

Annie Meyerwitz-an intuitive, aspiring actress-is the only one who recognizes how high the odds are against all of them becoming famous. She loves her friends, always has a kind word, and appreciates the goodness in people. Can she reach above them to put herself first?

Jimmy Swope-the sexy gay actor-is the last to join their clan. Full of passion and romance, he longs for a life-bond with Richy who's too full of shameless vigor to let even one sexual opportunity pass him by. Will Jimmy have the relationship he desires or is he destined to a life of longing and loneliness?

Aura rounds out this delightful cast with a lonely, rich widow-landlord, vulnerable despite herself to Richy's wooing and his Jewish background, an ex-Diva acting teacher, and an eccentric, desperate, and dangerous group of Jane Purse's East Village fans. This book offers an eye-opening look at New York City in the seventies and eighties, and gives an insider's view of young, cutthroat performers and writers, Jews of the Upper West Side, WASP enclaves far from the dangerous city, penthouse perversities, and tenement dreaming. This is a compelling story of love, betrayal, violence, and heroic hopefulness, reflecting the turmoil of those times!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1242654 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 345 pages

Customer Reviews

Muriel Spark married to Cynthia Ozick and Virginia Woolf
I read the other review here and thought I just had to respond. I never heard of Gary Glickman before I read "Aura"-- I was just looking for a vacation book that would grab my attention and keep it. But I loved this novel. I always wondered what it would have been like to live in New York, and risk everything to "make it", and take the risk of hanging out with ruthless, talented people.....now it feels like I know.
But there's more going on in this novel than just what "happens"-- that's why I loved it so much. Every moment-- a thousand private moments people have that you just think, "I could never describe this, all these connections, all this gorgeous life happening all around me"-- that's what this novel describes, over and over again. It's hard to imagine how the writer remembered so much, so vividly, or even how he managed to create so many of those private, mystical moments. Like just looking across a courtyard, and seeing your sister's kitchen window, when you're an old woman. Or falling in love, or succeeding in your dreams and realizing that -- woops!-- love and connection and heart are worth more than any of the gold.
If I have any quibble with the book it's that ambition and privilege do seem to win in the end. If you're lucky in the beginning, you win: the privileged kids become the privileged and powerful adults. ... just like life, I guess. Darn!
Anyway, this book (I'll say it) changed my life. I'm buying it for my friends, all of us just out of school, and big with our own dreams.

Finally I found another book by him!
I'm so thrilled this book is out! I remember reading a novel by Glickman years ago and thinking, this guy is an amazing writer-- and then I couldn't find anything else by him. But finally, in "Aura", I got what I was hoping for, the very funny, very moving (really I laughed and cried, despite the cliche!!)and incredibly well written sequel, sort of, to that first book of his I loved-- Years From Now (why isn't that a movie by now??).
Aura has a complicated and funny plot, I guess you'd say-- I wouldn't want to spoil its noir-mystery aspect. But it pulls you in so strongly. It's about ruthless ambition, and how "success" sort of ruins you, unless you remember to care about people more than your 'reputation' (Acutally it reminds me of some pretty well-known "successful" people). It's a sexy book! But not really a "gay lit" book, as the cover copy says. It's about so many different kinds of people, and about love, and sex, and time passing. This gay reader loved it, but I gave it to my best girlfriend and she loved it too-- as did her mom.
Thank God this guy is back in the game. Now I'm gonna read the book again-- and wait impatiently for the movie adaptation!

literary genius
I think Gary Glickman is a literary genius just waiting to be discovered. His writing is beautiful, simple, but deep, and allows us to see the depths of every character beneath their carefully constructed façades. There are many levels to this book, and a great deal of subtle social commentary. I was in New York in the 70's and this book so totally captures that time. It's like a painting, beautifully crafted, sometimes disturbing, but always fascinating... Definitely a great read.