Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
 An excellent book, couldn't put it down! June 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Robin Reardon has written an excellent novel. I had a hard time putting it down and that's the real test for me. Her characters are developed expertly and the plot is full of twists, turns, and conflict which kept me wanting to read on. This book is perfect for any teenager who's questioning sexual orientation and it's a great read for adults also. Now that's good writing. Reardon is an author to watch. She just may be our next Patricia Nell Warren.
A Secret Edge June 2, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Reardon is a wonderful author and very adept at bringing to literature the many turmoils of struggling to understand your sexuality. A Secret Edge tells the story of Jason, a teenaged runner who is beginning to understand that he is gay. This story is about accepting ones homosexuality, but it is about so much more than that. It is about love and romance, assumptions, betrayals and friendships. As in real life, the story is never certain. There is never any guarantee that everything will work out in the end and this kept my attention throughout. Readers will begin to feel for the characters and perhaps even examine their own lives a bit more closely. This is perhaps the great genius of this book. It has the power to entertain, educate and transform all at the same time.
 If you are actually a teenager this might be great, but... May 30, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I would describe this book as rather thin. It's a coming of age story and I have come of age quite a while ago, so I had a problem relating. The drama and conflicts were about teenagers and the advice was coming from a well meaning aunt, uncle and track coach. I related better to them than to the main character. He was rather appealing and there was some sexual tension but in that department it was rather tame. There are a lot of gay books out there and many coming of age stories. There are quite a few better ones than this one.
Unbelievable Insight May 27, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Everything I wished I had experienced and didn't. I went to high school in the 50's. So, thanks to Robin, I got to be young again. It is an emotional book that pulls no punches and alternately fills your heart with joy and sometimes with doubt and emptiness. I didn't want it to end and I couldn't turn pages fast enough. No need for a bookmark on this one. Robin has another book out,"Thinking Straight", and I hope there are many more to come. Thanks for a wonderful experience.
BUY THIS NOVEL FOR YOUR PERSONAL LIBRARY April 25, 2008
Even before gay liberation took hold after the Stonewall Riots in NYC in 1969, I can recall reading at least one magnificent gay male love story, James Baldwin's GIOVANNI'S ROOM when I was in college. More recent memorable gay male love stories include Andre Aciman's CALL ME BY YOUR NAME and in many ways as a love story for friends lost to AIDS, Allan Gurganus' PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS is one of the best love stories ever written. And amazingly enough, I can think of at least four excellent gay male love stories written by women. I say amazingly only in the sense that if you read them, you won't believe how expertly they emerge themselves into the gay male psyche. First, there was Patricia Nell Warren's THE FRONT RUNNER, then Annie Proulx wrote her unforgettable short story, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN that became the unforgettable motion picture. In 2006, NancyKay Shapiro wrote an excellent first novel, WHAT LOVE MEANS TO YOU PEOPLE, and last night I finished a novel that I'm sure will be remembered as one of the best gay "coming out" love stories written in many years. Robin Reardon's, A SECRET EDGE will "grab" you from the beginning and hold on to you until you turn the last page and beyond.
Jason Peele is a sixteen year old who for fourteen of those years has been an orphan. He lost his parents when he was two and is being raised by his father's brother, Uncle Steve and his wife, Aunt Audrey. The couple didn't have any children of their own, so this is something they took on with relish rather than out of a sense of begrudged obligation. They've done a good job with Jason and when we are first introduced to him, he seems like your typical average teenager. He's a good student and has a passion, track and field. His specialty is running both on the relay team and individual short distances. He seems to have a knack for talking with girls and even takes on the job of teaching a friend how to acquire that talent himself. But as the story progresses, we discover that Jason's ability to talk to girls stems from the fact that there is no sexual tension there to prevent his communication at least on his part, and when he dreams sexual dreams it always seems to involve David Bowie. Jason suspects that he may be gay, but he has no actual experiences yet to base it on. An ex-close friend suspects it too, because he along with one of his buddies are constantly accusing Jason of being a faggot. Jason doesn't want to be gay and he fights it with all of his might until he meets a fellow student, Raj, who is a teammate on the high school track and field team whose specialty is the high jump.
Raj is a year older than Jason, seventeen, and when they meet there is an instant attraction between the two. Raj is from India, he is fun but serious and as the older of the two, he takes on the role of mentor for Jason. He teaches Jason about the nonviolence of Gandhi and instructs him in the virtues found in the musical, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES. It doesn't take Jason long to discover why his first double date with the opposite sex went so askew because in no time at all, he and Raj are head-over-heels in love with each other. Something happens, however, that threatens to thwart that love affair and suffice it to say that if you read this novel, you will be totally surprised to find out who experiences the most growth and maturity by this roadblock to happiness.
A SECRET EDGE involves characters both adult and teenage alike who either learn and grow from the lessons that Jason and Raj learn in this story, or refuse to learn from them. I'd like to think that as the reader, I've learned from them. I know that I'm glad I bought this book and that it will remain in my library, because I know without a doubt, I'll come back to this one to read it again.
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