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Harlan's Story #2
La carrera de Harlan
After his young athlete lover is struck down on the Olympic track in Montreal, coach Harlan Brown is forced to enter the race of his life. To survive the hate and violence that threaten his chosen family: Betsy, valiant lesbian mother; Vince, angry activist seeking revenge; Chino, Vietnam vet with a wounded heart; and the secret child of Billy Sive.A Lambda bestseller for over a year, this landmark sequel to The Front Runner received the highest critical acclaim. Destined to be another gay classic.
480 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
8 people are currently reading
430 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Nell Warren
23 books119 followersPatricia Nell Warren (pen-name Patricia Kylyna) was a Ukrainian and American poet and novelist. She wrote her works in Ukrainian and English.
In 1957 she married a Ukrainian emigre writer Yuriy Tarnawsky and subsequently learned Ukrainian language. Under Tarnawsky's influence she started socializing in Ukrainian emigre writers' circles and soon started writing her own poems, which culminated in her publishing several well-received Ukrainian poetry collections: Trahediya dzhmeliv (New-York: Vydavnytstvo New Yorkskoyi hrypy, 1960), Legendy i sny (New-York: Vydavnytstvo New Yorkskoyi hrypy, 1964), and Rozhevi mista (Munich: Suchasnist, 1969). She published her Ukrainian poetry collections under the pen-name Patricia Kylyna.
After Nell Warren divorced Tarnawsky in 1973, she left Ukrainian literature and never wrote another book in Ukrainian until her death. Instead Nell Warren switched to American literature and tried her best as an American novelist. In 1972 she published her first book in English, a novel The Last Centennial, still under her pen-name Patricia Kylyna (Kilina). Her breakthrough came in 1974 when she published a gay-themed novel The Front Runner. This was the first time she published any of her books under her real name Patricia Nell Warren, and it paid off: the book sold more than 10 mil. copies and was subsequently translated into multiple languages.
For her Ukrainian-language profile see Патриція Килина
In 1957 she married a Ukrainian emigre writer Yuriy Tarnawsky and subsequently learned Ukrainian language. Under Tarnawsky's influence she started socializing in Ukrainian emigre writers' circles and soon started writing her own poems, which culminated in her publishing several well-received Ukrainian poetry collections: Trahediya dzhmeliv (New-York: Vydavnytstvo New Yorkskoyi hrypy, 1960), Legendy i sny (New-York: Vydavnytstvo New Yorkskoyi hrypy, 1964), and Rozhevi mista (Munich: Suchasnist, 1969). She published her Ukrainian poetry collections under the pen-name Patricia Kylyna.
After Nell Warren divorced Tarnawsky in 1973, she left Ukrainian literature and never wrote another book in Ukrainian until her death. Instead Nell Warren switched to American literature and tried her best as an American novelist. In 1972 she published her first book in English, a novel The Last Centennial, still under her pen-name Patricia Kylyna (Kilina). Her breakthrough came in 1974 when she published a gay-themed novel The Front Runner. This was the first time she published any of her books under her real name Patricia Nell Warren, and it paid off: the book sold more than 10 mil. copies and was subsequently translated into multiple languages.
For her Ukrainian-language profile see Патриція Килина
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
March 4, 2017
Let this be a lesson to those reading reader comments. When I started up here, I went through back lists of books that were handy and sort of transcribed little notes and impressions I remembered from my first read. I wrote:
"I love a sequel, so when this came out, there was no doubt I was going to buy it.
Certainly a fine book, but not quite as fine as The Front Runner."
Since 1996, however, I lived a bit of life. Like, lost a partner and a dozen or two friends to AIDS, got diagnosed with it myself, clawed my way out of my thirties, etc. And recently, for no reason better than that the book-gods directed me to it, re-read Harlan's Race. What the hell was I thinking all those years ago?
Perhaps what makes this book remarkable to me is what I could bring to the table now that I lacked in 1996. The fact is, it spoke with a voice that echoed voices I've known about times I've known in a way that very much hit home. It's good suspense, of course, but what stands out for me is the way it convey's the emotional feel of characters in a certain situation in at certain time when adversity forced growth.
Probably I just needed to grow up a bit. (26 Aug 12)
"I love a sequel, so when this came out, there was no doubt I was going to buy it.
Certainly a fine book, but not quite as fine as The Front Runner."
Since 1996, however, I lived a bit of life. Like, lost a partner and a dozen or two friends to AIDS, got diagnosed with it myself, clawed my way out of my thirties, etc. And recently, for no reason better than that the book-gods directed me to it, re-read Harlan's Race. What the hell was I thinking all those years ago?
Perhaps what makes this book remarkable to me is what I could bring to the table now that I lacked in 1996. The fact is, it spoke with a voice that echoed voices I've known about times I've known in a way that very much hit home. It's good suspense, of course, but what stands out for me is the way it convey's the emotional feel of characters in a certain situation in at certain time when adversity forced growth.
Probably I just needed to grow up a bit. (26 Aug 12)
August 15, 2024
✰ 3.5 stars ✰
“Hey, Harlan, it’s simple. We’re alive. We love being alive. The water loves to be alive. The Earth and the whole universe are alive, alive.
Our Deity is Love of Life. And you’re still alive ... barely. The question is, how much do you love life?”
Billy's race may have ended in tragedy, but Harlan's Race was far from over. Written as the bridge to fill in the gaps leading up to Billy's Boy and the long-awaited sequel to the critically acclaimed The Front Runner, Patricia Nell Warren once again delivers a compulsive and immersive plot and writes with a swiftness and command of Harland's narrative that transports its readers through the ghosts of his past and the tumultuous and explosive events of the aftermath of Billy's death. It is the culmination of hatred and oppression, a celebration of living and loving freely, while defending one's integrity and spirit for the hope of survival in a world so deeply rooted in rejection. It is a story of forgiveness, vengeance, retribution, and most importantly, a chance to heal the wounds of the heart during times of adversity. It is ultimately the journey of a man who was in a race against his memories and his present, that he had to overcome, in order for him to finally move on to find love and happiness. 😟
“I used to believe that education is the answer to everything. But you can’t educate people who think they already know it all.
Especially people who want to kill their own kids if they grow up thinking differently.”
Perhaps the most admirable quality of PNW's writing is how smooth and compelling it is, at its solid and deeply engaging ability of making the words flow with such ease that you simply get lost in the story. The vividness in which she writes makes her characters come alive and their conflicting emotions leap off the pages and into your heart. 🤌🏻🤌🏻 It was her way in which she begins right at that heartbreaking and harrowing moment where 42-year-old Harlan's life would change forever, finally giving that heartbreaking glimpse of those first moments where so many lives and hearts were devastated by the vile actions of a man who acted without remorse for a hateful crime. And as the story progressed, even when I was annoyed or enraged or overcome with feeling, I felt this compulsive need to keep on reading, because the need to know what future awaited everyone made it an engaging one. ❤️🩹❤️🩹
“It all starts with words of hate. Words turn to bullets. Maybe a courtroom can’t bring to justice all the people who murder with words.
But history will.”
Conversely, though, the writing does lose my interest and falter at times when it gets too bogged down by facts and figures of the time period. The 70s that was slowly starting to see the trickle of that gay cancer, or the hustler's disease, that quiet killer that yet had no explanation or name, but was claiming the lives of so many loved ones. 😢 It thrums with the electric feel of how the media is changing, how the gay scene is coming alive with the challenge and desire to show their own side of their lives - to not hide in the shadows no more. It offers a personal look at the political liberation of gay defiance, and how even when there was silence, there was still action being taken. It is pulsating with the looming threat of a man whose modus operandi is still unclear, but is determined to not let Harlan out of his eyes or clutches, while Harlan's own chosen family uses whatever means necessary to find out who the culprit is so that what happened to Billy will never happen again. 😔
“It was the moment to do the unexpected — break the pattern.
What was the power that this man had, to loot my imagination and hold my emotions hostage for so many years?”
That prevalent danger serves as both the catalyst and the backdrop of Harlan's life, as he grapples with his heartbreak, which has him fight his way through distraction and temptation. That has him try to understand the other side of queer life, and even educate himself of what their own awakening means, compared to his own. At times, he was adrift - lost in his own mind-frame as he wondered what was his aim in life - where can he find the beauty and joy in living, when so much hatred exists? In his hunger for a normal life' - which really is a life of avoidance from the public eye - he did not realize how much weight his words and support could mean to those who could not speak up for themselves. It is only tempered by Billy's voice that guides him to follow his heart - for a life living in fear, is now life at all. 😞 And the heart of that begins with his inner resolve of choosing duty over desire in his emotionally-charged relationship with Billy's best friend and once-former student, too - volatile, impulsive, with a reputation for being passionate 26-year-old Vince. 😥
“Why did I feel like I wasn’t really touching him, only his image through a glass window?
“I more than love you,” he whispered.”
Their attraction is heavily steeped with their history with Billy that prevents them from realizing if their feelings are simply to fill the void left behind or one that is truly genuine. Yet, the one thing that these two opposites in every way had in common was that neither of them was a quitter. Their relationship is fueled by tense emotion and rage and grief, that makes their chemistry all that more explosive; but it is the quiet and soft slow build in which she makes their relationship unfurl into one of tenderness and softness that really resonated with me. Vince's pain and anger was visceral and tangible. 💔💔 His aggression against those who were not doing anything to defend them, his own guilt over not being able to protect his best friend whom he loved, his shame of being second best to the man they both fell in love with at the same time - 'it was like... the two of you had found the golden romance', but only one of them was who Harlan chose first - it was believably captured. 😢 Fueled by his desire for vengeance against those who were attacking queers' simple reason for living, I did not blame Harlan for wanting to protect Vince from harm, while also reprimanding him for acting so brazenly and rashly. 'I wish to God I could hate you. But I can’t, because you were the golden thing for me.' I liked seeing their relationship evolve from this hot-headed passionate feeling to one tempered by a softness and gentleness that had not been present upon their first attempt. 🫶🏻🥲🫶🏻
“Don’t tell me when you fell for me,” he said quietly, pressing my face into his navel. “Because you haven’t—yet. But you will, Harlan.”
It was love built on steps that they had skipped in order to cross the finish line, without realizing there were levels they had to overcome before they reached that final destination. It became more meaningful and cherished, one which had me believe that Harlan truly was slowly letting Billy's ghost go, and not letting Vince replace him, but to have his own space with him in his heart. 'Court me, Harlan. I’d love that. Everybody always wanted my body, but nobody ever courted me first.' 🥺 His character growth was the highlight of the story; how he pushed Harlan to be better, to prove his worth, to rise to the challenge of being the person everyone knew he was. Their eventual growth into being a couple that could withstand all their hardships was beautifully handled, enriched by declarations of love that felt so true to what they'd endured together. I love that sharp contrast of how they slowly shaped into each other's past selves finally allowed the cracks and shields to finally soften and open their hearts to each other. 🥹 'Loving myself, trusting myself, was now possible. So was trusting Vince, even loving him.' Their connection was rebuilt with a meaningful gentleness that gave each other a sense of belonging and made me believe and hope for their happiness together. 🩶🤍
“Billy had shown me love can exist between two men. Vince had been showing me — the hard way — what love really is.”
To give insight into each supporting character would be too much, but just know that they each played an integral role in shaping Harlan's journey in helping him move on and embracing the side of himself that he had kept sheltered and dormant for too long of his life that eventually came back to haunt him more than he had expected. There were certain characters I was furiously frustrated by their behavior at times, and wanted to call them out on it. 😒 There were notable surprises, unexpected relationships and even unique connections that made me chuckle and sigh, but ultimately feel content in how it all played out. The balance between the romance and the action was well-maintained that each moment I would find myself bored with Harlan anticipating the killer's next move, it would counter itself with a timely and natural progression to Vince and Harlan's relationship that kept me vested for more. 👍🏻
“Victory is a passion. It isn’t here —” I showed them my stopwatch.
“It’s here —” I touched my heart.”
Having read Billy's Boy while I write this review, I do feel that this was an important part to cover; for without seeing the change in Harlan, we would not get to see the man he becomes when he faces off the very young man that he believed so strongly in. 🥺 It makes me better understand why PNW was so driven by his portrayal and what she hoped readers would walk away with. 'The real enemy is inside of us, and it’s the thing we dread the most. ' An intensely gripping glimpse into a conflicted time of innocence, fueled by the swift tide of change and knowing that it was their time to honor themselves now, before they became but a mere memory. Through the pain and the hate, they would find the means to survive and live. 🫂❤️🩹
“Hey, Harlan, it’s simple. We’re alive. We love being alive. The water loves to be alive. The Earth and the whole universe are alive, alive.
Our Deity is Love of Life. And you’re still alive ... barely. The question is, how much do you love life?”
Billy's race may have ended in tragedy, but Harlan's Race was far from over. Written as the bridge to fill in the gaps leading up to Billy's Boy and the long-awaited sequel to the critically acclaimed The Front Runner, Patricia Nell Warren once again delivers a compulsive and immersive plot and writes with a swiftness and command of Harland's narrative that transports its readers through the ghosts of his past and the tumultuous and explosive events of the aftermath of Billy's death. It is the culmination of hatred and oppression, a celebration of living and loving freely, while defending one's integrity and spirit for the hope of survival in a world so deeply rooted in rejection. It is a story of forgiveness, vengeance, retribution, and most importantly, a chance to heal the wounds of the heart during times of adversity. It is ultimately the journey of a man who was in a race against his memories and his present, that he had to overcome, in order for him to finally move on to find love and happiness. 😟
“I used to believe that education is the answer to everything. But you can’t educate people who think they already know it all.
Especially people who want to kill their own kids if they grow up thinking differently.”
Perhaps the most admirable quality of PNW's writing is how smooth and compelling it is, at its solid and deeply engaging ability of making the words flow with such ease that you simply get lost in the story. The vividness in which she writes makes her characters come alive and their conflicting emotions leap off the pages and into your heart. 🤌🏻🤌🏻 It was her way in which she begins right at that heartbreaking and harrowing moment where 42-year-old Harlan's life would change forever, finally giving that heartbreaking glimpse of those first moments where so many lives and hearts were devastated by the vile actions of a man who acted without remorse for a hateful crime. And as the story progressed, even when I was annoyed or enraged or overcome with feeling, I felt this compulsive need to keep on reading, because the need to know what future awaited everyone made it an engaging one. ❤️🩹❤️🩹
“It all starts with words of hate. Words turn to bullets. Maybe a courtroom can’t bring to justice all the people who murder with words.
But history will.”
Conversely, though, the writing does lose my interest and falter at times when it gets too bogged down by facts and figures of the time period. The 70s that was slowly starting to see the trickle of that gay cancer, or the hustler's disease, that quiet killer that yet had no explanation or name, but was claiming the lives of so many loved ones. 😢 It thrums with the electric feel of how the media is changing, how the gay scene is coming alive with the challenge and desire to show their own side of their lives - to not hide in the shadows no more. It offers a personal look at the political liberation of gay defiance, and how even when there was silence, there was still action being taken. It is pulsating with the looming threat of a man whose modus operandi is still unclear, but is determined to not let Harlan out of his eyes or clutches, while Harlan's own chosen family uses whatever means necessary to find out who the culprit is so that what happened to Billy will never happen again. 😔
“It was the moment to do the unexpected — break the pattern.
What was the power that this man had, to loot my imagination and hold my emotions hostage for so many years?”
That prevalent danger serves as both the catalyst and the backdrop of Harlan's life, as he grapples with his heartbreak, which has him fight his way through distraction and temptation. That has him try to understand the other side of queer life, and even educate himself of what their own awakening means, compared to his own. At times, he was adrift - lost in his own mind-frame as he wondered what was his aim in life - where can he find the beauty and joy in living, when so much hatred exists? In his hunger for a normal life' - which really is a life of avoidance from the public eye - he did not realize how much weight his words and support could mean to those who could not speak up for themselves. It is only tempered by Billy's voice that guides him to follow his heart - for a life living in fear, is now life at all. 😞 And the heart of that begins with his inner resolve of choosing duty over desire in his emotionally-charged relationship with Billy's best friend and once-former student, too - volatile, impulsive, with a reputation for being passionate 26-year-old Vince. 😥
“Why did I feel like I wasn’t really touching him, only his image through a glass window?
“I more than love you,” he whispered.”
Their attraction is heavily steeped with their history with Billy that prevents them from realizing if their feelings are simply to fill the void left behind or one that is truly genuine. Yet, the one thing that these two opposites in every way had in common was that neither of them was a quitter. Their relationship is fueled by tense emotion and rage and grief, that makes their chemistry all that more explosive; but it is the quiet and soft slow build in which she makes their relationship unfurl into one of tenderness and softness that really resonated with me. Vince's pain and anger was visceral and tangible. 💔💔 His aggression against those who were not doing anything to defend them, his own guilt over not being able to protect his best friend whom he loved, his shame of being second best to the man they both fell in love with at the same time - 'it was like... the two of you had found the golden romance', but only one of them was who Harlan chose first - it was believably captured. 😢 Fueled by his desire for vengeance against those who were attacking queers' simple reason for living, I did not blame Harlan for wanting to protect Vince from harm, while also reprimanding him for acting so brazenly and rashly. 'I wish to God I could hate you. But I can’t, because you were the golden thing for me.' I liked seeing their relationship evolve from this hot-headed passionate feeling to one tempered by a softness and gentleness that had not been present upon their first attempt. 🫶🏻🥲🫶🏻
“Don’t tell me when you fell for me,” he said quietly, pressing my face into his navel. “Because you haven’t—yet. But you will, Harlan.”
It was love built on steps that they had skipped in order to cross the finish line, without realizing there were levels they had to overcome before they reached that final destination. It became more meaningful and cherished, one which had me believe that Harlan truly was slowly letting Billy's ghost go, and not letting Vince replace him, but to have his own space with him in his heart. 'Court me, Harlan. I’d love that. Everybody always wanted my body, but nobody ever courted me first.' 🥺 His character growth was the highlight of the story; how he pushed Harlan to be better, to prove his worth, to rise to the challenge of being the person everyone knew he was. Their eventual growth into being a couple that could withstand all their hardships was beautifully handled, enriched by declarations of love that felt so true to what they'd endured together. I love that sharp contrast of how they slowly shaped into each other's past selves finally allowed the cracks and shields to finally soften and open their hearts to each other. 🥹 'Loving myself, trusting myself, was now possible. So was trusting Vince, even loving him.' Their connection was rebuilt with a meaningful gentleness that gave each other a sense of belonging and made me believe and hope for their happiness together. 🩶🤍
“Billy had shown me love can exist between two men. Vince had been showing me — the hard way — what love really is.”
To give insight into each supporting character would be too much, but just know that they each played an integral role in shaping Harlan's journey in helping him move on and embracing the side of himself that he had kept sheltered and dormant for too long of his life that eventually came back to haunt him more than he had expected. There were certain characters I was furiously frustrated by their behavior at times, and wanted to call them out on it. 😒 There were notable surprises, unexpected relationships and even unique connections that made me chuckle and sigh, but ultimately feel content in how it all played out. The balance between the romance and the action was well-maintained that each moment I would find myself bored with Harlan anticipating the killer's next move, it would counter itself with a timely and natural progression to Vince and Harlan's relationship that kept me vested for more. 👍🏻
“Victory is a passion. It isn’t here —” I showed them my stopwatch.
“It’s here —” I touched my heart.”
Having read Billy's Boy while I write this review, I do feel that this was an important part to cover; for without seeing the change in Harlan, we would not get to see the man he becomes when he faces off the very young man that he believed so strongly in. 🥺 It makes me better understand why PNW was so driven by his portrayal and what she hoped readers would walk away with. 'The real enemy is inside of us, and it’s the thing we dread the most. ' An intensely gripping glimpse into a conflicted time of innocence, fueled by the swift tide of change and knowing that it was their time to honor themselves now, before they became but a mere memory. Through the pain and the hate, they would find the means to survive and live. 🫂❤️🩹
March 15, 2019
I'm not crazy about the sequel. After finishing the Front Runner, I was really looking forward to reading more about Harlan and how life continued for him but now that I've read it I wish I hadn't.
This book feels very disconnected from the first and that's not surprising considering it's been written almost twenty years on from the Front Runner.
Harlan feels as disconnected as the book, from his past and even from most of the people around him. I just wasn't feeling it and that was quite ironic what with the line in the book that if a writer can feel what he's writing, so can the reader. Well, it certainly wasn't happening for me.
Beware of spoilers:
What bothered me the most was that when the book starts, we flashback to the circumstances and aftermath of . But we now learn that , which was really weird to be confronted with twenty years later. It feels very much like the writer decided to throw something new into the ending of the first book, so she had a plot device to go with for the second, but it makes me feel cheated as a reader. It changed how I view the ending of the Front Runner and that didn't need tampering with. The final chapters of FR were very emotional and deeply moving, and now we learn that while they were coming to terms with Billy's demise, Harlan had been dealing with a new threat, and the way Harlan revisits that is with a very different feeling and voice than he had in the final pages of the Front Runner.
In the ending of the first book I felt that Harlan was beginning to heal and had been able to open himself to his grief for Billy's loss but the man we find in the sequel is very closed off. Even though Billy is mentioned fairly frequently, it's almost as if that relationship didn't happen and Harlan disassociated himself from it emotionally.
Instead he's focusing on/obsessing over Vince and even though Vince is an intrigiuing character, you don't really get to know him. He is not around enough for it and he goes through a drastic change, turning into a loose cannon. His character development I didn't get at all, it was way too extreme.
Having said that, there was an interesting dynamic between Vince and Harlan that could and should have been explored more. There are very few moments with Harlan and Vince where we get to experience them as a (potential) couple and the way it was written I wasn't really feeling their love. Their sexual attraction yes, but the love...
In this book again, PNW spends most of her time having Harlan describe his life. Yet, she should be showing more instead of telling. Let the reader experience what happens instead of having Harlan tell us his interpretation of the events in his life.
PNW felt she had to write this book first before she could write about Billy's son, but I wonder why. It would have felt much more organic to write about the boy and Harlan. Now the boy is kept at bay (because his story has to wait until the third book) and it is yet another relationship that Harlan feels and is literally disconnected from.
The climax of the book is fast paced and suspenseful but it's all too far-fetched and the identity of the sniper stalker, which is finally revealed, is a let down, it feels too contrived and too much of a cliché at the same time.
It's not a very uplifting book: there are virtually no satisfying relationships in it, most people are struggling or lonely and with the onset of aids there's lots of angst. This period, where aids begins to make itself known in the gay community, is an interesting part of the story since as a reader you know how to read the signs and she describes well how it changes life for them.
A moment I really liked, and which took me back to the first book, was Harlan's emotional speech at the race in the final chapters.
In a way I would like to know how life for Falcon turns out but I'm not quite sure whether I want to read the last installment in this trilogy.
If you've read the Front Runner and liked it, keep it that way and give this a pass.
This book feels very disconnected from the first and that's not surprising considering it's been written almost twenty years on from the Front Runner.
Harlan feels as disconnected as the book, from his past and even from most of the people around him. I just wasn't feeling it and that was quite ironic what with the line in the book that if a writer can feel what he's writing, so can the reader. Well, it certainly wasn't happening for me.
Beware of spoilers:
What bothered me the most was that when the book starts, we flashback to the circumstances and aftermath of . But we now learn that , which was really weird to be confronted with twenty years later. It feels very much like the writer decided to throw something new into the ending of the first book, so she had a plot device to go with for the second, but it makes me feel cheated as a reader. It changed how I view the ending of the Front Runner and that didn't need tampering with. The final chapters of FR were very emotional and deeply moving, and now we learn that while they were coming to terms with Billy's demise, Harlan had been dealing with a new threat, and the way Harlan revisits that is with a very different feeling and voice than he had in the final pages of the Front Runner.
In the ending of the first book I felt that Harlan was beginning to heal and had been able to open himself to his grief for Billy's loss but the man we find in the sequel is very closed off. Even though Billy is mentioned fairly frequently, it's almost as if that relationship didn't happen and Harlan disassociated himself from it emotionally.
Instead he's focusing on/obsessing over Vince and even though Vince is an intrigiuing character, you don't really get to know him. He is not around enough for it and he goes through a drastic change, turning into a loose cannon. His character development I didn't get at all, it was way too extreme.
Having said that, there was an interesting dynamic between Vince and Harlan that could and should have been explored more. There are very few moments with Harlan and Vince where we get to experience them as a (potential) couple and the way it was written I wasn't really feeling their love. Their sexual attraction yes, but the love...
In this book again, PNW spends most of her time having Harlan describe his life. Yet, she should be showing more instead of telling. Let the reader experience what happens instead of having Harlan tell us his interpretation of the events in his life.
PNW felt she had to write this book first before she could write about Billy's son, but I wonder why. It would have felt much more organic to write about the boy and Harlan. Now the boy is kept at bay (because his story has to wait until the third book) and it is yet another relationship that Harlan feels and is literally disconnected from.
The climax of the book is fast paced and suspenseful but it's all too far-fetched and the identity of the sniper stalker, which is finally revealed, is a let down, it feels too contrived and too much of a cliché at the same time.
It's not a very uplifting book: there are virtually no satisfying relationships in it, most people are struggling or lonely and with the onset of aids there's lots of angst. This period, where aids begins to make itself known in the gay community, is an interesting part of the story since as a reader you know how to read the signs and she describes well how it changes life for them.
A moment I really liked, and which took me back to the first book, was Harlan's emotional speech at the race in the final chapters.
In a way I would like to know how life for Falcon turns out but I'm not quite sure whether I want to read the last installment in this trilogy.
If you've read the Front Runner and liked it, keep it that way and give this a pass.
March 9, 2010
I was so thrilled to learn that The Front Runner had not one, but 2 sequels! I just finished Harlan's Race and thoroughly enjoyed it. It picks up right from the end of the Olympic race in Montreal, and covers the next five years. We learn about more people who enter Harlan's world, catch up on what Jacques and Vince are up to, and keep in touch as Billy's son grows up. Harlan's son Michael meets his dad too.
Poor Harlan has ups and downs, but his strong family of friends helps him keep going after losing the love of his life. In this story, it seems Harlan has more downs than ups as he struggles to survive and has to hide from someone targeting him -- who is suspected to be partners with the man who shot Billy. While there is lots of suspense, especially towards the end, it is prolonged across the years of this sequel, which kind of loses its impact. But the story is still excellent!
What was also poignant about this story is that it takes place as AIDS starts hitting the gay community, and it has a devastating effect on Harlan and his friends. That's all I'll say about that, but it brings back memories of those terrible times that some of us lived through. At one point, Harlan has a list of over 200 people that he personally knew who had died from AIDS -- yup, that brought on the tears as I remembered my friends who are gone.
If you loved The Front Runner, you HAVE to read this sequel.
Poor Harlan has ups and downs, but his strong family of friends helps him keep going after losing the love of his life. In this story, it seems Harlan has more downs than ups as he struggles to survive and has to hide from someone targeting him -- who is suspected to be partners with the man who shot Billy. While there is lots of suspense, especially towards the end, it is prolonged across the years of this sequel, which kind of loses its impact. But the story is still excellent!
What was also poignant about this story is that it takes place as AIDS starts hitting the gay community, and it has a devastating effect on Harlan and his friends. That's all I'll say about that, but it brings back memories of those terrible times that some of us lived through. At one point, Harlan has a list of over 200 people that he personally knew who had died from AIDS -- yup, that brought on the tears as I remembered my friends who are gone.
If you loved The Front Runner, you HAVE to read this sequel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 17, 2014
Primero lo primero : Que reconfortante leer una historia LGBT que no sea puramente sexo sino que tenga una historia interesante , con un trasfondo de lucha y personajes realistas que no siempre caen bien .
Ahora , las historia ...
Mientras que El corredor de Fondo fue una historia de amor desgarradora sólo por la tragedia de Billy , La Carrera de Harlan es trágica por muchísimas razones más .
En el primer libro , nuestro entrenador gruñón sufre las consecuencias de ser un homosexual en ojo público allá por los setenta .
En este segundo libro , llegando a los '80 , Harlan vive la vida después del amor y entre muertes , discriminación y amenazas . El personaje ha pasado de ser un enamorado feliz y casi inocente , a ser un hombre amargado y realista en los días del descubrimiento del HIV .
Excelente . Un poco más deprimente y angustiante que el primero pero , a la vez , con más esperanza en el final .
Ahora , las historia ...
Mientras que El corredor de Fondo fue una historia de amor desgarradora sólo por la tragedia de Billy , La Carrera de Harlan es trágica por muchísimas razones más .
En el primer libro , nuestro entrenador gruñón sufre las consecuencias de ser un homosexual en ojo público allá por los setenta .
En este segundo libro , llegando a los '80 , Harlan vive la vida después del amor y entre muertes , discriminación y amenazas . El personaje ha pasado de ser un enamorado feliz y casi inocente , a ser un hombre amargado y realista en los días del descubrimiento del HIV .
Excelente . Un poco más deprimente y angustiante que el primero pero , a la vez , con más esperanza en el final .
March 4, 2016
A great read! The violence of the right wing still burns strong even today, and is still claiming innocent lives. AIDS and blind ignorance about the disease still abound, but through all of this, all the pain and anguish love abides. Let's hope that a time will come when everyone will recognize that love is love.
November 16, 2022
Non è La corsa di Billy, ma tutto sommato si fa leggere. Il terzo credo di doverlo recuperare in inglese 🥲
Presto la recensione
Presto la recensione
March 30, 2013
This is a very touching book, though not as traumatic as The Front Runner for sure. I have to say that that's actually a good thing. I love the Front Runner dearly, and when I found out there was a sequel, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. It was just as powerful as the previous book, making you yearn for the characters to be happy however much life thinks differently. This is a story of a broken man and his healing journey, as well as the story of how he heals others. I generally don't like books that make me cry, but I simply can't resist wanting to go back and re-read this all over again.
There was something I didn't like, however. All in all, though, it was a decent story.
There was something I didn't like, however. All in all, though, it was a decent story.
March 27, 2015
I enjoyed The Front Runner so much I felt compelled to read Harlan's Race. I think the book really does a great job of weaving emotional turmoil you go through after a loss with sharing the trials of gay life in the 1970's and 1980's. I think we take for granted today the fight for rights coupled with the increasing influence of HIV/AIDS because in many ways those battles have been won. Though the war is not over and this book is a great way to remember what was given up before us.
October 2, 2022
No regrets in reading! I knew it wasn’t going to live up to the first, and… it didn’t haha. Harlan & co’s pain was so deep and real that it made it so sad and heavy to get through but not in a moving, profound way…just a big ole bummer. I recognize the importance though. Ending was a thriller! Someday will likely read the last.
September 10, 2008
I'm only 70 pages into this book, and I'm finding it a bit humorous that the murder via castration of Horatio, the cat with large balls, plays into the conspiracy theory.
While I love, love, love the dynamic between Harlan and all the other characters (he's a conservative, older gay man raised in different times than the youth of the day), I find his constant obsession that there is another sniper out there to get him and his groomed gay love track stars because they are celebrities a bit unrealistic. But then, maybe I'm misspeaking; were track stars viewed in the same light as Michael Phelps of today?
Anyway, on Page 70, I get that there is the concern there is another vigilant killer possibly on the loose, and that is a very real concern. But Harlan, looking over his shoulder as he clams off Fire Island every five minutes two years after the sniper killing of Billy just seems a bit extreme. Again, though, maybe it was different in the 70s; just maybe, there was not therapy available? I don't know, I was born in 1971.
While I love, love, love the dynamic between Harlan and all the other characters (he's a conservative, older gay man raised in different times than the youth of the day), I find his constant obsession that there is another sniper out there to get him and his groomed gay love track stars because they are celebrities a bit unrealistic. But then, maybe I'm misspeaking; were track stars viewed in the same light as Michael Phelps of today?
Anyway, on Page 70, I get that there is the concern there is another vigilant killer possibly on the loose, and that is a very real concern. But Harlan, looking over his shoulder as he clams off Fire Island every five minutes two years after the sniper killing of Billy just seems a bit extreme. Again, though, maybe it was different in the 70s; just maybe, there was not therapy available? I don't know, I was born in 1971.
September 13, 2007
This is one of the two books involving the Front Runner.These books were written twenty years later and still just as exciting and as much fun. I love the fact that she picked up the charecters twenty years later and then just keep going and tied up the ends of the first book. I as a reader was so glad that she revisited these people as I felt that I wanted more.Do suggest read these three books in order.
August 18, 2021
No podía esperar menos del libro que marca la continuación de El corredor de fondo: la más apasionante y conmovedora historia de amor gay, que se ha escrito nunca, (según el New York Times).
Tras la conmoción por el trágico final de su primera parte, la autora retoma la historia, 20 años después, con La Carrera de Harlan: una en donde su protagonista sigue añorando y extrañando a su gran amor y en donde a través de esta travesía maravillosa, Billy sigue vivo, en los lectores quienes como yo, vivimos ese amor único e incomparable de El corredor de fondo, que llegó para quedarse y penetrar nuestros corazones como nunca antes.
La carrera de Harlan, representa un camino de sanación, aceptación y de la incesante lucha por honrar la memoria de Billy, tras el macabro hallazgo de aquella trágica carrera en donde la muerte de Billy se llevo consigo, una parte de nuestros corazones, que claman justicia por el deceso de un grande, quien será único e irremplazable en la vida de Harlan Brown.
En esta segunda parte de la trilogía, conocí las luchas, obstáculos y sed de justicia de un hombre enamorado, para quien la vida no es ni será jamás igual. Podía sentir la ausencia, la pena, la angustia y el vacío de Harlan, por el inolvidable recuerdo de Billy.
Sin embargo, la novela me regaló una gran lección, tras ver cómo a pesar de que Billy será irremplazable, otros amores pueden llegar a conquistar profundamente y cómo la puerta del amor, no se puede, ni debe cerrarse jamás, pase lo que pase y se sufra lo que se sufra, porque siempre habrá alguien más que llegue a apaciguar el dolor y a hacer de la carga del duelo, una más ligera y más fácil de sobre-llevar.
Me pareció hermoso y conmovedor la compenetración existente entre Vince y Chino, porque eran luz y esperanza después de tanta pena y lúgubre ausencia en la que Harlan se sumió.
Resulta inspiradora, la lucha incansable por la dignificación de los derechos gay y cómo esa lucha de los años 80 manifestada en el libro, sirve y servirá de ejemplo para las generaciones del hoy, que asumirán con fe, valentía y decisión, su gran verdad, aún a pesar del prejuicio, señalamientos y carencias, que harán que el verdadero amor, respeto y aceptación, brillen con luz propia, trascienden y perduren, no importando los obstáculos que se interpongan y que se tengan que superar, a lo largo del camino.
No pude evitar derramar algunas lágrimas, después de que a pesar de todos los riesgos y teorías en las que durante la carrera tributo a Billy, el asesino intentó, también llevar a Harlan a la muerte, esta logró el mejor homenaje póstumo a un gran amor, producto de un sentimiento puro y sincero que nació de dos atletas, que no pidieron enamorarse, pero que el destino y el universo confabularon, para que el amor fuese el gran vencedor, (aún a pesar del deceso de una de las partes).
Gracias, Patricia Nell Warren, lo hiciste otra vez y aunque El corredor de fondo, siempre será superior, esta segunda parte, me deja en un torbellino de grandes emociones, reflexiones, aprendizajes y a la espera de poder disfrutar de El hijo de Billy: obra con la que estoy seguro, la trilogía cierra con creces y con una merecedora ovación de pie; como la que te mereces, hasta el cielo, 🙏🙏🙏.
Tras la conmoción por el trágico final de su primera parte, la autora retoma la historia, 20 años después, con La Carrera de Harlan: una en donde su protagonista sigue añorando y extrañando a su gran amor y en donde a través de esta travesía maravillosa, Billy sigue vivo, en los lectores quienes como yo, vivimos ese amor único e incomparable de El corredor de fondo, que llegó para quedarse y penetrar nuestros corazones como nunca antes.
La carrera de Harlan, representa un camino de sanación, aceptación y de la incesante lucha por honrar la memoria de Billy, tras el macabro hallazgo de aquella trágica carrera en donde la muerte de Billy se llevo consigo, una parte de nuestros corazones, que claman justicia por el deceso de un grande, quien será único e irremplazable en la vida de Harlan Brown.
En esta segunda parte de la trilogía, conocí las luchas, obstáculos y sed de justicia de un hombre enamorado, para quien la vida no es ni será jamás igual. Podía sentir la ausencia, la pena, la angustia y el vacío de Harlan, por el inolvidable recuerdo de Billy.
Sin embargo, la novela me regaló una gran lección, tras ver cómo a pesar de que Billy será irremplazable, otros amores pueden llegar a conquistar profundamente y cómo la puerta del amor, no se puede, ni debe cerrarse jamás, pase lo que pase y se sufra lo que se sufra, porque siempre habrá alguien más que llegue a apaciguar el dolor y a hacer de la carga del duelo, una más ligera y más fácil de sobre-llevar.
Me pareció hermoso y conmovedor la compenetración existente entre Vince y Chino, porque eran luz y esperanza después de tanta pena y lúgubre ausencia en la que Harlan se sumió.
Resulta inspiradora, la lucha incansable por la dignificación de los derechos gay y cómo esa lucha de los años 80 manifestada en el libro, sirve y servirá de ejemplo para las generaciones del hoy, que asumirán con fe, valentía y decisión, su gran verdad, aún a pesar del prejuicio, señalamientos y carencias, que harán que el verdadero amor, respeto y aceptación, brillen con luz propia, trascienden y perduren, no importando los obstáculos que se interpongan y que se tengan que superar, a lo largo del camino.
No pude evitar derramar algunas lágrimas, después de que a pesar de todos los riesgos y teorías en las que durante la carrera tributo a Billy, el asesino intentó, también llevar a Harlan a la muerte, esta logró el mejor homenaje póstumo a un gran amor, producto de un sentimiento puro y sincero que nació de dos atletas, que no pidieron enamorarse, pero que el destino y el universo confabularon, para que el amor fuese el gran vencedor, (aún a pesar del deceso de una de las partes).
Gracias, Patricia Nell Warren, lo hiciste otra vez y aunque El corredor de fondo, siempre será superior, esta segunda parte, me deja en un torbellino de grandes emociones, reflexiones, aprendizajes y a la espera de poder disfrutar de El hijo de Billy: obra con la que estoy seguro, la trilogía cierra con creces y con una merecedora ovación de pie; como la que te mereces, hasta el cielo, 🙏🙏🙏.
December 3, 2023
Na het lezen van de Front Runner kon ik niet wachten om dit vervolg te lezen maar het was een grote teleurstelling. Een paar mooie verhaallijnen en daarnaast een sloom beschreven plot. Nergens de emotie van het eerste deel, de ontroering en de beklemming die me naar de strot greep. Heel jammer. Ik wacht maar even met het derde en laatste deel.
June 14, 2010
I really wanted to like this, since I loved The Front Runner. But I just couldn't. This is the 'Long Awaited' sequel, written 20 years later. In the author's introduction at the start, the author says her editor was enthusiastic about a sequel to TFR, about what happened to Billy's son. She wasn't able to do it, so she wrote this one instead, as a bridge between the two books.
While The Front Runner seemed like it could have been happening right that minute, despite being set in the 70s, Harlan's Race feels like everything had already happened. I don't think the author could get back into the feel of the time back then and kept reaching, but never quite making it. I kept feeling like Harlan was telling me the story, rather than allowing me to live it with him.
Harlan whines constantly about missing Billy and...I don't remember much else. I read over 100 pages over the course of several weeks (note: I finished The Front Runner in less than a week), then I put the book down and haven't been back to it. I just don't care.
I had already purchased Billy's Boy, so will give that one a chance...sometime.
While The Front Runner seemed like it could have been happening right that minute, despite being set in the 70s, Harlan's Race feels like everything had already happened. I don't think the author could get back into the feel of the time back then and kept reaching, but never quite making it. I kept feeling like Harlan was telling me the story, rather than allowing me to live it with him.
Harlan whines constantly about missing Billy and...I don't remember much else. I read over 100 pages over the course of several weeks (note: I finished The Front Runner in less than a week), then I put the book down and haven't been back to it. I just don't care.
I had already purchased Billy's Boy, so will give that one a chance...sometime.
July 11, 2013
This is the second trilogy series I've attempted in the past month, and like the last series, I am torn, and for me this second book just doesn't hold up.
At around page 80, I suddenly realized I was in the middle of a murder mystery, unlike the love story of the first novel. The mystery is dragged along in a series of confusing terrorist messages or coincidences? to an aging gay man with paranoia. At parts, I became overwhelmingly nauseated with the feeling of self-importance Harlan Brown contains that was not at all evident in the first novel. Most of the relationships we connect with in The Front Runner are shucked aside with Harlan's Race and only confirm the fickleness of the stereotypical gay mentality. It seems that the 20 year break between The Front Runner and Harlan's Race has something missing...or perhaps the insertion here of a bitterness of gay life. Not a feel good story, and not even a believable tragic story either. Although this ends on high note (forced), it could have been about 200 pages shorter and written as a murder mystery novella.
Alack and alas, I continue on with #3, Billy's Boy...
At around page 80, I suddenly realized I was in the middle of a murder mystery, unlike the love story of the first novel. The mystery is dragged along in a series of confusing terrorist messages or coincidences? to an aging gay man with paranoia. At parts, I became overwhelmingly nauseated with the feeling of self-importance Harlan Brown contains that was not at all evident in the first novel. Most of the relationships we connect with in The Front Runner are shucked aside with Harlan's Race and only confirm the fickleness of the stereotypical gay mentality. It seems that the 20 year break between The Front Runner and Harlan's Race has something missing...or perhaps the insertion here of a bitterness of gay life. Not a feel good story, and not even a believable tragic story either. Although this ends on high note (forced), it could have been about 200 pages shorter and written as a murder mystery novella.
Alack and alas, I continue on with #3, Billy's Boy...
November 6, 2008
Some of relationships in this novel felt a little forced (Marian and Harlan; Vince and Harlan; everyone and Russell -- where did he come from??). Which is strange, because in the first of the series, all the relationships felt very authentic.
Without Billy Sive, though, this book started off with a serious handicap. I'm surprised that Warren felt she could write a sequel when the most appealing and well-crafted character died at the end of the first book. His memory is a large force in Harlan's Race, though, but of course that's not exactly the same as having the character himself still around.
I did appreciate how this book provides historical perspective on the gay rights movement of the 70s-80s as well as the beginnings of the era of AIDS. The theme of loss is one to which I can definitely relate.
I really like the last sentence in the novel; it was a fitting and poetic ending, somehow.
Without Billy Sive, though, this book started off with a serious handicap. I'm surprised that Warren felt she could write a sequel when the most appealing and well-crafted character died at the end of the first book. His memory is a large force in Harlan's Race, though, but of course that's not exactly the same as having the character himself still around.
I did appreciate how this book provides historical perspective on the gay rights movement of the 70s-80s as well as the beginnings of the era of AIDS. The theme of loss is one to which I can definitely relate.
I really like the last sentence in the novel; it was a fitting and poetic ending, somehow.
December 24, 2007
Not as good as "the Front Runner" but still a heart felt story. Very good writing.
June 10, 2009
For a book about a man who was dealing with the death of his lover...this book wasn't bad. I didn't mind it but at the same time still didn't have the same feeling as The Front Runner.
March 17, 2022
An awesome follow up, very moving and tense and so hard to put down.
May 19, 2020
En un principio no me sentí muy convencido por la historia y le sentí muy floja, pero después adquiere un tono más firme y se desarrolla con más coherencia. Me llevo una gran historia nuevamente en la lucha LGTBI que apesar de su ficción no deja de reflejar la realidad y de ser una inspiración en todo sentido. Nuevamente su escritura demuestra esa cercanía y el amor al colectivo que no puede resultar en algo mejor, lo único que me hace no darle un cinco estrellas es la saturación de nuevos personajes que no resultante tan rememorables y que seguramente caeran en el olvido.
October 24, 2020
This sequel is more of a thriller than the The Front Fronter but still has all the characters with their issues and torments as well as the loves etc. Covering a period from the start of HIV/AIDS and the following decade it has a resonence for those that lived during that period. As a bit of a thriller it works however, unlike me, I guessed who the "baddy" was about 3/4 through. Still, I enjoyed catching up with those people from book 1 as they were well developed and written characters.
May 21, 2022
I really enjoyed the love story of The Front Runner. This book, was more of a tiring mystery. I felt the plot meandered and after a while I was just getting tired of the LEV. storyline. “How much longer can LEV. push this thing?” I was wondering that too - it just felt like it dragged on. I did find introduction of AIDS (the “gay cancer”) was interesting, because it was new and unknown and I felt that with the characters.
April 21, 2018
Este libro me lo he leído después del tercero de esta trilogía porque así lo decidieron en un club de lectura(en un principio sólo se iba a leer el primero y el tercero) Me ha gustado mucho, equiparable con el primero. Los dos merecen mucho la pena.
August 24, 2021
It’s really dark, but if you stick with it, it’s rich, and worth your time. If you read THE FRONT RUNNER, you should definitely read its sequel.
October 4, 2021
Like the first book in this series, if you can get past the dated attitudes in some of Harlan’s Race, there’s a moving and lovely book to be found.
November 11, 2023
I'm not reading Billy's Boy. This one is...worse than the first one. Feels very schlock-y and melodramatic which I think is almost entirely due to the writing style.
December 10, 2012
This book is not nearly as good as the first book in the series. As other reviewers have said (and more eloquently) Harlan is a complete different person from the one we left at the end of The Front Runner. And the plot with the second shooter (and the reveal at the end) made Billy’s death seem less about Billy and his haters and more about Harlan and his past. That just made me angry. So for me, some parts of this book didn’t really happen. Wishfull ignoarance FTW.
Vince’s character development saved this book to be honest. I’m still going to read Billy’s Boy, though.
Vince’s character development saved this book to be honest. I’m still going to read Billy’s Boy, though.
April 7, 2016
I think I was amazed at Patricia Nell Warren's writing more than anything else with this novel. She is amazing! It was as if she was in the head of a gay man the way she was writing this book. It is a classic for gay fiction literature, just after The Front Runner. I later went to a book discussion group with the Author at my local GLBT Center, and was even more amazed to meet Ms. Warren in person and hear her describe her thoughts in writing this book. AMAZING! Is all I can say!
July 8, 2008
Okay, well this book has its funny bits (mostly unintentionally funny I think) and it's sort of exciting / thriller (when it can be taken seriously which isn't often) but the best passages are the parts about gay pride and standing up against the hetero establishment.
Also, I really could've done without the post-script where everyone dies of AIDS.
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