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The Indignities #prequel
Vanity Fierce
Graeme Aitken's last novel was fabulous...in fifty ways. This novel is fabulous in fifty different ways...bitchy, funny, camp, tender, vain, glamorous, capricious, seductive...like Sydney itself where this tale of the city is set. The ultimate comic novel of gay Sydney — Armistead Maupin meets Melrose Place at the Mardi Gras!
Stephen Spear is everyone's golden boy (including his own). Blond, blue-eyed, blessed with every talent and advantage, he has the world falling at his feet. And he's ready to trample all over it. When Stephen falls for Ant, the only gay man he knows who still has chest hair, he is astounded to find his desire unrequited. Or is it? Ant is so inscrutable, it's impossible to be entirely sure. But Stephen is determined to get his man. And if the wiggle of his cute butt isn't enough, then scheming, lying and manipulating is second nature to him. He's too young to realise that love can be tricky enough without adding any extra complications. Vanity Fierce is a love story that's big on outrageous schemes, dark secrets and firm muscles.
Stephen Spear is everyone's golden boy (including his own). Blond, blue-eyed, blessed with every talent and advantage, he has the world falling at his feet. And he's ready to trample all over it. When Stephen falls for Ant, the only gay man he knows who still has chest hair, he is astounded to find his desire unrequited. Or is it? Ant is so inscrutable, it's impossible to be entirely sure. But Stephen is determined to get his man. And if the wiggle of his cute butt isn't enough, then scheming, lying and manipulating is second nature to him. He's too young to realise that love can be tricky enough without adding any extra complications. Vanity Fierce is a love story that's big on outrageous schemes, dark secrets and firm muscles.
518 pages, Paperback
First published December 3, 1998
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December 22, 2012
CAUTION: Long Review
If you have read 3-5 romances, then you have read at least one where one of the obstacles, if not the obstacle, is a “friend” of the couple who has an unrequited love for one of the couple. That “friend” is often meddlesome, selfish, and rude, serving as a contrived proof that the couple belongs together. Stephen Spear is that “friend,” and he’s worse.
This isn't really a mm-romance; the tag is for my benefit. I only tagged it as such because the book focused entirely on Stephen and his romantic troubles of his own making. Gay relationship fiction is the best I can describe this book.
The Protagonist
It only took a few seconds reading the book to understand why it is titled Vanity Fierce; Stephen was fiercely vain. No, he was not an anti-hero; anti-heroes deep down beneath their prickly exterior care about people despite their effort not to. Stephen was a villain through and through, a classic example of narcissism.
Since Stephen is the MC, the book is about him and his “romance” (and I use the term very loosely) as he tries to get the man he wants. I initially empathized with Stephen because of his overbearing, high-maintenance mother who is the giant reason for why Stephen the way he is. However, I quickly stopped when he met his romantic interest, Ant, and used subterfuge after subterfuge to attain Ant’s heart. The biggest reason why Stephen was hell-bent on Ant was because no one ever refused Stephen; he was the self-proclaimed golden boy.
Stephen is aware of why he pursued Ant, but he didn’t care. He is also aware, on occasion, that what he does to get his way is not ethical, but he quickly dismissed the thought because he believed such things didn’t apply to him, not the golden boy. He lies, he schemes, he meddles, he trespass, he snoops through other people’s stuff and steal things, e.g. a diary, that he would later use against them. The only nice thing I can say about him is that he didn’t cheat. Stealing other people’s boyfriend — yes, but cheating — no.
Never once he did show character growth. I think I saw a flicker of it at the ending, but who really knows except Stephen himself. Throughout the book, there were a few points when I thought he was going to change but that hope was always immediately dashed. It never occurred to him to use honesty as a way to get what he wanted, not until the very end when he didn’t have anything else left in his bag of tricks.
I did not like Stephen. His narcissism repulsed me, and his unrequited love irritated me. The book doesn’t portray Stephen as the villain per se, but it didn’t need to. His actions spoke for themselves.
The Other Characters
The rest of the cast were not that likable either, not even the tragic and gentle Ant who have horrible taste in boyfriends. They all annoyed me in one way or another.
The Writing
The story was told in Stephen’s 1st person PoV, and it was all “telling” and not “showing.” The writing was a step short of bad because of the “telling” and a couple steps short of the abomination that is stream of consciousness.
The story was split into three parts with the second part told in another person’s PoV, the only exception to occur in the book. It was Stephen reading a work-in-progress autobiography/diary he stole from his ex-boyfriend/Ant’s current boyfriend. I heavily skimmed that part, and I was relieved by how relatively short it was compared to the other parts.
I didn’t understand why it was included since it could have been easily reduced to a couple paragraphs of exposition since that was the main way the story was told anyway. Or it could have been removed completely since it didn’t add anything to the story except bogged it down and distracted the reader from Stephen. Maybe it was intended to be break from the exasperating Stephen, but if so, then it was bad break considering it was about another exasperating character.
What was worse was that the second part was entirely in italics, and I did not want to risk blindness. Whoever formatted the book should have known better because it was an incredibly amateurish mistake to make coming from one of the world’s biggest publishers.
In Conclusion
I rate Vanity Fierce 2-stars for it was okay — barely. I bumped it from 1.5 star because the writing was competent enough (if we ignore complete telling and the meaningless second part), and I didn’t skim as much as I should have. I don’t know why I didn’t skim more. I can only guess that the Stephen’s narcissism, the novelty of reading a villain’s PoV, was interesting enough to give a shit.
The ending was a very bittersweet HFN which I would hate if I cared about the couple, but I didn’t so I was indifferent. Also worth mentioning is that Vanity Fierce is the prequel novel to the Indignities trilogy that continues Stephen’s adventures.
Silver lining side, Vanity Fierce rekindled my hunger for sugary romance.
If you have read 3-5 romances, then you have read at least one where one of the obstacles, if not the obstacle, is a “friend” of the couple who has an unrequited love for one of the couple. That “friend” is often meddlesome, selfish, and rude, serving as a contrived proof that the couple belongs together. Stephen Spear is that “friend,” and he’s worse.
This isn't really a mm-romance; the tag is for my benefit. I only tagged it as such because the book focused entirely on Stephen and his romantic troubles of his own making. Gay relationship fiction is the best I can describe this book.
The Protagonist
It only took a few seconds reading the book to understand why it is titled Vanity Fierce; Stephen was fiercely vain. No, he was not an anti-hero; anti-heroes deep down beneath their prickly exterior care about people despite their effort not to. Stephen was a villain through and through, a classic example of narcissism.
Since Stephen is the MC, the book is about him and his “romance” (and I use the term very loosely) as he tries to get the man he wants. I initially empathized with Stephen because of his overbearing, high-maintenance mother who is the giant reason for why Stephen the way he is. However, I quickly stopped when he met his romantic interest, Ant, and used subterfuge after subterfuge to attain Ant’s heart. The biggest reason why Stephen was hell-bent on Ant was because no one ever refused Stephen; he was the self-proclaimed golden boy.
Stephen is aware of why he pursued Ant, but he didn’t care. He is also aware, on occasion, that what he does to get his way is not ethical, but he quickly dismissed the thought because he believed such things didn’t apply to him, not the golden boy. He lies, he schemes, he meddles, he trespass, he snoops through other people’s stuff and steal things, e.g. a diary, that he would later use against them. The only nice thing I can say about him is that he didn’t cheat. Stealing other people’s boyfriend — yes, but cheating — no.
Never once he did show character growth. I think I saw a flicker of it at the ending, but who really knows except Stephen himself. Throughout the book, there were a few points when I thought he was going to change but that hope was always immediately dashed. It never occurred to him to use honesty as a way to get what he wanted, not until the very end when he didn’t have anything else left in his bag of tricks.
I did not like Stephen. His narcissism repulsed me, and his unrequited love irritated me. The book doesn’t portray Stephen as the villain per se, but it didn’t need to. His actions spoke for themselves.
The Other Characters
The rest of the cast were not that likable either, not even the tragic and gentle Ant who have horrible taste in boyfriends. They all annoyed me in one way or another.
The Writing
The story was told in Stephen’s 1st person PoV, and it was all “telling” and not “showing.” The writing was a step short of bad because of the “telling” and a couple steps short of the abomination that is stream of consciousness.
The story was split into three parts with the second part told in another person’s PoV, the only exception to occur in the book. It was Stephen reading a work-in-progress autobiography/diary he stole from his ex-boyfriend/Ant’s current boyfriend. I heavily skimmed that part, and I was relieved by how relatively short it was compared to the other parts.
I didn’t understand why it was included since it could have been easily reduced to a couple paragraphs of exposition since that was the main way the story was told anyway. Or it could have been removed completely since it didn’t add anything to the story except bogged it down and distracted the reader from Stephen. Maybe it was intended to be break from the exasperating Stephen, but if so, then it was bad break considering it was about another exasperating character.
What was worse was that the second part was entirely in italics, and I did not want to risk blindness. Whoever formatted the book should have known better because it was an incredibly amateurish mistake to make coming from one of the world’s biggest publishers.
In Conclusion
I rate Vanity Fierce 2-stars for it was okay — barely. I bumped it from 1.5 star because the writing was competent enough (if we ignore complete telling and the meaningless second part), and I didn’t skim as much as I should have. I don’t know why I didn’t skim more. I can only guess that the Stephen’s narcissism, the novelty of reading a villain’s PoV, was interesting enough to give a shit.
The ending was a very bittersweet HFN which I would hate if I cared about the couple, but I didn’t so I was indifferent. Also worth mentioning is that Vanity Fierce is the prequel novel to the Indignities trilogy that continues Stephen’s adventures.
Silver lining side, Vanity Fierce rekindled my hunger for sugary romance.
January 9, 2013
This book was a read-to-review for Net Galley, and I really tried to finish it. I really did. The problem is, I hated it. I hated it so much. I DNF at 40%.
The premise of the book is as follows: Stephen Spear is a golden boy. Everything comes easily for him, and he is universally adored by everyone at his high school. He is athletic, good looking, and son of a famous actress. When he moves out on his own and becomes infatuated with his neighbor, Anthony, he is shocked and dismayed to find out that Anthony seems to have zero romantic interest in him.
The plot sounds pretty interesting right? I thought so too. I was excited for a funny (as the blurb promises) romantic comedy about a boy who gets humbled and then falls in love with his neighbor. I read this book the first day I got it on my Kindle. However, what the book fails to mention in the blurb is that Stephen is a sociopath. He is just 100% cold-hearted and psychotic.
He doesn't care who he hurts and who he steps on. And he steps on people repeatedly throughout the book, using everyone he comes in contact with for his own gain. I don't mean this in a cute way, like there is a sad soul underneath waiting to come out. I mean this in a truly scary way. I absolutely despised him. I wouldn't have been surprised at all if he killed someone to get his way. That might happen in the 250 pages I didn't read. I just couldn't stomach one more page of this book. It was depressing and made me really sad. Maybe it gets much better. I read 40% of 400+ page book hoping for a turn around and was disappointed. I think that is enough of a chance.
The premise of the book is as follows: Stephen Spear is a golden boy. Everything comes easily for him, and he is universally adored by everyone at his high school. He is athletic, good looking, and son of a famous actress. When he moves out on his own and becomes infatuated with his neighbor, Anthony, he is shocked and dismayed to find out that Anthony seems to have zero romantic interest in him.
The plot sounds pretty interesting right? I thought so too. I was excited for a funny (as the blurb promises) romantic comedy about a boy who gets humbled and then falls in love with his neighbor. I read this book the first day I got it on my Kindle. However, what the book fails to mention in the blurb is that Stephen is a sociopath. He is just 100% cold-hearted and psychotic.
He doesn't care who he hurts and who he steps on. And he steps on people repeatedly throughout the book, using everyone he comes in contact with for his own gain. I don't mean this in a cute way, like there is a sad soul underneath waiting to come out. I mean this in a truly scary way. I absolutely despised him. I wouldn't have been surprised at all if he killed someone to get his way. That might happen in the 250 pages I didn't read. I just couldn't stomach one more page of this book. It was depressing and made me really sad. Maybe it gets much better. I read 40% of 400+ page book hoping for a turn around and was disappointed. I think that is enough of a chance.
Read
December 29, 2012With the title literary reference, I was expecting for Vanity Fierce to be a metaphor on how beauty is not all in life… but indeed I have the feeling that Stephen, the golden boy whose life is the center of the novel, didn’t catch the moral theme of his story, and I’m pretty sure he is still convinced that being the more beautiful of the batch is the ultimate solution. The fact is that, he is so sure of his persuasion that the reader admittedly has to agree with him, and while he is probably the most unlikable character you can find in a novel, you cannot avoid to like him.
The son of a mediocre actress and a mediocre lawyer, Stephen didn’t have much trouble in being the beau of the ball while he was in high school, and he managed pretty well in maneuvering all people around him to his own dance. When he goes to college, Stephen decides that he is in love with his neighbor Ant, a young man who was already badly hurt by another golden boy and that is weary to be burnt again. While Ant is searching Kip, his ex, in all the blond hair-blue eyes boy of Sidney gay neighborhood, he seems to relegate Stephen to the role of best friend (with no benefits). Instead of being discouraged, or maybe honored that Ant values him so much, Stephen does everything he can to conquer Ant, arriving even to steal Ant’s new love interest, Carson, only to dump him soon after he finds out Carson is HIV positive.
What is funny is that Stephen is always able to find a right justification for all his actions, managing to find the right even in the worst wrong situation. But probably the reason why the reader cannot hate Stephen is that there is no malice in him, everything Stephen does is for love (or at least what he thinks love is) and there is no interest in him, if not wanting for everyone to love him, or better to adore him, like he is some gay god sent to earth to “enlighten” all the gay boys. Stephen can probably have everyone, he even manages to catch the perfect boyfriend, handsome, young, well-off, but he is not Ant, he is not his love, and so, nothing matter. While I’m not sure we are doing good for Ant, I ended cheering for Stephen in his quest of catching his love.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0091837162/?...
The son of a mediocre actress and a mediocre lawyer, Stephen didn’t have much trouble in being the beau of the ball while he was in high school, and he managed pretty well in maneuvering all people around him to his own dance. When he goes to college, Stephen decides that he is in love with his neighbor Ant, a young man who was already badly hurt by another golden boy and that is weary to be burnt again. While Ant is searching Kip, his ex, in all the blond hair-blue eyes boy of Sidney gay neighborhood, he seems to relegate Stephen to the role of best friend (with no benefits). Instead of being discouraged, or maybe honored that Ant values him so much, Stephen does everything he can to conquer Ant, arriving even to steal Ant’s new love interest, Carson, only to dump him soon after he finds out Carson is HIV positive.
What is funny is that Stephen is always able to find a right justification for all his actions, managing to find the right even in the worst wrong situation. But probably the reason why the reader cannot hate Stephen is that there is no malice in him, everything Stephen does is for love (or at least what he thinks love is) and there is no interest in him, if not wanting for everyone to love him, or better to adore him, like he is some gay god sent to earth to “enlighten” all the gay boys. Stephen can probably have everyone, he even manages to catch the perfect boyfriend, handsome, young, well-off, but he is not Ant, he is not his love, and so, nothing matter. While I’m not sure we are doing good for Ant, I ended cheering for Stephen in his quest of catching his love.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0091837162/?...
July 21, 2019
This was the first book I have read by Graeme Aitken - I picked it up in a book store in Sydney that I visit 3-4 times per year (great independent bookstore in Darlinghurst). I am indifferent - on one hand I enjoyed the witty prose and the fact that the book was set in and around Sydney (which I could easily visualise). On the other hand - I think the description of Aitken as 'Australia's answer to Armisted Maupin' is flattering at best. The writing was somewhat predictable in parts and I found the main character, Stephen, shallow, vain and predictable. The characters and plot did not have the depth of a Maupin story - however overall an engaging read. I would rate this 3.5 stars.
December 8, 2022
pues muy entretenido, una sandra bullock de los dosmil pero en libro
September 24, 2014
The odd genre listing is because while Vanity Fierce was a contemporary when it was new (1998), it’s definitely a look at a very specific time, and simply isn’t transportable into current day. Which is fine—we need periodic reminders of what went before, because it affects our world now.
Our protag, Stephen, introduces himself to us while he’s in the Australian equivalent of high school and brings us along for the next few years of his life in Sydney, while he’s exploring his sexuality and trying to find his place in the world. Not that this is really a coming of age story either—Stephen isn’t that introspective. He is a lot of fun though.
He’s cheerfully amoral, with most everyone he meets getting wrapped around his little finger in short order. He’s not manipulative so much as able to see what people would like to do and then making it very easy for them to do it, particularly if it’s to his benefit. Some of his late teen exploits are coffee-snort inducing. (Do you want to preserve your sister’s virginity? he asks the wide-eyed brother of the nymphet he’s chastely dating, and the boy can’t get on his knees fast enough.) He builds a reputation as the over-achieving golden boy with a bright future ahead of him, the joy of his aging actress mother and the perplexity of his restrained but surprisingly complex father.
And then it’s into the world—and he seems to expect to coast on his past, except he’s having some trouble reconciling himself to being a not-nearly so big fish in a much huger pond, and his wiles have to adapt. There are—horrors!—people who don’t provide what he wants in exchange for a bit of carefully bestowed attention. And the real world has a lot of temptations—it’s more fun to hit the clubs than to hit the books. Once he’s come out to his parents, Stephen goes on to attend university with much wrangling over what he’s to study: something interesting and artistic, or more mundane but steadily lucrative, like law. He’s living in a raucous neighborhood, considered so disreputable that its name changes to something more proper depending on who’s talking. The transvestite hookers at the bottom of the stairs are occasionally friends and confidants, as well as funny and philosophical.
And into this mix drops the one man that Stephen is totally smitten with, and for a variety of reasons, can’t approach directly. Ant (short for Anthony but I never did quite get away from 6-legged picnic crashers) has dropped Stephen square into the friend zone, and Stephen is desperate to get out. He’s not used to being told “no” for any reason, and his plots and ruses to change Ant’s mind fuel a large section of the book. He needs a good smack for some of his tricks, but he made me laugh for his charming naughtiness.
This story doesn’t especially feel like a romance, even with Stephen’s pursuit of his unrequited love, who seems to be absolutely random in his choices and decisions. It’s more like a memoir in its structure, with the feel of the narrator telling stories from his life over a beer or six, shaded for maximum entertainment rather than strict truthfulness. It’s a really good time even when Stephen’s coming across as less than admirable (you’ll still snicker). Ant and Stephen have some wildly differing agendas.
About that HEA—it’s more of an HFN—and it’s an amazing thing. The last quarter of the book shoves Stephen into some serious growth, and it made me sniffle, in the best way, even with the foam. And I challenge anyone to read that last line and not smile.
The style has a flavor of Australia, enough to place it, but the slang isn’t overwhelming and indecipherable, and the whole is very accessible for the American reader. The descriptions are illustrative enough that we aren’t left in the dark about the implications of living in Woollahra or being gay in 1995.
Humorous (and yes, I nearly wrote humourous) with a serious undercurrent, and very entertaining.
Our protag, Stephen, introduces himself to us while he’s in the Australian equivalent of high school and brings us along for the next few years of his life in Sydney, while he’s exploring his sexuality and trying to find his place in the world. Not that this is really a coming of age story either—Stephen isn’t that introspective. He is a lot of fun though.
He’s cheerfully amoral, with most everyone he meets getting wrapped around his little finger in short order. He’s not manipulative so much as able to see what people would like to do and then making it very easy for them to do it, particularly if it’s to his benefit. Some of his late teen exploits are coffee-snort inducing. (Do you want to preserve your sister’s virginity? he asks the wide-eyed brother of the nymphet he’s chastely dating, and the boy can’t get on his knees fast enough.) He builds a reputation as the over-achieving golden boy with a bright future ahead of him, the joy of his aging actress mother and the perplexity of his restrained but surprisingly complex father.
And then it’s into the world—and he seems to expect to coast on his past, except he’s having some trouble reconciling himself to being a not-nearly so big fish in a much huger pond, and his wiles have to adapt. There are—horrors!—people who don’t provide what he wants in exchange for a bit of carefully bestowed attention. And the real world has a lot of temptations—it’s more fun to hit the clubs than to hit the books. Once he’s come out to his parents, Stephen goes on to attend university with much wrangling over what he’s to study: something interesting and artistic, or more mundane but steadily lucrative, like law. He’s living in a raucous neighborhood, considered so disreputable that its name changes to something more proper depending on who’s talking. The transvestite hookers at the bottom of the stairs are occasionally friends and confidants, as well as funny and philosophical.
And into this mix drops the one man that Stephen is totally smitten with, and for a variety of reasons, can’t approach directly. Ant (short for Anthony but I never did quite get away from 6-legged picnic crashers) has dropped Stephen square into the friend zone, and Stephen is desperate to get out. He’s not used to being told “no” for any reason, and his plots and ruses to change Ant’s mind fuel a large section of the book. He needs a good smack for some of his tricks, but he made me laugh for his charming naughtiness.
This story doesn’t especially feel like a romance, even with Stephen’s pursuit of his unrequited love, who seems to be absolutely random in his choices and decisions. It’s more like a memoir in its structure, with the feel of the narrator telling stories from his life over a beer or six, shaded for maximum entertainment rather than strict truthfulness. It’s a really good time even when Stephen’s coming across as less than admirable (you’ll still snicker). Ant and Stephen have some wildly differing agendas.
About that HEA—it’s more of an HFN—and it’s an amazing thing. The last quarter of the book shoves Stephen into some serious growth, and it made me sniffle, in the best way, even with the foam. And I challenge anyone to read that last line and not smile.
The style has a flavor of Australia, enough to place it, but the slang isn’t overwhelming and indecipherable, and the whole is very accessible for the American reader. The descriptions are illustrative enough that we aren’t left in the dark about the implications of living in Woollahra or being gay in 1995.
Humorous (and yes, I nearly wrote humourous) with a serious undercurrent, and very entertaining.
March 19, 2013
Stephen fancied himself in love…or perhaps it was the idea that Ant was a conquest—someone who held him at arm’s length when he had always been the “golden boy”. With an actress for a mother and a distant father whom he suspected was a closeted homosexual Stephen was able to drift through his life, never really having to take responsibility for himself or his actions.
He was a careless, young, handsome boy who left a string of one-night stands in his wake until he crossed paths with the somewhat mysterious and aloof Ant. And so began a full force infatuation that would morph itself into a deep abiding love that would cross continents and stand up to AIDS in its attempt to reunite with the one it loved.
Vanity Fierce by Graeme Aitken is a sweeping novel about a quirky young man who sets himself on a path of self-discovery. Along the way, he begins to understand that in his desire to be self-serving and remain in control of his destiny he has failed to see the very man whom he is destined to love—and in fact, he realizes too late that it is he who must make drastic changes if he is ever to be happy—ever to be loved.
Ant and Stephen live in a walkup building complete with transsexual prostitutes, aging gay divas and the oddest assortment of men and women ever collected in a novel. They dance around one another, never fully realizing how much they mean to each other until late in the novel when a devastating secret is revealed and Stephen must chase Ant all the way to America in order to let him know that he is indeed in love with him—no matter the cost.
This was a sweeping novel that due to its scope alone made me breathless. Never have I come across secondary characters who drew me in –made me laugh, frustrated me, and, yes, made me cry. The way Mr. Aitken pulled together bisecting story lines and lured his reader into the total sphere that was his main characters’ life was amazing. I lived and breathed along side Stephen—page after page, drawn inexorably into his life until I felt that I knew his friends as intimately as if they lived down the street.
There were places in this book where I laughed so hard tears poured from my eyes and then times where I sighed and shook my head at the frustratingly shallow way Stephen moved through one relationship after another. This was an amazingly well planned out novel that gave us a window into the life of a young man who finally gave in and allowed himself to grow up—and, in doing so, finally started to live.
He was a careless, young, handsome boy who left a string of one-night stands in his wake until he crossed paths with the somewhat mysterious and aloof Ant. And so began a full force infatuation that would morph itself into a deep abiding love that would cross continents and stand up to AIDS in its attempt to reunite with the one it loved.
Vanity Fierce by Graeme Aitken is a sweeping novel about a quirky young man who sets himself on a path of self-discovery. Along the way, he begins to understand that in his desire to be self-serving and remain in control of his destiny he has failed to see the very man whom he is destined to love—and in fact, he realizes too late that it is he who must make drastic changes if he is ever to be happy—ever to be loved.
Ant and Stephen live in a walkup building complete with transsexual prostitutes, aging gay divas and the oddest assortment of men and women ever collected in a novel. They dance around one another, never fully realizing how much they mean to each other until late in the novel when a devastating secret is revealed and Stephen must chase Ant all the way to America in order to let him know that he is indeed in love with him—no matter the cost.
This was a sweeping novel that due to its scope alone made me breathless. Never have I come across secondary characters who drew me in –made me laugh, frustrated me, and, yes, made me cry. The way Mr. Aitken pulled together bisecting story lines and lured his reader into the total sphere that was his main characters’ life was amazing. I lived and breathed along side Stephen—page after page, drawn inexorably into his life until I felt that I knew his friends as intimately as if they lived down the street.
There were places in this book where I laughed so hard tears poured from my eyes and then times where I sighed and shook my head at the frustratingly shallow way Stephen moved through one relationship after another. This was an amazingly well planned out novel that gave us a window into the life of a young man who finally gave in and allowed himself to grow up—and, in doing so, finally started to live.
February 19, 2016
This was a nice break away from my typical reads, and it was great to see Sydney shine through the text.
Getting a glimpse into a life far different from my own, shedding a humorous eye over the darker side of the Kings Cross and Darlinghurst gay scene in the nineties… a truly surprising novel. There were times when it started to drag – especially in excerpts from the novel featured within the story, but on the whole thoroughly entertaining. I applaud the usage of this to take a peek into a different view of events (even though both points of view could be considered unreliable) but felt if small chunks were highlighted rather than entire chapters the pacing of the book would have kept its momentum.
Told through Stevens point of view, who is unashamedly self important and self obsessed neglects to see the big picture in a lot of things: and so begins his rollercoaster ride through love and life… especially when his intentions are spurned by the one guy he wants – Ant (Anthony). Stephen is not used to rejection and this fuels his obsession.
There are plenty of colourful characters, hilarious side stories peppered throughout Aitken’s novel. His turn of phrase is fresh and delightful and even though I’m a massive fan of adventure and action in my YA books; I barely put ‘Vanity Fierce’ down.
In a world of imperfect protagonists, it was refreshing to read of a seemingly perfect one.
This story had the air of a classic novel about it, ranking up with the greats like ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen and ‘The Rainbow’ by D.H Lawrence – because it dealt with a very real world, with very real characters. Emotional and epic in its own right. I make the comparison simply because ‘Vanity Fierce’ had the same impact on me as did those timeless reads (and it’s my opinion!)
Graeme Aitken also has an uncanny ability to weave important issues into his narrative without shoving them down your throat, or sensationalising them. Stephen’s journey was delicate, and dealt with the respect it deserves where it could have turned out to feel like a political statement or after-school special. ‘Vanity Fierce’ has been a wonderful introduction into Aitken’s writing and I am definitely looking forward to adding other titles to my collection (ie: ‘50 Way of Saying Fabulous’)
If you enjoyed the movie ‘The Sum of Us’ starring Russel Crowe – definitely give this a read.
Getting a glimpse into a life far different from my own, shedding a humorous eye over the darker side of the Kings Cross and Darlinghurst gay scene in the nineties… a truly surprising novel. There were times when it started to drag – especially in excerpts from the novel featured within the story, but on the whole thoroughly entertaining. I applaud the usage of this to take a peek into a different view of events (even though both points of view could be considered unreliable) but felt if small chunks were highlighted rather than entire chapters the pacing of the book would have kept its momentum.
Told through Stevens point of view, who is unashamedly self important and self obsessed neglects to see the big picture in a lot of things: and so begins his rollercoaster ride through love and life… especially when his intentions are spurned by the one guy he wants – Ant (Anthony). Stephen is not used to rejection and this fuels his obsession.
There are plenty of colourful characters, hilarious side stories peppered throughout Aitken’s novel. His turn of phrase is fresh and delightful and even though I’m a massive fan of adventure and action in my YA books; I barely put ‘Vanity Fierce’ down.
In a world of imperfect protagonists, it was refreshing to read of a seemingly perfect one.
This story had the air of a classic novel about it, ranking up with the greats like ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen and ‘The Rainbow’ by D.H Lawrence – because it dealt with a very real world, with very real characters. Emotional and epic in its own right. I make the comparison simply because ‘Vanity Fierce’ had the same impact on me as did those timeless reads (and it’s my opinion!)
Graeme Aitken also has an uncanny ability to weave important issues into his narrative without shoving them down your throat, or sensationalising them. Stephen’s journey was delicate, and dealt with the respect it deserves where it could have turned out to feel like a political statement or after-school special. ‘Vanity Fierce’ has been a wonderful introduction into Aitken’s writing and I am definitely looking forward to adding other titles to my collection (ie: ‘50 Way of Saying Fabulous’)
If you enjoyed the movie ‘The Sum of Us’ starring Russel Crowe – definitely give this a read.
March 17, 2021
I’ve read this book about 20 times. I genuinely love it. Every other book I’ve read where the main character is the ‘villain’ I’ve had to put down. Because I just don’t care about the villain enough. But this book sucks me in. Maybe because I lived in Sydney at the same times this was based. Maybe because I, like Stephen, was madly in love with Ant. But something keeps me coming back. And I fall in love again every time I read it. I know that a lot of the younger people won’t understand the comings and going’s in this book - but it was another time. A time when the world was about coming together, a pre 9/11 world when we all still loved one another. This was the first book I ever read that I could relate to. Not because I’m anything like Stephen, but because it was set in my world. The parties, the drugs, the sex, the diagnoses. I feel such nostalgia for those times. Did we do a lot of dumb stuff? Yes. Was it the best time of my life? No. But it made me who I am today. Some people pick up a photo album to reminisce, I pick up this book and let Stephen take me on his adventure.
December 7, 2023
I wanted to like this more and it started out ok. But the lead character is so dislikable that I kept putting it down. I didn't want to read about his soulless and immoral schemes and untrustworthy actions. I even had to take a break midway through to read a couple of books that were more uplifting. When I did eventually come back to it (I hate wasting investment in a book) I struggled through to the end. Which sort of attempts to redeem Stephen, the main character. But it didn't make up for how nasty and repugnant he was for 99% of the story. Really, he deserved to be out on street, homeless and unloved. Sorry, but that's how I feel as a member of the very community the story is set in. Harrumph!!!
May 30, 2019
This was wild. All that shit that happen because of the main character not being able to say what he feel. Be honest with each other people. Very good, I've enjoyed every tense moment of it.
October 17, 2021
Holiday read
July 11, 2023
Diverting enough and fairly entertaining, but I never really found myself caring for any of the characters and lead was too self-obsessed to sympathise with.
January 1, 2010
Possibly one of my favourite books (and I am still kicking myself for turning down a job to worth with the author in his bookshop in Sydney!), Vanity Fierce deals with some dark themes but still remains upbeat and funny throughout.
Despite doing some awful things to achieve his ends (or get his end away with the man of his dreams, as the case may be) the main character is still so well written that you can't help but like him and understand why he does the things he does. There are times when I cringed as I read what he was doing next, but couldn't help laughing (often with tears rolling down my face) as I through "yep, I could see myself doing that in the same situation".
The ending is lovely, and the book is huge, which is good because I never wanted it to end!
Despite doing some awful things to achieve his ends (or get his end away with the man of his dreams, as the case may be) the main character is still so well written that you can't help but like him and understand why he does the things he does. There are times when I cringed as I read what he was doing next, but couldn't help laughing (often with tears rolling down my face) as I through "yep, I could see myself doing that in the same situation".
The ending is lovely, and the book is huge, which is good because I never wanted it to end!
June 25, 2016
This book is of its time, a snapshot of an almost golden era of Sydney life in the 1990s. I really enjoyed reading this novel and a big part of what drew me in was the gossip-like storylines and personalities. This novel is in some ways like an encyclopaedia of gay life. Stephen Spear as a character can be quite unlikeable and it is unusual for me to read novels where an unlikeable character is telling the story. There were insights dropped throughout this novel that made me stop reading every so often (owing to harsh truths or particular decisions made by the characters). vanity Fierce also plays around with fictional memoirs vs autobiographies This novel contained themes of desire, family, men's health, relationships, money and ambition.
January 2, 2022
Hilarious, enjoyable and very funny. A rare book which had me needing to read it each day. I read most books on the train to work and put them away when I get home, but this one I could not put down. Stephen’s antics in his love quest with the too-hot-for-words Ant were something I’m sure we have all done sometime in our early youth.
So far I've read it twice, but that was 15 years ago. I finally found a copy on online with the Australian cover sleeve at Hares & Hyenas - http://www.hares-hyenas.com.au. The international sleeve - it's black & white –I feel, really doesn't represent how Stephen is described in the book.
Buy a copy from Hares & Hyenas - it won't disappoint.
So far I've read it twice, but that was 15 years ago. I finally found a copy on online with the Australian cover sleeve at Hares & Hyenas - http://www.hares-hyenas.com.au. The international sleeve - it's black & white –I feel, really doesn't represent how Stephen is described in the book.
Buy a copy from Hares & Hyenas - it won't disappoint.
October 31, 2007
This is a fantastic book. I've written a paper on it and will pop it in here just as soon as I get a moment to do so :).
*sigh* The paper I wrote about this book is too large to add.
*sigh* The paper I wrote about this book is too large to add.
July 19, 2012
Now this was a funny book. I was slightly wary when I first purchased it many years ago, but I was laughing throughout. Can recommend it to anyone.
June 1, 2015
Finally finished!
This book was ok, but was very long-winded.
The main character I really couldn't stand.
He calls himself the 'Golden Boy' though spoilt, selfish brat springs more to mind.
This book was ok, but was very long-winded.
The main character I really couldn't stand.
He calls himself the 'Golden Boy' though spoilt, selfish brat springs more to mind.
November 5, 2013
Entertaining if a little contrived and formulaic
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