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Gilbert Selwyn and Friends #1
Blue Heaven
Set in contemporary New York and reminiscent of the comedies of P.G. Wodehouse and Preston Sturges, Blue Heaven is the uproarious tale of a most unlikely couple and their brilliant plan to earn a fortune on the way to the altar.
Gilbert Selwyn, a young man possessed of boundless charm and an allergy to employment, has devised a plan to wring a nice pile of loot from his mother's newest (and obscenely wealthy) husband. The scheme, simply put, is to get married for the gifts. But Gilbert, who's gay, needs a fiancée... Enter Moira Finch, a demonically conniving young woman whose own mother, having recently married the Duke of Dorsetshire, will contribute richly to the couple's receipts. Enter, too, Philip Cavanaugh, Gilbert's longtime friend, former lover, and highly strung Best Man. And enter, finally, the Cellinis, Gilbert's huge internecine step-family, whose fortune has not been amassed as innocently as Gilbert first believed.
As Gilbert, Moira, and Philip struggle to keep their plot under wraps, the scams get bigger and more perilous, deceit multiplies, and a wonderfully calamitous trail leads us toward what could be the wedding of the season.
Gilbert Selwyn, a young man possessed of boundless charm and an allergy to employment, has devised a plan to wring a nice pile of loot from his mother's newest (and obscenely wealthy) husband. The scheme, simply put, is to get married for the gifts. But Gilbert, who's gay, needs a fiancée... Enter Moira Finch, a demonically conniving young woman whose own mother, having recently married the Duke of Dorsetshire, will contribute richly to the couple's receipts. Enter, too, Philip Cavanaugh, Gilbert's longtime friend, former lover, and highly strung Best Man. And enter, finally, the Cellinis, Gilbert's huge internecine step-family, whose fortune has not been amassed as innocently as Gilbert first believed.
As Gilbert, Moira, and Philip struggle to keep their plot under wraps, the scams get bigger and more perilous, deceit multiplies, and a wonderfully calamitous trail leads us toward what could be the wedding of the season.
279 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
21 people are currently reading
1150 people want to read
About the author
Joe Keenan
11 books62 followersJoe Keenan (born July 14, 1958) is an American screenwriter, television producer and novelist.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
December 7, 2011
a swiftly paced Wodehouse style farce set in Gay World. the author Joe Keenan is apparently a script writer for tv sitcoms - and it shows: the level of humor is unsurprisingly broad and stereotypical. lots and lots of so-called zingers, many that score, many that do not. but don't let any of that make you think that this is nothing less than pure enjoyment... there is a sparkling verve and polish to all of the amusing goings-on that make the novel a fun-filled pleasure. i laughed constantly and loudly. this may be a shallow dessert item, but it is also not sour or bitter or overly rich. Blue Heaven is not particularly sweet, but the tartness of tone and the carefully constructed set pieces make this a tasty and enjoyable little treat. join Phillip & Gilbert & Claire in their brittle but adorable, nearly guilt-free Homo-Shenanigans!
November 6, 2011
Just Suppose We Propose
A mercenary female, a gay male, a blackmail, a swindle, a mafia family, a magazine, a cupboard, a wedding, a photo shoot, a snort, a toke, a shot and a shoot-out.
Just to think, it all started with a little proposition.
Tag or Drag Along Rights and Rituals
As author Joe Keenan remarks of one of the hazy, crazy escapades in the book, it is such a childish, melodramatic way to deal with the situation, you just have to tag along.
Or, if you prefer, you can come in drag.
Consummated Entertainment
A delicious juicy high camp farce.
A mercenary female, a gay male, a blackmail, a swindle, a mafia family, a magazine, a cupboard, a wedding, a photo shoot, a snort, a toke, a shot and a shoot-out.
Just to think, it all started with a little proposition.
Tag or Drag Along Rights and Rituals
As author Joe Keenan remarks of one of the hazy, crazy escapades in the book, it is such a childish, melodramatic way to deal with the situation, you just have to tag along.
Or, if you prefer, you can come in drag.
Consummated Entertainment
A delicious juicy high camp farce.
March 5, 2020
There was a line from 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' that echoed in my head. I could hear the line with Liz Taylor's voice: "Ah, tis the refuge we take when the unreality of the world weighs too heavy on our *tiny* heads." ...That was me. I needed refuge. The refuge I was needing was humor. I needed it in the worst - by that I mean 'the best' - way! By recalling this volume of hilarity, I got what I craved! Pronto!
I don't often read the same book twice. But I was curious to see if... years after my first read of it... 'Blue Heaven' held up. It does!, and how! It is, by the way, the first part of a trilogy - the follow-ups being the equally delightful 'Puttin' on the Ritz' and 'My Lucky Star'. Each book unravels the wacky misadventures of Philip Cavanaugh and Gilbert Selwyn - ex-lovers who have remained BFFs (and occasionally still lovers). The basic thread of the novels is the attempts on Gilbert's part to get Philip involved in various Lucille Ball-esque 'harebrained schemes', the type that, all-too-soon, require - demand! - the grounding services of mutual friend Claire Simmons (the voice of reason).
In 'BH', Gilbert's 'surefire' plan is to align himself with a rich woman (Moira Finch) as opportunistic and conscience-free as he is, then pass himself off as heterosexual in order to fraudulently marry her... for the mutual benefit of the gifts (esp. the cold-hard-cash ones)! The understanding is that, since both sides of the 'couple' are full of the well-off, Gilbert and Moira can expect (or so they think) to make out like the bandits they are. Until a wrench is thrown to the works: Moira is a pathological liar who does not come from money. But that's just the first of Gilbert's - and Philip's - and Claire's many dilemmas once they practice to deceive. Building on a solid farce / screwball comedy base, Keenan systematically develops an increasingly complex tale bursting with layered complications (as the opening theme song of Danny Kaye's 'The Court Jester' would put it: "plot we've got... quite a lot").
In the world of comedy, we find no shortage of funny writers (gay or straight) when it comes to plays, films or tv (Keenan, of course, served as head writer for 'Frasier'). Names, however, become nearly impossible to think of when it comes to modern novels. Keenan is something of an anomaly in that regard. Over the years we've had them, of course (Wilde, Wodehouse, Dennis, etc.) but in more recent memory? When, not that long ago, I read Edward St. Aubyn's somewhat-delirious 'Lost for Words', I found myself noticing how rare it is when something so packed with intellectual wit pops up to keep a smile on your face for as long as the story is being told.
Keenan is generous with his comedy, giving hilarious lines to just about every character throughout. And his character (or character-action) descriptions can't be beat: "He didn't take it well. He fluttered and twitched. He also cowered, goggled and, at one point, simply sat in a chair and vibrated. It was like watching Marcel Marceau mime an entire day at Disney World." But where he's even better is in story construction. 'Blue Heaven' culminates in such reckless, wild abandon that calling it all 'madcap' or 'zany' would not even be stating the case.
It's now been a number of years since we've heard from Phil, Gil and Claire. I keep wondering what they might be up to in 2020. I wonder if (inspired by Pete Buttigieg), Gil has perhaps thought of entering the political arena? What would Philip and Claire say? Or, more importantly, do?... when Gilbert needs them most? (...Mr. Keenan...? ;) )
I don't often read the same book twice. But I was curious to see if... years after my first read of it... 'Blue Heaven' held up. It does!, and how! It is, by the way, the first part of a trilogy - the follow-ups being the equally delightful 'Puttin' on the Ritz' and 'My Lucky Star'. Each book unravels the wacky misadventures of Philip Cavanaugh and Gilbert Selwyn - ex-lovers who have remained BFFs (and occasionally still lovers). The basic thread of the novels is the attempts on Gilbert's part to get Philip involved in various Lucille Ball-esque 'harebrained schemes', the type that, all-too-soon, require - demand! - the grounding services of mutual friend Claire Simmons (the voice of reason).
In 'BH', Gilbert's 'surefire' plan is to align himself with a rich woman (Moira Finch) as opportunistic and conscience-free as he is, then pass himself off as heterosexual in order to fraudulently marry her... for the mutual benefit of the gifts (esp. the cold-hard-cash ones)! The understanding is that, since both sides of the 'couple' are full of the well-off, Gilbert and Moira can expect (or so they think) to make out like the bandits they are. Until a wrench is thrown to the works: Moira is a pathological liar who does not come from money. But that's just the first of Gilbert's - and Philip's - and Claire's many dilemmas once they practice to deceive. Building on a solid farce / screwball comedy base, Keenan systematically develops an increasingly complex tale bursting with layered complications (as the opening theme song of Danny Kaye's 'The Court Jester' would put it: "plot we've got... quite a lot").
In the world of comedy, we find no shortage of funny writers (gay or straight) when it comes to plays, films or tv (Keenan, of course, served as head writer for 'Frasier'). Names, however, become nearly impossible to think of when it comes to modern novels. Keenan is something of an anomaly in that regard. Over the years we've had them, of course (Wilde, Wodehouse, Dennis, etc.) but in more recent memory? When, not that long ago, I read Edward St. Aubyn's somewhat-delirious 'Lost for Words', I found myself noticing how rare it is when something so packed with intellectual wit pops up to keep a smile on your face for as long as the story is being told.
Keenan is generous with his comedy, giving hilarious lines to just about every character throughout. And his character (or character-action) descriptions can't be beat: "He didn't take it well. He fluttered and twitched. He also cowered, goggled and, at one point, simply sat in a chair and vibrated. It was like watching Marcel Marceau mime an entire day at Disney World." But where he's even better is in story construction. 'Blue Heaven' culminates in such reckless, wild abandon that calling it all 'madcap' or 'zany' would not even be stating the case.
It's now been a number of years since we've heard from Phil, Gil and Claire. I keep wondering what they might be up to in 2020. I wonder if (inspired by Pete Buttigieg), Gil has perhaps thought of entering the political arena? What would Philip and Claire say? Or, more importantly, do?... when Gilbert needs them most? (...Mr. Keenan...? ;) )
August 29, 2018
If you're looking for a zippy read that sends up the materialistic excesses of New York in the 1980's and 1990's, this one might just be for you. (Some "spoilers"): A gay Gothamite, over the objections of his best friend, conspires with an Italian-American gal pal in a sham engagement -- so they can rake in the wedding presents, cash them in, and cancel the wedding ceremony at the very last minute. What could go wrong? This tale is all in the telling, and Joe Keenan is in rare form here. Highly recommended. Sure, it's fluff, but it's well-done fluff; sure, it's a period piece but one worth revisiting.
For the monetarily challenged, this short novel has generated several different editions over the past three decades, and patient shopping may well reveal a bargain.
For the monetarily challenged, this short novel has generated several different editions over the past three decades, and patient shopping may well reveal a bargain.
March 13, 2024
4 1/2 stars. Can a book be truly funny and entertaining when all of the characters are pretty irredeemable? After finishing this book I can say yes, definitely! I’m looking forward to the sequels.
November 18, 2019
At first I wasn't sure where this book was going. But it essentially boils down to a flamboyant scheming gay man pretends to get married to a flamboyant scheming straight woman to wrack up a load of gifts, get divorced and split the spoils.
Each time the characters attempt to fix a previous error they make things even worse to the point where it just keeps escalating so I had no idea how it was all going to end without all major characters dead.
The writing is like a gay Douglas Adams at times, Joe Keenan has that kind of absurdist humour from his own perspective. I found this book really amusing, the characters were likable and it all wrapped up in a satisfactory manner after descending into a farce of epic proportions.
Each time the characters attempt to fix a previous error they make things even worse to the point where it just keeps escalating so I had no idea how it was all going to end without all major characters dead.
The writing is like a gay Douglas Adams at times, Joe Keenan has that kind of absurdist humour from his own perspective. I found this book really amusing, the characters were likable and it all wrapped up in a satisfactory manner after descending into a farce of epic proportions.
May 3, 2020
Ridiculously modern and funny! Makes an absolute sham of marriage. Majority of characters are unlikable and lacking an amount of sense. Yes my summary might seem like negative points, but I could NOT stop reading about the hilarity that just wouldn’t quit. Two people think they have discovered a fail-proof plan, and become continually surprised when things go wrong. Many other authors could make this seem like a real drag, but here I chuckled the whole way through. A delight!
September 12, 2011
You know you're in good hands when on page five the main character describes his best friend using Ethel Merman lyrics. Swoon!
"We could stop at your cash machine."
"We could," he agreed, "but it would only be a social call."
This was incredibly fun.
"We could stop at your cash machine."
"We could," he agreed, "but it would only be a social call."
This was incredibly fun.
November 22, 2008
Finally, an answer to the eternal question, "what if Wodehouse had been openly gay and living in 90s Manhattan?"
May 29, 2008
super fun read--witty, well-written, laugh-out-loud funny. story itself is quite clever, and you can just see the movie version in your head as you read because of the narrator's vivid, tongue-in-cheek descriptions.
November 30, 2025
Ohhhhhhhhh, un libro di un'ironia intelligente, assolutamente godibile e spassoso! Bravo Joe Keenan!
April 24, 2024
This is the funniest book I have ever read, hands down. Whenever anyone suggests some other book is funny, I have to wonder--will it make me smile, will it make me chuckle, or, like Blue Heaven, will it make me annoy all those within earshot by my constant explosions of uncontrollable mirth? (Probably not--this one's special).
On the first page alone I must have grabbed my then-partner at least three times to read various sentences aloud, because they were THAT GOOD. I'll never forgot the first quip (I think it's the first), that the narrator is attending an exhibition of "found art" but which commonly goes by another name. (It's garbage. Not really a spoiler).
And, bless Mr. Keenan's kind heart, he wrote two sequels. The middle one is kind of meh (when measured against the dizzying heights of this first book) but the third is almost as funny.
If you love this, and aren't put off by older fiction, move on to the Lucia series by E.F. Benson, and for God's sake start at the beginning with Queen Lucia, and don't give up on it until the second chapter--the first one takes a while to get going.
On the first page alone I must have grabbed my then-partner at least three times to read various sentences aloud, because they were THAT GOOD. I'll never forgot the first quip (I think it's the first), that the narrator is attending an exhibition of "found art" but which commonly goes by another name. (It's garbage. Not really a spoiler).
And, bless Mr. Keenan's kind heart, he wrote two sequels. The middle one is kind of meh (when measured against the dizzying heights of this first book) but the third is almost as funny.
If you love this, and aren't put off by older fiction, move on to the Lucia series by E.F. Benson, and for God's sake start at the beginning with Queen Lucia, and don't give up on it until the second chapter--the first one takes a while to get going.
March 26, 2015
Gilbert and Moira have a great idea: Get married for the gifts, then split it down the middle. Piece of cake, right?
Except Gilbert is gay and Moira is an unscrupulous money-hound...whose mother is married to a Mafia boss who would be...displeased...if he found out what was going on.
This is a light and frothy work by a script-writer and producer of TV show Frasier, and it's full of the trademark fast wit and dead-pan repartee that really does make you laugh out loud.
Complication follows complication, and just when you think it can't get any more complex...it does, to great comic effect.
Keenan knows his stuff and works his characters hard to get them into and out of the pickle they find themselves in. It's a lot of fun.
Except Gilbert is gay and Moira is an unscrupulous money-hound...whose mother is married to a Mafia boss who would be...displeased...if he found out what was going on.
This is a light and frothy work by a script-writer and producer of TV show Frasier, and it's full of the trademark fast wit and dead-pan repartee that really does make you laugh out loud.
Complication follows complication, and just when you think it can't get any more complex...it does, to great comic effect.
Keenan knows his stuff and works his characters hard to get them into and out of the pickle they find themselves in. It's a lot of fun.
April 17, 2021
When I read this (the first time) I had to wonder how in the world Joe Keenan came up with this complex, surprising, hilarious plot. I was not surprised to discover he had joined the writing team of "Frasier" and wrote some of their best episodes (like the end of season 2 with all of the main characters in a ski chalet carrying on in the best British bedroom farce style). His other books are very entertaining but this one remains my favorite.
August 24, 2016
Terminado. Lo he devorado entre baño y baño. Es divertidísimo, me he reído a carcajadas. Los personajes son tronchantes, las situaciones son cada vez más locas hasta el final, que ya me caían lagrimones de la risa. Muy recomendable.
August 9, 2017
Una perfecta lectura para el verano. Esta comedia de enredos está muy bien escrita, ligera, ingeniosa, divertida. Tiene el sabor de las películas viejas al estilo de Some like it hot o de los libros de Tom Sharpe.
May 26, 2022
fun! u gotta stay light on ur feet to avoid getting hit by the little bits of 80s transphobia/racism/sexism/fatphobia shrapnel that come flying at u occasionally, but idk the voice and flow are killer. the mean gay bitchiness thing is fuckin great when it's not leaning on said -isms and phobias. ideal setting in which to read is ur aunt and uncles' house full of kitsch, drinking coffee all day and sitting around in a robe with no obligations like a nyc ~writer~
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July 23, 2017This madcap farce is just not hitting my funny bone at all. DNF @page 110
August 16, 2018
3/3.5. Like Wodehouse if Wodehouse used the c-word and allowed any of his characters to be legitimately gay instead of just suspiciously flamboyant.
January 1, 2022
Although I bought this years ago, it sat on my shelf unread. Then, as I discovered Christopher Moore, I started to read his website. Buried deep (kind of deep) in Chris's picks, I saw Blue Heaven. His site says that he hasn't read it, but his wife, formerly his girlfriend, has and she loved it. She had this to say (while she was his girlfriend and not yet his wife), "...had that high-snotty humor that can only be pulled off by Gay guys."
Christopher Moore (he's very good, I highly recommend him) is generally pretty scrupulous, or his editor is, about grammar, so that uppercase G in gay is curious. My interpretation is that, fear of offending anyone made him unconsciously write Gay as a sort of capitalization-of-respect.
His site also says, that Keenan is "One of the producers of Frasier."
Oh, yes, Blue Heaven. His wife is probably correct. The book has many references to life in New York in the 80s. So, if you were older than a teenager and living in the New York, you will probably be, like me, delighted with yourself for recognizing so many of those inside jokes. Although, you need not have lived then to enjoy it -- I imagine.
It's really fun and kept me very entertained.
Christopher Moore (he's very good, I highly recommend him) is generally pretty scrupulous, or his editor is, about grammar, so that uppercase G in gay is curious. My interpretation is that, fear of offending anyone made him unconsciously write Gay as a sort of capitalization-of-respect.
His site also says, that Keenan is "One of the producers of Frasier."
Oh, yes, Blue Heaven. His wife is probably correct. The book has many references to life in New York in the 80s. So, if you were older than a teenager and living in the New York, you will probably be, like me, delighted with yourself for recognizing so many of those inside jokes. Although, you need not have lived then to enjoy it -- I imagine.
It's really fun and kept me very entertained.
August 15, 2011
An enjoyable romp. I special ordered this and Putting on the Ritz because I had so much fun reading Keenan's My Lucky Star, which I picked up cheap at a book sale. Reminiscent of PG Woodhouse madcap style, a roller coaster of plot twists and turns that move so fast you don't really have time to stop and think if any of the character's motivations make sense. It's a marriage of inconvenience, the young couple a gay man with a long list of scorned lovers and a broke socialite. They're not marrying for money per se, but for the gifts, the insincere lovebirds milking the bride's momma Duchess abroad and the groom's New Jersey stepfather deeply entrenched in the mob.
You can see why Keenan's dialogue was such a hit on Frasier, he lets the one-liners fly and they sure do zing when they land. Though my favorite may be his succinct descriptions of characters. With one sentence you can picture exactly what Keenan is talking about.
You can see why Keenan's dialogue was such a hit on Frasier, he lets the one-liners fly and they sure do zing when they land. Though my favorite may be his succinct descriptions of characters. With one sentence you can picture exactly what Keenan is talking about.
August 5, 2020
This is a fun fast read.
First I got mixed feelings. I couldn't understand the very few pages. Then, the "I-hate-drag-queen-caustic-wit" phase invaded me. As the story developed I was intrigued and finally you couldn't find me away from this book.
My favorite characters were, Pina. Of course. And Leo. Woof. Such an adorable gay teen.
Obviously, I learned to hate -really, HATE; the Moira character. The author insisted in protecting her and kept her alive and relatively unharmed, so far, until the sequel "Putting on the Ritz" (yet to be read).
The best of this book is the story development. All these characters were transient but fit well in the rather clever and witty writing. Yes, I laughed. I giggled. And I looked up many art and pop culture references on the internet. Pretty smart, must agree.
Good read during the 2020 pandemic (July).
First I got mixed feelings. I couldn't understand the very few pages. Then, the "I-hate-drag-queen-caustic-wit" phase invaded me. As the story developed I was intrigued and finally you couldn't find me away from this book.
My favorite characters were, Pina. Of course. And Leo. Woof. Such an adorable gay teen.
Obviously, I learned to hate -really, HATE; the Moira character. The author insisted in protecting her and kept her alive and relatively unharmed, so far, until the sequel "Putting on the Ritz" (yet to be read).
The best of this book is the story development. All these characters were transient but fit well in the rather clever and witty writing. Yes, I laughed. I giggled. And I looked up many art and pop culture references on the internet. Pretty smart, must agree.
Good read during the 2020 pandemic (July).
August 20, 2007
I found this book hilarious. The characters are very memorable and the situations they get themselves into as they attempt to get rich quick, and without doing an honest day's work, are even more so. Gay men, mafiosi, a fashionista who only wears her own bizarre creations, and a back-stabbing social-climbing bitch are all in the mix. I highly recommend to anyone looking for a light, well-written, laugh-out-loud novel.
October 31, 2012
A funny, fast paced farce with snappy dialogue and broadly drawn (ie. massively stereotypical) characters. There are half a dozen zingers on every page and amazingly, most of them are hilarious. The plethora of minor characters occasionally confused me, but I was having too much fun to really care. A good book to read on an airplane or in a sick bed. Deliriously daffy in an uplifting way.
February 2, 2020
If you want to laugh and recapture some of the wonder of NY in the late '80's, this is the book for you. Outside of Claire, every character is awful and I loved them all. Reading this book defines guilty pleasure.
September 19, 2007
This book is hilarious. Definitely a smart person's comedy. Great diction, something is always fresh, very smart.
January 22, 2013
This is an oldie but a goodie. The characters are funny, the situations are funny...Not much else to say about this one except I highly recommend it for a good chuckle.
September 30, 2013
Light fluff some chuckles non taxing read
December 23, 2016
Qué maravilla de libro. Cuando piensas que nada puede ser más loco, se supera. El final, apoteósico.
August 19, 2017
Back in the day this was one of the funniest books I'd read. I'm going to read it again this summer to see if it stands the test of time.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews