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Equal Affections
Equal Affections tells the story of the funny, loving, and tragic Cooper family. Louise, the indomitable matriarch, has had cancer for twenty years. Her son Danny, a lawyer, lives in a New Jersey suburb with his lover Walter, who is slowly growing obsessed with on-line sex; her daughter April is a lesbian activist and folk singer, who knows how to perform a do-it-yourself artificial insemination using basic kitchen utensils. As Louise battles the slow withdrawal of her husband and the ravages of her disease, and as the entire Cooper family struggles to come to terms with her illness, David Leavitt reveals the profound depth and compassion of his narrative command. "Leavitt has written from the point of view of a raging, self-dramatizing mother with clarity and with such compassion that we understand her bitterness and mourn her lost chances.
339 pages, Paperback
First published May 25, 1989
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536 people want to read
About the author
David Leavitt
62 books427 followersLeavitt is a graduate of Yale University and a professor at the University of Florida, where he is the co-director of the creative writing program. He is also the editor of Subtropics magazine, The University of Florida's literary review.
Leavitt, who is openly gay, has frequently explored gay issues in his work. He divides his time between Florida and Tuscany, Italy.
Leavitt, who is openly gay, has frequently explored gay issues in his work. He divides his time between Florida and Tuscany, Italy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
May 10, 2020
Cuando te enamoras de un autor que no conocías de antes, alguien debería darte una especie de manual de uso... y es que si empiezas por su mejor obra ("Mientras Inglaterra duerme"), las demás te parecen un poco decepcionantes.
La especialidad de Leavitt son las radiografías de las relaciones familiares y sentimentales, y en esta obra suya (una de las más famosas) nos introduce en la vida de una familia americana (madre moribunda, padre mujeriego y fracasado, hija estrella lésbica de la canción protesta, hijo abogado gay de NY), y analiza la historia y el presente de los distintos vínculos dentro de la misma familia. Sin embargo, se centra demasiado en la enfermedad de la madre, y a mí se me ha hecho un poquito largo.
La especialidad de Leavitt son las radiografías de las relaciones familiares y sentimentales, y en esta obra suya (una de las más famosas) nos introduce en la vida de una familia americana (madre moribunda, padre mujeriego y fracasado, hija estrella lésbica de la canción protesta, hijo abogado gay de NY), y analiza la historia y el presente de los distintos vínculos dentro de la misma familia. Sin embargo, se centra demasiado en la enfermedad de la madre, y a mí se me ha hecho un poquito largo.
October 25, 2007
This is a truly beautiful book about family - bound and betrayed. The writing is simple and moving.
June 14, 2025
3,5/4. Non c’è mai nulla in ordine in una storia di Leavitt. Per quanto placido e rassicurante possa essere il quadro che ci offre, una strana inquietudine balza all’orecchio come un rumore di fondo, salta all’occhio sotto forma di pennellate appena percettibilmente instabili e tremolanti.
Louise, Nat, April, Danny: una vita e una famiglia da decostruire a causa della malattia, mossa dall’esigenza di domare caos, di recuperare il tracciato delle proprie vite e di trovarne il senso (che si tratti del cattolicesimo, di un figlio, di un amore). E in questa affannosa ricerca, in questa quête nervosa e in parte inconsapevole, alla fine tutte le porte rimangono aperte. L’ordine manca, il senso non esiste. Si continua a girare, a sbagliare, a litigare, a rimuginare sul passato come si era sempre fatto. Le famiglie sono un po’ come un quadro impressionista, dove macchie di colore sfumate e oniriche si sovrappongono e i contorni mancano, e i sé e i ma troveranno sempre spazio sulla tavola; dove a seconda del bisogno si può aggiungere una pennellata qua e là e stravolgere tutto quanto, senza tradire né il progetto di partenza, né il risultato finale.
Louise, Nat, April, Danny: una vita e una famiglia da decostruire a causa della malattia, mossa dall’esigenza di domare caos, di recuperare il tracciato delle proprie vite e di trovarne il senso (che si tratti del cattolicesimo, di un figlio, di un amore). E in questa affannosa ricerca, in questa quête nervosa e in parte inconsapevole, alla fine tutte le porte rimangono aperte. L’ordine manca, il senso non esiste. Si continua a girare, a sbagliare, a litigare, a rimuginare sul passato come si era sempre fatto. Le famiglie sono un po’ come un quadro impressionista, dove macchie di colore sfumate e oniriche si sovrappongono e i contorni mancano, e i sé e i ma troveranno sempre spazio sulla tavola; dove a seconda del bisogno si può aggiungere una pennellata qua e là e stravolgere tutto quanto, senza tradire né il progetto di partenza, né il risultato finale.
January 1, 2009
I loved this book! Leavitt reminds me of Charles Baxter and Scott Spenser - or great female writers like Ann Beatie or Julia Glass or Meg Wolitzer. It's a story of human relationships, which I think is often considered a "woman's topic" but Leavitt adds his own edge - homosexuality, death, affairs, turkey baster babies... Beautiful writing - I'm looking forward to finding other books by this author.
May 9, 2012
A story of a liberal family living in the ultra-conservative Regan era America, this politically and psychologically intriguing book addresses many themes both timeless and still current through interesting characters.
June 25, 2021
This is a sloppy novel without much of a focus until about 150 pages in, and even then it still remains partially sloppy for the last 100 pages. Leavitt has some decent novels. This isn't one of them.
Want to read
March 17, 2019This could be good too?
**********************
The Lost Language of Cranes 4 stars
The Two Hotel Francforts TBR
Equal Affections TBR
The Indian Clerk TBR
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The Lost Language of Cranes 4 stars
The Two Hotel Francforts TBR
Equal Affections TBR
The Indian Clerk TBR
November 8, 2025
Verhaal over Louise en haar - niet echt gelukkige - gezin. Karakters goed geschetst maar verhaal is te springerig naar mijn smaak.
July 19, 2024
el leavitt que menos me gusta me sigue gustando
September 27, 2023
A boring novel about unlikeable, very woke (and therefore very silly and self absorbed people). The character April was particularly annoying, as for the mother Louise…well, like mother, like daughter.
This novel is set in the 1980s and one passage is about how nice San Francisco was then. Unfortunate that the real-life moronic progressives, that the fictional characters in this dull novel are based on, have ruined the city.
This novel is set in the 1980s and one passage is about how nice San Francisco was then. Unfortunate that the real-life moronic progressives, that the fictional characters in this dull novel are based on, have ruined the city.
July 10, 2025
Personaggi dimenticabili e a tratti odiosi, plot inesistente e tematiche apparentemente profonde, ma trattate con superficialità. Una lettura orribile.
November 14, 2019
AMORE, VITA, MALATTIA E INFELICITÀ
Un romanzo "Eguali amori" che ci mette di fronte a ciò che la vita è realmente, con le sue gioie ma soprattutto anche con i suoi dolori.
Un romanzo familiare che tratta temi importanti e sensibili come omosessualità, morte, malattia, il delicato rapporto genitori-figli ma anche tanto altro. Il tutto in maniera molto reale nonostante la famiglia che l'autore ci fa conoscere è particolarmente sopra le righe è comunque una famiglia in cui ognuno di noi può trovare qualcosa o qualcuno in cui immedesimarsi senza sforzo.
Personaggi delineati divinamente, con una caratterizzazione profonda.
Il romanzo in linea generale mi è piaciuto ma ho trovato alcune vicende un po' forzate. Inoltre le numerose e prolisse divagazioni le ho trovate spesso noiose e non nego mi abbiano appesantito e rallentato la lettura.
Lo stile di Leavitt rimane comunque molto scorrevole e semplice e questo mi è piaciuto molto.
Romanzo carino che però, con i temi trattati, mi sarei aspettata più profondo e devastante.
Un romanzo "Eguali amori" che ci mette di fronte a ciò che la vita è realmente, con le sue gioie ma soprattutto anche con i suoi dolori.
Un romanzo familiare che tratta temi importanti e sensibili come omosessualità, morte, malattia, il delicato rapporto genitori-figli ma anche tanto altro. Il tutto in maniera molto reale nonostante la famiglia che l'autore ci fa conoscere è particolarmente sopra le righe è comunque una famiglia in cui ognuno di noi può trovare qualcosa o qualcuno in cui immedesimarsi senza sforzo.
Personaggi delineati divinamente, con una caratterizzazione profonda.
Il romanzo in linea generale mi è piaciuto ma ho trovato alcune vicende un po' forzate. Inoltre le numerose e prolisse divagazioni le ho trovate spesso noiose e non nego mi abbiano appesantito e rallentato la lettura.
Lo stile di Leavitt rimane comunque molto scorrevole e semplice e questo mi è piaciuto molto.
Romanzo carino che però, con i temi trattati, mi sarei aspettata più profondo e devastante.
August 21, 2021
Più interessante che coinvolgente. Lo avevo scritto anche dopo aver letto l’ultimo romanzo di Leavitt, “Il decoro”. Questo giudizio non vuole sminuire la notevole capacità dell’autore di costruire storie mettendo in relazione personaggi autentici e complessi (come quelli di questo romanzo), e analizzando in maniera brillante e profonda i legami che li mettono in relazione. Trovo, però, che alla sua scrittura manchi una “nota sporca” che la renda meno asettica, e una crepa che mi permetta di sentirmi tirata dentro la storia. Non si può certo contestare a un autore il proprio stile. E’ che non convince me.
January 4, 2021
Novel·la profundament humana sobre una família nord-americana de classe mitjana, la qual, a causa d'una malaltia greu de la mare es reuneix i es posa al dia dels seus problemes interns de tota la vida. Els quatre membres de la família són peculiars i les vides personals que s'exposen, també.
October 10, 2007
More family drama from David Leavitt. I never tire of his writing.
March 29, 2008
I think this is my favorite Leavitt book--it's funny, sweet, realistic, and extremely engaging.
February 18, 2011
'Equal Boredoms' sums up what I feel about this novel.
April 3, 2022
"Un altro giorno di vita, un altro giorno nel mondo, pensò, è cercò di ricordare, mentre andava a letto, contrita, purificata e votata al silenzio eterno, che era già di per sé un cosa di cui essere felice."
Da quando lessi "La lingua perduta delle gru" sono un grande estimatore di David Leavitt, che reputo un grande narratore, con la capacità sopraffina ma naturale di scavare nei sentimenti e di esaminare eventi e personaggi in ogni minimo dettaglio.
Succede anche in questo libro, "Eguali amori", dove si raccontano le vicende di una famiglia americana tra la California e New York, in un crescendo di tristezza, sfascio e isolamento. Nat e Louise sembrano la classica coppia di mezza età con piccoli problemi ma grande amore e invece, quando lei scopre di essere malata di cancro, le cose si complicano. I figli, April e Danny, ciascuno impegnato nella propria carriera ma profondamente legati, entrambi gay e quindi appassionatamente connessi, vivono il dolore della madre e lo introiettano, divenendo sempre più diversi.
Tra tutti questi personaggi, è proprio Louise la mia preferita. Essa incarna l'unità famigliare, la comprensione di ogni cosa, la vitalità nonostante tutto, la leggerezza nell'affrontare la vita, la convinzione dei propri mezzi e il coraggio di andare avanti. Louise non è solo il perno attorno a cui ruotano tutte le vicende, ma anche l'unico vero personaggio positivo e quello su cui l'autore si concentra maggiormente nel fornire vicende, parole, caratterizzazione e in sostanza attenzione.
Il minimalismo di David Leavitt è sempre molto piacevole, ma non credo sia adatto ad una storia con molti personaggi e con una struttura temporale complessa. Preferisco di gran lunga il Leavitt che rispetta le regole auree di tempo, di luogo e di azione, proprio per la sua capacità di approfondire le situazioni e di creare ambienti grazie alle sue descrizioni attente ed esatte.
Detto questo, classifico "Eguali amori" un bel passo indietro rispetto ad altri romanzi brevi, come "Il voltapagine" o "Mentre l'Inghilterra dorme".
Da quando lessi "La lingua perduta delle gru" sono un grande estimatore di David Leavitt, che reputo un grande narratore, con la capacità sopraffina ma naturale di scavare nei sentimenti e di esaminare eventi e personaggi in ogni minimo dettaglio.
Succede anche in questo libro, "Eguali amori", dove si raccontano le vicende di una famiglia americana tra la California e New York, in un crescendo di tristezza, sfascio e isolamento. Nat e Louise sembrano la classica coppia di mezza età con piccoli problemi ma grande amore e invece, quando lei scopre di essere malata di cancro, le cose si complicano. I figli, April e Danny, ciascuno impegnato nella propria carriera ma profondamente legati, entrambi gay e quindi appassionatamente connessi, vivono il dolore della madre e lo introiettano, divenendo sempre più diversi.
Tra tutti questi personaggi, è proprio Louise la mia preferita. Essa incarna l'unità famigliare, la comprensione di ogni cosa, la vitalità nonostante tutto, la leggerezza nell'affrontare la vita, la convinzione dei propri mezzi e il coraggio di andare avanti. Louise non è solo il perno attorno a cui ruotano tutte le vicende, ma anche l'unico vero personaggio positivo e quello su cui l'autore si concentra maggiormente nel fornire vicende, parole, caratterizzazione e in sostanza attenzione.
Il minimalismo di David Leavitt è sempre molto piacevole, ma non credo sia adatto ad una storia con molti personaggi e con una struttura temporale complessa. Preferisco di gran lunga il Leavitt che rispetta le regole auree di tempo, di luogo e di azione, proprio per la sua capacità di approfondire le situazioni e di creare ambienti grazie alle sue descrizioni attente ed esatte.
Detto questo, classifico "Eguali amori" un bel passo indietro rispetto ad altri romanzi brevi, come "Il voltapagine" o "Mentre l'Inghilterra dorme".
November 8, 2023
The summary really pulled a wooly over my eyes, not gonna lie. I thought we were going to spend the majority of the book looking through the lens of the mother or at least have chapters going through different people’s points of view. I think the book spent way too much time on the backgrounds and personal lives of everyone else and didn’t really focus on the last moments of spending time with the mother. Did they even like their mother? Anything that they did for her felt more like fake obligation. Doing things out of obligation can already feel cold and robotic. So to even fake obligation sounds worse and comes across as “I’d rather be anywhere else than here.” I didn’t like either of the children, especially April, the father was a bastard and deserved nothing good, and the son’s boyfriend was super creepy with how close he was to the family. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been in a relationship like that, but it felt like he wanted to date their son but wanted to be adopted into the family at the same time.
That was another strange feature as well. The narrative went from the mother to the children to the boyfriend? The boyfriend and his weird cheating-but-not-cheating online dalliance? It felt like the author had a LOT to say, but throughout the writing process realized, “Oh shoot I’m supposed to be talking about the dying mother! How do I loop this back into the main narrative?”
The characters are more or less estranged from one another but they have an unhealthy attachment to each other as well. Each person knows how they feel and they know how they feel about one another. But they insist on keeping most things bottled up, gritting their teeth, and clenching their fists, hoping that the other person will pick up on their discomfort and agony. I don’t want to go much into each of the characters, they were very unlikeable. But the overall…collection of thoughts, feelings, themes, perspectives…it just felt like a peek into the lives of people who are, needless to say, unremarkable. Definitely would not recommend.
That was another strange feature as well. The narrative went from the mother to the children to the boyfriend? The boyfriend and his weird cheating-but-not-cheating online dalliance? It felt like the author had a LOT to say, but throughout the writing process realized, “Oh shoot I’m supposed to be talking about the dying mother! How do I loop this back into the main narrative?”
The characters are more or less estranged from one another but they have an unhealthy attachment to each other as well. Each person knows how they feel and they know how they feel about one another. But they insist on keeping most things bottled up, gritting their teeth, and clenching their fists, hoping that the other person will pick up on their discomfort and agony. I don’t want to go much into each of the characters, they were very unlikeable. But the overall…collection of thoughts, feelings, themes, perspectives…it just felt like a peek into the lives of people who are, needless to say, unremarkable. Definitely would not recommend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 23, 2019
Nat en Louise zijn al vele jaren getrouwd. Hun dochter April is een gevierd popzangeres, hun zoon Danny is advocaat en woont samen met zijn vriend Walter. Tegen de achtergrond van het moderne stadsleven schetst David Leavitt op subtiele wijze de onderlinge verhoudingen binnen het gezin. Als rode draad door het verhaal loopt de ongeneeslijke ziekte van de opstandige moeder.
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Eendere liefde gaat over een Amerikaans gezin: vader Nat, een nogal ruggegraatloze figuur, is docent informatica; moeder Louise is een rusteloze, zoekende vrouw. Hun homoseksuele zoon Danny en zijn vriend Walter zijn beiden advocaat en dochter April is een befaamd popzangeres. Het valt moeilijk uit te maken wat het treurigst is in deze nieuwste roman vam Leavitt (1961): de wijze waarop Louise gruwelijk langzaam door kanker wordt gesloopt, of de angst voor intimiteit die vrijwel alle personages beheerst en een karikaturaal dieptepunt bereikt in de zich aan computersex overgevende Walter. Toch is er - en dat is het tragische - veel affectie in de roman: tussen moeder en zoon, zoon en dochter, zoon en vriend... Wanneer April een kind wil, insemineert ze zich met behulp van een bedruipspuit met het zaad van een homoseksuele vriend. Opvallend en bijna onmodern is het onuitgesproken mededogen waarmee de personages worden gepresenteerd, al is een milde ironie niet afwezig. Knap verteld, maar slordig vertaald: te vaak schijnt het Amerikaans door het Nederlands heen. Leavitt debuteerde als 19-jarig literair wonderkind in the New Yorker. Goedkope pocketeditie; normale druk, krappe marge.
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Eendere liefde gaat over een Amerikaans gezin: vader Nat, een nogal ruggegraatloze figuur, is docent informatica; moeder Louise is een rusteloze, zoekende vrouw. Hun homoseksuele zoon Danny en zijn vriend Walter zijn beiden advocaat en dochter April is een befaamd popzangeres. Het valt moeilijk uit te maken wat het treurigst is in deze nieuwste roman vam Leavitt (1961): de wijze waarop Louise gruwelijk langzaam door kanker wordt gesloopt, of de angst voor intimiteit die vrijwel alle personages beheerst en een karikaturaal dieptepunt bereikt in de zich aan computersex overgevende Walter. Toch is er - en dat is het tragische - veel affectie in de roman: tussen moeder en zoon, zoon en dochter, zoon en vriend... Wanneer April een kind wil, insemineert ze zich met behulp van een bedruipspuit met het zaad van een homoseksuele vriend. Opvallend en bijna onmodern is het onuitgesproken mededogen waarmee de personages worden gepresenteerd, al is een milde ironie niet afwezig. Knap verteld, maar slordig vertaald: te vaak schijnt het Amerikaans door het Nederlands heen. Leavitt debuteerde als 19-jarig literair wonderkind in the New Yorker. Goedkope pocketeditie; normale druk, krappe marge.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 19, 2022
I read this book a long time ago and while I could not but recognise Mr. Leavitt's skills as a writer (I had already read and loved his short stories) it was a novel that I did not love and that somehow failed to engage or hold me. I have never contemplated rereading it and now, struggling to find room for books I do value, I am consigning to the charity shop.
Why the novel fails to engage me is hard to explain. Maybe it is because the suburban setting in which Leavitt's characters live and flourish is one that even as a child I felt alienated from and consistently fled from at every opportunity. Of course I love many books with settings and characters that I neither like nor have any affinity for. I do not look for a reflection of what I know when I read. The New Jersey suburban setting of Equal Affections is alien to me so maybe it is recognition of something I feared that drives me from liking the novel. There but for luck, and bloody mindedness, I might have lived.
But for all that it is a story of great strengths. I can't love it but there are many reasons why many others will love and they are not wrong to love it. It is just not my cup of tea. So if it doesn't work for you then you are not alone.
Why the novel fails to engage me is hard to explain. Maybe it is because the suburban setting in which Leavitt's characters live and flourish is one that even as a child I felt alienated from and consistently fled from at every opportunity. Of course I love many books with settings and characters that I neither like nor have any affinity for. I do not look for a reflection of what I know when I read. The New Jersey suburban setting of Equal Affections is alien to me so maybe it is recognition of something I feared that drives me from liking the novel. There but for luck, and bloody mindedness, I might have lived.
But for all that it is a story of great strengths. I can't love it but there are many reasons why many others will love and they are not wrong to love it. It is just not my cup of tea. So if it doesn't work for you then you are not alone.
December 15, 2022
"Equal Affections" by David Leavitt follows a woman named Louise, who has had cancer for 20 years, and her family, the Cooper family. This includes her son, Danny, a lawyer living in the suburbs of New Jersey with his lover, Walter, and her daughter April, a lesbian activist and famous folk singer. While it was different in its own ways and did include many LGBTQ+ characters, I didn't particularly enjoy this book. The plot was unclear to me, after 100 pages I was still confused. By this time, I was getting pretty bored with the book and not enjoying reading it as much. I liked the characters to an extent, but the way the book jumped around so greatly in timelines and characters with little to no warning made it hard to follow along. This wouldn't be my first book recommendation to someone, but if they wanted a plotless book about a family in the mid to late 80s, this would be that book.
March 21, 2018
p. 14:
Danny's fantasy: He is twelve years old, riding his bicycle to the shopping mall .... He is locking his bicycle to a lamppost, ... when he feels the proximity of another body, feels warm breath against his hair. He turns around, still crouched, and a man is standing over him, a tall man in a gray leather jacket and jeans, a man who is at once a stranger and oddly, intimately familiar to him .... "Danny," he says. "Danny."
Danny's eyes suddenly fill with tears. His cheeks flush. He looks at the ground.
"I'm you," the stranger says. "I'm who you're going to become. And I've come to tell you--to reassure you--you're going to be fine, just fine."
Danny's fantasy: He is twelve years old, riding his bicycle to the shopping mall .... He is locking his bicycle to a lamppost, ... when he feels the proximity of another body, feels warm breath against his hair. He turns around, still crouched, and a man is standing over him, a tall man in a gray leather jacket and jeans, a man who is at once a stranger and oddly, intimately familiar to him .... "Danny," he says. "Danny."
Danny's eyes suddenly fill with tears. His cheeks flush. He looks at the ground.
"I'm you," the stranger says. "I'm who you're going to become. And I've come to tell you--to reassure you--you're going to be fine, just fine."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2025
The book started strong but then quickly fizzled into drawn out long winded narrative. it touches on family dynamics mostly on siblings rivalry. however, some of the main characters (I.e.Danny) were not adequately developed Story-weise. it felt like something is constantly missing. half way you feel like you are dragging your brain through placid and quite boring family drama that doesn't really qualify as such....
October 31, 2020
A family chronicle, and a portrait of a matriarch who, at the beginning of the book, has been diagnosed with cancer. Leavitts characters are deftly drawn, grounded in history, and alive, too. Some parts lagged, around the 3/4 mark, but by the end of the book the separate threads needled together, and I could see what he was doing. 4.5 stars.
February 16, 2021
Lang geleden dat ik iets van David Leavitt las maar het viel niet tegen.
Mooi hoe hij in de hoofden van elk personage kruipt, en laat voelen hoe iedereen zijn best doet maar zelden loskomt van zijn eigen preoccupaties. Des te mooier is het dan als mensen elkaar kort wél weten te vinden, in liefde en vergevingsgezindheid.
Mooi hoe hij in de hoofden van elk personage kruipt, en laat voelen hoe iedereen zijn best doet maar zelden loskomt van zijn eigen preoccupaties. Des te mooier is het dan als mensen elkaar kort wél weten te vinden, in liefde en vergevingsgezindheid.
June 5, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found the characters intriguing, human, contradictory and overall simply endearing. Favorite Leavitt to date!
October 6, 2017
Very well-written novel about a family. I will read more of his books.
March 4, 2020
Un libro maturo nella narrazione e nella storia. Un piccolo gioiello di un grande autore
June 26, 2021
Los conflictos me interesan menos que en otros libros suyos, pero siempre tiene buenos personajes y una literatura LGTB en condiciones
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews