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Harlan's Story #3
Billy's Boy
For those who know Warren's previous novels, this is the third in a series. The first, The Front Runner, is about a young gay distance runner who was outed on his way to the Olympics. For those who haven't read The Front Runner yet, Billy's Boy stands alone as a story.
Billy's Boy is a first person story, about a teen's passionate search to know more about his dead gay father, his lesbian mother's past...and his own sexual destiny.
John William, 14, describes himself as "the science geek from hell." He loves astronomy, dreams of exploring the universe as a NASA astronaut. But lately his attention is focused on Earth, his best friend Shawn, and his own awakening body. New in L.A., he hangs out with his straight girl buddy Ana and two Latino club kids, Teak and Elena, that he just met. William is sure he's straight, and he is irritated by Teak's effeminate attitude.
339 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
5 people are currently reading
379 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Nell Warren
23 books119 followersPatricia Nell Warren (pen-name Patricia Kylyna) was a Ukrainian and American poet and novelist. She wrote her works in Ukrainian and English.
In 1957 she married a Ukrainian emigre writer Yuriy Tarnawsky and subsequently learned Ukrainian language. Under Tarnawsky's influence she started socializing in Ukrainian emigre writers' circles and soon started writing her own poems, which culminated in her publishing several well-received Ukrainian poetry collections: Trahediya dzhmeliv (New-York: Vydavnytstvo New Yorkskoyi hrypy, 1960), Legendy i sny (New-York: Vydavnytstvo New Yorkskoyi hrypy, 1964), and Rozhevi mista (Munich: Suchasnist, 1969). She published her Ukrainian poetry collections under the pen-name Patricia Kylyna.
After Nell Warren divorced Tarnawsky in 1973, she left Ukrainian literature and never wrote another book in Ukrainian until her death. Instead Nell Warren switched to American literature and tried her best as an American novelist. In 1972 she published her first book in English, a novel The Last Centennial, still under her pen-name Patricia Kylyna (Kilina). Her breakthrough came in 1974 when she published a gay-themed novel The Front Runner. This was the first time she published any of her books under her real name Patricia Nell Warren, and it paid off: the book sold more than 10 mil. copies and was subsequently translated into multiple languages.
For her Ukrainian-language profile see Патриція Килина
In 1957 she married a Ukrainian emigre writer Yuriy Tarnawsky and subsequently learned Ukrainian language. Under Tarnawsky's influence she started socializing in Ukrainian emigre writers' circles and soon started writing her own poems, which culminated in her publishing several well-received Ukrainian poetry collections: Trahediya dzhmeliv (New-York: Vydavnytstvo New Yorkskoyi hrypy, 1960), Legendy i sny (New-York: Vydavnytstvo New Yorkskoyi hrypy, 1964), and Rozhevi mista (Munich: Suchasnist, 1969). She published her Ukrainian poetry collections under the pen-name Patricia Kylyna.
After Nell Warren divorced Tarnawsky in 1973, she left Ukrainian literature and never wrote another book in Ukrainian until her death. Instead Nell Warren switched to American literature and tried her best as an American novelist. In 1972 she published her first book in English, a novel The Last Centennial, still under her pen-name Patricia Kylyna (Kilina). Her breakthrough came in 1974 when she published a gay-themed novel The Front Runner. This was the first time she published any of her books under her real name Patricia Nell Warren, and it paid off: the book sold more than 10 mil. copies and was subsequently translated into multiple languages.
For her Ukrainian-language profile see Патриція Килина
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
September 2, 2024
✰ 3 stars ✰
“Maybe Life isn't totally about loving other people. Maybe it is also about loving myself — about being married to my destiny.”
I wish I could have asked PNW why she wrote William's mother the way that she did. I get how she wanted to protect William from the dangers of what Harlan was experiencing in the wake of hatred and prejudice, but her attitude and treatment of Harlan upon reuniting with him carried little to no remorse or regret for how she behaved. 'The anger exploded in me, massive, like a giant star going off. "It's like... like nobody wants me to know!' Rather, to throw an attitude to her own son that he owes it to him to give him a chance, when she herself does not see eye to eye with him on so many aspects. It was hard for me to empathize or sympathize with her. It's not even about her being a closeted lesbian who has faced rejection from her own family. It's not. 😟 And I agree that she did everything to protect him because she loved him. It's just that she gave me the impression that she sacrificed the most to raise him on her own, when Harlan never once gave her the idea that he did not want to be a part of John William's life.
“Astronomy and genetics," he said. "Interesting combination, huh? The universe outside, and the universe inside."”
Yes, the past can't be changed and it is the future we have to look towards and be hopeful about. But, that does not change the lingering frustration and disdain I had for her character. 🙎🏻♀️ I'll probably never know the struggles she went through and she is not a relatable character. - to me, so maybe therein lies the reasoning behind my conflicted thoughts. It's just something that bothered me throughout this coming of age story of Billy's Boy - a chronicle of events that highlights the challenges of 14-year-old John William during the heightened time of intensely charged emotions of gay awakening and racial discrimination and how he comes to terms with the radical changes that will come to light in his own personal life. A young boy on a Mission to find the missing pieces of his life, and hopefully bring him back into an orbit that he's found himself lost and alone for far too long. 🥺
“Creaking sobs tore through me. I actually held the picture to my chest. Finally I searched in the backpack for my new lighter, and relit the candle.
"I'm sorry," I whispered to it. "Don't be mad at me. I'm trying to understand....”
William's story was twofold divided. On one hand it was his desperate search to find his best friend, Shawn, who was at the savage mercy of his own very conservative parents and went into hiding because of the damning treatment they inflicted upon him. While the other was trying to find his roots in the absence of a father he never knew - believing to be the son of the famous sprinter Billy who met a tragic ending and wanting to see if there was even the slightest bit of him that was present in him. It's that search of finding oneself both spiritually, sexually and personally that really throws him for a loop. 😥 'The whole family has them. You, your mom, Harlan, all of us. We've lost so much. Time to deal with our ghosts.' So much of his life was without knowing that I did not blame him for his outrage and his anger - that pent up resentment that surged forward. 😢 The adults - while caring, were still uncaring, because they always chalked it up that they have seen the worst already, so his temper tantrums really were unaccounted for. That stung - but it's very real. 😔
“Maybe we have to hurt so we'll appreciate when we get healed.”
Through his actions and deliberations, William experiences new sights and new frontiers. Los Angeles offers him a fresh perspective on a life his mother sheltered him from - perhaps, to prevent him from being gay like his father - something that eventually bit her back in the butt, when he was so confused about himself - even to suggest therapy to help him with his troubling questions. I loved seeing Harlan and Vince together; time has weathered their feelings, as well as the storm of doubt of their love lasting. 🥹🥹 'Men loving and having fights and making up... the idea was hard to imagine.' It was sweet and sentimental and touched William to see two men be affectionate and lovable; it's confusing, especially in lieu with his own feelings for Shawn, but his thoughts were so very honest that it was easy to feel for him. And that is what I do appreciate about PNW's writing; it's with such ease that she can immerse you into his emotions, while throwing in space euphemisms and complicated jargon, and still make you connect with his confusion and fierce desire to find a place for himself - his niche, or to at least make his thoughts and feelings feel validated. It's an emotional upheaval that she seeps you into, that I did appreciate. 🙏🏻
In a way, it was a fitting conclusion to Harlan's race. He is at the finishing line of his life, but something was missing to make it complete. It is the memories that he shared with Billy that he was able to pass on to his son that stood out for me; it was about closure that calmed the tumultuous storm in his heart that satisfied me. 'Brown's eyes said more — about how sad he'd been, how much he'd missed being around me.' Did I tear up with the scenes between Billy and William? The dreams of a fleeting desire to rekindle a meeting between the man who is only in spirit, but knows him, somehow, more intimately than anyone? There was something deeply poignant and cathartic of William's scenes with these two men that brought him into this world that was emotional, but rewarding. ❤️🩹 ❤️🩹 Absent in his life, but never his heart, it's about making up for lost time that Harlan and William both needed - 'what matters is the love, not the piece of paper.' The bittersweet, but tender rebuttal of both of them missing out on time lost was a heartfelt moment that truly changed the tide for William's life. 💛💛
“La familia,'' he said softly. "You don't know how important it is till you don't have it.”
It was nice to see some familiar faces and tie up some loose ends. Some have their own means to an end with William, and some are eager to share in the memory of a dead father he's desperate to cherish. Shawn's ending, though - I'm at odds with. 🤔 She painted their love story with such zeal and vulnerable innocence that I really thought it would head in a different direction; but, I respect that the author went in the route of how life and first love can never be a certainty. That the world is changing and William needs the chance to explore those changes on his own. 💌
The fact that she was able to touch upon so many changes in lieu of the time was an achievement as it was, without feeling it overwhelming. 👍🏻 That he can't cling onto the memory of a dead person, when in the living there are those who care for him just as much. 'William, we're so glad you're here. You are... the missing piece of the puzzle.' For she introduces a new range of colorful characters - both fruity and flamboyantly flirtatious - that teach William about how one can embrace one's sexuality, or feel threatened by it. Each of them played a part in shaping William's views on unfamiliar insights and allowed him to broaden his own experience with a different side of his nature. 🌺
“I had always known that I came back from the stars to pick my Mom. But Harlan had reached out to the stars to pick me.”
My lower rating in comparison to the previous books lies mainly in how much my own personal disgruntlement with the treatment of William from his family was hard for me to overlook or forgive. I also felt certain terms could have been avoided, and the physical intimacy scenes were not as finely written as before. 😐 But, this has been an enlightening reading experience for me. This series had its merits and its moments; it showed a side of romance at a time of thrills and peril of being who you were. It was able to include hatred and the fear of AIDS in one, while also touching upon one family's determination and conviction to survive - by all means necessary in the face of the fear. Billy changed so many lives; to see his love shine on in those he touched by his beautiful presence, on Harlan's whose destiny changed because of meeting him, is what made William's own life take a turn for the better of a brighter future. 🌠
“Maybe Life isn't totally about loving other people. Maybe it is also about loving myself — about being married to my destiny.”
I wish I could have asked PNW why she wrote William's mother the way that she did. I get how she wanted to protect William from the dangers of what Harlan was experiencing in the wake of hatred and prejudice, but her attitude and treatment of Harlan upon reuniting with him carried little to no remorse or regret for how she behaved. 'The anger exploded in me, massive, like a giant star going off. "It's like... like nobody wants me to know!' Rather, to throw an attitude to her own son that he owes it to him to give him a chance, when she herself does not see eye to eye with him on so many aspects. It was hard for me to empathize or sympathize with her. It's not even about her being a closeted lesbian who has faced rejection from her own family. It's not. 😟 And I agree that she did everything to protect him because she loved him. It's just that she gave me the impression that she sacrificed the most to raise him on her own, when Harlan never once gave her the idea that he did not want to be a part of John William's life.
“Astronomy and genetics," he said. "Interesting combination, huh? The universe outside, and the universe inside."”
Yes, the past can't be changed and it is the future we have to look towards and be hopeful about. But, that does not change the lingering frustration and disdain I had for her character. 🙎🏻♀️ I'll probably never know the struggles she went through and she is not a relatable character. - to me, so maybe therein lies the reasoning behind my conflicted thoughts. It's just something that bothered me throughout this coming of age story of Billy's Boy - a chronicle of events that highlights the challenges of 14-year-old John William during the heightened time of intensely charged emotions of gay awakening and racial discrimination and how he comes to terms with the radical changes that will come to light in his own personal life. A young boy on a Mission to find the missing pieces of his life, and hopefully bring him back into an orbit that he's found himself lost and alone for far too long. 🥺
“Creaking sobs tore through me. I actually held the picture to my chest. Finally I searched in the backpack for my new lighter, and relit the candle.
"I'm sorry," I whispered to it. "Don't be mad at me. I'm trying to understand....”
William's story was twofold divided. On one hand it was his desperate search to find his best friend, Shawn, who was at the savage mercy of his own very conservative parents and went into hiding because of the damning treatment they inflicted upon him. While the other was trying to find his roots in the absence of a father he never knew - believing to be the son of the famous sprinter Billy who met a tragic ending and wanting to see if there was even the slightest bit of him that was present in him. It's that search of finding oneself both spiritually, sexually and personally that really throws him for a loop. 😥 'The whole family has them. You, your mom, Harlan, all of us. We've lost so much. Time to deal with our ghosts.' So much of his life was without knowing that I did not blame him for his outrage and his anger - that pent up resentment that surged forward. 😢 The adults - while caring, were still uncaring, because they always chalked it up that they have seen the worst already, so his temper tantrums really were unaccounted for. That stung - but it's very real. 😔
“Maybe we have to hurt so we'll appreciate when we get healed.”
Through his actions and deliberations, William experiences new sights and new frontiers. Los Angeles offers him a fresh perspective on a life his mother sheltered him from - perhaps, to prevent him from being gay like his father - something that eventually bit her back in the butt, when he was so confused about himself - even to suggest therapy to help him with his troubling questions. I loved seeing Harlan and Vince together; time has weathered their feelings, as well as the storm of doubt of their love lasting. 🥹🥹 'Men loving and having fights and making up... the idea was hard to imagine.' It was sweet and sentimental and touched William to see two men be affectionate and lovable; it's confusing, especially in lieu with his own feelings for Shawn, but his thoughts were so very honest that it was easy to feel for him. And that is what I do appreciate about PNW's writing; it's with such ease that she can immerse you into his emotions, while throwing in space euphemisms and complicated jargon, and still make you connect with his confusion and fierce desire to find a place for himself - his niche, or to at least make his thoughts and feelings feel validated. It's an emotional upheaval that she seeps you into, that I did appreciate. 🙏🏻
In a way, it was a fitting conclusion to Harlan's race. He is at the finishing line of his life, but something was missing to make it complete. It is the memories that he shared with Billy that he was able to pass on to his son that stood out for me; it was about closure that calmed the tumultuous storm in his heart that satisfied me. 'Brown's eyes said more — about how sad he'd been, how much he'd missed being around me.' Did I tear up with the scenes between Billy and William? The dreams of a fleeting desire to rekindle a meeting between the man who is only in spirit, but knows him, somehow, more intimately than anyone? There was something deeply poignant and cathartic of William's scenes with these two men that brought him into this world that was emotional, but rewarding. ❤️🩹 ❤️🩹 Absent in his life, but never his heart, it's about making up for lost time that Harlan and William both needed - 'what matters is the love, not the piece of paper.' The bittersweet, but tender rebuttal of both of them missing out on time lost was a heartfelt moment that truly changed the tide for William's life. 💛💛
“La familia,'' he said softly. "You don't know how important it is till you don't have it.”
It was nice to see some familiar faces and tie up some loose ends. Some have their own means to an end with William, and some are eager to share in the memory of a dead father he's desperate to cherish. Shawn's ending, though - I'm at odds with. 🤔 She painted their love story with such zeal and vulnerable innocence that I really thought it would head in a different direction; but, I respect that the author went in the route of how life and first love can never be a certainty. That the world is changing and William needs the chance to explore those changes on his own. 💌
The fact that she was able to touch upon so many changes in lieu of the time was an achievement as it was, without feeling it overwhelming. 👍🏻 That he can't cling onto the memory of a dead person, when in the living there are those who care for him just as much. 'William, we're so glad you're here. You are... the missing piece of the puzzle.' For she introduces a new range of colorful characters - both fruity and flamboyantly flirtatious - that teach William about how one can embrace one's sexuality, or feel threatened by it. Each of them played a part in shaping William's views on unfamiliar insights and allowed him to broaden his own experience with a different side of his nature. 🌺
“I had always known that I came back from the stars to pick my Mom. But Harlan had reached out to the stars to pick me.”
My lower rating in comparison to the previous books lies mainly in how much my own personal disgruntlement with the treatment of William from his family was hard for me to overlook or forgive. I also felt certain terms could have been avoided, and the physical intimacy scenes were not as finely written as before. 😐 But, this has been an enlightening reading experience for me. This series had its merits and its moments; it showed a side of romance at a time of thrills and peril of being who you were. It was able to include hatred and the fear of AIDS in one, while also touching upon one family's determination and conviction to survive - by all means necessary in the face of the fear. Billy changed so many lives; to see his love shine on in those he touched by his beautiful presence, on Harlan's whose destiny changed because of meeting him, is what made William's own life take a turn for the better of a brighter future. 🌠
January 25, 2009
I love this story. Love it. It fed my soul.
If I could write a book of my own, I think it would be very similar to Billy's Boy. And if I could gather all my own chosen family up and hand them one book to remind them of the value of having each other, it would be this novel. In so many places throughout the story, the characters' conflicts and relationships spoke to me; they really are nearly a mirror of the people and emotions that populate my own family life.
Warren has a powerful message to send, here, and I think she gets that message across with a lot of grace and understanding. Only in some places does it become even slightly afterschool-special-ey. However there's good reason for it to have those overtones, as apparently Warren has done significant work with gay youth and clearly wants to share the resources she knows. Can't blame her for that.
The only complaint I have is that the ending should have been about twenty pages before where it was, just to make the reader feel a deeper sense of satisfaction and peace. As it was, it sort of rambled a bit and then ended with a lot of unanswered questions. But, I guess, life's not like that, so why should realistic literature be like that?
If I could write a book of my own, I think it would be very similar to Billy's Boy. And if I could gather all my own chosen family up and hand them one book to remind them of the value of having each other, it would be this novel. In so many places throughout the story, the characters' conflicts and relationships spoke to me; they really are nearly a mirror of the people and emotions that populate my own family life.
Warren has a powerful message to send, here, and I think she gets that message across with a lot of grace and understanding. Only in some places does it become even slightly afterschool-special-ey. However there's good reason for it to have those overtones, as apparently Warren has done significant work with gay youth and clearly wants to share the resources she knows. Can't blame her for that.
The only complaint I have is that the ending should have been about twenty pages before where it was, just to make the reader feel a deeper sense of satisfaction and peace. As it was, it sort of rambled a bit and then ended with a lot of unanswered questions. But, I guess, life's not like that, so why should realistic literature be like that?
July 11, 2013
A little disappointed with this final book in the series. This is the story of an artificially inseminated offspring of Billy Sive, the gay track start from The Front Runner, and his lesbian friend, Betsy Heden. It is written from the perspective of the pre-teen main character, William, but the conversations he has with his peers seem a little too mature for an 11-y/o. Contrast this with the attitude William has against life in the other extreme... trashing his bedroom and handmade telescope in one scene, and complete disregard for smashing heirloom china when he is a guest in someone else's home.
The bird theme is carried over from the previous two novels, and there is also a theme of star-gazing or astrology with Billy's Boy.
In a twist of drama by the end, we find out William's biological ancestry (again, un-enchanting), that left me with another level of "huh?"
The bird theme is carried over from the previous two novels, and there is also a theme of star-gazing or astrology with Billy's Boy.
In a twist of drama by the end, we find out William's biological ancestry (again, un-enchanting), that left me with another level of "huh?"
November 25, 2012
I have to be honest. I loved The Front Runner and Harlan's Race... so it bothers me this book is so terrible. The point of view comes across as forced. William is a terrible protagonist. The addition of characters like Anna could be so wonderful and falls short. Even Betsy comes across as weak I guess the first two books gave me high expectations that really didn't shine here. I still reread this book, which is why I gave it two stars - but it's just because it comes after 1 and 2!
September 13, 2024
Dus... Billy's boy... Wat een verrassend boek na deel 2, Harlan's Race. Ik heb serieus gehuild bij deel 1, The Front Runner; zo mooi en triest. En in deel 2 was ik boos op Harlan en vond ik het verhaal 100 kanten opvliegen, waarvan slechts 1 interessant was. Het lezen van dit derde deel heb ik daarom uitgesteld, uit angst dat het ook zou tegenvallen. Na een moeizame start vond ik het echter mooi, heel mooi. Niet Billy-the-frontrunner-mooi maar evengoed emotioneel en diepgaand. William is een round character met veel boosheid en onzekerheden in zich. Zijn jeugd wordt gevormd door de afwezige gay vader die hij nooit heeft gekend en zijn verlangen het universum te begrijpen.
Billy's boy is een verhaal over liefde, discriminatie, seksualiteit en familie. Mooi.
Billy's boy is een verhaal over liefde, discriminatie, seksualiteit en familie. Mooi.
June 28, 2022
Que mejor forma de celebrar el Día del Libro LGBTIQ+ que con la culminación de esta gran obra, repleta de grandes enseñanzas y aprendizajes.
He de admitir que del principio a la mitad, me pareció lento, sentía que la trama no me satisfacía por completo y que algo le hacía falta al desarrollo de sus personajes y su acontecer.
Sin embargo a partir de la mitad, la historia me fue conquistando de manera muy especial. Me encantó la narrativa tan clara y directa para manifestar la dura realidad a la que siempre ha tenido que enfrentarse la comunidad de la diversidad sexual.
El hacerle justicia al amor paternal, marcado por la tragedia, me llenó de sobremanera. Ser testigo de los sabores y sinsabores por los que tuvo que pasar un padre para ganarse el cariño de su hijo, fue motivador.
Que forma tan especial de cerrar la trilogía Salir del armario, conformada por: El corredor de fondo, La carrera de Harlan y finalmente, El hijo de Billy.
Cuando supe de dicha trilogía, lo primero que hice fue buscar su autora: Patricia Nell Warren, con quien desarrollé una bonita relación a distancia, a través de la plataforma de Facebook. Constantemente, compartimos reflexiones acerca de sus libros; ella se sintió encantada con mi reseña y aportes de El corredor de fondo. Cuán doloroso fue el deceso de esta grande de la letras, producto de cáncer, en el año 2019.
Este libro es un despertar para las sociedades del mundo, manifestando la importancia del valor humano, desde su esencia y más allá de los prejuicios que injustamente, una preferencia sexual distinta puede impregnar en otros seres humanos.
Me conmovió la lucha por encajar, así como el amor tan infinito manifestado en unos padres, quienes tras la inseminación artificial, trajeron al mundo a un hijo de Billy a quien le tocó lidiar con una sociedad que no aceptaba la realidad de sus padres. Su madre, atraída hacia las mujeres y su padre, marcado por la tragedia de la pérdida de su gran amor.
La lucha por los derechos humanos y por permitir que la justicia e igualdad imperen y trasciendan, me inspiró de una manera muy especial.
Un cierre de lujo, para una trilogía que ha conquistado a millones a lo largo del mundo y con el paso de la vida, ha dejado, deja y dejará huella. Aunque ni este libro, ni La carrera de Harlan, superarán el deleite de El corredor de fondo, de El hijo de Billy aprendí muchísimo y el viaje a través del torbellino de emociones, fue grandioso también.
¡Infinitas son las gracias, abrazos hasta el cielo, Patricia Nell Warren!
He de admitir que del principio a la mitad, me pareció lento, sentía que la trama no me satisfacía por completo y que algo le hacía falta al desarrollo de sus personajes y su acontecer.
Sin embargo a partir de la mitad, la historia me fue conquistando de manera muy especial. Me encantó la narrativa tan clara y directa para manifestar la dura realidad a la que siempre ha tenido que enfrentarse la comunidad de la diversidad sexual.
El hacerle justicia al amor paternal, marcado por la tragedia, me llenó de sobremanera. Ser testigo de los sabores y sinsabores por los que tuvo que pasar un padre para ganarse el cariño de su hijo, fue motivador.
Que forma tan especial de cerrar la trilogía Salir del armario, conformada por: El corredor de fondo, La carrera de Harlan y finalmente, El hijo de Billy.
Cuando supe de dicha trilogía, lo primero que hice fue buscar su autora: Patricia Nell Warren, con quien desarrollé una bonita relación a distancia, a través de la plataforma de Facebook. Constantemente, compartimos reflexiones acerca de sus libros; ella se sintió encantada con mi reseña y aportes de El corredor de fondo. Cuán doloroso fue el deceso de esta grande de la letras, producto de cáncer, en el año 2019.
Este libro es un despertar para las sociedades del mundo, manifestando la importancia del valor humano, desde su esencia y más allá de los prejuicios que injustamente, una preferencia sexual distinta puede impregnar en otros seres humanos.
Me conmovió la lucha por encajar, así como el amor tan infinito manifestado en unos padres, quienes tras la inseminación artificial, trajeron al mundo a un hijo de Billy a quien le tocó lidiar con una sociedad que no aceptaba la realidad de sus padres. Su madre, atraída hacia las mujeres y su padre, marcado por la tragedia de la pérdida de su gran amor.
La lucha por los derechos humanos y por permitir que la justicia e igualdad imperen y trasciendan, me inspiró de una manera muy especial.
Un cierre de lujo, para una trilogía que ha conquistado a millones a lo largo del mundo y con el paso de la vida, ha dejado, deja y dejará huella. Aunque ni este libro, ni La carrera de Harlan, superarán el deleite de El corredor de fondo, de El hijo de Billy aprendí muchísimo y el viaje a través del torbellino de emociones, fue grandioso también.
¡Infinitas son las gracias, abrazos hasta el cielo, Patricia Nell Warren!
August 29, 2022
I always tear through Patricia Nell Warren’s books, really eager to find out what happens next until some absolutely wild political take stops me short. This book was chock full of those, every couple of chapters there was something about history or AIDS or politics that left me confused and a little put off. Some issues with pacing too, but ultimately an interesting conclusion to the Front Runner series.
June 25, 2020
Calificación mental de 3,2 no alcanzo lo suficiente para llegar un poco más lejos. Este libro lo sentí algo lento e inconexo, se que la autora no planteaba precisamente que fuera una continuación de «El corredor de fondo» y «La carrera de Harlan» pero tomando en cuenta los personajes y el hilo de la historia es válido considerarla así, ahora a modo de opinión personal la novela si bien es ambiciosa en lo que narra la parte de las aficiones y la construcción del personaje principal me dejaron bastante que desear ya que realmente fue poco lo que conecté con el mismo, le sentí particularmente apático, como libro con tematicas LGTBIQA+ es claramente uno de los primeros que conozco para su epoca de publicación, así que en este apartado fue claramente constructivo. No lo recomiendo más que para quién conozca los dos libros anteriores y que además le llegué a interesar por el «desenlace» de los personajes.
December 26, 2012
This story is unbelievably real. The characters and their struggles reflect the harsh world with which we live in today. I have not read any other novels by Patricia, however I did not need to. This book is full of characters with depth and substance, offering no dull moment. My only concern is the way things turn out at the end of the book. A lot of things are still unanswered, but less so than when the story began. Overall a good book, that screams realism!
July 16, 2012
Wow, read this one in about a day. Writing is kind of clunky, but I still couldn't wait to see how the family turned out.
April 13, 2022
(⭐ INFINITAS).
No tengo palabras para expresar lo que me ha gustado esta novela. Es la tercera parte del gran éxito "El corredor de fondo" (debo mencionar que aunque es la tercera parte la he leído como la segunda, aunque al inicio de la novela se menciona que el orden no tiene tanta importancia). La evolución de los personajes ha sido impresionante. El personaje del hijo de Billy me ha gustado principalmente porque es muy real, algo del todo admirable. Otros personajes que quiero destacar son Shawn (que se ha desarrollado muchísimo a lo largo de la novela) y Teak (que aunque en un inicio no me convencía, acabó por encantarme). Leer esta novela después de haber leído el corredor de fondo, es toda una experiencia, ya que se habla del pasado de algunos personajes que ya conocemos, lo que nos hace sentirnos incluso parte de la historia.
Desde luego esta novela a cumplido todas mis expectativas.
P.D.: antes de leer "El hijo de Billy", leería "El corredor de fondo" y "La carrera de Harlan" (aunque la segunda no la he leído), ya que de esta manera será más fácil comprenderlo todo y disfrutar al máximo de la novela.
No tengo palabras para expresar lo que me ha gustado esta novela. Es la tercera parte del gran éxito "El corredor de fondo" (debo mencionar que aunque es la tercera parte la he leído como la segunda, aunque al inicio de la novela se menciona que el orden no tiene tanta importancia). La evolución de los personajes ha sido impresionante. El personaje del hijo de Billy me ha gustado principalmente porque es muy real, algo del todo admirable. Otros personajes que quiero destacar son Shawn (que se ha desarrollado muchísimo a lo largo de la novela) y Teak (que aunque en un inicio no me convencía, acabó por encantarme). Leer esta novela después de haber leído el corredor de fondo, es toda una experiencia, ya que se habla del pasado de algunos personajes que ya conocemos, lo que nos hace sentirnos incluso parte de la historia.
Desde luego esta novela a cumplido todas mis expectativas.
P.D.: antes de leer "El hijo de Billy", leería "El corredor de fondo" y "La carrera de Harlan" (aunque la segunda no la he leído), ya que de esta manera será más fácil comprenderlo todo y disfrutar al máximo de la novela.
October 6, 2025
I read The Front Runner years ago and was absolutely speechless — it’s one of those stories that stays with you long after you’ve finished. It still haunts me in the best possible way, so when I found out four years later that there were two sequels, I jumped at the chance to read them. I picked this one up without even realizing it was a special order, but that wasn’t an issue at all.
As long as you’ve read The Front Runner first, you’ll be able to dive right in and follow along easily. This book was a great read — I couldn’t put it down. While it didn’t quite capture the same magic as the first book, it was still powerful, emotional, and absolutely worth reading.
March 25, 2025
Super crazy to read such a homophobic and hateful perspective…like the other two books were full of warmth and chosen family- which also occurred in this book. It just took a while. Oh the ability to be white and rich in the 80-90s, such privilege.
Series like these always snap me back into the histories and struggles that queer folk went through, even in “liberal” areas like California and NY.
One of my fav series ever. So many complicated emotions and struggles with queer identity <3
Series like these always snap me back into the histories and struggles that queer folk went through, even in “liberal” areas like California and NY.
One of my fav series ever. So many complicated emotions and struggles with queer identity <3
June 21, 2024
This was so wholesome. Much less steamy than the first book; more of a kid's perspective on growing up and navigating big issues. Heavy in places, but so is life for a lot of queer people. PNW was sort of an icon.
March 2, 2022
Smells like teen angst. Not interested. Massive waste of words.
December 5, 2025
Tiene reflexiones importantes, pero es bastante intensito y se hace un poco largo. Recomiendo que lo leas tras los otros dos libros de la colección para que lo disfrutes más.
November 5, 2013
Guess what? I read this tittle in Spanish, in Spanish from Spain that would be. And it was bad big time. As usual it had a lot of expressions that are used only in Spain. Also the book seemed fragmented it jumped from one thing to another, one sentenced talked about something then another sentence a totally different thing. I guess Patricia tried to do that thing she did with Harlan's Race when she would write exactly like Harlan would. Also, so muuuch happened to the poor kid no wonder he would be so tormented. Poor Billy. There were so many stories, so many characters, and some of them didn't have a conclusion so I guess they were just like a meteor in his life, yes it must have been that but so many stories were sometimes to much. I would recommend to read it in English so it makes more sense, the Spanish translation would make you cry in despair specially if you're not from Spain. Oh and the references to astronomy, astronomy slang, astronomy metaphors, star systems, galaxies, space, Star Wars throughout the book got me a little sick. No more stars for me for a little while.
March 20, 2016
A unique follow up to The Front Runner and Harlan's Race. Justice is a stylistic departure from its predecessors as it is now focused on Billy's son, William. This third installment could be read independently of its predecessors but I think you would loose some of the subtle context in not reading them in sequence. Out of fear Billy has been raised without any knowledge of his father and at 13 he has some serious questions about his father and about himself. The answers he eventually finds are surprising and shocking to everyone involved. I borrowed this one on Inter-Library-Loan from Vancouver and it like its predecessors was almost impossible to put down.
September 13, 2007
This was the second book that she wrote to follow up Front Runner. It was really the book that tied up the charecters in the original book and did open the door for at least one more book and the charecters in this book. I hope that when I am Patricias age that I am as creative and productive as well as lovable as she is. The one wish that I have is that everyone who has loved these books could have the honor of meeting this great lady as I have had.She as a woman has had such great insights to be able to write all these gay books where all the main charecters are male and make them all seem to have been written by a man.I love her and think that she has given more to gay community than has been recognized.
June 10, 2009
This wasn't as good as The Front Runner. It was I didn't mind it...but it didn't have the same feeling. It was more for a kids of gay parents. I think it would make more sense for them to read it and the other books...so they have an understand of how they feel.
December 31, 2022
I liked this much better the second time around. The found or created family here element is beautiful. I think there's a part where they talk about a gay dynasty and I would agree. I'm really hoping they publish the final novel so we find out what happened to everyone.
June 23, 2020
The first two, especially the first one, The Front Runner but also Harlan's Race are very enjoyable and have aged very well, but this book... I threw it aside after reading a few pages. It's badly written, no need to say more.
April 19, 2015
It took a little to really get into it but when I did I didn't want to put it down. I was really impressed with how well she developed the struggles of an adolescent male.
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