Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collections
Publication
Penguin (Non-Classics) (1988), Paperback, 288 pages
Description
Set in contemporary New York, Blue Heaven is the hilarious tale of a most unlikely couple and their brilliant plan to earn a fortune in gifts on their way to the altar.
User reviews
LibraryThing member bragan
When Philip's friend Gilbert announces that he's getting married, he finds himself surprised by the news, since the groom is extremely gay and the bride is extremely... difficult. Life begins to make a little more sense when the happy couple confesses that it's all a scam to secure gifts from their
And "hilarity" is really not too strong a word. Both the back cover blurb and the person who recommended this book to me made comparisons to P.G. Wodehouse. I figured this must be an exaggeration, because, come, on, who can possibly compare to Wodehouse? But having read it now, I have to say it's a fair comparison. Gay 1980s New York may be a far cry from the world of Jeeves & Wooster, but the madcap plot is very, well, Wodehousian. So is the wonderfully witty writing, which sometimes had me laughing out loud multiple times per page. Basically, it's damned funny stuff. I must check out more of Keenan's work.
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rich relatives -- something that is apparently much more in character -- and Philip soon finds himself becoming an accomplice in the ever-more-complicated scheme. Needless to say, hilarity and hijinks ensue. And "hilarity" is really not too strong a word. Both the back cover blurb and the person who recommended this book to me made comparisons to P.G. Wodehouse. I figured this must be an exaggeration, because, come, on, who can possibly compare to Wodehouse? But having read it now, I have to say it's a fair comparison. Gay 1980s New York may be a far cry from the world of Jeeves & Wooster, but the madcap plot is very, well, Wodehousian. So is the wonderfully witty writing, which sometimes had me laughing out loud multiple times per page. Basically, it's damned funny stuff. I must check out more of Keenan's work.
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LibraryThing member rocketjk
This is a very enjoyable romp about two gay men and one straight woman who get together to set up a "marriage of convenience" simply to score a payday on the gifts. Hilarity, as they say, ensues, with all sorts of double-crosses, misadventures and pratfalls. Keenan was instrumental (producer, I
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think) in the Frazier TV series. That will give you an idea of the type of humor found here. As I said, lots of fun! Show Less
LibraryThing member marguerlucy
Absolute friggin' hilarity from start to finish.
LibraryThing member phoebesmum
Unpleasant people (some gay) have sex and try to cheat one another. To Oxfam it goes!
LibraryThing member elenaj
Funny, but too mean for my tastes. (fat jokes abound, for example.)
LibraryThing member ChrisWeir
A gay man and a straight woman are going to get married for the presents. Funny at times but also seems to try to hard. The woman is the daughter of a duchess and the man has a step father in the mafia. It gets funnier as the book goes on with a drag queen mother and various other entanglements the
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duo enlist in their caper. Show Less
Awards
Lambda Literary Award (Nominee — 1988)
Language
Physical description
288 p.; 7.7 inches
ISBN
0140107649 / 9780140107647
Local notes
OCLC = 285
Other editions
Blue Heaven (Contemporary American Fiction) by Joe Keenan (Paperback)