Any Kind of Luck
Search in google:
That's Manhattan hand model Clu Latimore's first thought upon returning to his hometown with Chris, his laid-back lover, in tow. Almost immediately, Clu is up to his stylish cut in problems that include caring for a dying mother and her pack of prize-winning Chihuahuas, as well as initiating the incredulous Chris into the reality of life in the land of blue bonnets, barbecue, and Baptists. Clu's siblings are beyond useless. His eternally broke redneck brother is obsessed with unearthing treasure behind the abandoned house next door. And his perpetually pregnant -- yet still childless -- sister has troubles of her own, thanks to her jailbird accountant husband. It's up to Clu to support their mother, Bettie Jean, who is on the verge not only of death, but marriage -- to a Mexican-American evangelist. But family woes are merely the opening act. Enter Clu's former piano teacher and Grit's grand dame, Miss Oveta Canfield -- who intends to transform the local livestock barn into a dinner theater with a little help from Mr. Jeffrey, her sixty-something hairdresser-slash-adopted son. Before you can say "Agamemnon," Clu has been recruited to direct a country-western musical version of the Greek tragedy -- starring none other than Mr. Jeffrey's shockingly virile offspring, Preston. Before Clu's odyssey is over, there will be a wedding, a birth, a funeral and, of course, a no-holds-barred production of Agamemnon -- The Musical. Convinced he's seen everything, Clu can't help wondering how long a couple of gay New Yorkers can possibly survive in a dry country crawling with Bible thumpers, fire ants, and temptation in the last place they ever expected to find it...Publishers WeeklyPowered by the same type of giddy, clich?d fluff that is common to so much contemporary gay fiction, Sibley's debut is an energetic, frenzied tale centered around two 30-something gay men. Clu, "a modestly successful actor/director/hand model," and Chris, his vaguely psychic lover of eight years, relocate to "culturally eviscerated" Grit, Tex., from Manhattan to tend to Clu's ailing mother, "prize-winning" Chihuahua breeder Bettie Jean. The shocking announcement of Mother's impending marriage to clergyman Brother Ramirez ignites a culture clash aggravated by the antics of Clu's stereotypical redneck brother Jaston, perpetually pregnant sister Laine and a constant stream of endearingly flamboyant Texans. Spicing up the show is Preston, the blond, muscle-bound son of Oveta Canfield, Grit's resident busybody, who tempts Chris with a sightseeing tour of Texas while Clu is enlisted to direct a silly local production of Agamemnon Ya'll: A Country and Western Musical. Clu halfheartedly bonds with old friends and relatives, many of whom are closet nudists, evidenced by one of the story's more delightful scenarios during a "truth session" in an enormous hot tub. Clu can't suppress his overly defensive tendencies, and every spirited discussion with the local "backward hicks" finds him mounting his gay-rights soapbox though preachy, he's often right on the money. Sibley's bouncy story line recovers gracefully from these overblown spurts of anger by detailing the dramatics of Clu and Chris' increasingly strained relationship and the temptation to get back to the Manhattan lifestyle they've abandoned. A white-knuckled stage production, a death, a break-up and new beginnings conclude this light,humorous beach book shot through with campy one-liners and the sweet syrup of happy endings. Agent, Irene Kraas; national advertising in gay publications. (Aug.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
1There Are No Songs about March in New York12A Shirley Jones Wig173Seeds of Consternation354A Need for Delight595And the Answer Came836Davy Crockett's False Teeth977The Lack of Distortion1178Drowned Hummingbird1379Eating the Rocking Chair16310Penny in a Shark Tank17911Air Conditioning, Beer, Something to Eat20112The Scamp Bulls21713The Gordon MacRae Endowment23314The Human Response24915God's Lark261
