Oz reading & viewing

A night in after a fabby meal viewing "Home at the End of the World" Bobby and Jonathan have been inseparable since they were teenagers in suburban Ohio. Bobby has suffered many losses for someone so young, and is starved for love and affection. Awkward teen Jonathan has a nice family, and a particularly wonderful mother (Sissy Spacek). The boys not only become as close as brothers, but they also experiment sexually. The two lose touch, but find each other again in their mid-20s in the early 1980s, when Bobby (Colin Farrell) moves to New York and joins Jonathan (Dallas Roberts) at the apartment he shares with Clare (Robin Wright Penn), an ageing hippie. Bobby and Clare become lovers, however, Clare had planned to have a child with Jonathan, who is now openly gay and who is still interested in Bobby, and to whom Clare used to be attracted. The trio becomes its own unique entity, questioning the traditional definitions of family and love, and dealing with the complications of their love triangle. Based on the novel of the same name by Michael Cunningham, who also wrote the screenplay and who was the recipient of the Pulitzer prize, this film marks the debut of director Michael Mayer. Erik Smith plays Bobby as a teenager, and Harris Allen plays the teenage Jonathan!
So the best read for ages with "Hold the Man" by Timothy Conigrave. One of the most poignant and moving books I've ever read. If there was ever a (true) story that exemplified the wastage of life brought about by the HI virus, this is it. These are such good, talented people, struck down. However, this autobiography isn't all doom and gloom; the first years of the relationship are told with great joy and to the very end of the book the huge love exchanged between John and Tim comes shining through. Told with great lucidity, Tim's insightful and relaxed writing style makes this a very accessible read. Despite one or two minor reservations (mainly around personal arousal), I give it full marks for the way it approaches the subject. Be warned; the final chapters are emotionally quite draining, another reason for reading it! I found it impossible to read more than a few passages at a time without welling up with tears! Thanks again Robin for giving us the opportunity for this brilliant reading!