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him. From this point, Richie regularly runs away from home and finds that this has the effect of stopping the abuse from his father. He experiments with a friend, Pip, whose prostitution excites and disgusts him in equal measure, and he begins to work as a rent boy. Richie is raped twice: once by an older cousin in the
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Richie is routinely physically abused by his father, a drunk who works in the construction industry. Richie adores his elder brother James and leads a life of petty crime and childhood dares with his friends. At the age of eight, he is molested in a cinema by a man who persuades him to come home with
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named it one of his two "Books of the Year," despite the fact that the writing was sometimes unpolished and "written in an unfortunate convention -- a 'dramatised' autobiography, with dialogue supposedly recalled from many years ago," because of the compelling events it describes.
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was more ambivalent; their review quoted McMullin's preface, which asks the reader to "suspend any judgments which this book might evoke," to which the reviewer says, "maybe that's the best thing to do". Graeme
Wollaston at the
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for adult men as a form of escape. The novel was striking for its emotional honesty depicting "an abused boy turning to the rent scene not just for money, but for affection". The novel was followed by a sequel,
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was less impressed with the writing, describing the book as unfocused due to its attempt to cover too many details, and criticizing its flowery romantic language.
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also praised the book's "wonderful honesty," and described the book as "moving" while still allowing for dignity, rather than pity, in Richie's story. The
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as a "sensitive, revealing memoir" which "has its horrors" but nonetheless "emphasizes the good in people rather than the sordid or demeaning".
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said it was "chiefly notable for the courage of its simplicity and openness" and suggested McMullen should write a sequel.
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concluded that "he intrinsic interest of the subject may allow one to ignore McMullen's impossibly purple prose".
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19:For the 1955 animated feature film, see
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430:Carruthers, Roberts (June 16, 1990).
294:"Books of the Year: Graeme Woolaston"
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458:"Angels, artists, and woodworms"
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144:is an autobiographical novel by
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403:Woolaston, Graeme (July 1990).
432:"Adventures of misspent youth"
321:"To The Circus: Enchanted Boy"
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464:. July 1, 1990. p. 56.
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373:Baker, Roger (June 1989).
106:123 pp (paperback edition)
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346:Hyde, John (April 1989).
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16:Novel by Richie McMullen
513:Novels set in Liverpool
375:"Prurience & pain"
98:Hardback and paperback
176:British Merchant Navy
508:1989 British novels
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182:Reception
163:male rape
150:Liverpool
67:Publisher
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154:rent boy
132:18961948
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82:1989
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
