The impossible has happened - I liked a short story collection. The strength of the collection lies in the thread of stories about Arnold strung across the collection and especially on the immense queer joy of those stories. The first one in particular is so disorientingly queer-centric, grounded in an affirmation of joyous queer existence, that it reminded me of James Bidgood's 1971 film Pink Narcissus because of its queer solipsism, for want of a better word. That feeling stayed with me until the end of the collection, and that is something that rarely happens.

I was incredibly exited to dive into this collection of queer short stories. Now, I have to admit that shirt stories have never been my jam entirely. I find it hard to connect to characters in such a short time, getting to know them over only a few pages. Nonetheless I‘ve encounter a fair share of brilliantly crafted short stories. Once that were so incredibly well written and engaging that short story collections became something I no longer avoided but at least gave a chance more often. So was the case with this one by Martin Goodman. As I began to read the book I immediately felt drawn into the story. I enjoyed the absurdity, the humour, the writing. After a while I lost this feeling of excitement and I ended up now finding myself interested in picking the boom back up. The author truly lost me after that first story. I found the writing a bit bland. The strangeness that made so much sense in the beginning started feeling ridiculous and I lost interest all together. I do believe that this will meet some ones taste, but it feels quite niche and peculiar and must be found by the right audience. I certainly didn’t feel like it was the book for me but do hope it finds people that read it enthusiastically.

There is no doubt that Martin Goodman knows his stuff. I found his prose poetic and dreamy. But, are "Lessons from Cruising" my cup of tea? Nope. No. Nuh-ah. And the author has Barbican Press to thank for that, and their ludicrous decision to choose this title with this book cover.

If any of the stories stood out, it was Melville's Billy Budd retelling, but mostly because it's stylistically different then the others. It is interesting as a morbid curiosity, but nothing more than that. Couple of stories about Arnold were strings of beautiful words failing to work together in sentences, but with theme surreal enough to make you feel like in some kind of fairy tale gay haze. And when it tries to be grounded, again, it fails because it was not what was promised to be. No twists, just disappointment.

Short story that gave its name for the book was atmospherically grounded, and if I had to choose this would be my favorite one. But not like favorite favorite. I just disliked that one the least. The rest of the stories were uninteresting pain for my soul, or they just went straight over my head.

I feel these stories are very pretentious and that Goodman went out of his way to create something worthy of esteemed literary magazines as a showcase of his talents. But if I feel this way reading them - it doesn't seem genuine.

I want to thank NetGalley for this ARC, I chose it myself, I'll escort myself out to another reading adventure.

Martin Goodman's Lessons from Cruising is a collection of short stories centered around the protagonist, Arnold. The book offers a refreshing take on Arnold's life, particularly through the non-traumatic depiction of his relationship with his parents. This perspective is a notable strength of the collection. However, the book's cover and title seemed to promise a different kind of narrative, leaving me wondering if their intention was to create a misleading impression. The real challenge, though, is the inconsistent tone and execution across the stories. While Goodman’s attempt at diverse storytelling is commendable, the varied approaches often disrupt the narrative flow and depth of Arnold's character.

Overall, Lessons from Cruising has its merits, such as its unique portrayal of familial relationships, but its uneven storytelling and execution impact the overall experience. I would rate it 3 out of 5 stars.

Joke’s on me, because I picked up this ARC for the last story, a retelling of Billy Budd from Captain Vere’s point of view. I figured I’d sample the rest; instead I went down the buffet line and inhaled them all. Rarely do I like *every* story in a short story collection, but that’s what Goodman’s done to me. The cover and title are not helping the book find its audience, as indicated by the low ratings and confused reviews on Goodreads. I expected stoic litfic a la Garth Greenwell; instead there’s surrealism, hilarity, dream states, spec fic and fantasy, myth retellings, and my favorite: the disillusioned Anglican vicar Alan, writing letters from Tarsus and Antioch, heretically following the footsteps of St. Thekla and St. Paul. The writing buzzes with life, surreal, queer in every sense of the word, delightful.

These short stories offer a wild ride through different facets of gay life, with a standout narrative about Arnold’s journey from childhood to adulthood. Some stories hit the mark with vivid moments and engaging characters, while others felt a bit uneven. Despite a few offbeat elements and some stories that didn’t quite land, the collection is worth checking out for its diverse perspectives and imaginative storytelling.

Arnold’s story was a stand out for me and I wanted more! Unfortunately, the other stories didn’t grab me and I found some of them hard to follow!

Thank you for the advanced e copy!

Interesting but uneven collection of gay short stories

The title story is indicative of most of this uneven collection of short stories focused on (mostly) gay protagonists: in Lessons in Cruising, a Tamil man describes the non-romantic romance with his rich, white boyfriend, from inception to going on holiday with the man's son. Told in staccato bursts of prose in a distanced, opaque style. the title story and the others, including a psychedelic thread of utopian shorts relating the decades of a gay romance, epitomise my dislikes of short stories: sudden endings without revelation or action; characters that are nothing more than sketches; worlds that are flimsy and half-built. The best is the retelling of Billy Budd, saved for last but still with a whiff of unfinished narrative expectation.

One star.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Well, this novel is a certainly memorable celebration of diversity.

Martin Goodman’s collection of stories, “Lessons from Cruising,” invite readers to embark on a voyage through diverse (extreme, in many cases) expressions of the gay male experience. These stories are set against the backdrop of Britain, the USA, and the seas in between.

“The Lovely Life of Arnold”: In this captivating narrative, we follow New York fashionista Arnold through seven-year leaps, from age seven to forty-two. Goodman deftly captures the nuances of Arnold’s life, revealing how his identity as a gay man shapes his journey. The story celebrates the beauty of authenticity and the power of acceptance.

However, Arnold's extreme celebration of his sexuality (not his identity, but rather an obsession with the intimate details of his member size and his sex life) were for me, decidedly cringe-worthy. A jar where their family "stuff is stored", gross! Yeah, the point the author is trying to make about contrasts, I get it, but it goes down the road to a degree which is disgusting, and that point, I do not get.

“Lessons from Cruising”: Against the early morning Thames backdrop, an Asian schoolteacher unexpectedly connects with a multi-millionaire businessman. Their shared adventure aboard the rich man’s yacht becomes a metaphor for life’s unexpected encounters. Goodman’s prose illuminates the complexities of desire and connection.

“Billy Budd: Captain Vere’s Account”: A Melvillian twist awaits readers in this reimagining of Herman Melville’s classic. Goodman takes us inside the ship’s stateroom, where Captain Vere confronts Billy Budd with the courtroom’s verdict. The emotional depth and vivid imagery make this story a standout.

“Lessons from Cruising” is wide-ranging in subject, mood, and tone. Goodman’s attention to detail and empathetic insight elevate some moments, however, even though I am gay - it just wasn't my cuppa, could be yours.

Martin Goodman's Lessons from Cruising is a collection of short stories that explore gay identity and love. The characters are diverse in age and experience, but I found it hard to connect with any of them. The collection opens with 'The Lovely Life of Arnold' and follows Arnold from childhood to adulthood as he navigates his sexuality and relationships. Other stories explore themes of loss, coming out, and gay love.

Goodman's writing captures the nuances of gay life with sensitivity and insight. The stories are light-hearted, yet they are also poignant and thought-provoking. However, the book does not explore the act of cruising, which is misleading, and there is no sexually explicit content (zero spice). Goodman's characters are well-described, but I sometimes found them uninteresting or dull.

Lessons from Cruising was not for me. I found the title misleading, and the book's structure gave me the impression the author had written a novella with some short stories sewn in between the novella's chapters, spoiling for me as they added very little to the book. Perhaps if it had a different title, it would be more successful. Even though the book was not for me, it is still a good collection of stories that celebrates the diversity of gay love and identity.

Many thanks to Barbican Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
2.5 stars (rounded to 3 stars)

Like many collections of stories, it's a mixed bag. I almost wish for an entire novel of Arnold where Goodman could expand his supporting characters.

I absolutely adored Arnold’s story and I wish I had more of it. However the title Lessons from Cruising and cover art don’t feel like an accurate representation of the actual content.

Billed as a collection of stories, I don’t think it worked very well. As a queer person and a lover of literature, I felt like most of this was stodgy and disjointed. I thought the writing was beautiful, however, which is why I can’t give it just one star. The ability is there, I just don’t think the execution was done well.

I absolutely adored Arnold’s story and I wish I had more of it.

Thank you to the publisher for the e-arc!

This was my first Martin Goodman title, and can I just say this was really fascinating. I don't normally read short stories just because I feel like the characters and the stories are never fleshed out enough. However, I was surprised by how much I liked this one. I love reading books where I learn something about a culture or a group of people that I don't have stake in. The LGBTQ+ community is a space in which I am not super familiar, and this was definitely a book where I felt interested in learning about it.
Thank you so much to Netgalley, Martin Goodman, and the publishing company behind this title for giving me the opportunity to read this title early.

A bunch of short stories with one of them appearing and continuing after every few, this collection was interestingly strange. With queer themes, it starts off well but then these stories descend into abstracted prose, and not the magical realism kind, that makes it difficult for me to follow. I found myself going huh, okaaay then, what… The one story that keeps appearing again and again of our protagonist Arnold, comes across as disjointed episodes within life rather than a continuous narrative with the format letting it down.

Thank you NetGalley and barbican press for eARC in exchange of an honest review

Lessons from Cruising is a collection of short stories that ultimately looks at connection. The stories cover several topics ranging from family relationships, love, grief, sexuality & acceptance, and friendship. For me, short stories are some of my favorite to read. I love to examine a moment in time that can seem ordinary, but are usually far from it. For this particular book, I really enjoyed:

- I LOVE the LGBTQ+ representation!!! It is soooo needed for people to see themselves represented/expand their world view.
- There were a few lines that really had me like “I’ve already met your parents,’ he said before I brought him home. ‘You’ve repeated all the rubbish they’ve ever said.’ That indeed stopped me in my tracks in the best way. There were other moments that conveyed tender, human connection as well as the stressful miscommunications that we have.

However, I did feel that these stories did fall short for me for a few reasons:

- The best part about a short story collection is that you feel connected to characters. I found some of these characters…interesting. For example, in Arnold’s story (who is the only character who gets several short stories) I could not get over how…strange his parents were. I had such a hard time wrapping my head around the way they spoke and treated their son - and I’m not talking about their admiration/acceptance for their son, I’m talking about the c*m jar that his dad “celebrates” and them (from what I understood) picking a partner for Arnold. It didn’t exactly resonate with me. There were several other lines in this book that took me out of the reading experience as well (“He slips on good manners like he slips on condoms, not because they suit him but because they make life safer”). Lastly, I struggled to believe that a priest would be so candid with their parishioners. I could see the value in his honesty, but wow.

An extraordinary collection of short stories. I particularly enjoyed coming back to Arnold at different points in his life throughout the book. This was a nice device to keep the text together.

What stood out for me in this book was the metaphorical quality of the writing and how often the prose seemed literal only to turn out to be figurative, with Goodman's imagery shining through and revealing a different reading of the story. Although a collection of short stories, I felt the characterisation meant that I knew characters well (and not just those who were recurrent in the Arnold stories).

Finally, I don't know the story of Billy Budd, but the final story in the collection has left me needing to know more. What better sign that that?!

I was intrigued by the description and would have really liked to like this book. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me. Arnold’s parents were so overly accepting of his queerness that it seemed to me to be akin to grooming. One story contained such bizarre moments as ritually sprinkling his first come into the river at his parents’ encouragement (with an audience of members of the public!), and receiving an ivory comb from his family for his new pubescent pubic hair. I felt as if there was some hidden meaning or symbolism to the familial relationships which was perhaps going over my head.

I did love the dedication: “For James / Who adds the gladness to gay”

I enjoyed Lessons from Cruising. I’m going to go back and read it again because some stories were hard to get my head around, like, what was that I just read! The stories are a mixture of weird and heart wrenching. I especially enjoyed When toffee-apples turn to juice and Lessons from cruising. I found The loving room to be weird and creepy.