Keenan, Joe. BLUE HEAVEN. (1988), ***. The author was the writer of the musical, “The Times,” and was a story consultant for the television show, “Frasier,” which I don’t think I ever saw. He has published at least one more book featuring the same characters as you encounter in this book, “Putting on the Ritz.” This story introduces his characters, mostly gay New Yorkers along with a coterie of women who are either in the arts or into larceny. Philip Cavanaugh, a budding writer who can’t afford to leave his day job, whenever he can get one, learns that his friend Gilbert Selwyn is planning to marry. Philip is amazed, since he knows that Gilbert is gay because he and Gilbert were former lovers. He is further amazed when he learns that the marriage will be with Moira Finch, one of the most devious and despicable women Philip has ever met. Moira doesn’t have many friends, though there is Vulpina. Vulpina was one of Moira’s best friends. She owned a boutique in SoHo operated under her name. “She is among Moira’s dearest friends, presumably because Moira finds it to her advantage to be seen regularly in the company of someone alongside whom she might be considered unaffected. Vulpina is six foot one, weights maybe twenty-six pounds, speaks in a Hollywood Slavic accent, and dresses exclusively in her own designs. These designs, which have been spotted as far north as Houston Street, vary widely in cut, fabric and intended function, but they are all heavily imbued with Vulpina’s unmistakable hallmark, overpriced hideousness.” It turns out that the reason Gilbert and Moira plan to get married is to get the gifts. Both of them are dirt poor, but still live as though they had money. They are both in debt and see no way out of it other than to get a job – Plan Z as far as they are concerned. The obvious question Philip has of Gilbert was how he was to explain the marriage when everyone in New York knows he was a homosexual. Gilbert tells Philip that his being a homosexual was only a phase, an experiment. He only recently discovered his heterosexuality. Forget all that. He was doing it for the wedding gifts. Moira’s mother recently married a Duke in England and had scads of money, and Philip’s mother was recently remarried to an Italian who had what seemed to be very suspect relations with the underworld – but lots of money. The two “lovebirds” felt that the value of the wedding gifts would carry them through several years of life without them having to work for a living. This was probably true, but there were certainly complications. This is a light, airy novel, written in the style of P. G. Wodehouse, but without the same talent. The humor intended mostly comes from plumbing the depths of the stereotypes of homosexuals and Mafia members. There’s not enough substance here for you to grab hold of.
Joe Keenan's BLUE HEAVEN is absolutely, without-a-doubt the funniest novel I've ever read. Over the years, I have re-read this book several times, marveling at the expert plotting (you will never find yourself reading a Joe Keenan novel and muttering, "This could all be solved quickly if they just..." No, Keenan knows how to tie his characters into knots and then when you can figure no way out of the tangle, he masterfully shows you how to untangle things--both hilariously and logically). I love the characters he creates (they reappear in his 2nd and 3rd novels--PUTTING ON THE RITZ and MY LUCKY STAR) and i love his wordplay. Keenan left novels for more than a decade, where he made his fortunes and collected numerous EMMY Awards writing and co-producing FRASIER and DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES. BLUE HEAVEN will mostly remind you of the best FRASIER episodes (no doubt because the best episodes were all written by Keenan).Decades ago, when I was working in a bookstore, BLUE HEAVEN was my favorite hand-sell because all I had to say was "Read the first two paragraphs and tell me you're not won over and eager to read more."
Do You like book Blue Heaven (2002)?
a swiftly paced Wodehouse style farce set in Gay World. the author Joe Keenan is apparently a script writer for tv sitcoms - and it shows: the level of humor is unsurprisingly broad and stereotypical. lots and lots of so-called zingers, many that score, many that do not. but don't let any of that make you think that this is nothing less than pure enjoyment... there is a sparkling verve and polish to all of the amusing goings-on that make the novel a fun-filled pleasure. i laughed constantly and loudly. this may be a shallow dessert item, but it is also not sour or bitter or overly rich. Blue Heaven is not particularly sweet, but the tartness of tone and the carefully constructed set pieces make this a tasty and enjoyable little treat. join Phillip & Gilbert & Claire in their brittle but adorable, nearly guilt-free Homo-Shenanigans!
—mark monday
Fun. Unadulterated joy, not totally mindless, but unchallenging enough to massage the brain. Although you must keep your wits together through all the plot twists while dodging oneliners! Verbally rich escapism of a very high order.As jy will ontsnap aan die wrede werklikheid, werp jouself gerus in die skrywersarms van Joe Keenan. Sy intrige is so ingewikkeld soos 'n groot bondel sykouse in 'n wasmasjien, terwyl sy spitsvondighede van die bladsy afspat soos vonke van 'n vonkstokkie tydens 'n Spur-verjaardagete. Jy is veronderstel om dit baie vinnig te lees, kop te hou met al die wendinge, en nie diep na te dink oor die Boodskap of die Uitbeelding van ons Aardse Realiteit nie. As jy dit so benader, kan jy verseker wees van 'n plesierrit soos min!
—Coenraad
I just reread this book after ten years. I first discovered Joe Keenan's books at the Gerber-Hart Library in Chicago. When I picked up a copy of Putting on the Ritz for two dollars, it was mostly because I liked the song the book was named after. What I discovered from that book, and Keenan's two others, was a universe of sparkling wit and madcap capers that felt directly descended from Noel Coward.After rereading Blue Heaven some years later, I'm still in love with it. Some of the book is really dated: the way in which "transvestism" is described stands out, as does the tiny sum of money the narrator Philip claims it takes to subsist in Manhattan. (Multiply by two, and maybe you could feed yourself today!) The debonair men and charming women, the endless cocktails, and the manner of speech affected by the characters doesn't always feel authentic to the New York of the late twentieth century, but Keenan does such a great job of creating a universe that it's easy to believe his New York is not our New York.For contemporary readers, particularly within the LGBT community, the minimal on-screen descriptions of love and sex may feel like a letdown. But there's still plenty of spice: (view spoiler)[references to outdoor sex in the Ramble in Central Park, hookups with cater waiters, and a precocious seventeen-year-old whose combination of virginal innocence and insouciant lust may be the downfall of several of-age men. (hide spoiler)]
—Harry
