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James Barr
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Quatrefoil Paperback – January 1, 1982

by James Barr (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 18 ratings
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Book by Barr, James
Previous page
  1. Print length
    373 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    LOGIN BROTHERS
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 1982
  5. ISBN-10
    0932870163
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0932870162
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ LOGIN BROTHERS; Reprint edition (January 1, 1982)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 373 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0932870163
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0932870162
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.6 ounces
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 18 ratings

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James Barr

James Barr

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
18 global ratings
A Magnificent Love Story & Tribute to the Human Spirit
5 Stars
A Magnificent Love Story & Tribute to the Human Spirit
"The year is 1946. A brash young naval officer faces court-martial for standing up to a lazy officer in the closing days of World War II. In the midst of this turmoil, he meets the man who will change his life...¶ When it was first published in 1950, Quatrefoil marked a milestone in gay writing. Now, four decades later, Quatrefoil remains a magnificent love story and a tribute to the human spirit. In a new epilogue the author reveals, for the first time, the story behind his ground-breaking novel.(...)
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Top reviews from the United States

William C. Cook
5.0 out of 5 stars A Complex Quality Story of Comming Out in the 40's
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2009
Verified Purchase
The quality and depth of this gay novel is seldom seen in comtempory gay literature.The characters themselves are profound and intellectual which makes them very real and admirable.The story reflects the trials and difficulties gay people in the 40's had to endure. Save this book. You will read it several times over. Would make one of the best gay movies ever along the lines of Brokeback Mountain.
3 people found this helpful
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Hans Mueller
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2017
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Fine portrait of the times gone.
One person found this helpful
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DallasDad1960
4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing glimpse into another world
Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2024
The writing was clever, even though the characters seemed purposely larger than life and not people one would normally interact with on a personal level. For example, the setting of great wealth and fortune is certainly something most of us can only read about for entertainment. The relationship between Phillip and TIm was thrillingly complex. Although the relationship eventually reached the sublime level that we were all waiting for, the demise at the end was hugely disappointing. It reminded me of those Italian gay films that all ended tragically, as if there was no larger hope for a male couple. I suppose all the suppression and shame of the post-war times made it feel that way for the entire community . But for an absolutely beautiful piece of work, the ultimate fate of Tim for today's reader was a disappointing blow. As the epilogue suggested, one yearned for a happier ending.
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Earl R. Sutton
5.0 out of 5 stars A Magnificent Love Story & Tribute to the Human Spirit
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2006
"The year is 1946. A brash young naval officer faces court-martial for standing up to a lazy officer in the closing days of World War II. In the midst of this turmoil, he meets the man who will change his life...¶ When it was first published in 1950, Quatrefoil marked a milestone in gay writing. Now, four decades later, Quatrefoil remains a magnificent love story and a tribute to the human spirit. In a new epilogue the author reveals, for the first time, the story behind his ground-breaking novel.(...)
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Earl R. Sutton
5.0 out of 5 stars A Magnificent Love Story & Tribute to the Human Spirit
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2006
"The year is 1946. A brash young naval officer faces court-martial for standing up to a lazy officer in the closing days of World War II. In the midst of this turmoil, he meets the man who will change his life...¶ When it was first published in 1950, Quatrefoil marked a milestone in gay writing. Now, four decades later, Quatrefoil remains a magnificent love story and a tribute to the human spirit. In a new epilogue the author reveals, for the first time, the story behind his ground-breaking novel.(...)
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10 people found this helpful
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James E. Johnson
1.0 out of 5 stars Book in terrible condition
Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2023
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This book was trash. It should never have been sold, cover ripped, cjhild scribbled over several pages and I was sadly disappointed by the overall condition
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REO
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2016
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1950's gay romance novel. Typical 1950's ending.
One person found this helpful
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JUST A REVIEWER2
3.0 out of 5 stars The philosophy of 'coming out'............
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2006
Verified Purchase
.

XXXX SPOILERS AHEAD XXXX SPOILERS AHEAD XXXX SPOILERS AHEAD XXXX

Very good coverage of this story has already been provided, but at this point in the flow of these few reviews, let me* share my thoughts on what our author has given us.

Here we have a tale of extremely ethereal love.....and I mean love on the highest planes. Perhaps our early 20s protagonist (Phillip) and his mid-30s mentor (Timothy) should be pictured by we readers as two philosophers.......but further than that, as two philosophers having a relationship and making love in the fog.......and yet further, doing it in slow motion. Or, as well, you might see it as the story of a very young man (emotionally stunted and distressed) who, though he will never be heterosexually happy, must be "philosophized" out of the closet by a considerably older gay man. He must be "talked into" being gay, as it were.

If, in advance of purchasing and reading this novel, you are hoping for even a kiss (and description thereof), between our two main characters, you will be sorely disappointed. And, of course, as I'm sure was a necessity for most stories of queer (must use the right term for those times) love in the postwar 1940s, the ending has to result in death and heartbreak.

*This coming from someone who, while college educated long ago with a number of English courses and a writing class or two, never has thought himself capable of successfully writing (aren't we the ones who make the loudest reviewers?)
11 people found this helpful
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Michael J. Mazza
4.0 out of 5 stars A post-WW2 love story
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2005
"Quatrefoil," a novel by James Barr, tells the story of Phillip Froelich, an ensign in the United States Navy. The novel take place in 1946, just after World War II, mainly in Seattle, San Francisco, and Oklahoma. As the story opens the headstrong young Froelich is facing a court martial for insubordination. Soon his life and fate become entwined with that of Lieutenant Commander Timothy Danelaw, a fellow naval officer; their powerful bond dominates the story. The novel's homosexual theme is introduced early on (page 10) as two characters discuss Oscar Wilde, and specifically Wilde as a homosexual.

The 1991 new edition published by Alyson includes an introduction by Samuel M. Steward and an epilogue by the author. In his intro Steward notes that the book was published in 1950. "Quatrefoil" is a fascinating portrait of a gay male relationship in the 1940s, and the fact that it was first published in 1950 makes the text a sort of historical document itself. AT 373 pages, the book is substantial. The breadth of Barr's novelistic vision gives the book at times a genuine epic feel. The story is not just about the two principal characters, but also encompasses a multigenerational family saga as well as both military and civilian lives, in war and in peace.

While consistently intriguing and well-written, the book is not wholly satisfying. At times I found the dialogue excessively mannered, and often I found the characters and the central relationship to be too enigmatic. Still, there are some really vivid scenes and expertly rendered descriptive passages. The novel is also extremely valuable as a window into a gay men's world that existed long before the Stonewall riots, civil unions, and other societal changes. Overall, a remarkable book that deserves a wide audience.
27 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

JOSEPH OLIVER
4.0 out of 5 stars A book of its time
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 23, 2013
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I suppose there is a reason that some books are still being read 60 years after publication. In this particular case it seems that this book was groundbreaking in its time and has been compared to Gore Vidal's book "The City and the Pillar". That may be going a bit too far as their writing styles don't really have anything in common.
The plot is explained well enough elsewhere and is simple enough.

The problem I had with it was that the writing is very much a product of its time and is quite constrained. It is not always clear exactly what one character is trying to say to the other. It's a very coded book and I suspect it may have meant more to the original readers than it would to more enlightened readers today. At the time Barr had to be careful what he wrote for fear of censorship and the puritanical standards of the publishers. As a consequence it would be unfair to say it is written badly (it isn't) but too much is said in such a roundabout way that you are left at the end of a page length monologue trying to figure out exactly what was being said. Also I doubt very much whether anyone ever spoke in such long convoluted sentences even back then. It seemed more like the author was trying to deliver a philosophical grounding for homosexuality and put it in the mouths of the two main characters because in the real world no one would speak in such paragraphs. I kept thinking of Dickens' `Circumlocution Office'.

It is a product of its time and Steward seemed to appreciate it - but then I suspect it was rare sort of book for its day. It couldn't be written today. The author also likes long lingering descriptions of rooms, views, clothes and people. I presume they are accurate and convey the desired atmosphere but there seem to be so many of them - even down to the dining room table - but I had to pass over them after a few chapters and just take the gist of it. It's worth reading though and is well written but the limitations of the time have to be taken into account. Also, and this is just a personal observation, I felt that the author really couldn't see a long term scenario for the two men and came up (possibly on a whim) with the ending he did. It is very disappointing.
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