50 Ways of Saying Fabulous: Book 2 20th Anniversary Edition

Graeme Aitken

Jun 2015 · 50 Ways of Saying Fabulous Book 2 · 20Ten Books

About this ebook

The poignant but also endearingly comic triumphs and tribulations of sweet, fat, theatrical Billy-Boy continue in Book 2 of 50 Ways of Saying Fabulous.

Billy-Boy has always loathed farm chores, until his father employs Jamie, a sexy farm worker, for the summer. Suddenly Billy has not just a work mate, but a buddy, who is cheerful and enthusiastic company. Being with Jamie completely eclipses the burden of the chores. They even become a pleasure. After all Jamie looks like David Cassidy and likes to work shirtless!

But Billy’s idyll with Jamie proves all too brief as other people intrude and interfere. Belinda Pepper, the most notorious girl in the entire district, utterly enthrals him with her wicked ways. Then Lou, Billy’s estranged cousin, discovers Jamie and goes all-out to win him away from Billy for herself.

But Billy is not the only one who feels lonely, jealous and frustrated…

With something illicit growing in an abandoned toilet, clandestine goings-on down at the old gaol, a bloody murder, and a theatrical finale with a dozen costume changes, Billy-Boy’s life is even more dramatic than his favourite TV show Lost in Space.

Praise for 50 Ways of Saying Fabulous:

'If I knew fifty ways of saying fabulous, I’d use them all to praise this charming first novel.' EDMUND WHITE

'It has the fast-running clarity of a good yarn, yet this is a fresh telling of the story of a gay awakening. Infinitely real ... grotesque and funny and moving by turns.' PETER WELLS

‘A wonderful cast of characters, lovingly drawn and lightened with the right dash of maliciousness ... Aitken manages to make something extraordinary out of the ordinary ... (and) shows so much skill and gives so much pleasure.’ CAMPAIGN

‘50 Ways of Saying Fabulous is an honest, funny and sometimes painful read. Confidently and convincingly written, it is a welcome addition to the gay coming of age genre; the collection of works in which we see ourselves reflected and refracted, and find fifty ways of saying “me”.’ MELBOURNE STAR OBSERVER

‘... one of the very best novels released this year. Witty, warm and original.’ CLEO

‘... a secret and magic story which is grotesque and infinitely funny ... a zany book, highly entertaining, and with enough twists and turns to keep you glued to the end ... 50 Ways is fabulous, whichever way you say it.’ BARFLY

Ratings and reviews

Fabulous in far more than 50 ways. Aitken is a talented author well worth following.

About the author

Graeme Aitken is the author of three novels: 50 Ways of Saying Fabulous (1995), Vanity Fierce (1998), and its sequel The Indignities (2010). He also edited The Penguin Book of Gay Australian Writing (2002). His most recent work is an ebook short Top Mark (2012). 50 Ways of Saying Fabulous was adapted into a feature film by writer/director Stewart Main in New Zealand and had its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2005. Graeme was born and raised on a remote farm in Central Otago, New Zealand. This upbringing provided the background for his first novel 50 Ways. Graeme has now lived in Sydney, Australia for almost thirty years. For much of that time, he has worked as the manager/buyer of a small specialist bookshop. This position has complemented his work as a writer. He has also reviewed books for several Australian gay newspapers and magazines over the years. Graeme has served as DNA Magazine's chief book critic for more than fifteen years now, since their first issue.