Queer City

Gay London from the Romans to the Present Day

By: Peter Ackroyd

Narrated by: Will Watt

Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

In Queer City, the acclaimed Peter Ackroyd looks at London in a whole new way - through the complete history and experiences of its gay and lesbian population. In Roman Londinium, the city was dotted with lupanaria (“wolf dens” or public pleasure houses), fornices (brothels), and thermiae (hot baths). Then came the Emperor Constantine, with his bishops, monks, and missionaries. And so began an endless loop of alternating permissiveness and censure. Ackroyd takes us right into the hidden history of the city; from the notorious Normans to the frenzy of executions for sodomy in the early 19th century. He journeys through the coffee bars of 60s Soho to gay liberation, disco music, and the horror of AIDS. Ackroyd reveals the hidden story of London, with its diversity, thrills, and energy, as well as its terrors, dangers, and risks, and in doing so, explains the origins of all English-speaking gay culture.

©2018 Peter Ackroyd (P)2018 Abrams Press

Fascinating and informative

I love this book, although it's obviously very much a survey and a pop history, it includes loads of information that make for great jumping off points for further research. The reader's voice is lovely and he reads at just the right pace though the audio did seem to repeat now and then at occasional points in the text. Lots of fun, lots of great historical anecdotes that give one a greater appreciation for gay history.

Another Masterpiece

I have been reading as many books by Peter Ackroyd as possible. They are all wonderful works. This audiobook was no exception. The reading was top notch and I listened with great interest to every nuance.

Be Gay, Do Crimes: A History

I began listening to this audiobook for some research. It quickly evolved into bingeing this book to which I think everyone should listen. The narrator is truly excellent; you can practically hear his coy smirking. One could easily retitle this history as "Be Gay, Do Crimes: A History". I've learned an incredible amount and been entertained all the way, all while finding a new connection to my queer ancestors I never knew before. 11/10 Will read again and again and again. 🏳️‍🌈

Interesting and insightful

Peter Ackroyd writes an interesting book chock full of details about queer people that populated London. He writes about what is what like for queer men and women to live and survive in metropolitan London. Will Watt brings a studious book to life with his excellent performance and the variety of voices throughout the book. Will makes the book fascinating, funny and sad in various measures.

A giddy romp through rape and abuse

This isn't a history of gay relationships as much as it is a catalog of disturbing abuses of power read as if it were harmless titillation. I was putting up with the disgustingly happy recounting of child abuse until I started looking into the underlying scholarship and found it lacking. The author doesn't bother tracing his sources or judging their reliability. It's all written on the level of a buzzfeed article. Decent enough if you know absolutely nothing I suppose, but because the author is dodgy at exactly where he is getting his information, it's hard to even use this as a springboard for further research.