Colin Farrell Books

A Home at the End of the World is an elegant study of how finding love in a world of fragile and impermanent relationships requires inventiveness, resilience, and a willingness to challenge restrictive notions of family. It was written circa 1990 by the acclaimed author of The Hours. The story is centered on Jonathan and Bobby, who become close friends and partners in sexual experimentation during their adolescent years together in Cleveland. Bobby is haunted by the loss of his adored older brother, his hero at 9 years of age, and then his mother a couple of years later. Yet he is less conflicted about what he wants in life. He has a strong need both to give and receive love. Jonathan is more bright and articulate than Bobby, but more uncertain of himself. He has an overly solicitous mother, who is prominently featured, and a mostly absent father. Jonathan, who is gay, falls in love with his buddy. Bobby sticks to him like glue but his deep devotion is more fraternal in character.

Jonathan moves to New York for college and stays on with his eccentric roommate Clare, who's eleven years older. They share a non-sexual sort of love. Bobby lives with Jonathan's parents until they move to Phoenix, then moves in with Jonathan and Clare in NYC. The three get along well until Clare does a make-over on Bobby and they become lovers. Jonathan's lingering feelings for Bobby leave him disquieted and he runs away. After Jonathan's father dies and Clare has a baby, the three come back together to move to a home outside Woodstock, NY (a childhood dream of Bobby's, passed down from his older brother). They open a restaurant, the "Home Café", which keeps Jonathan and Bobby busy and becomes a success. Clare is wrapped up in her child, whom Jonathan dotes on more than does Bobby, the father.

Bobby is the heart of the story, and was played by Colin Farrell in the film adaptation. He is the guardian spirit subtly driving the plot. He is the one who proposes moving to the "home at the end of the world", and he works the hardest to keep the family together. His attachment to Jonathan is remarkable, not least because it doesn't originate in sexual desire. Bobby winds up where he wants to be at the end. The "home at the end of the world" is his dream more than anyone else's, and it survives and will flourish because of the love he pours into it. (Although uncertainties are left at the end, extending the timeline of the novel a few years leads you to the strong likelihood of a happy outcome and lifelong love, given scientific progress over the course of the 90's.)

This is a moving work of literature which dazzles with its deft prose, but is most worth reading because it so powerfully evokes the deepest human emotions. Jonathan and Bobby aren't characters I'll easily forget.

I am going to disagree wholeheartedly with the reviewer that claims the movie is better than the book. Yes, it sometimes happens, but this is not one of those instances.
In my case, it was actually the movie that prompted my desire to read the book. Though it was written eighteen years ago, the story is (and will likely remain) timeless. The main characters, Bobby, Jonathan and Clare, and the secondary character of Alice--all narrative voices that comprise the work--are all human tragedies in their own right, but still heroic in some small way. It is almost as if Cunningham wrote this story about a group of people he knew personally and intimately. Furthermore, I think the story is an important one because it touches on a time in America when the AIDS epidemic was sweeping the country and destroying lives...a time when in reality, ignorance and fear ruled the day. The characters in Cunningham's work are courageous and flawed, but in such a way that will make you "root" for them. The writing is beautiful, genuine. I would argue that this is Cunningham's best book, though perhaps lesser known and recognized. I strongly recommend this book to any and all literary prose lovers. I could not put it down. A Home at the End of the World is a book I plan to read again in the future. It is a very haunting look at the not so distant past.

I did not know anything about this book, when I bought it. I had read The Hours and enjoyed it, so when I saw the author had wrote another book, I naturally wanted to read it. Having said that, I am NOT an emotional person, but I laughed and cried throughout this novel. Many people have focused their reviews on the homosexual aspect of this book. Being a straight male, I didn't find this theme all that shocking. The scenes that were sexual in nature were in good taste and not overblown. This book is so much more than a "gay novel". The novel is about love, loss, friendship and bonds that may get temporarily broken, but never die. I can't say enough good things about this book. Some have criticized the second half of the book being slower than the first. This is somewhat true, but I never found the book boring, and found that I really cared about the characters and what happened to them. I am still trying to decide whether or not to see the movie, I don't know if I will be disappointed with the adaptation of the novel.

The first time I read this book, I was blown away. But then I saw the movie. Now, don't get me wrong, there were moments of beauty in the movie--and certainly, Collin Farrell's masterful acting (and good looks) made it worth the price of admission. But still, the movie lacked something. Which is why I recently decided to reread this truly elegant work and was, once again blown away.

Michael Cunnigham is one of a handful of popular gay writers who, in my opinion, have achieved their fame both for the the uniqueness of their stories AND for the masterful way in which they write them. For me, Michael Cunningham, Alan Hollinghurst, Robert Leleux, and Andre Aciman stand out as writers who follow in the footsteps of Truman Capote and Noel Coward and a generation of both heterosexual and homosexual writers whose mastery of the english language allowed their works to transcend time.

So, upon the occasion of a second reading of the often under praised A Home at the End of the World, I find myself, once again, in love with both the author and the book.

Breakfast at Tiffany's (Essential.penguin)

The Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy

The Line of Beauty

Call Me by Your Name: A Novel

The Letters of Noel Coward

Couldn't put this book down. I loved the strong sense of place and time the author establishes--from the restless suburban 70's, to the wild East Village 80's, to the calm Upstate NY 90's, the author takes you there in a relatable and vivd manner. The story of the bond between these two wonderfully complex men is bold, honest, and inspiring. This is a story of family, of friendship, of unrequited love, and making your own rules for life. A great read.

Jane Kelly attempts to pad her book with long drawn out explanations of the plot of every film Farrell has done. Page after page of plot and character descriptions that have little to do with the subject at hand. At other times she pads this book with long winded descriptions of some of the characters to enter in to Farrell's life. Do we need to read three pages about a soapopera star he had a two week affair with?Then there are the times she plays arm chair psychologist disecting farrell's childhood and relations with women with the insight of someone who has just completed their first week of psych 101. To top it all off there are glaring mistakes, most notably a caption reads "Colin is worried about his hair on the David Letterman show in 1993", yet it is Jay leno sitting at the desk in the picture. There are several misquotes that distort Farrell's intentions. This is a piss poor attempt even for a tabloid level biography. Save your money and read about the guy on the web if you are really that curious. All the quotes from him are from old interviews anyway.