Gentlemen, I address you privately cover

Gentlemen, I address you privately

by Kay Boyle

**From Kirkus Reviews:** Written with a subtle charm, filled with vivid descriptions of Brittany and its people, the book leads one, unaware, into a tragic story of a talented young musician, turned from the monastic life he had chosen, because of his secular music, and of how he became unwittingly and innocently involved in a homosexual passion for a cruel pervert, a sailor who has deserted his ship, made off with possessions of his superior officers, broken his sister's heart, and willing to trample on whatever comes his way. Fleeing the authorities together, they take refuge with a strange couple, and make companions of three girls from a brothel, girls who are themselves homosexual, and who eventually take the vagabond sailor with them to Italy, leaving tragedy behind.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?