QUEER CITY Gay London from the Romans to the Present Day

Ackroyd's sweeping history of London focuses on everything "gay and queer." Will Watt's no-nonsense narration is spectacularly even as he recounts the myriad instances of homosexual and lesbian activities and proclivities, as well as the laws and customs of the city from the Roman period until the present. Watt's mastery of a multitude of British accents shines as he ranges through British and Scottish, Cockney and upper-crust accents. He shifts from narrative to dialogue without pause, reading off excerpts from laws, scandal sheets, historical treatises, and novels. Listeners are treated to a meticulous recounting of most instances of homosexuality, in the broadest sense, described in English literature, plays, poetry, and art throughout the ages. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2018]