The Value of X (Rickey and G-Man, #1) (2024)

Oh My God! Je pense que ça ne m'est jamais arriver jusque là! Terminer le livre puis le relire sans même prendre une pause! Comment vous parler de ce livre! C'est une histoire d'amour, mais pas que...Amour d'adolescence, amour de son meilleur ami, amour interdit par les familles et moqué par la société, amour de cuisine, amour d'une ville, car New Orleans est ici un personnage à part. On peut pas s'empêcher de tomber amoureux de ces deux adolescents et de leur ville. Leur passion commune pour la cuisine, leur détermination à être ensemble malgré et contre tous, leur refus de ce conformer, leur intégrité, leur loyauté...C'est aérien, c'est rafraîchissant, c'est inspirant, c'est surtout émouvant. Je n'ai qu'une envie, continuer avec les péripéties amoureuses et culinaires de Rickey et Gary (aka G.Man)..Que vous soyez amoureux de cuisine, de bons plats, de romances, de New Orléans, de littérature LGBT ou de bonne littérature tout court, lisez ce livre, et attachez vos ceintures. La plume de Poppy va vous faire voyager...

The Value of X is a prequel to Liquor, the story of G-man and Rickey as two chefs who decide to open their own restaurant in New Orleans. This novella starts with both men as kids when they meet and bond a lifelong friendship/relationship. The writing is very good and filled with tons of New Orleans flavor. You can’t help but envision the city as it was, down to the last detail. Additionally watching how the two men grow up, change, and deal with individual challenges sets up the tenor and basis for their relationship. They’re not lovey dovey kind of guys but they have a rock solid bond that can’t be broken, though it can be tested.

I quite liked Liquor, which I read first, so it’s a nice change to see how G-man and Rickey came to be. The story offers a very realistic and believable look into how two boys grow up very close together to the point of worrying their parents. Here the story includes some religious elements – Gary’s mother in particular is very religious – yet this doesn’t have the doom and gloom of religious fervor that other books in this genre offer. Instead it feels honest and authentic, as do the various reactions of the parents. Nothing feels manipulated or overdone but instead a nice subtly to the plot that fits well with the character development.

The background of New Orleans is really one of the best things about Brite’s books. Fans of hers know that she’s intimate with the city and that translates incredibly well in the books. There’s a level of detail and knowledge that only someone who lives in New Orleans can have and that permeates the book everywhere. From the various jobs to the neighborhoods, the city attitudes, the religions and bias, the book lives and breathes the city in a way that’s almost never found in books. New Orleans is its own fabulous character and the one you fall in love with the most.

Of course Gary and Rickey are no slouches either and the coming of age story about their relationship is well depicted. It’s not cheesy but instead has a definite masculine feel that brings the characters to life with incredible depth and complexity. These two men never cease to grow and change and if there is any complaint it’s that both are a little too self aware at such a young age. Not in regards to their sexuality per se but in regards to their respective cooking careers. In some ways Gary is incredibly mature and insightful about his ambition, or lack there of, which seems a bit advance for his age. This however, is a minor complaint and doesn’t affect the enjoyment of the novella.

Overall this is an easy and very enjoyable story to read. It’s one I’ll definitely re-read in the future and can easily recommend it.

Despite this book being the first in Rickey and G-man's story, it wasn't actually necessary to read in the grand scheme of the greater story. Unlike Prime or Soul Kitchen, which need Liquor for a good backstory, this is sort of an extra bonus, not plot-essential but deliciously sweet and angsty.

If you love Rickey and G-man, you'll enjoy this taste of them during their teen years. I highly recommend reading it directly before or directly after Prime, because of the characters that come back into Rickey's life in that one from this story specifically. I read this one immediately following Prime, and knowing where the story in this was headed made it so much better than had I read it alone.

The story was sweet and a little angst-filled, and it certainly left me wanting more. In many ways, I felt like for a book about Rickey and G-man, there wasn't much of the two of them together. However, the time they spent apart — something readers of the series are very familiar with — is a wonderful look at young love surviving the test of distance, time, and family opposition. For me, it required many, many tissues.

Where Liquor fails to tell their relationship in detail — and left many readers confused until late in the game that they were committed to each other in every way, not just as business partners and roommates — The Value of X picks up that story from the beginning of their want for each other, back when Gary was Gary and not G-man, or even just G.

You see the beginning of their life in the kitchen, their first times in the kitchen, and it becomes a beautiful introduction to their world.

The true beauty of this book is that it's a standalone in more than one way. You don't have to read the rest of the series to appreciate the story told here, nor do you need to read this story to appreciate the rest of the series (most of what happens in this appears in other books in bits and pieces of summary backstory). That said, it's beautiful and touching. If you love these characters, you'll want to read this one for sure.

As the first book in a series? I'd recommend skipping to Liquor and coming back to read this one after Prime, unless you want this as a standalone story.

bumping this down to a four star for standardization, though i very much still love and cherish it the same as my first read as this one….. i had the pleasure of finally reading this in print thanks to an extremely thoughtful holiday gift 🫶🏼🥹😭 there is nothing cozier than this book, in winter, in hardback. my goodness.

actual thoughts: it is so refreshing to read a book where the characters in it were clearly written by someone who has real loving relationships with people who do not have advanced degrees. whole cast working class and race is present but not center stage and not tiptoed around. in a real place with real heart.

i’ve kept rickey and g-man close to my heart since my first read as a teenager and now that i’m older and have read a lot more stuff, i have sometimes expected to return to them and find that they’ve lost some shine. but in reality, i appreciate them more and more with time. these books weren’t written to change your life but they have changed me! simple beloved truths about the difficulties of wanting things that might come as a given to some people: being in love, a fulfilling career, a roof over your head. rickey and g-man and their world aren’t done up to teach me a lesson—i’m just along for the ride with them. and it is a blast!

i love them so much and i’ll love them forever! the value of x is their prequel and it is full of the most heart wrenchingly familiar adolescent queer pining that i’ve ever read. read it last in the series and you’ll cherish it all the more. xx

This book read like a movie that was set up for a sequel — the problem is, I have zero interest in reading the next book. Literally nothing exciting or unpredictable happened in this story. Boring.

i like the range in going from gay vampire incest to angsty gay cooks

This was my second time reading Poppy, it actually seemed tame after reading "Exquisite Corpse" and I was ready for some crazy stuff, what happened instead was a story about love really, what else can I call it, maybe not your usual and banal love but a love story never the less, one marred with obstacles, unfairness and lots of good food that should make any reader an instant fan of food obsessions of all sorts. I love cooking and I love reading so having two things smashed so well with some added live drama that centers around two boys who realize that they are in love , who pursue to follow their hearts against the society and people who have no business to judge but those who stand in their way, then you have a complicated love story but more than that you have an intense and absorbing book that is hard to put down.

I started reading part two right away because I couldn't bare and part with these characters, "G-man" Gary and John Rickey want to live free of shame and guilt but more importantly they want to cook, and being kids they have to start from the very bottom up, perils and temptations stand in the way as well as centuries of close minded society standards that take a tank to break though, this is in intense and interesting book that I read in little over a day, it was impossible to put down and the scents, aromas and sounds of cooking itself makes me go crazy for this story line. Highly recommended for foodie lovers and those who like a story that takes them by the collar and shows them into another dimension, a world of stories that seem crazy yet real at the same time, the best place to be when one is reading. The Value of x deals with what it takes to be happy for each individual and the price we are willing to pay for freedom of being who we want to be.

- Kasia S.

I re-read this so often, because it's just the right length to sit and read in one sitting. Perhaps it works better for readers already familiar with the two main characters who have been the focus of the more recent work of Poppy Z Brite, as this little book tells the back story of how the two friends became lovers and life-partners. It's one of the most beautifully written same-sex romances telling the story of two young guys falling in love with each other and with cooking as they train to become chefs.

Sure, the fact that I already love the two characters, Rickey and G-man, adds a hell of a lot to my enjoyment of the work, but I'm sure anyone not already familiar with them would enjoy it just as much, and probably just end up checking out the other novels they are featured in.

This is the first in a series of books written about Gary and Rickey, two young gay boys growing to adulthood in New Orleans. For someone living in New Orleans, some of the locations ring a bell even the names are slightly changed.

Anyway, after a start in high school, one of them gets sent away for culinary school which creates problems for both boys until they find a way to get back together.

Written by Poppy Z Brite, it has a real knowledge of the vibe of New Orleans, and insight into the neighborhoods that exist in this diverse city. Now that I have read this book, I am finding myself wanting to read the next one. Looks like I have started another trend for myself.

Roman adorable, merveilleux, enchanteur.

On résume ? on résume. Alors ils s’appellent Gary et Rickey, ils ont 16 ans, ils habitent la Nouvelle-Orléans, ils bossent dans un fast food, ils aiment la cuisine et ils s’aiment. Ben ouais, mais leurs parents ne sont pas trop d’accord et font de la résistance. Enfin, surtout les mères.

Ce que j’en pense ? J’en pense que j’ai adoré. Adoré parce qu’ils sont mignons tout pleins et parce qu’au cours du récit, leur amour ne faiblit pas (je n’en dis pas plus pour pas spoiler, mais je leur fais des bisous virtuels pour les encourager, et qu’on ne vienne pas me dire que ce sont des héros de romans et qu’ils n’existent pas).

Adoré parce qu’ils aiment faire la cuisine et que j’aime aller au restaurant. Bon, j’aime aussi faire la cuisine, mais moins. L’un des personnages du roman dit qu’à la Nouvelle Orléans ils n’ont pas peur du beurre. ça, ça me fait plaisir à lire, même si, à titre personnel, je n’envisage le beurre qu’avec prudence. Parce que j’adore le beurre. Et l’huile d’olive. Et même le saindoux. Bref, on sort du propos.

Adoré parce que le récit est simple et réaliste, similaire à la vie même. Oh, cela ne veut pas dire que je n’aime pas les romances enflammées totalement irréalistes. Je les aime aussi. Mais j’ai bien quand c’est raisonnablement réaliste. Le plus important étant que ça tienne debout. Et ça tient debout, ça tient carrément debout, à cause du style de l’auteur, familier et sympathique, qui semble nous murmurer à l’oreille.

Ma note : 10/10. A lire, d’urgence, carrément.

https://toutlamourdumonde.home.blog/

Poppy Z. Brite’s Rickey and Gman series - the story of two promising chefs managing their own restaurant in New Orleans - has humble beginnings in the 2003 book The Value of X.
While this feels like a small, personal narrative - almost more of a novella - it lays the important groundwork necessary to get to the real meat of the story in later books. Fans of the series will note how the first book almost feels like it was written after the series, not before it, as a simple but touching origin story of the books’ lovable protagonists. While The Value of X is by no means a poorly-written book, one can tell that Brite’s real writing chops come in later on in the series.
But that is not to say the book is without its strengths. Fans of the more popular books in the series will enjoy seeing the abrasive John Rickey as a brash but anxious teenager and his partner Gman (“Gary” in this story) as a dreamy and lovesick youth. Additionally, more about each of the protagonists’ family relationships and home lives are explored here, a topic that is rarely touched upon throughout the rest series. The book even manages to set up a future antagonist. Supplemental context like that is what makes this worth the read, even though the sequels far outshine it. But if there’s anything Rickey and Gman know, it’s how to start from the bottom and work your way up.

While this is the first book in the Rickey and G-man universe, I was surprised to find that it actually didn't need to be read at all, unless you wanted more of Rickey and G-man. Thankfully, I absolutely did want more of them. Reading this directly before or directly after Prime is a great choice, because there are repeat characters that come back into Rickey's life in that one from this one. I read it right after Prime, and knowing where the story was headed only enhanced this story in new ways.

Did I find myself wishing for more? In some ways. I felt like, for a book about Rickey and G-man, there was surprisingly little of them together. That said, the time they spent apart (which readers of the series will be well-familiar with, as it's mentioned in each book of the series), is heart-wrenching. I found myself tearing up at several moments during the story.

Where Liquor fails to detail their relationship (and has been known to leave a few readers not recognizing until late in the game that they're not just business partners and roommates, but fully committed to each other in every way), The Value of X picks up their story from the beginning of their lustful desires and want for each other, G-man's battle for what was right back before he was G-man, but was instead Gary, or even just G. It shows the spark of their love of cooking and of each other, making this a brilliant introduction into their world.

Further, this book acts as a standalone novel in two ways: one, you don't need to read the rest of the series to appreciate the story told here. Two, you don't need to read this story to appreciate the rest of their series and story (most of the contents of this is summarized in the other books). That said, this book is truly beautiful and touching, making it worth reading if you love the characters you've met throughout the series. As a starting point? I would skip straight to Liquor and come back to this one. I wouldn't read it first, personally.

This isn't quite what I anticipated from Poppy Z. Brite. Taken as a standalone, it's certainly better than your average 90s coming-of-age romance, but it doesn't stand out. I guess it might work better when read as a bonus story after completing the entire series.

Maryis book club book

Must know if Poppy Brite is watching The Bear

I read this at a point when I was reading anything by PZB that I could get my hands on. I remember liking it quite a bit at the time, and have been wanting to re-read it since then but haven't gotten the chance. I Didn't enjoy this book as much as Brite's horror fiction, but it still had the same gritty edge, and an interesting enough story line. I liked this book a lot more than any of the latter books in this series, as I don't really think the latter books have the same edge that I grew to love from Brite.

I've read this many times and will continue to read it many more, probably far into old age. It's one of the only books I've read that actually causes me to have a deep emotional response: It's sweet, sad, melancholic, funny, and most of all real. You come away from this feeling as though you know these characters as old friends on some incredible emotional level--at least I do. I'm always taken by surprise when I read it by how amazing it is, and think about it for days and days after I'm done reading it. At only 180 some odd pages, it's well worth your time.

Very interesting read, nothing quite like I have ever read before and can't wait to read more of. The story is down to earth with problems that real world people really go through, such as coming out of the closet, dealing with others harsh view of your life, and making a relationship work through all of theses, with the added bonus is long distance. Rickey and Gary are very much in love and best friends, this is what makes the story so intriguing. It also makes it hard to put the book down or slow down while reading it to make it last.

This book continues my unintentional but highly enjoyable theme read. For some reason the books I've been compelled to read over the past month have been either set in New Orleans or feature a gay charactor. In the case of "The Value of X" both are true. This particular book has already become a sentimental favorite. It's about Ricky and Gman, two 17-year old boys who both know they are gay but discover their love for each other.

The first book I've read by this author. The first half was somewhat promising, but the dialogue was an issue for me. I found it largely unrealistic. I felt that it sounded more like dialogue spoken by 7th graders than by 17-year-olds. As the book went on, though, I really got caught up in the characters and their story of being gay teens, as well as the lush New Orleans background and gritty restaurants. So I did end up enjoying it, and may seek out more of Brite's books.

I enjoyed this book. It was interesting to read after reading the rest of the series. I did find the author's style a bit dull and predictable. The first book [Liquor] was great, but every book after that was pretty much the same. The plot was lacking, but overall the characters were very likable. That itself is what made the book an enjoyable read.

Pretty good. In some ways it felt like this is more of a set up for the rest of the books, which to be fair it is.

Also, I think the writer did a good job on writing the parents as the biggest obstacles in the protagonists lives, without them being too villiany. I did understand why they made the choices they did, but it was also so frustrating. Stop f*cking with your children's lives!

A very romantic story explaining how two of the main Poppy z Brite characters, G-man & Ricky, got together. Some kind of revisit of Romeo & Juliet, but modern, gay and set in New Orleans & NY -and less dramatic-.

You'll like it if you've read Liquor, Prime, etc, and want to know more about them, or simply if you like romance with some tweaks.

Very honest and heartfelt, this book is one of the best I've read in a long time. It's a very slice-of-life, gay love story with romantic moments that are anything but mushy. The author's writing style is so easy, almost Hemingway-esque, but contains a heavy punch. Whether it has a happy ending is debatable, but I really loved it.

very trashy and entertaining fantasy about high school sweet harts from a bad New Orleans neighborhood, who may grow up to be chefs. If I someone were to give me crap about my bad taste in books, this would probably be the best example =p

I really enjoyed this book. It was very different from her early writing, though some hints of her old style peeked through.
But all in all its a fast read and a cute story.
The characters are believable and likable.

Pretty good. I liked reading about young G-Man and Rickey. I loved Liquor and Prime and really liked The Value of X.

Devoured it in 3 hours. Divine.

A feel-good coming of age story set in New Orleans Lower Ninth Ward. Do you know the value of X?

Nice, easy read. A bit too much misunderstanding between the characters for my taste, but still fun to read.