I purchased this book, which was published by Lethe Press in January 2009 and is available in e and paper editions, in November last year for my “8 Days of Ham/mukah” celebration of m/m romance. I had a hard time reading 8 books in 8 days, let alone reviewing them, and put this one aside. I brought it on a road trip from Maine to the midwest earlier this month, and by the time we got to Niagara Falls, I pretty much didn’t want to get out of the car if it meant I had to stop reading this book, 150,000 gallons of water per second be damned.
If you are sick of historical romance referring only to 1810-1820 London, and only to the upper classes, sick of m/m romance referring only to erotic romance, sick of lengthy, explicit sex scenes wedged into your historical romance in places they don’t belong, sick of authors telegraphing every interesting, potentially conflict-creating aspect of a character on the first page (i.e. Character development for idiots with attention deficits), then you will enjoy this breath of fresh air.
Here’s the blurb:
New York, 1919. His career as a concert pianist ended by a war injury, Sutton Albright returns to college, only to be expelled after an affair with a teacher. Unable to face his family, he heads to New York with no plans and little money–only a desire to call his life his own.
Jack Bailey’s life has changed as well. After losing his parents in the influenza epidemic, he hopes to save their beloved novelty shop–now his–by advertising on the radio, barely more than a novelty, itself.
Sutton lands work in Jack’s corner of the city and the two conclude they couldn’t be less suited for friendship. But when Sutton loses his job, Jack gives him a place to stay. Sutton returns to the piano to play for Jack and finds the intervening months have healed him. The program promises to rescue Jack’s business and Sutton’s career…but success brings its own risks for two men falling in love.
This blurb does what blurbs are supposed to do, but it doesn’t communicate at all how slowly the story unfolds or how richly the setting is developed. When the book begins, Sutton is being awakened by a pounding on his mice infested 41st street hotel room’s door. He’s kicked out, and ends up, after wandering around a public park on a rainy night, in jail for the night. The next morning, down to his last nickel, he nurses the past dregs of his diner coffee, practically begging the waitress for work. We know he’s low, but we don’t know why. We know he comes from money, that his heart was broken back home, and that he’s just returned from the war.
As we come to know him, we find that Sutton is kind, even tempered, sensible, and infused with the optimism of a young man who has lived a life of privilege. And he’s transparent. As Jack says, “How you feel always shines right out.” Sutton’s struggle is figuring out how to be a good man, a good son, a good lover, in a world completely changed by both political and personal events. He wants to make the right decisions, but how? He thinks:
It would be so much easier if life provided sheet music to help him make sense of its dynamics–or even a few notations for finding the most harmonious chords. But life refused to oblige. He could only improvise.
When Sutton is sent on an errand to Bailey’s Emporium next door, he meets a whole new cast of characters. There’s Ox, a good hearted brute, and Harry, the accountant/manager, and others. Jack is the owner of the shop, which he inherited from his parents. Jack also fought in the war, and unlike Sutton;s physical injuries, his are psychological. Jack is irrepressible, a live wire, impulsive, cynical in some ways but boyishly eager in others, an enthusiastic party boy, with a darkness inside caused by the loss of his parents, his hard scrabble life since then, and his war wounds.
The conflict between Sutton and Jack is nothing new: Jack is afraid of commitment, and doesn’t believe, deep down, that he deserves unconditional love. This is typical of his view on life:
“A fellow can’t have everything.” Jack stuffed his hands in his pockets to ward away the chill. “Win something you want and you can be sure the next day you’ll lose something you have. It’s getting so I don’t want to wish for anything else.”
The fact that Sutton is the son of a wealthy industrialist only gives external validation to Jack’s lack of a sense of self-worth. Sutton’s issues have more to do with finding his place in the world after his dreams of becoming a concert pianist were dashed by the war. Jack and Sutton begin an affair, and Allen effectively communicates the intense sexual attraction between them, without opening the bedroom door to the reader.
Often readers who like gay male romance will say they appreciate not having to worry about gender politics in their romance reading, and I never understood that until I read this book. Sutton comes to see that finding a lasting love, a life partner, is the key to his happiness. He really is sort of content to bask in the unpredictable fireworks show that is Jack, to help Jack achieve his dreams, to support him in his recovery from the war, to just be a lover in the truest sense of the word, almost as an avocation. I think if Sutton had been a woman, this might have troubled me. But I found it very moving in a male character.
Here’s how that kind of love looks to Jack:
Jack hadn’t thought of love as a promise before–a promise that, even when the world was falling down around him, would stay kept. But without Sutton saying a word, he knew that there would be comfort when he couldn’t sleep tonight. And tomorrow and the day after, there would be a home to go to, even if it was no more than a pair of arms around him and a head tucked close to his in the darkness.
On the other hand, these guys don’t have heart to hearts. They communicate like men often do — wordlessly, saying more by what they don’t say. I hate romances, whether m/f or m/m, when a very masculine male character starts saying things at the end that would never come out of that guy’s mouth. Dr. Phil talk. Oprah talk. Not just flowery talk, but depth psychology talk that suggests a level of self-analysis that is totally foreign to these live-in-the-moment men.
One thing I noticed was that the tone tended to be very similar from page one to page last, or maybe I mean the pacing felt very regimented. I think I may have been looking for more drama in the dramatic scenes, even if the characters themselves tended to shy away from it.
But this was an incredibly sweet, romantic story, made even better by the fascinating cast of characters Allen develops, including Jack’s ramshackle “family” and his slick night owl friends. From diners to jazz clubs, to back alley fisticuffs, to impromptu bicycle rides to the dump, to makeshift concerts in the crowded curio shop staffed by a live alligator, to heavies trying to control the neighborhood, I was fully immersed in this world and glad to be there.
All proceeds from the sale of this book go to leukemia research.
I’ve got this one in TBR and am looking forward to it even more now!
I fully second your take. I’m still on a look out for her latest.
I’d never heard of this and now I must try it. There’s so much great non-romance historical fiction set in this period (and now you’ve made me think of how many have gay characters . . . interesting). I love it.
Also, Persuasion? Yay! Any, or no, excuse for a re-read is welcome.
@Liz: I wished I could give away a copy but the paper version is like 20 bucks, and I don;t know how to giver away a digital version without violating copyright.
But you won;t be disappointed, I think, if you read it.
And I am hoping Persuasion is popular! I’ve never read it.
@Maili: My take must be right then.
Oh dear, another for the TBR. This book has gotten nothing but great reviews. The cheapest I’ve seen it in ebook form is $8 at allromance whatever dot com, I think. She has a different book over at Smashwords.
This m/m discovery is killing my wallet. Not to mention my daily schedule. I need a cave, a source of electricity, a book light, and my ereader. And six months. Food is optional. Cocktails would be nice, though.
ETA: Persuasion? Finally one I’ve read! And reread. And reread. Time for another visit.
You already know how much I love this one
Downtime is also a keeper. Not quite as good or perfect, but it’s still wonderful, and the characters are simply lovely.
It still amazes me that a terribly well-known and self-important ebook acquiring editor turned down WitD. I’m just sorry that it didn’t end up with a publisher who knew what to do with it (And wait for said publisher to turn up and crap at me for saying that – he goes looking for criticism, and not surprisingly finds it.)
Sunita, never would $8 better spent. You will feel happier and healthier for reading this book
I never know quite what to say to reviewers, because “thank you” seems so ordinary and insufficient a response to the generosity of time and expertise that goes into writing a review. Especially when what’s going through my head is more along the lines of, “wow, how incredibly sweet and awesome of this reviewer to read and review my book when there are so many fabulous and big name books out there to review and so little time in the day.”
Even after a year and a half, it’s still a dazzling and intimidating experience, to be reviewed. Thank you, Jessica. I’m always so happy when a reader sees the characters in just exactly the light I saw them as I wrote them.
I’m sorry the book is so expensive, even in ebook. I hope it will encourage any potential readers to know that all my proceeds are going to fund leukemia research.
And thank you, Ann. Ann should be getting agent fees, she has been so wonderful in promoting my book.
@Mara:
I meant to put this in the review, and forgot. Adding it now.
And our thank you? Is you writing more books!
@Ann Somerville: Oh shoot, Ann, you know I’m going to buy it! Your reviews are at least half the reason I have to explain to my dogs that the heady days of fancy-label food are over. Luckily, they are dogs and don’t care. Cats would be a whole ‘nother issue.
@Mara: No need to apologize. Stupid Agency 5 ppbs are $7.99. And when you get such glowing reviews from people with divergent tastes, the reader is pretty sure it’s well worth it.
See, if you’d said ‘your books are at least half the reason…’ I’d have had some sympathy
Jessica, WitD is notable, apart from all the other remarkable aspects, for something you don’t see much in Romance – a real working class hero – a whole cast of them, in fact. I loved how Tamara managed to weave the economic aspects of post-WWI life in American – as it’s on the verge of the Great Depression, in fact – and show how varied it was and how people’s choices were shaped or limited by their financial situation. It really ought to be on school reading lists
OK another book I have to get both for the story and the period setting.
In thinking about your comment on Sutton’s avocation as lover I wonder if this is part of the rise in D/s in m/f books because as women we can’t just read that in a relationship without finding it problematic so need their to be a ‘reason/justification’
Also I am excited about the Persuasian read too. Not only do I love the book but the movie with Ciaran Hinds (late 80′s/early 90′s?) is good too.
The recent adaptation with Rupert Penry Jones was damn good, and damn authentic too.
@Ann Somerville: Your own books are cheaper than your recommendations, so the dogs already love you best.
And thank you for not including apostrophes in your proper names; it makes it much easier to transgress my no-PNR rule.
ETA: I know you’re not PNR, but with romance SFF is folded into PNR so often that my rule is overinclusive.
@Ann Somerville:
I know! I said this in the review. I love reading about the Ton, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to read about other places, times, and classes.
@Sunita: I can’t bear to think of your dogs getting substandard dog food. Am sending some good stuff their way.
@Merrian: Oh, I hope you read and and enjoy it! On Persuasion — maybe I’ll do reviews of adaptations — make it a multimedia celebration of the book. And there’s got to be a graphic novel, and a mashup, right?
@Ann Somerville: See, I really disliked this version. Now I am going to have to watch it again (and the Hinds/Amanda Root one, which I did like) and read the books this review and comments made me buy. I don’t have time for this!
When I teach Austen I usually show clips of film adaptations, or pair with contemporary re-workings like Bridget Jones’ Diary or Clueless. I am intrigued by her afterlife.