19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not quite what I hoped for, November 26, 2005
This review is from: Back Where He Started: A Novel (Hardcover)
This novel seemed like such a good idea. Maybe it just tried to take on too much--aging, religion, abandonment, gay parenting, homophobia, loss of a pet, loss of homes, biological and created families, starting over, gay marriage, bisexuality, pregnancy--and so it didn't go deeply enough into any one of those things. Everything ended up being too easy, which would be fine in a book that was written with a lighter tone, but this clearly wasn't meant to be a light read and has no humor. Although the way everyone seems to always end up dressed in someone else's underwear is unintentionally (I guess?) amusing.
What put me off the most was the feminization of Chris, not a good thing when all of the biological females in the book are one-dimensional. Chris is a MAN, and a man can be just as nurturing and appealing if he's not constantly called "mom" or treated like something less than his lovers (Zach and Steve).
And the dialogue never rang true, especially when Steve and Chris lapsed into what I assume is supposed to be "working class" dialect, but was never consistent.
The themes of the book are all good; the story just didn't do them justice by finding neat little solutions for everything.
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14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best books I have ever read!, December 8, 2005
This review is from: Back Where He Started: A Novel (Hardcover)
Indeed it is difficult to find books written that reflects my age group, my experiences and my present time of life. It gives me hope that at my "mature age" that life does go on after 40. Too many times, authors write for the teenage and young adult age group and not for my own (39+). Thank you Mr. Quinn for writing a truly enjoyable book, one that I identifed with, one that I will treasure for many a year to come and which is a personal classic.
Please continue to write for the older reader. If anyone knows of any well written books where the main character is 40+ and it is a well written, realistic book then let me know at [...] - DC.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A beach read...., August 15, 2005
This review is from: Back Where He Started: A Novel (Hardcover)
So ... imagine that you're a 40-something gay man who just spent the last 22 years raising your partner's kids. You just get the last one off to college and your husband suddenly announces that he's running off to marry his (female) secretary. You have no job and basically no job skills except changing diapers and cleaning scraped knees.
Interesting premise for a book, no? (And notice there isn't one crystal snorting LA screenwriter to be found! What a pleasant change of pace for gay fiction.) The main character, Chris Thayer attempts to rebuild his life after having his house and home snatched away from him by his husband's midlife crisis. He buys a beach house (with the palimony agreement his former husband sets up), buys some furniture, gets a job, a new church, a new dog, and a new, younger boyfriend. All that within a year or so.
"Back Where He Started," is what I would call a "beach read." These are books that I consider not necessarily bad, but are just shallow enough to be enjoyed while baking in the sun, listening to your iPod, and admiring the scenery at a Lake Michigan beach.
The premise is indeed interesting, but the characters and the execution are all a little unbelieveable. The book is set in North Carolina, and though I don't know very much about the state, I know this: that's where Jessie Helms is from. How is it then that everyone, from his employer, to his priest, to the entire extended family of his new boyfriend absolutely loves this man? Other than two annoying kids who spraypaint his house, he seems to have the perfect life, and sets it up in under a year.
After 22 years of marriage, he simply starts over. Quickly. Oh, and he gets to have mindblowing sex (every time) with some young fisherman, who turns into his new boyfriend.
The book does have a few points to make about being a real individual inside of a marriage and how we define and decide our roles within those marriages. But for the most part, it's just a light book that you might enjoy while sunning yourself over in Saugatuck, P-Town, or whatever beach you frequent.
If you're really looking for an interesting book that deeply examines relationships between men, I might suggest "Comfort and Joy" by Jim Grimsley, or "Separate Rooms" by Pier Vittorio Tondelli.
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