Good-Bye, I Love You [Paperback]

Carol Lynn Pearson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1997

The true story of a wife, her homosexual husband, and a love that transcended tragedy. Gerald Pearson had been honest with Carol Lynn about his homosexual past, but both of them had faith that marriage and devotion to their religion would change his orientation. Love would conquer all. Then, after eight years of apparent happiness and the birth of four children, Gerald was no longer able to deny what he considered to be his essential self. Carol Lynn was shattered, her self-esteem all but destroyed. Their divorce, however, could not erase a lifetime of love and mutual support. Carol Lynn courageously stood by her former husband's side. Even when he contracted AIDS - and came home to die.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Poet and playwright Pearson here movingly recounts the difficulties and tragedies undergone by herself and her husband, a devout Utah Mormon couple. Although aware of Gerald's homosexual past, Carol had faith that marriage would overcome her husband's sexual preference. The shock of discovering, after eight years of apparent happiness and the birth of four children, that his inclination was still for males shook her belief in her own femaleness and the role of women. Moving to the more permissive atmosphere of San Francisco, they obtained a friendly divorce but remained very close as a family. When Gerald was stricken by AIDS, their love withstood this ultimate trial, providing support throughout his illness and the strength to face death with serenity. First serial to Woman's Day; to be a CBS-TV movie.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Carol Lynn Pearson has been a professional writer, speaker, and performer for many years. In addition to her volumes of poetry, she is well known for such books as her autobiography, Goodbye, I Love You, which tells the story of her marriage to a homosexual man, their divorce and ongoing friendship, and her caring for him as he died of AIDS; Consider the Butterfly, which tells forty-four of her personal stories of meaningful coincidence and was a finalist in the inspiration/spiritual category of the 2002 Independent Publishers Book Awards; and a series of inspirational books that began with The Lesson. Her five Christmas books include The Christmas Moment, published in 2005 by Cedar Fort, and the classic, A Stranger for Christmas. Carol Lynn has been a guest on such programs as The Oprah Winfrey Show and Good Morning, America and has been featured in People magazine. She has a master of arts in theater, is the mother of four grown children, and lives in Walnut Creek, California. You can visit her at www.clpearson.com. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 218 pages
• Publisher: Gold Leaf Press (WA) (April 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 188272304X
• ISBN-13: 978-1882723041
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,911,172 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #8 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Health, Mind & Body > Disorders & Diseases > AIDS

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An honest account from "the other side of the closet", November 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Good-Bye, I Love You (Paperback)

I first encountered "Goodbye, I Love You" when it was originally published. I was a married Mormon, and had trouble understanding how things could have happened the way she told them. Then, I found out my husband was gay, too. I re-read the book, and realized that she had told my story, only more compassionately than I could have. This book tells the other side of the story, the side of those whose lives are turned upside down by married gays who can no longer live a lie. If your life has been touched by this situation, this book will help you see that you are not alone. It is must reading for anyone who has known or been a married gay.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ms. Pearson told her story well, February 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Good-Bye, I Love You (Paperback)

This is not a happy book, but a courageous attempt by the author to express her feelings of frustration, grief, anger, and finally acceptance. I would like to see other reviews of this book by a wife, husband, mother, father, sister, brother, or other relative of a gay person. I certainly felt her anguish as she struggled to understand what was happening. She told her story well.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For gay/straight spouses, tells both sides of the story, January 12, 2003

By 

Philip Calderon (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Goodbye, I Love You (Hardcover)

This is the first book I came across that truly captured what it is like to be gay and married and it was written by the straight spouse. Of course, that was years ago and now I have come out of the closet and have found my voice and know what is in my heart. But back then I was deep in the closet and this book was a godsend. Thank you, Carol Lynn, from the bottom of my heart. It was wonderful to see in words what before I had only felt and not understood. However, I wished I had read your thoughts and feelings about being a straight spouse more carefully. It would have given me so much insight into what was going on with my wife. It took me years to gain that insight on my own. But back then it was all I could do to handle my own pain.