Customer Reviews

The House of Gentle Men: A Novel

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Every once in a great while a book comes along that you carry around inside your heart even after turning the final page. Kathy Hepinstall's "The House of Gentle Men" is exactly that type of book. It's rare that I find a novel that manages to combine the best of characterization, intriguing plot, and stunning language the way this one does. I fell in love with the characters, and appreciated the fact that none of them (even the ones I thought I had reason to hate in the beginning) were caricatures. Ms. Hepinstall writes with such understanding - not only the virtues of her characters, but of their faults as well, and they seem to step from the pages into real life and breath. There is truth weaved by the black ink of this novel, threaded together with tremendous heart and skill by the author. I'll be reliving and re-reading this one, to say nothing of eagerly awaiting more of Ms. Hepinstall's fiction.

Imagine a pleace where men who have in some way hurt women can go to offer penance for their actions. Imagine a place where women who have been hurt by men can go to be healed of their pain. That place is called the House of Gentle Men. Without giving too much of the plot away, Charlotte, who is raped by three soldiers a mere two weeks after witnessing her mother die in a fire started by Charlotte's brother, is unwittingly reunited at the House of Gentle Men with Justin, one of the soldiers who participated in the rape. We observe as they slowly chip away the wall of ice they have built around themselves -- Charlotte in self-defense and Justin as self-punishment. We learn about the child that Charlotte bore as the result of the rape and then, as an act of defiance against God, abandoned. The House of Gentle Men has an unusual effect on everyone connected with it, from the men who live there, to the women who surreptitiously arrive there under the cover of night, to the townspeople who gossip and wonder about this extraordinary haven on the outskirts of town. This is such a beautiful novel, with a unique plot, lyrical writing and the twists and turns of luck and fate. I am very anxious to read Ms. Hepinstall's next offering. With the talent she has displayed in "The House of Gentle Men", I'm certain her next book will be just as enjoyable.

What an amazing book! The brief storyline offered above piqued my interest but in no way prepared me for the depth of feelings and emotions I would experience when I met Charlotte and later, Justin. Having lived through a harrowing experience in her rape, Charlotte makes a very difficult decision to give birth to and abandon her baby. Years later, alone and lonely, she makes her way to the house of Gentle Men to befriend Justin, a man trying to atone for his sins of the past. The theme of the book is atoning for one's sins and forgiveness - Charlotte must not only forgive the soldier who took away her innocence, but she must also forgive herself for abandoning her baby. Hepinstall cleverly contrasts sex without love to intimacy without sex and emphasizes that you need a balance to make the best relationship. Through the house of Gentle Men, Charlotte and Justin aren't the only characters who seek and attain forgiveness - you'll have to read the book to learn more!

For a first book, this is an excellent start and I hope to find more by Hepinstall very soon! Highly recommended and I will pass it on to everyone I know.

I must admit this book wasn't like I expected it to be. I wasn't intending on reading it but at the encouragement of some online book club friends and the loan of the book from another friend, I said what the heck, give it a shot. The House of Gentle Men is about so much more than rape. It's about how the secrets we carry effect us and others. How they can destroy our lives. It's about learning to forgive others and ourselves with ourselves often being the hardest to forgive. It's about living out a fantasy. What women wouldn't want a man to cater to her wishes? It's about second chances and how things are not always how they seem. I could say even more about this book, but I will end by saying, The House of Gentle Men is a beautifully written book that I hope you will give yourself the chance to enjoy.

Here is a novel for the jaded and tired reader who just wants "something good to read" but finds that harder and harder to find. "House of Gentle Men" tells a solid story with fresh, lovely language and images to advance the plot,which is bold and satisfying and unexpected. The characters will break your heart with their human flaws, and then mend it again by the end of the story. Long after you finish reading, the perfume of Louisiana will remain in your head, and the feel of those hot lazy summers when people are being stirred to a slow boil. You come away from it remembering certain phrases the way you come away from a good musical humming the songs. I am really looking forward to the rest of Kathy Hepinstall's work, and excited by the sense that somehow I was there for the birth of a new writing star.

This book qualifies as pure-dee soul food! It's been a long time since I pulled a late nighter with a new novel as I have to get up at 5:30 a.m. to go to work. . . but this book was un-put-downable! Her lyrical writing brings to mind Alice Hoffman. The characters have that sort of mystical quality where you feel as if they all have real souls and you know them from somewhere. . . I don't know how else to put it.

One of my favorite quotes that I have copied down in my 'favorite quotes' notebook is by Hemingway:

"All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened, and after you are finished reading one, you will feel that all that happened to you and afterwards it belongs to you: the good and the bad, the ecstasy, the remorse and sorrow, the people and places and how the weather was. If you can get so that you can give that to people, then you are a writer."

I think that Kathy Hepinstall is indeed such a writer! I look forward with great anticipation to her next book.

Several days have passed since I finished reading this amazing novel, and I still find myself thinking of passages and lines, until I have to pick up the book and reread them again. That's what Kathy Hepinstall's novel does -- it works its way into your heart and mind and just doesn't let go. Her deft handling of atmosphere leaves the reader feeling as though she were part of the book. The characters become friends making me want to hold some of them, shake others, and weep for all of them. The themes are timeless and universal, but hardly nowhere more moving than seen through the eyes of these characters.

I echo what someone else said here -- this is a book that deserves the attention Oprah's Book Club would give it. I can think of none better.

If it's true that God is in the details, then She's in every word of this first novel by Kathy Hepinstall. The writing is truly biblical in its powerful, poetic language and contrast of Old Testament suffering with New Testament forgiveness. To original sin, Kathy adds original story, characters, and expression. In fact, I think hers is the most original voice to come out of the South since Flannery O'Connor.

I finished this book in a day ~~ literally. I was supposed to go to the computer repair shop and get my computer fixed ~~ but I couldn't put this wonderful book down!!

I've heard my friends raving about this book ~~ but it wasn't till I received this book that I understood why they love it so! To me, a house of gentle men sounds like a dream ~~ where men make ordinary women feel special, loved and redeemed ~~ just didn't seem like a good story to me. I was wrong. Hepinstall's writing style just drew me in ~~ gently like a bait drawing a fish to the hook. One paragraph and I was enthralled.

Hepinstall writes of terrible things that happen to women and men, shows the weaknesses of all people in their lives and gives a sense of hope for redemption for all. It is an unusual book and one that is never to be forgotten. It is a book that shares the evilness of human nature and also shares the forgiving spirit that lies deep within each of us.

It is also a well written book ~~ written to a rhythm that you have to listen for but once you hear it, it's in your bloodstream as you read along. It is a highly unique style of writing ~~ one I've never read before. It's Hepinstall's way of writing and should remain hers. I am amazed that this is her first book ~~ she writes like a pro.

I highly recommend this book not just for yourself, but for all women who have been hurt by men ~~ it's a book to be shared, not to be hoarded. Just don't give away your only copy as it will never be returned. Share the thoughts of Charlotte and Justin, Daniel, Milo and all of the characters as they struggle with life like we all do ~~ only to walk away with a renewed sense of hope. Pick it up and you won't forget it. Nor will you want to forget this gentle book.

Kathy Hepinstall certainly has given us a unique novel in the House of Gentlemen. It is a fable about the relationships between men and women and the healing power of love. I really enjoyed reading it and honestly can say that I have never read a book quite like this before. It is the story of a house of gentle men, where unloved women come to be loved by men. There is no sex in this house, only love. One woman who comes there, Charlotte, has been horrible wronged by men. She was brutally raped as a young girl and became pregnant. She gave birth to the baby in secret and left him in the woods. He was rescued by the daughter of the house's owner and raised as her child. Several years later, one of the remorseful rapists comes to the house for redemption. He and Charlotte fall in love, without her knowing his true identity. They eventually learn the truth about each other, but I won't say anymore, for fear of ruining the book for anyone. Kathy Hepinstall gets her message about love across in such a unique way in this book. Love and physical affection should be gentle. She cleverly juxtaposes the story of a young man who lives in a barn next to the house, who has sex, without love, with several of the women who visit the house. Hepinstall's message is simple--sex without love is harmful, sometimes violent. Women deserve gentle love. She gets her message across without being preachy, which is one of the wonderful things about this novel. The House of Gentle Men is also a pleasure to read. Hepinstall writes beautifully. I really enjoyed this novel. Enjoy.