Customer Reviews

Looking Glass Lives: A Novel

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

LOOKING GLASS LIVES may take Picano readers by surprise in that it is not his usual foray into the world of Men with Men. This is a marvelous short book that would satisfy even the most finicky of Romance/Mystery/Intrigue lovers. Once Picano seduces you into knowing the inner thinking of these interesting people and their crossing of lines/lives, he has you to the end of the story. Little is said of the artwork included (illustrations, if you will), but for me they recall the look of the old fashioned Romance novels of the 40's and add signifcantly to the success of this delicious little book.

When I first starting reading this book I was a little confused but by the time I got to Chapter 2 everything fell into place and I was hooked. What a remarkable story that bridges two centuries in a small seaside town. I couldn't stop reading it. I was so eager to find out what was going to happen. I was really shocked and pleasantly surprised with the ending and how the story took a turn so that it was entirely different than what I had expected. This is a spell-binding story that concerns the sexually triangled affair of Roger Lynch, his wife, Karen, and Roger's cousin, Chas. They are all brought together in a cycle of passion that is hard to break. Will Roger be able to uncover the long-hidden secret of this small town? And what inescapable destiny does it hold for all of them? If I were to tell you anymore about the story it would certainly ruin the surprise of this well-crafted novel.

I think this is one of Felice Picano's best books that he has ever written. Remember what I said in the beginning, everything falls into place after Chapter 2. It may seem a little confusing before that. As an added bonus to Felice's story there are wonderful illustrations by Ron Fowler (fowlergallery) that go along with the story. Just take a look at the two page black & white drawings on Page 188-189, of the horse-drawn carriage and rural surroundings. It is just simply beautiful. The illustrations really help to bring the story to life. I wish I could give this book more than five stars. Find out for yourself. My best recommendation!

Looking Glass Lives is not the book I imagined it would be. It was better.

I don't know how to identify the topic of the book. It isn't really a gothic horror tale, but it has some of those elements. It isn't a thriller, though it has some of those elements too. And it isn't a romance, though it certainly has some of those elements.

I do know that this book is a page turner. It takes place in three different eras, woven together seamlessly by Picano. First we are introduced to our narrator, Roger, and his world as a youth of twelve. We walk through his shoes for a summer and then are transported to his 30's, where we alternatively ease into the mid- 1900's via a spinster's journal. Sound confusing? It isn't.

Looking Glass lives treats us to an engaging set of characters who are quite real and mysterious. The setting is sultry, frightening, and often romantic. Picano allows us to wander along through this story without rushing and in doing so allows us to become part of the laid-back beachside community in which this story is set.

I confess that I'm a huge Picano fan. Though he doesn't always have hits, this is definitely one of them.

Take one part gay life, one part history, and mix in a little hosts and supernatural, and you have Felice Picano's Looking Glass Lives. To be honest, I don't think it is his best work, but the short ness of teh book, and the fact that it was an easy read kept me in my aparment one sunny afternoon, unable to put the book down. I especially loved the ending, and positively screamed out loud once I finished the book. I had not seen it coming. If you find yourself with a day to kill rwading, you can finish this one in a few hours. Its fun, light, and I do believe the ending will have your jaw onm the floor.

While thinking I would add this story to my collection of "Gay" themed novels, I am now not so sure it lends itself to the "Gay" category, and while feeling a little dissappointed in the lack of a "gay" theme, I enjoyed the story intensely. Roger Lynch grows up one summer while engaging in experimental sexual daliances with his male cousin Chas. This adolescent behavior is not quite fully addressed when it comes to Roger's adult life. I was never quite sure if Roger liked it, regretted it, or dealt with it and put it away. Then I realized further along in the story I learn why this is so. Roger grows up, marries a shy librarian, and buys a house in the town where he spent his summer of passion with his cousin Chas.The house he buys has a history, and a history not at all like his own , and the realization of their similarity grows as Roger unearths historic diaries of Amity Pritchards life in the house. Amity experienced passion, and paid a dear price, and Roger soon learns his own life must follow similarly. The only character I don't beleive is ever clearly developed is that of Roger's wife Karen. We never can understand her motivation, she is undeveloped as a woman, just a character needed to complete the story, yet my feeling is that Felice Picano, as a gay man, may have sold out in not making Karen a man. Then the story would have made more sense, and would have been truly a "gay" themed novel.

The author James V. Smith has said in his advice to novelists: "Save nothing for your next novel." Picano took that advice to heart...in his last novel. This one certainly does not live up to his past writing and comes no where near "Like People in History" which I thought was well-developed and very moving. Despite the protagonist/narrator saying how much he loved his wife, I wasn't convinced. In fact, I didn't feel any passion between the 3 main characters. A ghost was mentioned early in the novel...must have been referring to the ghostwriter.