Men Who Love Men [Hardcover]

William J. Mann (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 27, 2007

At forty, long-time lovers Jeff O'Brien and Lloyd Griffith are the still-sexy poster boys for contented domesticity, running their P-town bed and breakfast together. But, with their wedding day approaching, can these two famously non-monogamous freethinkers really agree to "forsake all others"? Meanwhile, their best friend Henry Weiner has found love with Trent West--young, boyishly handsome, and charming. But Trent's presence is arousing intense feelings in all the men around him: desire, longing, recognition, need--and suspicion. And as Henry unearths Trent's secrets, he, Jeff and Lloyd must face their futures, alone and together...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The gift for character and architectonics Mann displays in his riveting film bios (including Kate) gets stripped out of his third pulpy Provincetown novel, following Where the Boys Are (2003). Mann switches focus from pop novelist Jeff O'Brien and hotelier Lloyd Griffith (longtime companions) to another Provincetown hottie, Jeff's best friend, Henry Weiner, whose complex trek from geek to hustler was a feature of the last book. Henry's a "washashore," as the locals call those who come to Provincetown to live year-round—adrift, restless, always on the prowl—and is managing Nirvana, the popular guesthouse co-owned by Jeff and Lloyd. Over the course of a Provincetown summer, Henry searches for Mr. Right, meeting and bedding a parade of sexy men: Luke is a sly, possibly psychotic would-be novelist who picks up Henry to get to Jeff; Martin is impossibly old at 45; Gale refuses to drop his pants on the first date; Shane, Henry's ex-, returns with a ring on his finger. Mann gets off some funny lines and smiles wryly on the longings of his characters. There's also a nice side plot in Jeff's nine-year-old nephew-ward JR, who struggles with his latent heterosexuality. Henry's odyssey, however, isn't sustaining, and the resolution falls flat. (Apr.)
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Review

"Deserves to stand alongside the best of Armistead Maupin and Felice Picano....Affirms Mann's status as one of gay fiction's major narrative powers." -- Christopher Rice

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Kensington Books (March 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758213751
• ISBN-13: 978-0758213754
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #435,158 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I live in two of the most beautiful places on the planet ' Provincetown, Massachusetts, with its exquisite light and ever-shifting dunes in the summer and the fall, and Palm Springs, California, with its majestic mountains and invigorating desert air in the winter and the spring. I am indeed blessed.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gay, Single, and Sad, May 9, 2007

By 

Silvia Bridger "Publisher of The Truth About ... (Watch the video on YouTube) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Men Who Love Men (Hardcover)

A gay man mourns the fact that he's single before eventually "re-evaluating" his possibilities and choosing a man he previously thought was too old.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Why Can't I Find a Lover?, April 23, 2007

By 

K. Peoples (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Men Who Love Men (Hardcover)

I usually agree with Paul Minifri's reviews, but I don't entirely agree with him on this one. Mann is clearly an incredibly talented writer; his characterizations in this novel are good, it's just that the major characters are all flawed. And in this novel, all the flaws come out all over the place. Henry IS clearly a whiner ("why can't I find someone who loves me?" we've all wondered that, unless/until finding one's own partner). Jeff is a slut (though he actually shows some strength of character in this one). Lloyd is too preachy (and has his own slut hidden inside). Still, except that Henry's whines get to the reader at times, they're reasonably likeable protagonists and this reader rooted for them to get it all together. Paul's comment that Henry's self-realization came too quickly IS accurate and is the main reason that I gave the book four stars instead of five (that and I got tired of Henry's whines late in the book).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars third time not so much the charm, March 11, 2008

By 

B.A. Wall "reads a lot" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Men Who Love Men (Hardcover)

I've read the first two volumes of this series and enjoyed them to a point, but this time around, eh, not so much. The lead character at times grew extremely irritating, I kind of wanted to reach through the book and slap him as he seemed to whine whine and whine through numerous pages. A person like that you reach a point with and just have had enough and don't care anymore. I finished the book at least, which isn't saying a whole lot.