Customer Reviews

Reap the Whirlwind

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

 

 

I have greatly enjoyed Josh's work, and Reap the Whirlwind is no exception. This is his best work to date. A roller-coaster ride of deep characters and wild events that spin almost out of control, this story holds together in its sheer grounding in the real, the possible, and the things we sometimes fear most in ourselves. With characters who are very real and well-developed, watching the growth of old characters and revelling in new ones makes this work worthwhile already... add the twisting plot that leaves readers breathless until the last page, and you have a masterpiece of fiction.

Josh raises the question of just how far a person would go to protect the ones they love? Would they murder in cold blood for them? This book looks at that and many other questions in a deeply moving, emotionally shocking story that leaves the reader yearning for more.

Keep the tissues nearby!

I am anxiously awaiting the next installment of the Killian Kendall series. Keep them coming, Josh!

This has all the elements of a mystery with the required body turning up on time and the killing is resolved, but that seems a secondary function of the story and an effort to tie it in with Aterovis' first novel and a series he plans. The murder is almost window dressing for everything else. Essentially I read this as a character study, and a very good one, of a young man coming out, coming to grips with himself, and growing up.

Aterovis uses language well and expresses himself clearly, and his people become real. He paces the story nicely. He packs in details that let the characters and scenes come to life. Unfortunately, he is very conscious that he wants to build A Role Model with Will and a few of his other characters, and they are presented almost without flaws. They are a little too perfect, have all the `correct' ideas and views in everything, and lose credibility after awhile. There are a few scenes here that are like an old movie; gauze on the lens for that fuzzy look, heavenly choirs in the background, etc. The tendency to preach wears thin, and that's where Whirlwind looses points. I have a problem with perfect characters because people ain't. I hesitated between 3 and 4 stars for this reason, but there are no half points in this system. Still, Whirlwind is a good read and I won't hesitate to pick up another book from Aterovis... I just hope he tones down the PC stuff.

The author maintains a large, interesting and informative website worth visiting.

I stumbled upon this book a a while ago and was hooked on the first page, it is definitely a must read. But be very careful you could find your self falling for the characters as they are so well written you think you know them personally.

Buy it and you'll read it again and again wishing to be part of the story. Keep it up Josh!

Fresh from high school, Will begins an evolution that bewilders those around him. His girlfriend breaks up with him and he moves out of his parents' house into Aidan's apartment. After discovering that Aidan is gay, Will comes to understand himself better, and the two stumble into a relationship. When one of Will's lifelong friends dies, he's heartbroken, and then the clues seem to indicate that the death was murder. With the help of Killian Kendall (from Aterovis's first book), Will investigates his friend's death, and soon finds death surrounding him. "Reap the Whirlwind" is a great coming-out and coming-of-age tale in all its flaming glory. The book tackles family rejection and atonement, and balances them with a heartfelt love story as the novel plunges into the dark abyss of attempted suicide and personal tragedies. Josh Aterovis limns in vivid detail the upheavals of coming out, as well as delighting audiences with an engrossing mystery.

I had great expectations in regard to Reap The Whirlwind. I had read many reviews that Mr. Aterovis has written in the last couple of years. He's a stickler for detail and doesn't hold back with his opinions. So I knew I was in for a good read. However, I found him guilty of his own pet peeves. I don't know if this book was self-published...if it wasn't, the content editor, line editor and proof readers should all be shot. Above and beyond the typos - the characters were totally unbelievable. And then when the Bible stuff started coming in, it took all my effort not to throw the book out the window. But pat me on the back...I finished it. I'm so so disappointed. And a little bit of humor would have helped the story along. When he did try to work it in, it felt forced. And I'm sad to say that this storyline is one that I've read before. I'm sure that's an innocent thing but let's think up some really new, interesting material. And if that lead character started to cry one more time I was going to slap him! lol I really thought and hoped this was going to be a fantastic read. Mr. Aterovis is young enough that maybe he can learn from his mistakes.

Excellent character development and a great story line. Josh writes a story where many of the characters may be gay but you will not find graphic sex dripping from every page.

Josh has a good story to tell and tells it extremely well. This book isn't just for the gay community; it's for the mainstream. Josh has written an exciting mystery that just happens to have gay characters in it.

On the other hand, his gay characters serve as positive role models for the sexually confused younger generation.

This rollercoaster ride of a book branches out from author Aterovis's 2002 debut novel, Bleeding Hearts. Like the main character in the earlier book, Reap The Whirlwind's Will Keegan is a teenager whose life is turned upside down when he discovers he is gay. He is in no way prepared for the upheaval in store for him. He comes to understand that the person he's been in love with is hatefully homophobic. His father turns from him. Someone dear to him dies in a mysterious drunken accident. Will nearly dies, too. If that's not enough stress for one person, he meets someone special and is hardly able to discern that the young man is perfect for him.

Once Will gets his life into a precarious balance, he is able to see that the death of his friend is no accident even though the police have ruled it so. He and several friends (including Killian Kendall from the earlier novel) launch an amateur investigation which has dreadful results. There's another murder, then another, and no way of determining why. Who will be next?

Aterovis does an admirable job of showing the wild confusion and frequently uncontrollable emotions of young people as they attempt to understand their lives and make their way into adulthood. This book, essentially a very serious story, has occasional flashes of humor. My favorite line: "Oh my God, Martha Stewart died and left us all her sh-t." The interplay between the young men and women, both straight and gay, feels accurate and alive. Above all, the message is clear that love and acceptance of self and others is critical, especially for young adults. Highly recommended for readers from high school on up.

This rollercoaster ride of a book branches out from author Aterovis's 2002 debut novel, Bleeding Hearts. Like the main character in the earlier book, Reap The Whirlwind, Will Keegan is a teenager whose life is turned upside down when he discovers he is gay. He is in no way prepared for the upheaval in store for him. He comes to understand that the person he has been in love with is hatefully homophobic. His father turns from him. Someone dear to him dies in a mysterious drunken accident. Will nearly dies, too. If that's not enough stress for one person, he meets someone special and is hardly able to discern that the young man is perfect for him.

Once Will gets his life into a precarious balance, he is able to see that the death of his friend is no accident even though the police have ruled it so. He and several friends (including Killian Kendall from the earlier novel) launch an amateur investigation which has dreadful results. There's another murder, then another, and no way of determining why. Who will be next?

Aterovis does an admirable job of showing the wild confusion and frequently uncontrollable emotions of young people as they attempt to understand their lives and make their way into adulthood. This book, essentially a very serious story, has occasional flashes of humor. My favorite line: "Oh my God, Martha Stewart died and left us all her [stuff]." The interplay between the young men and women, both straight and gay, feels accurate and alive. Above all, the message is clear that love and acceptance of self and others is critical, especially for young adults. Highly recommended for readers from high school on up. ~Lori L. Lake, author of the "Gun" Series and other books

Reap the Whirlwind is narrated by Will Keegan; he has just graduated and is considering taking a year out before college. He has grown up with two neighbourhood kids, Joey and Laura, his best friends. Will has a girlfriend, but somehow she is not the centre of his life, he'd drop arrangements with her at a moments notice to be with Joey. Laura also notices his preoccupation with Joey, and confronts him with the question, is he gay? Then at Joey's suggestion he moves out of his home to share an apartment with Aidan, who is openly gay. When Will is finally helped to admit to his true sexuality, he announces to Joey that he loves him. That's when the fireworks start, and he finds himself on a roller coaster ride involving rejection, love, his work, attempts at suicide, death and playing, along with his friends, amateur sleuth.
It is a gripping and certainly very interesting story, there is drama and suspense, a great deal happens in a very short time, and the characters are appealing. Yet somehow it just misses being totally absorbing. There is something not quite believable about it, perhaps it is the speed at which things happen, or maybe the characters are too young to be taken seriously in these circumstances. At times the dialogue is a little too gushing with overblown expressions of love and devotion. Then there is the feeling that there is some not very subtle campaigning going on here, pro-gay Christianity, anti-abortion, gay marriage, it is not a question of the right or wrongs of such beliefs, but being presented in this rather obvious way they detract from the story, and more importantly, one's involvement. What it comes down to is this, the story should have moved me, I should have been holding back the tears at the end, but it didn't, and I wasn't.