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lezreadalot's review against another edition
3.0
I feel weird giving this 3 stars because I've read books 3-star books that I liked a LOT more than this one. There wasn't anything bad about it: the writing was quite good, I loved the narrator's voice, I really liked the deep delve into the setting and the history and the milieu of the publishing world. It just all felt a bit... surface-y. It's honestly quite bold of me to label this as 'historical romance' because the interpersonal interactions between Walter and Barry were so sparse as to be non-existent, and when they came they were sped over. And... I don't know, it was a very meandering sort of book, which I don't mind, but I was always aware of 1) nothing much happening and 2) the fact that I knew exactly what would happen. Not that there weren't interesting bits in between (Flemming, Phyllis and her politics, publishing house drama) but... I don't know. I would have liked a whole lot more of Barry and Walter than we actually got.
lola425's review
3.0
Good look at Fifties era homosexuality when so many men ignored their true selves and married. The central story seemed a little far fetched and the fact that there are really no consequences for anyone feels false. In a way, it's good to have a story about gay lives of that era that doesn't end in tragedy and punishment, but is it real?
ra042312's review
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
crtsjffrsn's review
4.0
In the post-World War II era of McCarthyism, Walter Samson, a very successful editor with a picture-perfect family (loving wife, adoring son and daughter) has little worry in the world. Until one day Barry Rogers shows up in his office and awakens a whole part of Walter he never knew existed. Spurred by his passion, he not only takes up a clandestine relationship with Barry, he goes so far as to move him into the servants' quarters of his home so they can be closer together. While constantly at risk of being found out, Walter tries to juggle his double life at home with his career.
I really enjoyed this book. The writing flows rather well - it's written in a first-person narrative style and it's easy to feel like Walter is right there telling you his story. There are some interesting twists and turns in the path the story takes and I think it's easy for the reader to find themselves conflicted between frowning on Walter's duplicity and truly feeling for the circumstances of the era in which he lived. Bernays has created a very believable world that makes the characters - to use her own words about one of the authors Walter discovered - "not so much realistic as real."
I would have personally liked to see more of the private moments in Barry and Walter's relationship, but what it lacks in that area doesn't detract from the story or what I see as the primary purpose of the narrative, so I can't fault the book at all on that front. Recommended for those interested in historical fiction, m/m romance, and stories focusing on LGBT issues.
I really enjoyed this book. The writing flows rather well - it's written in a first-person narrative style and it's easy to feel like Walter is right there telling you his story. There are some interesting twists and turns in the path the story takes and I think it's easy for the reader to find themselves conflicted between frowning on Walter's duplicity and truly feeling for the circumstances of the era in which he lived. Bernays has created a very believable world that makes the characters - to use her own words about one of the authors Walter discovered - "not so much realistic as real."
I would have personally liked to see more of the private moments in Barry and Walter's relationship, but what it lacks in that area doesn't detract from the story or what I see as the primary purpose of the narrative, so I can't fault the book at all on that front. Recommended for those interested in historical fiction, m/m romance, and stories focusing on LGBT issues.
etakloknok's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
sireno8's review
3.0
Smoothly written, engaging and satisfying. Sets the period accurately and it's minimum of hysteria gives it an authentic feel. There's a piece missing though. I know very little about the title character and that's the narrator's most important relationship. Also though the resolve is non-clichéd and a relief, it has a lingering effect of anticlimax.
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