A Few Hints and Clews by Robert L. Taylor
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Book Reviews of A Few Hints and Clews
Book Review: Do not miss this beautiful love story!
Summary: 5 Stars
Much has been said of this book by the previous reviewers. I was captured by the writer's marvelous prose from page 1 and found myself glued to the story until the end. The writer has given us a captivating story of being gay through the decades, from fearful self denial to the wild sexual abandonment in the 1970s, to the terror of AIDS and to the contemporay tolerance of gay couples. All this is revealed through Adam's eyes as he finds his one true love in Tony and together live proudly as an openly gay couple overcoming infidelity and heartaches along the way and accepting monogamy as they love each other deeply.
Their ties with their parents is warmly told. It is most heartening to read of parents who quietly accept the couple's relationship even if they do not comprehend it. But this is much more than a gay romance. The couple's family histories, Adam's pain as a Vietnam veteran, Tony's previous marriage which ended tragically, the couple living in their first home among their African American friends, the gradual wedge between Adam's parents and the final 16 pages which have me holding my breathe.. all these are wonderfully expressed and told with such clarity.
Ultimately this story is a celebration of gay love as we rejoice with Adam and Tony living proudly as a gay couple. Kudos to this amazing writer and if this is a partial autobiography I am most happy for Adam and Tony.
Book Review: Gay love story of the ages
Summary: 5 Stars
Coming of age, and coming out, in a small Southern town. It's been done many times by many authors, but never with such background, depth, detail and emotion as in Taylor's latest novel.
Plain and simple, "A Few Hints And Clews" is the love story of Adam and Tony, told in flashbacks starting at a time way before they met in their mid-20's. They had a very different upbringing, with their parents, grandparents and siblings, through their life experiences as children, Adam's military stint in VietNam, the evolution of the dating scene during the early days of gay liberation, the uncertainty and fear when the AIDS epidemic was first revealed, having to make the transition from the "do what you feel" 1970's to the responsibilities of monogamy. We get to witness their first fight, their first house, dealing with aging and often difficult parents, financial choices, career pressures and changes, and a terrifying medical diagnosis. Throughout it all, the couple manage to focus on the task of redefining and strengthening their love and devotion to each other, making everything else in their lives ultimately more bearable.
One review mentioned that the novel is somewhat autobiographical with regard to the author and his longtime lover, and it shows in the heartfelt, emotionally-rich telling of the tale. Reads almost like an old Southern gothic novel, but flows smoothly and engages the reader thanks to the talent of the author. Much recommended, five stars out of five.
Book Review: Two Men in Love
Summary: 4 Stars
Taylor, Robert. "A Few Clews and Hints", Harrington Park Press,
2007.
Two Men in Love
Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride
We are all shaped by what we have experienced and how those experiences affect us. Robert Taylor in his beautiful new book, "A Few Clews and Hints" shows how the past as well as personal experiences help two lovers, Adam and Tony, make their way through life.
Coming out and coming of age novels have flooded book shelves lately and we have reached a point where basically there has not been a lot new to say or a way to say it. Then we have Robert Taylor who manages to do just that. He tells a wonderful growing up and coming out story in a way we have not previously heard.
To use the past, Taylor goes back several generations and gives insight into the families of the lovers and by doing so produces a beautiful and endearing love story about two men. The novel is written in true Southern gothic style as only Southern writers can do. This is a complex story. As we read of the lives of the two men's families and their experiences through the range of the history of America, we see how it was to be gay during different periods of our history. We go back to the 40's and the 50's and feel the pain and confusion. We feel the liberation of Stonewall. We again are imbued with the horror of the AIDS epidemic and we withstand it all. The plot is like a layer cake, with each layer adding more to the story. The emotions are high as we sense happiness and remorse, sadness and elation, and religious pangs. What could have been the most simple story comes across as a beautiful look at two men who are deeply in love with each other. By looking at them we are forced to look at ourselves. We cheer for Tony and Adam when they can finally, in the 21st century, show their love for each other to the world.
Once I started to read, I kept reading and when I finished the book. I turned to the first page and started to read it again (and I probably would still be reading it if the dog did not demand a walk and were there not papers to be graded). It is absolutely amazing to read about two men--each with his own religion and each with his own attitude grow to love each other so completely. Adam and Tony are not the kind of men we usually read about in gay fiction. They are products of America who know and feel the history of their country and they are proof that there have always been gay people here.
Taylor's prose is eloquent yet smooth and simple to read. There are some truly beautiful passages in the book especially those dealing with the emotional lives of our main characters. Above all, this is a ROMANTIC novel. Tony and Adam's love for one another is so pure and so beautiful that it is hard not to smile when reading about it. Taylor's sense of detail is strong; his characterization is very, very real. When I finally put the book aside, I wanted to raise a glass to love. I think that Taylor is one of the few people who can actually put a definition to the word.
Book Review: A Few Hints and Clews by Robert Taylor
Summary: 5 Stars
Loosely based on the author's life and that of his charming and lovable partner, Ted, this is the tale of Adam Hunter and Tony Marchak. The author begins with the "official versions," then makes the reader privy to "recollections of whispers, faint murmurs behind almost closed doors, snatches of conversations no one knew he was overhearing." What emerges from these whispers and conversations is a story of two very different families, each of which is traced back several generations.
Adam, the middle child of three, grows up in Texas with a handsome, gregarious father who has difficulty holding down a job, thus necessitating many moves. His mother is a somewhat frail woman who in childhood had to stay in bed for a year because of "Scarlet Fever, Rheumatic Fever, maybe even Tuberculosis." Nobody knows for sure.
Tony, on the other hand, is the youngest of seven children and grows up on a potato farm on Long Island. His parents are both new immigrants from Russia. What are the relationships Adam and Tony have with each set of parents and how do they change over the years? How do these two young men from such diverse backgrounds meet and subsequently weave their lives together? In his simple and direct style Robert Taylor reveals the answers to these questions.
This book is a page turner and a joy to read.
Eva Greenberg
Oberlin, Ohio