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Double Bound: a novel by Nick Nolan
Book Summary InformationAuthor: Nick Nolan Edition: Paperback Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 2008-10-22 ISBN: 1439207259 Number of pages: 340 Publisher: BookSurge Publishing
Book Reviews of Double Bound: a novelBook Review: Double Bound by Nick Nolan Summary: 5 Stars
First of all, I'd like to point out that this book is a very easy read, meaning that the story flows smoothly and it maintains always an high pace. The first chapters are also very time consuming, trying to summarize 20 years of Arthur's life in few time. Arthur's past life is not the main focus of the book, but it shaped the man who he is now, and so it's essential to identify the character. Those first chapters allows also a first time reader to take in hand Double Bound without necessarily having read Strings Attached, like me, but then, at the end of the book, you will probably have the wish to read it, like me, since while this is the story of arthur, the other one is the story of Jeremy, the eighteen years old boy who plays an important role in Double Bound. And it would be probably interesting to see how the author manages a coming of age story, while Double Bond is almost a silver romance: Strings Attached was Nick Nolan first book, and it was a coming of age book... maybe the author grows with his writing? Or maybe it's only that Arthur was so compelling in Strings Attached that the author felt the need to give him his own story?
More than the story itself, that you can have summarized from the blurb, and that I would prefer not to develop more, I would like instead to talk about Arthur; the story has a lot of turn of events, and this contributes to the high pace said above. Enough to say that after all the high and down, Arthur's long and bumping life journey will end with him happy in bed with his lover, and I'm not spoiling anything, since the book starts like that, with Arthur satisfied in bed who goes down the memory lane.
Even if Arthur is a former marine, a former FBI agent and now a well-paid dogsbody who essentially has to protect Jeremy, he is not the hero type. All Arthur's grandeur gestures were made out of love or friendship, he has not a sacred fire inside for honor or patriotism. Arthur is a man who loves, and loved, too much, who can think to end his live when he is down, but that in the end never brings on the thought since he is able to love again. He loved Jeremy's father, Jonathan, and due to his betrayal he joined the Marine Corp; Arthur hoped to find in the Marine the family he hadn't and the comfort of being loved that he had with Jonathan. He did well and he opened his heart again, to Danny. But Danny died, that fathal September 11, and Arthur threw away his soldier life to commemorate Danny's love. And now Arthur is ready to love again, but at this point, it is real love, or only the memory of a lost love? or maybe the wish to finally have that family that he always searched and never found? In a case or the other, it's the proof that Arthur is able to love, and that despite all the time he was burned, he is always ready to love again.
Another thing I noticed in the story plot is that, despite being adventurous and fast paced, every events end in a "normal" way; there are not acts out of heroism, most of the time the decisive man is the one you will not expect, and even in the big action of the evil there is almost always a very small reason; and in the end, the novel closes with hope, and in a romantic way (remember Arthur in bed with his lover), but still in a very "pragmatic" way.
Summary of Double Bound: a novelNamed 2008 'Book of the Year' by both ForeWord Magazine and ReaderViews, this adaptation of Jack and the Beanstalk is a modern tale of passion, deception, and danger: Because of Katharine Tyler's investment in a Brazilian island resort, she sends her handsome young nephew Jeremy with his lover Carlo to assess its progress. And though hunky ex-Marine Arthur Blauefee serves as their bodyguard, the trio strives against a charming trickster, sensual temptation, a kidnapping, and an unexpected double-cross, where Aunt Katharine plays puppet-master before getting tangled in her own strings. Although DOUBLE BOUND features the central characters from 2006 Book of the Year winner STRINGS ATTACHED, this is Arthur's story: his heartbreaking youth, his precarious days as a gay US Marine, then his treacherous--and deliciously fulfilling--journey to Brazil, where he is challenged to heroism, while agonizing between his conscience, and his blistering desire for the one man he's forbidden to love. Book Description: Nick Nolan?s Double Bound reunites us with many of the characters introduced in his delightful Strings Attached: Jeremy, now in a committed relationship with fun-loving, hotheaded Carlo; Arthur, Jeremy?s protector, confidant, and mentor; and Katharine, Jeremy?s wealthy benefactress, still hiding a slew of secrets and hidden agendas. This sequel displays the same wit, verve, style, and sense of adventure that were so engaging and fresh in Strings Attached. And where Strings Attached playfully alluded to Pinocchio, Double Bound has fun with the Jack and the Beanstalk fable.
Just as Strings Attached was Jeremy?s story, Double Bound is Arthur?s, exploring his troubled relationship with disapproving parents and his precarious years as a gay Marine. However, there?s an added element this time out?the stakes are higher, the repercussions more dire, and the choices harder and more consequential. There is a darker feel to this novel, which not only adds depth to the characters but highlights Mr. Nolan?s growth and confidence as a storyteller. We?ve moved beyond high school concerns into real-world choices, where outcomes are not always tied up in neat "happily ever after" packages. Eric Arvin, Author of Simple Men, Interviews Nick Nolan Eric Arvin: What can you say about Double Bound? Nick Nolan: First of all, it?s the sequel to Strings Attached, which was loosely based on Pinocchio, the puppet who wished he could be a "real boy." Strings is a coming-of-age story about Jeremy Tyler, a co-dependent, or puppet-like, gay teen whose only wish is to be "real man." I twisted the original characters from Carlo Collodi?s book into a modern fairy tale of greed, lust, betrayal, and temptation. Eric Arvin: Is Jeremy still the central character in this newest work? Nick Nolan: No--because his story has already been told. Double Bound is all about Arthur, Jeremy?s mentor: his abuse-filled youth, his years as a closeted gay man in the Marines, his weathering of personal tragedy, then the anguish he feels over his relationship with Jeremy, whom he begins to develop "feelings" for. In this story, Arthur, Jeremy, and his boyfriend, Carlo, travel to Brazil to check out this amazing resort Jeremy?s aunt, Katharine Tyler, has the family bucks tied-up in. But the trip to Brazil isn?t all sun and fun; they run into a lot of trouble once they get there. Eric Arvin: Like what? Nick Nolan: Let?s just say this story is loosely based on Jack and the Beanstalk. And I?ve thrown in some old Yoruban mythology, as well. But the part I really like is how Arthur and Jeremy take on the roles of "Erastes" and "Eromenes," where they echo the relationship between an older and younger man in ancient Greece. Eric Arvin: Were there any events in your life that shaped the writer you?ve become? Nick Nolan:I was a miserable kid: I had asthma, I hated sports, and I was scared of my father. I even used to stutter--badly. So when I discovered my, uh, fascination with guys, I became suicidal. Double Bound has a lot of autobiographical material in it. I think my escapist nature enabled me to write, because I lived in a dream world to ride out my daily misery. My imagination got a great workout during my teens; if there?d been an Olympics for day dreamers, I would?ve won numerous gold medals. A great imagination is essential for writing; when I?m bringing a story to life I?m living completely inside my head--I see every crack in the wall and, hopefully, every hole in the plot. Eric Arvin: Tell me about the residential treatment program you were part of. Sounds very inspiring. Nick Nolan: I was completely self-supporting during college, and instead of taking out loans I worked full time. It was hell; my first "two years" of college took eight to complete, so I pushed through my final two years by working forty hours a week doing commissioned sales, while carrying 15 units per semester. I was fueled by the anger I felt toward my stubborn, Catholic parents: they refused to help me with school, and they rejected my sexuality and my partner for the first decade he and I were together--we?re still happily married, by the way, after 23 years. So after barely surviving my youth and early adulthood, I vowed to help others navigate this very tenuous process of self-acceptance. So right out of school I fell through the doors of the Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Services in Los Angeles. Working with those teens was amazing, and taxing, and rewarding, and frustrating beyond anything I?ve done before or since. But ultimately, I burned out and decided to pursue writing, which I believe to be my true calling. Eric Arvin: Who do you write for? Nick Nolan: I write books I?d like to read--it?s that simple. When I read I want to fall in love with the characters... to root for them... then to grimace when they do something stupid. I write for that person who likes a fast read, who tears through a novel, then is sad because there are so few pages held between their right thumb and fingers. Of course, I write primarily for gay men, which is why I?m not bashful about putting some judiciously scripted sex in my books. If there is a romantic storyline, I?m not going to shy away from "going there" because it makes certain readers uncomfortable. Having said that, I?ve been surprised by how many female readers enjoy my work. Eric Arvin: Do you have any upcoming projects that you can talk about? Nick Nolan: I do have a third book nearly completed that I?m very excited about?it?s also a thriller, but this time instead of the pages being peopled mostly by gay guys, this book features a large cast of characters including two older lesbians who carry the plot. It?s a big story, there?s lots of tension and unusual ideas about God in it, and I hope I can pull it off. Then, of course, there will be the third and final installment in the Jeremy and Arthur trilogy. I can?t wait to find out what happens with them!
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