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Paperback
Publisher: Alyson Books
Leaving behind a dead-end job, failed artistic aspirations, and the prospect of another cold New York winter, Phillip Powell returns to the town he spent years trying to escape to look after his mother, who has gone a little crazy. Two aunts-one of whom is a religious fanatic, the other a lesbian-a roommate who is both a hooker and a voyeur, an old classmate with a big secret, and Phillip's demented mother all play a part in Phillip's discovery that the complicated ties of home and family are often the very things that set us free. Cochrane Lambert is the writing team of Becky Cochrane and Timothy Lambert, authors of The Deal, and (under the name Timothy James Beck) It Had To Be You, He's the One, and I'm Your Man.
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| Light, breezy and easy |
| Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 |
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If you like the South and all its accoutrements--a large family, manners, religion, etc., and a frothy read, then this book will probably suit you. It's the story of Philip Powell, a chronically underemployed New Yorker who reluctantly returns home to take care of his "sweetly deranged" mother for awhile. In Mississippi, he stays at the antebellum mansion of his domineering and wealthy grandfather, amid four aunts, a gaggle of other relatives and other people he meets, including a leather daddy.
If you are determined to keep each character straight, it's best to forfeit this desire and just go with the flow. Before he even leaves New York there are numerous characters, and it's hard to keep them straight.
Philip eventually finds that home is literally where the heart is, and this theme is nice, along with the fact that the book delves thoroughly into family relationships as opposed to yet another high-camp gay comedy. That said, I wished for a less stereotypical picture of the South, fewer characters who were more distinct, and more scenes where something actually happened as opposed to characters sitting around and talking.
Cochrane Lambert is the pen name for Timothy Lambert and Becky Cochrane, who have authored several other fluffy gay romances, "He's Your Man," "It Had To Be You," "Someone Like You," etc.
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| Good Fortune |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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This is a really enjoyable story that beautifully captures the essence of a large Southern family, complete with the requisite wackos, on the pre-Katrina Mississippi Gulf Coast. It wasn't until I finished reading it that I learned that the "author", Cochrane Lambert, is actually two people, a man and a woman. That doesn't matter; it just surprised me. The scenes between the main character, Phillip, and Chad are hot so I doubt that it was the woman who wrote those. The cast of characters is large, and some are quite extraneous (Jay and Travis). We are also left somewhat hanging (you should pardon the pun) about the demise of Bunny. In the end I felt that Phillip made the wrong choice: the story gave me the impression that his true love was not the person he decided to pursue but, rather, the other one. Despite this, I feel fortune-ate to have come across this delightful novel.
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| In the Steps of Williams and Faulkner |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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I've bought and read (and reread) all the books I can get my hands on by Timothy James Beck and Cochrane and Lambert (two of the TJBeck members), and I've enjoyed them all. This one was not what I expected. I bought it expecting to get a gay-related romance (and there are gay major characters, including Phillip, the main character, and some romance, with Phillip's potential boyfriend Kieran). But it is a much more serious novel than the others by the same authors. The story is much more about Phillip's development and growth as a man and painter as he regains/rejoins his family, builds new friendships in his old hometown, and resolves a number of old, outstanding conflicts, including a former romance. In addition, it strikes a number of notes reminiscent of other Southern (especially Mississippi) writers in the eccentricity of many of the characters. Phillip and other gay characters are open about their sexuality, unlike in Tennessee Williams's plays or Faulkner's work, but I couldn't help getting a feel of their influence in this novel. As a Southerner (Louisiana) whose family spent many a summer vacation in the Gulfport/Biloxi area, I thoroughly enjoyed not only the plot but also the writing and the "Southern Mississippi" feel of this book. I immensely enjoyed the characters (would be proud to have Phillip as my son) and I highly recommend it.
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| Great Book Love these authors |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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I have now read, what I believe, are all of the books these authors have written now. They definitely get a nice mixture of the gay a straight story lines together which I have to say are really nice. I hope they keep up the work. I know I can't wait for the next book due out in May!!!! Taking that one with me to Ireland for sure.
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| Accurate Portrayal of the Mississippi Gulf Coast |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Like the main character of Three Fortunes in One Cookie, I am a native of Pass Christian, Mississippi. As such, I read this novel with a grat deal of care for its physical accuracy and the perceptiveness of it characters. On both levels this book is a winner. This is by no means just another gay novel. The story told is one of the beauty of true family values told through that uniquely jaundiced eye that is the American South. I felt like I was visiting old friends as each of the Aunts were introduced into the narrative, and I have no doubt that every gay man has someone like Papa in his life. Who didn't grow up gay in the South without a crazy mother; and who wouldn't defend to the end her ultimate right to be as crazy as punch. I loved this book and I intend to give copies to all of my relatives (who still live on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, even after Katrina) this Christmas. Bravo to the authors; y'all did good.
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