Richard Stewart

Charming Gay Romance

Reviewed: 02-06-25

The main character's inability to voice his emotions and desires frustrated me, and the Glee of it was not my bag. BUT the sweet romance won me over big time. This is the kind of nurturing queer art that we need more of in the world right now.

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Good Story, Terrible Reading

Reviewed: 05-29-24

Gwendolyn Kiste's Reluctant Immortals was one of my favorite books of last year. The Haunting of Velkwood is very different, and while I would recommend it for its originality and message, the audiobook narrator is just terrible. She reads everything with a one-note weary resignation that became increasingly hard to listen to over time.

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Sweet but maybe a little too sexy

Reviewed: 04-27-23

There were parts of this that I loved, but I also thought the focus on the sex life of thirteen year old Robin was a little skeevy. I had sex for the first time at barely sixteen, and I think I was a little ahead of most of my peers (this was in the mid 80s, just a little later than the book is set). Robin also often has a kind of world weariness that seemed ahead of his years, although his moments of confusion and acting out are very authentic.

Soehnlein has a great sense of family dynamics, and there are some lovely vivid moments.

The narration is just okay. The reader does a good job with dialogue but often settles into a kind of robotic cadence.

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1 person found this helpful

Suffering Sappho!

Reviewed: 04-12-22

Suffering Sappho!! This book is intense.

I'm not a trigger warnings person, but if ever a book deserved them, it is Young Mungo. I was particularly caught off guard because the synopsis stresses the sweet gay romance and not the grueling, painful homophobia and heartbreaking violence.

Young Mungo is actually a thriller, although it eschews the standard, cliche trappings. I was more stressed reading this than I have been reading a book since... maybe ever. It actually wasn't a pleasant experience most of the time.

But the characters absolutely ring true. Stuart has a real, rare gift. I truly love Mungo.

Although this book has superficial similarities to Shuggie Bain, that book has a warm beating heart. I would read that book again in a second. I think Young Mungo is objectively at least as good, but I doubt that I will ever want to explore this pain again.

Still highly recommended if you've got the stones.

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17 people found this helpful

Michael Crouch is a terrible narrator.

Reviewed: 03-24-21

In my opinion, there are two types of queer novels, regardless of genre: sweet or sour. The former celebrate found family, self-acceptance, and love. The latter focus on status, bitterness, and bitchiness. Let's Get Back to the Party is sweet AND sour. Salih's intelligence and perspective are interesting and fresh.

I found the character of Sebastian hard to take, even separate from the fact that he is voiced by Michael Crouch. Crouch reads every book the same way, with a weird sing-song cadence that really bothers me. Maybe it's okay when he's voicing a teenager, but completely inappropriate here. Oscar, for all his faults, was much relatable and likeable to me. I very much enjoyed his chapters.

Still, in spite of Crouch, highly recommended for its take on the modern queer generation gap.

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3 people found this helpful

Michael Crouch is a terrible narrator.

Reviewed: 03-24-21

In my opinion, there are two types of queer novels, regardless of genre: sweet or sour. The former celebrate found family, self-acceptance, and love. The latter focus on status, bitterness, and bitchiness. Let's Get Back to the Party is sweet AND sour. Salih's intelligence and perspective are interesting and fresh.

I found the character of Sebastian hard to take, even separate from the fact that he is voiced by Michael Crouch. Crouch reads every book the same way, with a weird sing-song cadence that really bothers me. Maybe it's okay when he's voicing a teenager, but completely inappropriate here. Oscar, for all his faults, was much relatable and likeable to me. I very much enjoyed his chapters.

Still, in spite of Crouch, highly recommended for its take on the modern queer generation gap.

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3 people found this helpful

Yikes

Reviewed: 02-25-21

I wasn't aware when I picked this that it was originally published in 1988. Not that that is a problem exactly, but since the story revolves around the attempted comeback of a former Borscht Belt comedian, I was like, "How old are these people?"

What is a problem is the weird way the obvious mental problems of the female lead are handled. Hoagy is very aware of how troubled she is, has no real sympathy, and keeps sleeping with her. When the true reason for her illness is disclosed, it's very gross and very poorly handled. Very, very poorly handled.

Also, the narrator has a good way with voices but he also has a slight lisp that became increasingly distracting.

Not recommended unless you hate women.

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Loved it! Enjoyed the mix of fiction and reality.

Reviewed: 01-26-21

Enjoyed the mix of fiction and reality. Did remind me of a John Stienbeck novel.

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Worst Reader Ever

Reviewed: 12-06-20

In Set My Heart to Five, a bot with feelings sets out to tell his story. That story takes some fun turns, but I wish an editor had reduced the repetitious statements of intent. That might not have bothered me so much, had the reader not been the worst I have ever encountered. His character is meant to be able to pass as human, but he reads Every Single Line with a forced brightness as though he is trying to hold the attention of a room full of third graders. By the end, it was a grueling test of my endurance.

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1 person found this helpful

Would have benefited from a different narrator

Reviewed: 09-11-20

Bahni Turpin is undeniably talented, but I'm burnt out on her. Let's see more variety of female POC narrators. Please.

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22 people found this helpful