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Rory's Boys
When Rory Blaine inherits his grandmother's crumbling London mansion, he's persuaded to create Britain's first retirement home for gay men. As a teenager, Rory had been exiled from the house, the only home he'd ever known, when he discovered his sexuality. Now middle-aged, he appears to be a tough, carefree hedonist but in reality is rootless, damaged, and lonely. Funny, sharp, and moving, Rory's Boys is about one man's struggle to accept himself, and about the need most of us have to find some sort of family. ""It is the insightful, tender way Mr. Clark deals with the important underlying issues that will make this book a classic in its own genre-and hopefully within the mainstream genre, too.""-New York Journal of Books, Aug. 8, 2011
249 pages, Paperback
First published June 23, 2011
About the author
Alan Clark
2 booksLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 25, 2017
To quote from the New York Journal of Books (Aug 2011)
“Sharp wit—by the bucketful! . . . what a journey! . . . an incredibly good read . . . Rory’s Boys will undoubtedly be acclaimed as one of the most funny books of 2011, and is deserving of a wide audience . . .”
If Alan Clark had sat down and written a list of what to include in an extremely racy yet almost mainstream book centred on a very modern gay man, he’d have come up with exactly what makes Rory’s Boys an incredibly good read:
Empathetic protagonist? Tick.
Growing old disgracefully? Tick.
The power of family relationships? Tick.
Twists and reveals to the plot? Tick.
Sharp wit—by the bucketful!
The irreverent tone is set in the first lines of page one when Rory Blaine explains with his droll, Scottish twang that he owes his very existence to a pimple. The first Mrs Blaine died of blood poisoning soon after squeezing a spot while on honeymoon in Nairobi, leaving a vacant chair for the second Mrs Blaine, Rory’s mother.
When his parents died in a car crash, his bizarrely intimidating but very rich grandmother, Lady Sybil Blaine, raised Rory until she discovered— quite literally—that he was gay. Now at the landmark age of 45, Rory is a wealthy, successful ad man who seemingly dips in and out of casual sexual relationships with gay metrosexual abandon.
He jokes about his therapist, nick-named Ms. Prada, and his genito-urinary doctor called Rod. We smile knowingly with him as he ponders the fate of a “generation of gay men if the fitness revolution hadn’t come along.” But Rory is a swan—all graceful beauty on the surface but with little webbed feet paddling like fury beneath just to keep afloat. Rory is deeply dissatisfied with life, and even Ms Prada can’t seem to help get to grips with it.
When Lady Sybil dies, Rory inherits Mount Royal, a grand pile of a house in one of the best parts of London. With Vic d’Orsay, a fading gay musician, he sets out to create the first retirement home for gay men; and what a journey! With a cast of memorable characters—from the Calvinistic Miss Wishart of his boarding school days; to Big Frankie, the West Indian cook who rides a lilac scooter—the crumbling pile is slowly, painstakingly restored to its former glory and made ready for its gloriously camp well-heeled residents. Of course, during the process, Rory staggers from one crisis to another and though there is some overly convenient tying of loose ends, it is a raucous and riveting tale that conjures up beautifully the decadence of London and the gay scene.
Author Clark brings both tenderness and practicality to this world and particularly Rory’s love affair with Faisal, a younger Muslim doctor. He stings the reader with the poignancy of Rory’s desire for a soul mate, to belong to one person, the human needs that transcend gender and sexuality. As Rory struggles to hold down the relationship amid religious prejudices, one-night stands, an accidental death, and revelations about his family, he confides in the reader how he truly wishes he were not gay.
Rory’s Boys will undoubtedly be acclaimed as one of the most funny books of 2011, and is deserving of a wide audience—albeit a broadminded audience as it is very explicit. But it is the insightful, tender way Mr. Clark deals with the important underlying issues that will make this book a classic in its own genre—and hopefully within the mainstream genre, too.
“Sharp wit—by the bucketful! . . . what a journey! . . . an incredibly good read . . . Rory’s Boys will undoubtedly be acclaimed as one of the most funny books of 2011, and is deserving of a wide audience . . .”
If Alan Clark had sat down and written a list of what to include in an extremely racy yet almost mainstream book centred on a very modern gay man, he’d have come up with exactly what makes Rory’s Boys an incredibly good read:
Empathetic protagonist? Tick.
Growing old disgracefully? Tick.
The power of family relationships? Tick.
Twists and reveals to the plot? Tick.
Sharp wit—by the bucketful!
The irreverent tone is set in the first lines of page one when Rory Blaine explains with his droll, Scottish twang that he owes his very existence to a pimple. The first Mrs Blaine died of blood poisoning soon after squeezing a spot while on honeymoon in Nairobi, leaving a vacant chair for the second Mrs Blaine, Rory’s mother.
When his parents died in a car crash, his bizarrely intimidating but very rich grandmother, Lady Sybil Blaine, raised Rory until she discovered— quite literally—that he was gay. Now at the landmark age of 45, Rory is a wealthy, successful ad man who seemingly dips in and out of casual sexual relationships with gay metrosexual abandon.
He jokes about his therapist, nick-named Ms. Prada, and his genito-urinary doctor called Rod. We smile knowingly with him as he ponders the fate of a “generation of gay men if the fitness revolution hadn’t come along.” But Rory is a swan—all graceful beauty on the surface but with little webbed feet paddling like fury beneath just to keep afloat. Rory is deeply dissatisfied with life, and even Ms Prada can’t seem to help get to grips with it.
When Lady Sybil dies, Rory inherits Mount Royal, a grand pile of a house in one of the best parts of London. With Vic d’Orsay, a fading gay musician, he sets out to create the first retirement home for gay men; and what a journey! With a cast of memorable characters—from the Calvinistic Miss Wishart of his boarding school days; to Big Frankie, the West Indian cook who rides a lilac scooter—the crumbling pile is slowly, painstakingly restored to its former glory and made ready for its gloriously camp well-heeled residents. Of course, during the process, Rory staggers from one crisis to another and though there is some overly convenient tying of loose ends, it is a raucous and riveting tale that conjures up beautifully the decadence of London and the gay scene.
Author Clark brings both tenderness and practicality to this world and particularly Rory’s love affair with Faisal, a younger Muslim doctor. He stings the reader with the poignancy of Rory’s desire for a soul mate, to belong to one person, the human needs that transcend gender and sexuality. As Rory struggles to hold down the relationship amid religious prejudices, one-night stands, an accidental death, and revelations about his family, he confides in the reader how he truly wishes he were not gay.
Rory’s Boys will undoubtedly be acclaimed as one of the most funny books of 2011, and is deserving of a wide audience—albeit a broadminded audience as it is very explicit. But it is the insightful, tender way Mr. Clark deals with the important underlying issues that will make this book a classic in its own genre—and hopefully within the mainstream genre, too.
May 9, 2013
Our first introduction to Rory is fairly inauspicious; in early middle age, he continues to shy away from meaningful relationships while trying to cling to his fading youth. His completely unexpected inheritance, along with a growing friendship with Vic d'Orsay, a gay singer who was a contemporary of his grandmother’s, sets his life on a new and unusual path.
The novel explores a very real issue, that of the problems faced by the elderly gay population. This group of people is practically invisible; these individuals are often lonely and isolated with no real social network to rely upon, and as they near the end of their lives they find they have no one to turn to. Though---that said---the particular group of gay men represented in this book, a wide variety of slightly eccentric characters who take their places in Rory’s establishment, isn’t particularly representative of the elderly gay population at large. After all, these men all are rather wealthy with the fortunes that enable them to secure a place in the new retirement community, which is basically an incredibly up-market posh hotel.
The book is very well written and adequately plotted; far more polished and complex than many of the light-weight gay titles I read on a regular basis. So…. why didn’t I like it a bit more than I did? Oh, it was fine, but overall I was left with a general lack of enthusiasm about the story. I think the problem is with Rory himself. I didn’t particularly like him at the beginning of the story, and despite the personal growth exhibited by this character as the tale progressed, I didn’t really like him at the end either. I never did warm up to him at all, and I’m not sure I can say why. I suppose getting to know a character in a book is kind of like life---for some reason, there are people in everyone’s lives who they just don’t “click” with. And I certainly never clicked with Rory.
I’m willing to overlook a whole host of problems a book may have if I like the main characters. Well, in this book there really are no problems to overlook---but nope, I still didn’t like Rory, and that clouded my overall opinion of the text.
My favourite character was---easily!---the elderly Miss Wishart, retired matron of Rory’s old school. She comes to work in Rory’s establishment, and she’s a delight---I wish the novel had featured her more prominently.
So, a bit of a mixed review from me on this one---it’s a decent book, but in the end not one of my favourites.
The cover on this one features a slightly clumsy Photoshop pastiche. I got a kick out of seeing the well-known stately home Belton House standing in for Rory’s home on the cover photo---this location was used for “Rosings” in the most recent television production of “Pride and Prejudice.”
The novel explores a very real issue, that of the problems faced by the elderly gay population. This group of people is practically invisible; these individuals are often lonely and isolated with no real social network to rely upon, and as they near the end of their lives they find they have no one to turn to. Though---that said---the particular group of gay men represented in this book, a wide variety of slightly eccentric characters who take their places in Rory’s establishment, isn’t particularly representative of the elderly gay population at large. After all, these men all are rather wealthy with the fortunes that enable them to secure a place in the new retirement community, which is basically an incredibly up-market posh hotel.
The book is very well written and adequately plotted; far more polished and complex than many of the light-weight gay titles I read on a regular basis. So…. why didn’t I like it a bit more than I did? Oh, it was fine, but overall I was left with a general lack of enthusiasm about the story. I think the problem is with Rory himself. I didn’t particularly like him at the beginning of the story, and despite the personal growth exhibited by this character as the tale progressed, I didn’t really like him at the end either. I never did warm up to him at all, and I’m not sure I can say why. I suppose getting to know a character in a book is kind of like life---for some reason, there are people in everyone’s lives who they just don’t “click” with. And I certainly never clicked with Rory.
I’m willing to overlook a whole host of problems a book may have if I like the main characters. Well, in this book there really are no problems to overlook---but nope, I still didn’t like Rory, and that clouded my overall opinion of the text.
My favourite character was---easily!---the elderly Miss Wishart, retired matron of Rory’s old school. She comes to work in Rory’s establishment, and she’s a delight---I wish the novel had featured her more prominently.
So, a bit of a mixed review from me on this one---it’s a decent book, but in the end not one of my favourites.
The cover on this one features a slightly clumsy Photoshop pastiche. I got a kick out of seeing the well-known stately home Belton House standing in for Rory’s home on the cover photo---this location was used for “Rosings” in the most recent television production of “Pride and Prejudice.”
December 12, 2017
A sweet tale, very enjoyable to read despite its covering rather serious themes. You can see one of the big plot twists coming from miles but it doesn't distract from the pleasure of the read. Like the main character the style is a brash and flashy but not devoid of charm.
It is a big shame that the character of Faisal is so sketchily drawn as to become unfathomable. Alma the cat is also a failure, Clark making her behave like a dog would.
It is a big shame that the character of Faisal is so sketchily drawn as to become unfathomable. Alma the cat is also a failure, Clark making her behave like a dog would.
February 19, 2017
I howled at this one. There are points where one finds the plot a bit hard to believe but that really does not matter because it "feels" so real. Clark has a touch of humanity in this delightful book farts and all. Not the cheap shot it might sound give it a read you will have a giggle yourself. Come on fellow kilt lifters lets have a laugh before we are too old
November 9, 2013
‘My story was more complex than I had known it to be...'
Rory Blaine is a very successful advertising executive in London who discovers the grandmother he has been estranged from for many years is now close to death. He reluctantly visits her and whilst there meets Vic d'Orsay, a popular singer now in his seventies but still going strong. When his grandmother passes away, Rory is surprised to inherit his grand familial home, Mount Royal in Hampstead, a place that holds many memories for him, but which he has also not seen for many years. When he takes possession, Vic appears again and suggests an idea for the future role of the place, and a brilliant plan is born; 'Mount Royal was about to become Britain’s first residential home for gay men.’
Rory has turned 45 and when he experiences unexpected rejection in his personal life he begins to think about his life, what happened in the past, where he is now and what might lay ahead. Openly gay, he wonders if there will ever be a man who he can spend his life with, whether he can move beyond promiscuity and brief affairs and short-lived (albeit very pleasurable) gratification, on to finding something lasting.
This novel has a first person narrative from Rory throughout, in the form of a record of thoughts and events as suggested by his therapist. This allows the reader a very intimate look at his life, his innermost thoughts and fears, and his relationships, throughout the story, and has the feel of a very personal tale.
I enjoyed this novel a lot; I thought the writing was very honest and moving at times, and also funny, entertaining and witty; some bits really made me laugh and reading other parts I felt very sad. It is frank and open about sex, casual encounters and gay relationships.
This story felt so real, at times Rory's pain was strong, the loneliness after being disowned at a young age by his grandmother, the only family he really had left, and his difficulties in coming to terms with himself, as well as with getting older, finding his place in the world, and accepting his past if he is to move onwards. Vic offers him valuable advice about forgiveness that was based on his own very difficult experiences, which are revealed in the novel through a very well written encounter that exposes the awful bigotry and ignorance of some in society.
Vic is a charismatic, affable and layered character. Rory observes of him that ‘he certainly wasn’t like elderly men were supposed to be. It had obviously never occurred to him to disengage with the world, to step back and leave life to the younger generation. He never stood on his dignity either so somehow, however he behaved, he kept it.’
There are some very touching friendships that grow and evolve over the course of the novel, with some characters, especially Elspeth, coming into their own as the story progressed. In fact, when I had finished reading the book, I realised I really would miss some of these characters, so vividly had they been drawn by the author.
Some of the elderly gay characters have evidently had to hide their sexuality from most of those around them for much of their lives, indeed, as mentioned in the novel, for some of them, they could remember when their love was considered a crime. I had never thought about the lack of places for older gay people to be able to live where they would be accepted and cherished rather than judged and questioned, and I thought it was brilliant to see this idea being discussed in fiction.
The wealthy older men who come to reside at Mount Royal in its new life as a residential home are the 'Rory's Boys' of the novel's title. There are some fascinating, entertaining and endearing characters amongst them. One of the larger-than-life residents remarks that ‘we are each of us surprising and fascinating till our last breath', a line that I loved.
There are plenty of twists and turns within the plot too, some that I guessed at and some that certainly took me by surprise.
This is a really good first novel; the author imbues his prose with honesty, compassion, poignancy and humour, and has crafted an entertaining plot and some great characters.
4.5 stars
Rory Blaine is a very successful advertising executive in London who discovers the grandmother he has been estranged from for many years is now close to death. He reluctantly visits her and whilst there meets Vic d'Orsay, a popular singer now in his seventies but still going strong. When his grandmother passes away, Rory is surprised to inherit his grand familial home, Mount Royal in Hampstead, a place that holds many memories for him, but which he has also not seen for many years. When he takes possession, Vic appears again and suggests an idea for the future role of the place, and a brilliant plan is born; 'Mount Royal was about to become Britain’s first residential home for gay men.’
Rory has turned 45 and when he experiences unexpected rejection in his personal life he begins to think about his life, what happened in the past, where he is now and what might lay ahead. Openly gay, he wonders if there will ever be a man who he can spend his life with, whether he can move beyond promiscuity and brief affairs and short-lived (albeit very pleasurable) gratification, on to finding something lasting.
This novel has a first person narrative from Rory throughout, in the form of a record of thoughts and events as suggested by his therapist. This allows the reader a very intimate look at his life, his innermost thoughts and fears, and his relationships, throughout the story, and has the feel of a very personal tale.
I enjoyed this novel a lot; I thought the writing was very honest and moving at times, and also funny, entertaining and witty; some bits really made me laugh and reading other parts I felt very sad. It is frank and open about sex, casual encounters and gay relationships.
This story felt so real, at times Rory's pain was strong, the loneliness after being disowned at a young age by his grandmother, the only family he really had left, and his difficulties in coming to terms with himself, as well as with getting older, finding his place in the world, and accepting his past if he is to move onwards. Vic offers him valuable advice about forgiveness that was based on his own very difficult experiences, which are revealed in the novel through a very well written encounter that exposes the awful bigotry and ignorance of some in society.
Vic is a charismatic, affable and layered character. Rory observes of him that ‘he certainly wasn’t like elderly men were supposed to be. It had obviously never occurred to him to disengage with the world, to step back and leave life to the younger generation. He never stood on his dignity either so somehow, however he behaved, he kept it.’
There are some very touching friendships that grow and evolve over the course of the novel, with some characters, especially Elspeth, coming into their own as the story progressed. In fact, when I had finished reading the book, I realised I really would miss some of these characters, so vividly had they been drawn by the author.
Some of the elderly gay characters have evidently had to hide their sexuality from most of those around them for much of their lives, indeed, as mentioned in the novel, for some of them, they could remember when their love was considered a crime. I had never thought about the lack of places for older gay people to be able to live where they would be accepted and cherished rather than judged and questioned, and I thought it was brilliant to see this idea being discussed in fiction.
The wealthy older men who come to reside at Mount Royal in its new life as a residential home are the 'Rory's Boys' of the novel's title. There are some fascinating, entertaining and endearing characters amongst them. One of the larger-than-life residents remarks that ‘we are each of us surprising and fascinating till our last breath', a line that I loved.
There are plenty of twists and turns within the plot too, some that I guessed at and some that certainly took me by surprise.
This is a really good first novel; the author imbues his prose with honesty, compassion, poignancy and humour, and has crafted an entertaining plot and some great characters.
4.5 stars
September 13, 2011
Alan Clark draws you into the story right from the beginning. Inheriting his grandmother,s crumbling mansion, Rory Blaine decides to create the first retirement home for gay men . Thirty years earlier teenage Rory had been exciled from the house when his sexuality was discovered. Now in his forties , beneath his touch carefree exterior he remains lonely and rootless. The prospective residents are an eclectic bunch, united only by a longing to grow old in a sympathetic haven, But the project becomes threatened , not only when the tabloids out the house, but by Rory,s complex and shifting relationships with his young partner Faisal, with SINGER Vic,d Orsay, who has funded the restoration and above all by the carefully constructed character Rory has built around himself. Than suddenly there is a women in Rory,s life...... Very perceptive and moving its the story of one mans - struggle to accept who he is and about the need most of us have to have some sort of family. At times its a very funny, tender , loved the setting and pacing of the story .A great metrosexual read
July 10, 2014
Born to privilege, Rory Blaine had the perfect designer life – the job, the penthouse, the car, the pecs and the shrink – but still there was a big black hole at the heart of Rory’s hedonistic world. Then a chance meeting by a death bed set Rory off in a wholly unexpected direction. Clever, perceptive, witty, elegantly written and tinged with farce, Rory’s Boys delivers a tale of discovery, hope and redemption for the post-liberation age wrapped around the story of Britain’s first retirement home for gay men.
September 23, 2013
Reviewed on www.whichbook.net
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