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Stranger in Translation
An opinionated young linguist signs a six month contract to translate a ‘Bestseller’ from English into French, on the condition that he can do the job in France. He has nothing but contempt for the book’s author, hates the dull, routine work he has to do, and despises the banality of his own life. Something is missing. Hesitant and frustrated, his ambivalent sexual desires are untapped, but always bubbling below the surface. Feeling like an outsider, the only way to cope is to find a distraction, try to blend in, and strive to fully embrace the French way of life.
The local cemetery offers shelter and serenity, and the backstreets of Marseilles offer danger and excitement. Balancing the two, he meets a succession of men and has a series of erotic encounters which gradually mould him into exactly the man he secretly always wanted to be.
NB. This Novella contains explicit descriptions of erotic and sexual situations in m/m romance. Mature readers only.
The local cemetery offers shelter and serenity, and the backstreets of Marseilles offer danger and excitement. Balancing the two, he meets a succession of men and has a series of erotic encounters which gradually mould him into exactly the man he secretly always wanted to be.
NB. This Novella contains explicit descriptions of erotic and sexual situations in m/m romance. Mature readers only.
- GenresM M RomanceGayFiction
92 pages, ebook
First published May 5, 2012
3 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 9, 2012
In what seemed like a great move at the time, a young linguist agrees to spend six months translating a current bestseller from English to French. What better place than Marseilles, right? Romance, French men and great food and scenery. The young man settles into a perfectly adequate apartment and begins. Then promptly gets stuck.
It seems our unnamed translator hates the book, and feels contempt for the frivolous author. The city's people aggravate him. He's fighting feelings of his ambiguous sexuality, his ennui, and the terrible itchy feeling that something is missing. That his life has no meaning, and this trip is a waste.
He beings hanging out in a local cemetery, on a small bench facing the gravestone of Maurice Mansour. Soon enough, a handsome and mysterious young jogger begins to meet him there, and a slow dance of seduction begins. Along the way, our narrator has a series of encounters with various men, one-offs and meaningless. But always, the jogger nudges and occupies his attention.
Just as our young man begins to feel some hope, something solid, something worthwhile...there's a turn, a secret revealed.
And I can't tell you more without ruining the story and where it goes.
Charles Raines has captured the restless, scratchy, wrong-in-my-skin unrest that men feel as they grapple with what their place in the world will be. Gay, straight, bisexual - it doesn't matter. As Mr. Raines shows in fascinating and intimate detail is that it's the journey, not the destination, that matters. It's the self-definition and discovery that leads to acceptance and calm, not what others perceive you as.
This book is at once in-your-face and quietly fascinating. We see the young man's struggle, his restlessness as he wrestles with his own feelings of superiority and snobbery, which fade into a deeply unsettling, to him, revelation of what his place truly is in the world. And how the challenge of changing not only definition of self, but his worldview, makes him settle into himself.
I really liked that there were no easy solutions for our unnamed narrator. Life is seldom tidy and clean, and the bumpy ride feels...right.
Mr. Raines has a steady, brutally frank voice that I find intriguing and like a LOT. I can't wait to see where he goes next, because this book is brilliant.
Great job.
Tom
It seems our unnamed translator hates the book, and feels contempt for the frivolous author. The city's people aggravate him. He's fighting feelings of his ambiguous sexuality, his ennui, and the terrible itchy feeling that something is missing. That his life has no meaning, and this trip is a waste.
He beings hanging out in a local cemetery, on a small bench facing the gravestone of Maurice Mansour. Soon enough, a handsome and mysterious young jogger begins to meet him there, and a slow dance of seduction begins. Along the way, our narrator has a series of encounters with various men, one-offs and meaningless. But always, the jogger nudges and occupies his attention.
Just as our young man begins to feel some hope, something solid, something worthwhile...there's a turn, a secret revealed.
And I can't tell you more without ruining the story and where it goes.
Charles Raines has captured the restless, scratchy, wrong-in-my-skin unrest that men feel as they grapple with what their place in the world will be. Gay, straight, bisexual - it doesn't matter. As Mr. Raines shows in fascinating and intimate detail is that it's the journey, not the destination, that matters. It's the self-definition and discovery that leads to acceptance and calm, not what others perceive you as.
This book is at once in-your-face and quietly fascinating. We see the young man's struggle, his restlessness as he wrestles with his own feelings of superiority and snobbery, which fade into a deeply unsettling, to him, revelation of what his place truly is in the world. And how the challenge of changing not only definition of self, but his worldview, makes him settle into himself.
I really liked that there were no easy solutions for our unnamed narrator. Life is seldom tidy and clean, and the bumpy ride feels...right.
Mr. Raines has a steady, brutally frank voice that I find intriguing and like a LOT. I can't wait to see where he goes next, because this book is brilliant.
Great job.
Tom
April 8, 2015
I have an addiction and Charles Raines is my drug. His stories never cease to impress me and his writing hypnotizes me. Love, sex, and mystery between gay men is superbly described in the prose of his literature. "Stranger in Translation" makes me want to fly to France and find my own special bench in a cemetary!
Although I had an inkling of the outcome at the end, I was still surprised to read it...bringing shivers up my spine. Bravo! Another exceptional story! :-))
Although I had an inkling of the outcome at the end, I was still surprised to read it...bringing shivers up my spine. Bravo! Another exceptional story! :-))
January 22, 2013
I recently picked up a copy of STRANGER IN TRANSLATION by Charles Raines to read on a transcontinental flight from Washington, DC to Los Angeles, CA. Good intentions aside, the first two hours of the flight were fraught with interruptions and I wasn’t able to get to it right away. Finally, however, I was able to tune out the world, put on a pair of headphones, fire up my Kindle, and begin to read. Immediately I was so drawn into the story that by the time I got to the last page (far too soon, it seemed to me), I was surprised to discover that we were already landing in L.A. You can read all about the plot details of STRANGER in the book description and in the many reviews appearing on this site and others so I won’t repeat what has already been said pretty eloquently by others. Instead, I will limit my comments to why I thought this book was such a great read.
I’ve read a lot of m/m fiction over the years ranging from very well written to pretty dreadful, most of it falling somewhere in the middle. What Charles Raines has done with STRANGER IS TRANSLATION is to paint a rich and complex world with such darkly sensual imagery (without being vulgar) that it is wholly believable and so “real” you can almost touch it—the sights, the sounds and even the odors of Marseilles. STRANGER is written in first person narrative, a risky endeavor for many authors but a risk in this case that was well worth taking. The narrator, forever struggling to fit into the world in which he has sequestered himself, learns from a series of erotically-charged encounters with strangers, and a chance encounter of a different kind in a Marseilles cemetery, that he will always be a stranger until he opens his heart and stops hiding from the man he really is. As the story unwinds, we see the narrator gradually transform from the cold, detached person we meet at the beginning—a man that I did not particularly like—into the kind of man worthy and capable of real love.
I have to say that of all of the books and new authors that I had a chance to read in 2012, STRANGER IN TRANSLATION was one of the most pleasant surprises. It was the first time I’d had a chance to read Mr. Raines’ work and I am always overjoyed when I encounter an author who writes so beautifully that time stands still. I look forward to many more releases by Charles Raines and I recommend this novella enthusiastically.
I’ve read a lot of m/m fiction over the years ranging from very well written to pretty dreadful, most of it falling somewhere in the middle. What Charles Raines has done with STRANGER IS TRANSLATION is to paint a rich and complex world with such darkly sensual imagery (without being vulgar) that it is wholly believable and so “real” you can almost touch it—the sights, the sounds and even the odors of Marseilles. STRANGER is written in first person narrative, a risky endeavor for many authors but a risk in this case that was well worth taking. The narrator, forever struggling to fit into the world in which he has sequestered himself, learns from a series of erotically-charged encounters with strangers, and a chance encounter of a different kind in a Marseilles cemetery, that he will always be a stranger until he opens his heart and stops hiding from the man he really is. As the story unwinds, we see the narrator gradually transform from the cold, detached person we meet at the beginning—a man that I did not particularly like—into the kind of man worthy and capable of real love.
I have to say that of all of the books and new authors that I had a chance to read in 2012, STRANGER IN TRANSLATION was one of the most pleasant surprises. It was the first time I’d had a chance to read Mr. Raines’ work and I am always overjoyed when I encounter an author who writes so beautifully that time stands still. I look forward to many more releases by Charles Raines and I recommend this novella enthusiastically.
November 23, 2012
1.5 stars. So-so stream-of-consciousness story of a Englishman living in Marseilles, translating a novel into French and becoming intrigued by a stranger who persists in chattering away when he's trying to enjoy the quiet of a cemetery.
October 4, 2012
Depending on how the word is defined, stranger can have several meanings. In 'Stranger in Translation' Charles Raines takes full advantage of this diversity, creating not merely an intriguing story, but an enigma as well. The story is told in first person and the narrator is never named, therefore, he remains a stranger. He takes us on a whirlwind tour, not only of life in a French city, but also one of his own conflicted thoughts and feelings. He's in denial, not able to acknowledge that his attitudes are perpetuating his feelings of isolation and non-acceptance. He's a stranger to the rules of life and has not yet learned to translate them. His position of stranger will endure unless he's able to form a more realistic view of his attitudes toward himself and others.
Our translator is like so many young people. He thinks they've got life all figured out; but as time goes by, it begins to dawn on him that he doesn't even know what he doesn't know. He's put him in this neat, secure little box and never ventures out of it. The chap wants to fit in, but goes out of his way to be different. He does this because it's the proper thing to do, such as wearing a suit even though he works at home. As the story moves along, his clothing becomes more suited to the situation, showing that he's relaxing his ridiculously inflexible standards and becoming more aware.
The same holds true for his sexual exploits. His inclination toward men is both a desire and a curse because he is too inhibited to follow through. When he finally does break into the gay scene, he limits himself to meaningless one-offs rather than pursuing a loving relationship. As he said: “That's what men do.” When he meets another stranger, a jogger, running in a cemetery of all places, he forms an attachment to him which is so categorically different from his other encounters, that it makes him acutely aware of his need for love and companionship. Their deeper relationship seems to be quite mutual and he's lured into a false sense of security. He thinks he truly knows this man and is ready to commit. However, the object of his affection turns out to be more of a stranger to him than anyone and turns his world upside down.
This book is a well-written account of a young man coming to terms with his sexual orientation in a very dramatic way. His narration gives us the opportunity to share the highs and lows of his conflicted feelings, taking us through his struggle with him. Instead of the sexual encounters being portrayed in graphic detail, they are presented in a sensual and passionate way, which I found quite refreshing. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a story with a challenge, one which will keep you on your toes with its hints, clues, and intensity, while presenting an intriguing journey both physically and mentally. It's a story which you will ponder long after closing the book. Thank you, Charles, for the mental exercise and the powerful story.
NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Our translator is like so many young people. He thinks they've got life all figured out; but as time goes by, it begins to dawn on him that he doesn't even know what he doesn't know. He's put him in this neat, secure little box and never ventures out of it. The chap wants to fit in, but goes out of his way to be different. He does this because it's the proper thing to do, such as wearing a suit even though he works at home. As the story moves along, his clothing becomes more suited to the situation, showing that he's relaxing his ridiculously inflexible standards and becoming more aware.
The same holds true for his sexual exploits. His inclination toward men is both a desire and a curse because he is too inhibited to follow through. When he finally does break into the gay scene, he limits himself to meaningless one-offs rather than pursuing a loving relationship. As he said: “That's what men do.” When he meets another stranger, a jogger, running in a cemetery of all places, he forms an attachment to him which is so categorically different from his other encounters, that it makes him acutely aware of his need for love and companionship. Their deeper relationship seems to be quite mutual and he's lured into a false sense of security. He thinks he truly knows this man and is ready to commit. However, the object of his affection turns out to be more of a stranger to him than anyone and turns his world upside down.
This book is a well-written account of a young man coming to terms with his sexual orientation in a very dramatic way. His narration gives us the opportunity to share the highs and lows of his conflicted feelings, taking us through his struggle with him. Instead of the sexual encounters being portrayed in graphic detail, they are presented in a sensual and passionate way, which I found quite refreshing. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a story with a challenge, one which will keep you on your toes with its hints, clues, and intensity, while presenting an intriguing journey both physically and mentally. It's a story which you will ponder long after closing the book. Thank you, Charles, for the mental exercise and the powerful story.
NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
March 26, 2014
I am going to start this review by saying “Oh My God”! This is a book by a newer author for me. I had read and reviewed a short story, Dicing with Danger, so knew his writing was provocative and different than many. But Stranger in Translation went far beyond my expectations. This book has everything; romance, suspense, tension, sex, mystery, unexpected surprises, violence, and above all else, subtlety and nuance. Every page has an unexpected twist or something that will surprise you and make you just keep reading. I didn’t want to put it down when I had to take breaks, and read deep into the night so I could read non-stop.
Stranger in Translation is the story of a young Englishman, working in Marseilles, translating a “biography” for one of those ego-maniacal women who think their lives are so important, and that their stories are relevant, and of interest to just everyone. This part of his life he is not real impressed with. He is also an English teacher to a very spoiled young man.
His adventure in life begins when he meets a stranger on a bench in a cemetery, and it just continues throughout the time frame of the story. The man is a mystery, and the relationship is a mystery.
But the main character is also, and I say this knowing it won’t give anything away, a man who up until the time of the story has not experienced his desires and his sexuality. All of this will change within this story, but there are also many other things that go on within it. Murder, maybe? Violence, maybe? Sex, definitely.
This book will keep you guessing, has so many surprises and turns that you just won’t be surprised when Charles Raines does it to you again. By the end of the book, I was enrapt. His sex scenes border on violent, but not so that you are repulsed or uncomfortable. The scenes turn from what you expect, and change into exactly the opposite. I just kept shaking my head, wondering what had just happened.
I have another of his in line to read, and I can’t wait to read it to see what he will do to me this time. I couldn’t contain my emotional responses to his writing, and will follow Charles for a long time, as long as he keeps on writing, and keeps me in flux like this.
Warren Collen
GGR-Reviews
Stranger in Translation is the story of a young Englishman, working in Marseilles, translating a “biography” for one of those ego-maniacal women who think their lives are so important, and that their stories are relevant, and of interest to just everyone. This part of his life he is not real impressed with. He is also an English teacher to a very spoiled young man.
His adventure in life begins when he meets a stranger on a bench in a cemetery, and it just continues throughout the time frame of the story. The man is a mystery, and the relationship is a mystery.
But the main character is also, and I say this knowing it won’t give anything away, a man who up until the time of the story has not experienced his desires and his sexuality. All of this will change within this story, but there are also many other things that go on within it. Murder, maybe? Violence, maybe? Sex, definitely.
This book will keep you guessing, has so many surprises and turns that you just won’t be surprised when Charles Raines does it to you again. By the end of the book, I was enrapt. His sex scenes border on violent, but not so that you are repulsed or uncomfortable. The scenes turn from what you expect, and change into exactly the opposite. I just kept shaking my head, wondering what had just happened.
I have another of his in line to read, and I can’t wait to read it to see what he will do to me this time. I couldn’t contain my emotional responses to his writing, and will follow Charles for a long time, as long as he keeps on writing, and keeps me in flux like this.
Warren Collen
GGR-Reviews
March 25, 2015
A cry of angst and a shout of sensual joy
The novel STRANGER IN TRANSLATION is a metaphor for that desperate search within ourselves for meaning. Raines’ writing is rife with irony and metaphor, and so the journey in this book is not an easy one for us readers to take. But we must, or else lose some very precious clue about our own humanity.
Hour by hour, the central character is on a spiritual quest for the meaning of life, which crystallizes and finds its ultimate translation in the confines of a graveyard.
The first person narrator, never named, is a man in his mid-twenties, an Englishman who longs to be French, desperate to fit in to a soulless apartment and a foreign city. He’s being paid to translate the drivel of an English celebrity into French but is disgusted by the shallowness of her life and her writing.
Yes, the irony is harsh. This fellow who scorns the shallowness of his client and his job is living a life just as trivial. This young Englishman strives to imitate the nuances of everything French—the gestures, the clothing, the accent. He cannot or will not face his own ambivalent sexuality. He keeps a stiff reserve between himself and everyone who could possibly touch him emotionally. But as the novel progresses, his translation of his own mysterious self begins to find a kind of harmony with the vibrant life around him.
At first, the narrator scorns the very idea of being seen and known … he guards his privacy as he keeps a symbolic steel jock strap between him and any hint of sexual release. Yet a chance meeting with a stranger on a graveyard bench serves as the catalyst to flinging open the layers of stiff reserve, indeed his very soul.
The nature of this young man’s sexual journey, and his inner journey, is one I urge you to read for yourself. It’s a kind of cri de coeur, both a cry of angst and a shout of sensual joy. I can find no better way to describe a book that is haunting, edgy, and yet ripe with a pleasure which transcends the merely physical.
Edgy, unforgettable, strange and wonderful. Thank you, Mr. Raines; I will not forget this book.
The novel STRANGER IN TRANSLATION is a metaphor for that desperate search within ourselves for meaning. Raines’ writing is rife with irony and metaphor, and so the journey in this book is not an easy one for us readers to take. But we must, or else lose some very precious clue about our own humanity.
Hour by hour, the central character is on a spiritual quest for the meaning of life, which crystallizes and finds its ultimate translation in the confines of a graveyard.
The first person narrator, never named, is a man in his mid-twenties, an Englishman who longs to be French, desperate to fit in to a soulless apartment and a foreign city. He’s being paid to translate the drivel of an English celebrity into French but is disgusted by the shallowness of her life and her writing.
Yes, the irony is harsh. This fellow who scorns the shallowness of his client and his job is living a life just as trivial. This young Englishman strives to imitate the nuances of everything French—the gestures, the clothing, the accent. He cannot or will not face his own ambivalent sexuality. He keeps a stiff reserve between himself and everyone who could possibly touch him emotionally. But as the novel progresses, his translation of his own mysterious self begins to find a kind of harmony with the vibrant life around him.
At first, the narrator scorns the very idea of being seen and known … he guards his privacy as he keeps a symbolic steel jock strap between him and any hint of sexual release. Yet a chance meeting with a stranger on a graveyard bench serves as the catalyst to flinging open the layers of stiff reserve, indeed his very soul.
The nature of this young man’s sexual journey, and his inner journey, is one I urge you to read for yourself. It’s a kind of cri de coeur, both a cry of angst and a shout of sensual joy. I can find no better way to describe a book that is haunting, edgy, and yet ripe with a pleasure which transcends the merely physical.
Edgy, unforgettable, strange and wonderful. Thank you, Mr. Raines; I will not forget this book.
April 14, 2015
Sometimes it’s hard to write a review. But that’s never because you didn’t like the book – those reviews are easy to write. Often it’s because the book took you to someplace and held you there but didn’t quite let you know how it managed to hold you there. I feel this happened to me with Stranger in Translation.
A nameless first person character is your only guide in the temperate heat of the French Riviera, during an undefined age/period. This nameless guy spends a lot of time alone, drumming up enthusiasm to translate the latest celebrity mush book into French. Seeking tranquil moments, he is persistently disturbed by a stranger who interrupts his quiet spells in the local cemetery. As the story moves on, this stranger gradually becomes a welcome figure in our protagonist’s life, and eventually touches him deeply and sexually, and in doing so, erases much of our hero’s other conquests.
I have to say something about the style of storytelling here, because whilst reading this I was reminded of Ray Bradbury. Although not as surreal and disturbing as say, “Something Wicked this way Comes”, Charles Raines seems to slant in the direction of Bradbury’s method of storytelling. It is haunting, dreamlike, melodic, cryptic, and no doubt full of sub text – of which I cannot even guess at for the moment. But throughout this text there is a compelling hand lulling you all the way to an ending that is likely to wet the corner of your eye.
Readers may class this as MM Romance/Erotica, and those elements are certainly there. But on the other hand, it’s a sensual and seductive voyage into a disturbing period of one, nameless man’s life. I would recommend this to those readers, gay male readers especially, who prefer depth and dimension fused with the erotic.
A nameless first person character is your only guide in the temperate heat of the French Riviera, during an undefined age/period. This nameless guy spends a lot of time alone, drumming up enthusiasm to translate the latest celebrity mush book into French. Seeking tranquil moments, he is persistently disturbed by a stranger who interrupts his quiet spells in the local cemetery. As the story moves on, this stranger gradually becomes a welcome figure in our protagonist’s life, and eventually touches him deeply and sexually, and in doing so, erases much of our hero’s other conquests.
I have to say something about the style of storytelling here, because whilst reading this I was reminded of Ray Bradbury. Although not as surreal and disturbing as say, “Something Wicked this way Comes”, Charles Raines seems to slant in the direction of Bradbury’s method of storytelling. It is haunting, dreamlike, melodic, cryptic, and no doubt full of sub text – of which I cannot even guess at for the moment. But throughout this text there is a compelling hand lulling you all the way to an ending that is likely to wet the corner of your eye.
Readers may class this as MM Romance/Erotica, and those elements are certainly there. But on the other hand, it’s a sensual and seductive voyage into a disturbing period of one, nameless man’s life. I would recommend this to those readers, gay male readers especially, who prefer depth and dimension fused with the erotic.
October 1, 2013
Everyone before me has given you teasers of the plot.
The PLOT. I can't even talk about the PLOT. It was one of those delicious, "Yes, yes, I think I know where this is going" followed by, "Well, no, maybe I don't"...then..."Well, but..." And finally, the kick in your own pants that you let it catch you by surprise. The ending, I mean.
I'm completely disoriented, having finished this little shining gem of a story. The ending, I tell you, the ending. Beautiful, a why-the-hell-didn't-I-write-that sort of conclusion.
"Stranger in Translation". The title is clever, fits the story so well.
The characters. The main character, so beautifully fleshed out, the kind of character I love---the I'm right there in his head type fellow.
The jogger. The JOGGER. What a perfect, handsome, sexy, gentle, wonderful character he is. Just wait until you meet him on that bench in the cemetery.
The young man whose grave is central to the whole story. The mystery of him, the poignant care the two main characters have for him as they share their intimate thoughts of who they think he was, what his life must have been.
A wonderful, vivid supporting cast. Everyone so meticulously crafted, so much color and life for such a short story.
The French setting. A character all its own. Smells, sights, touches, tastes.
Romance. Sex. Frank, blunt yet rippling stream-of-thought-natural prose. Unique prose. A huge part, I think, of what mesmerized me from the first page.
The Jogger. I want you to meet the jogger. I promise you. When you read the last page and 'close' the book, your mind will be just where mine is right now. On the beautiful jogger.
The PLOT. I can't even talk about the PLOT. It was one of those delicious, "Yes, yes, I think I know where this is going" followed by, "Well, no, maybe I don't"...then..."Well, but..." And finally, the kick in your own pants that you let it catch you by surprise. The ending, I mean.
I'm completely disoriented, having finished this little shining gem of a story. The ending, I tell you, the ending. Beautiful, a why-the-hell-didn't-I-write-that sort of conclusion.
"Stranger in Translation". The title is clever, fits the story so well.
The characters. The main character, so beautifully fleshed out, the kind of character I love---the I'm right there in his head type fellow.
The jogger. The JOGGER. What a perfect, handsome, sexy, gentle, wonderful character he is. Just wait until you meet him on that bench in the cemetery.
The young man whose grave is central to the whole story. The mystery of him, the poignant care the two main characters have for him as they share their intimate thoughts of who they think he was, what his life must have been.
A wonderful, vivid supporting cast. Everyone so meticulously crafted, so much color and life for such a short story.
The French setting. A character all its own. Smells, sights, touches, tastes.
Romance. Sex. Frank, blunt yet rippling stream-of-thought-natural prose. Unique prose. A huge part, I think, of what mesmerized me from the first page.
The Jogger. I want you to meet the jogger. I promise you. When you read the last page and 'close' the book, your mind will be just where mine is right now. On the beautiful jogger.
November 25, 2012
Charles Raines has given readers of gay erotica a storyline that musters the senses to seek the thrill of living in a foreign city. With each experience or encounter, anticipation leads to desire, and desire leads to physical contact with someone new. And as the story develops, every time this reader read a chapter, I wanted to have an affair with that someone. That is the provocation Raines' writing gives me. Exciting!!! And do you know, I loved that thrill and the ability he uses to instill that passion in me. Erotic passions are the letters of the author's keyboard as he weaves the strands of the main character's life on the streets of Marseilles. The tension between the characters is so real, the reader senses the moment of arousal as the English translator meanders through dangerous backstreets and forbidden alleys. As in real life, there are 'highs' juxtaposed with 'lows' that anyone trying to fit in as a local in a foreign culture would experience. The reader is never disappointed when the conquest of the stranger is consummated. And the beauty is that the author's wordpictures are so well crafted they bring vivid sensual imaginery to mind throughout his short story. I wholeheartedly recommend "Strangers in Translation" to everyone who enjoys passion stirred deep inside oneself.
November 6, 2012
Author Charles Raines delivers a very thought provoking read in Stranger In Translation. Presented in the first person narrative, we meet an unnamed Gay Englishman who is in France for the job of translating a novel. When we meet this young man, it immediately becomes apparent that not only does he hate the job he's hired to do but he's also dissatisfied with his life.
As the translator attempts to make the best of his situation, he encounters a number of characters that thrust him into a cycle of self-exploration. He begins to really think, feel, and identify with what he truly needs to free himself from being a "stranger" - a stranger not just in a foreign land but also the stranger within.
While there were sexual encounters in the story, the author presented them in such a way that they did not detract from the intrigue of the story. There's even a wee bit of mystery sprinkled throughout. The book was very well-written and beautifully described. Highly recommended for gay romance book lovers.
As the translator attempts to make the best of his situation, he encounters a number of characters that thrust him into a cycle of self-exploration. He begins to really think, feel, and identify with what he truly needs to free himself from being a "stranger" - a stranger not just in a foreign land but also the stranger within.
While there were sexual encounters in the story, the author presented them in such a way that they did not detract from the intrigue of the story. There's even a wee bit of mystery sprinkled throughout. The book was very well-written and beautifully described. Highly recommended for gay romance book lovers.
April 17, 2014
This was a very different yet extremely enjoyable read. The author kept me intreagued throughout the book. This is not a book where you want to say to much about the storyline as it would take away the enjoyment of the Book.
The author certainly made me feel as if I was part of the story, I could feel the heat, smell the food and imagine the emotions our main character was going through. There was a touch of mystery throughout which had me guessing how this book would end. I certainly was not expecting the book to end as it did so will be moving straight onto the next book!
Highly recommended!!
The author certainly made me feel as if I was part of the story, I could feel the heat, smell the food and imagine the emotions our main character was going through. There was a touch of mystery throughout which had me guessing how this book would end. I certainly was not expecting the book to end as it did so will be moving straight onto the next book!
Highly recommended!!
September 10, 2015
This author is going places.
A wonderful story set in an idyllic place. France. I was taken in from the first few pages and loved following through with the characters translation of 'the bestseller'. On the whole the story contained everything needed to keep anyone hooked. Great writing, fun, love and laughter. It is a bit on the 'naughty' side, but so what. We all need a little love and lust and anyone who says they don't is lying...
My favourite of all your books so far. :)
Fantastic job.
A wonderful story set in an idyllic place. France. I was taken in from the first few pages and loved following through with the characters translation of 'the bestseller'. On the whole the story contained everything needed to keep anyone hooked. Great writing, fun, love and laughter. It is a bit on the 'naughty' side, but so what. We all need a little love and lust and anyone who says they don't is lying...
My favourite of all your books so far. :)
Fantastic job.
December 14, 2014
A story of awakening and mystery, of being alone in a crowd and of being found! Not at all what I was expecting. A young Englishman in Marseilles uncovers his heart and finds a love. That is all I can say. The twist will make you melt. Well done Chrles Raines and thank you.
February 25, 2015
Delicious writing and a wonderful plot. Kudos!!! Now I just have to pick his next book for my TBR pile. :)
April 22, 2015
The story is set in Marseilles - a good choice - and a city I know a little; it was entertaining to recall my memories of the streets - especially the Arab Quarter - and it felt like I was sauntering around them again. I say a good choice because the city provides a perfect backdrop for the story - intriguing, a little dangerous, romantic and yet all too real - I could literally smell and taste the city as I read the story.
The main character, from whose perspective the story is wholly told, is enigmatic - somehow ethereal - somewhat paradoxical, when you reach the end and understand how things truly stand between him and his daily talking companion. However, the main character is precisely drawn and coloured, yet he remains a puzzle - both the strength and weakness of the story - if you can call it a weakness.
His liaisons are beautifully crafted but for my money needed a little heat - there is sensuality in spades but it lacks a little something - a one-hander this most definitely is not (thankfully) - it is an erotic romance - still I would have preferred something more intimate, especially between Luc and our protagonist - seeing as it was going to be his first time. That said, the intimate scenes are well-balanced, coloured from a very masculine palette - the build up to the scene with the barber is especially well-crafted.
I enjoyed the little bit of suspense and mystery surrounding Mr Finland - diversionary it may have been, but essential.
The ending is 'clever' - that probably sounds like a back-handed compliment - it isn't meant to. However, as a metaphor, something got lost in translation (no pun intended) - but it didn't detract from the story.
The reason this did not get five stars - I did not wholly engage with the main character despite the fact that he narrated the story.
A thoroughly enjoyable read, captivating and evocative - I have already started another story by the same author - The Man With The Mandolin.
The main character, from whose perspective the story is wholly told, is enigmatic - somehow ethereal - somewhat paradoxical, when you reach the end and understand how things truly stand between him and his daily talking companion. However, the main character is precisely drawn and coloured, yet he remains a puzzle - both the strength and weakness of the story - if you can call it a weakness.
His liaisons are beautifully crafted but for my money needed a little heat - there is sensuality in spades but it lacks a little something - a one-hander this most definitely is not (thankfully) - it is an erotic romance - still I would have preferred something more intimate, especially between Luc and our protagonist - seeing as it was going to be his first time. That said, the intimate scenes are well-balanced, coloured from a very masculine palette - the build up to the scene with the barber is especially well-crafted.
I enjoyed the little bit of suspense and mystery surrounding Mr Finland - diversionary it may have been, but essential.
The ending is 'clever' - that probably sounds like a back-handed compliment - it isn't meant to. However, as a metaphor, something got lost in translation (no pun intended) - but it didn't detract from the story.
The reason this did not get five stars - I did not wholly engage with the main character despite the fact that he narrated the story.
A thoroughly enjoyable read, captivating and evocative - I have already started another story by the same author - The Man With The Mandolin.
January 10, 2016
Je remercie chaleureusement les Editions « Juno publishing » pour l’envoi de ce service presse.
A la vue de la couverture et à la lecture du résumé, ma curiosité a tout de suite été mise en éveil, et l’envie de lire ce roman immédiate.
A la lecture, le récit s’est avéré totalement différent de ce que j’avais pu imaginer ! Mais j’avoue que ce fut une agréable surprise.
D’habitude je n’aime pas les monologues intérieurs, j’aime qu’il y ait des dialogues, beaucoup de dialogues, qui permettent de donner vie au roman, aux personnages…. Bizarrement pour le coup, cette absence ne m’a pas gêné plus que cela.
J’ai de suite été captivée par cet homme banal et remarquable à la fois. J’ai aimé son côté rustique,typé anglais, ses manières, sa recherche inconsciente à se fondre dans la masse … mais qui malgré tout, s’en le vouloir, est connu de tous. Tous savent qui est l’étranger anglais, qui il est vraiment au-delà des apparences … Seul lui se voile encore la face.
Ajouter à cela une recherche de soi, de ce qu’il est, de qui il est, une recherche de sa sexualité, des baises (sans vulgarité, avec pour approche la recherche du plaisir et de la connaissance de son corps) avec des hommes de passage dans sa vie ayant su retenir son attention, titiller son désir, et qui lui feront découvrir sa véritable « identité » et ses nouvelles attentes.
Et puis, il y a ce cimetière qui l’attire, l’apaise, l’enivre ; Ce cimetière, mystérieux fil conducteur que nous offre ce roman. Ce mystère a su captiver mon attention dès la première page, a su me tenir en haleine jusqu’au point final de cette tranche de vie.
https://thelibraryworld.wordpress.com...
A la vue de la couverture et à la lecture du résumé, ma curiosité a tout de suite été mise en éveil, et l’envie de lire ce roman immédiate.
A la lecture, le récit s’est avéré totalement différent de ce que j’avais pu imaginer ! Mais j’avoue que ce fut une agréable surprise.
D’habitude je n’aime pas les monologues intérieurs, j’aime qu’il y ait des dialogues, beaucoup de dialogues, qui permettent de donner vie au roman, aux personnages…. Bizarrement pour le coup, cette absence ne m’a pas gêné plus que cela.
J’ai de suite été captivée par cet homme banal et remarquable à la fois. J’ai aimé son côté rustique,typé anglais, ses manières, sa recherche inconsciente à se fondre dans la masse … mais qui malgré tout, s’en le vouloir, est connu de tous. Tous savent qui est l’étranger anglais, qui il est vraiment au-delà des apparences … Seul lui se voile encore la face.
Ajouter à cela une recherche de soi, de ce qu’il est, de qui il est, une recherche de sa sexualité, des baises (sans vulgarité, avec pour approche la recherche du plaisir et de la connaissance de son corps) avec des hommes de passage dans sa vie ayant su retenir son attention, titiller son désir, et qui lui feront découvrir sa véritable « identité » et ses nouvelles attentes.
Et puis, il y a ce cimetière qui l’attire, l’apaise, l’enivre ; Ce cimetière, mystérieux fil conducteur que nous offre ce roman. Ce mystère a su captiver mon attention dès la première page, a su me tenir en haleine jusqu’au point final de cette tranche de vie.
https://thelibraryworld.wordpress.com...
November 5, 2016
Classy and compelling.
Balancing the bustling, vibrant atmosphere of the south of France with the dangerous yet attractive seedier side of life in the backstreets of Marseilles, Stranger In Translation is a compelling tale of a young man's struggle to explore his sexuality and be true to himself. Fluently written in a style to compliment the story, Charles Raines takes us by the hand and leads us through a journey of erotic exploration. From the excitement of innocent flirtation, through the raw lust of physical sexual attraction, to the meaningful sentiments and expression of love between two men, Raines stimulates sensual images which will be hard to forget. Filled with wit, pathos and thrills, this one did it for me, and that's why I'm highly recommending it to you!
(N.B. Don't be put off by the snippets of French dialogue. They add atmosphere and authenticity to the tale and are skillfully explained by a subsequent action or an accompanying comment in English.)
Balancing the bustling, vibrant atmosphere of the south of France with the dangerous yet attractive seedier side of life in the backstreets of Marseilles, Stranger In Translation is a compelling tale of a young man's struggle to explore his sexuality and be true to himself. Fluently written in a style to compliment the story, Charles Raines takes us by the hand and leads us through a journey of erotic exploration. From the excitement of innocent flirtation, through the raw lust of physical sexual attraction, to the meaningful sentiments and expression of love between two men, Raines stimulates sensual images which will be hard to forget. Filled with wit, pathos and thrills, this one did it for me, and that's why I'm highly recommending it to you!
(N.B. Don't be put off by the snippets of French dialogue. They add atmosphere and authenticity to the tale and are skillfully explained by a subsequent action or an accompanying comment in English.)
December 27, 2015
Un parcours initiatique fascinant d'un homme qui va finir par se trouver de la plus étrange des manières .
January 19, 2016
worth learning French for
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