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Seven Days #1
Destines L'Un A L'Autre
"Sept jours, numero hors serie"
La vie d'une personne peut-elle changer en l'espace d'une journee? Pourquoi pas en l'espace de sept jours, dans ce cas ?
Voici le recit de sept jours vitaux dans la vie d'Evan Donaldson. Evan etait un fugueur, vivant dans les rues, lorsque le Pere Valentin le convainquit d'entrer a l'Academie Saint Bartholome. Ce jour-la, la vie d'Evan bascula. Ce fut le jour ou il rencontra son camarade de chambre, Clay Mueller, mais aussi le jour ou il commenca a vivre. La vie d'Evan continuera toutefois a changer, allant d'abus a un premier amour, en passant par des ruptures et des chagrins d'amour, jusqu'a fonder sa propre famille. Mais a travers chaque epreuve, a chaque fois qu'une porte se refermait, une fenetre restait ouverte et cette fenetre c'etait Clay.
Depuis ce premier jour ou il trouva la foi et tissa un lien avec Clay, a travers les tours et detours de leur relation, voici un apercu de sept jours decisifs et de la maniere incroyable et cruciale qu'a un seul moment de changer la destinee.
La vie d'une personne peut-elle changer en l'espace d'une journee? Pourquoi pas en l'espace de sept jours, dans ce cas ?
Voici le recit de sept jours vitaux dans la vie d'Evan Donaldson. Evan etait un fugueur, vivant dans les rues, lorsque le Pere Valentin le convainquit d'entrer a l'Academie Saint Bartholome. Ce jour-la, la vie d'Evan bascula. Ce fut le jour ou il rencontra son camarade de chambre, Clay Mueller, mais aussi le jour ou il commenca a vivre. La vie d'Evan continuera toutefois a changer, allant d'abus a un premier amour, en passant par des ruptures et des chagrins d'amour, jusqu'a fonder sa propre famille. Mais a travers chaque epreuve, a chaque fois qu'une porte se refermait, une fenetre restait ouverte et cette fenetre c'etait Clay.
Depuis ce premier jour ou il trouva la foi et tissa un lien avec Clay, a travers les tours et detours de leur relation, voici un apercu de sept jours decisifs et de la maniere incroyable et cruciale qu'a un seul moment de changer la destinee.
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2011
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May 13, 2022
Good story but why so fast????
Time skips of years every chapter
Time skips of years every chapter
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April 28, 2011It's been a long time since I have reviewed on goodreads. It's been a long time since one has truly moved me in an emotional way. Well, this one did but not in a good way. I can't sleep after reading this one so I might as well use the time to vent my anger. I am not sure I can do it eloquently and I don't know how to rate this book because of it. On one hand, the character of Evan is a very sympathetic and well written character. On the other hand the attempt to portray Father Valentin as a sympathetic character and the actions of the catholic church/school in the face of a child molestation cover-up as reasonable is disturbing and disgusting. For me, it ruins the romance the book wants to focus on at times.
Andrew Grey takes on a very sensitive subject and sacrifices the character and integrity of all the "good" father Valentin does. He attempts to justify the cowardly actions taken by Father Valentin by putting the loyalty of the church and the school above that of a molested and emotionally tortured student in his care. Father Valentin allows a fellow "brother" to not only get away with molesting Evan, but launches no investigation, contacts no authorities, allows the teacher to finish teaching out the semester and then allows the teacher to move onto a different school to further his practice of molestation without anyone made aware. Not only that, but later on takes the "Brother" back in when he begins to die of cancer, because “Brothers” take care of each other. No kidding. They take care of each other so well that they put their shameful behavior above that of not only Evan, but possibly dozens of students, based on his action, clearly molested from one school to the next.
Once Evan confesses to Clay what is happening, it takes Clay all of two or three hours to find out rumors about Brother Blowjob and another student he has simply harassed. Father Valentin doesn't put one minute of investigation into Evan's allegations, makes Evan feel as though he is at fault and over the next several years removes himself from Evan's life in any meaningful way continuing to perpetuate the idea that somehow this was Evan's fault. The characterization is completely disgusting.
Clay, a lawyer in the making, never even suggests they call the authorities or that they tell any other adult figure is also disturbing. That it never occurs to Evan, not once, is all to indicative of the internal struggle with guilt that molested children face.
That Evan would send his kid back to that school and would leave him there after his talk with Father Valentin proves the long standing emotional effects the molestation had on his reasoning skills. It defines just how damaged Evan really is by what happened to him and that he needs therapy to truly understand where the fault lays. That the perpetual cover up of this type of problem (with no remorse from Father Valentin that he did cover it up, except that he prays over it often) would lead me, as a parent to know it would happen again and that his child is not safe there. Evan should have called the police as soon as he knew where his tormentor was, but again, that action is never even remotely considered. Never once. Not even the child advocate lawyer that his long time lover, Clay, has become thinks to make that suggestion. What is wrong with people?
If you want to read about church justified actions of molestation cover ups this book is for you. For me it just made me so mad, I couldn't sleep.
ETA one of my comments below:
The focus is on Evan. Father Valentin is only in the beginning and end of the book, however, the problems I described overshadowed the story he is trying to tell about Evan.
After reading many, if not all, of AG's books, I feel certain he did not think he was writing the book I described. I would not turn away from his stories all together. Try any of his other books. They are all, even this one, written with heart and emotion (sometimes a little too much emotion). That is why I can't rate the book. I just don't know how. Many people will love the story of how Evan survives and for sure his life would have been completely different had the proper reporting procedures and investigations taken place.
It was brave for AG to try and tackle this subject but at the same time, he falls prey to the same ideas that too many victims and church followers seem to cling too. He probably wrote a very realistic book. But that realism, the way these people acted, is just too abhorent to me not to completely undermine the story I believe AG meant to be writing. The story of how Evan made a life, a good life, despite the odds
Andrew Grey takes on a very sensitive subject and sacrifices the character and integrity of all the "good" father Valentin does. He attempts to justify the cowardly actions taken by Father Valentin by putting the loyalty of the church and the school above that of a molested and emotionally tortured student in his care. Father Valentin allows a fellow "brother" to not only get away with molesting Evan, but launches no investigation, contacts no authorities, allows the teacher to finish teaching out the semester and then allows the teacher to move onto a different school to further his practice of molestation without anyone made aware. Not only that, but later on takes the "Brother" back in when he begins to die of cancer, because “Brothers” take care of each other. No kidding. They take care of each other so well that they put their shameful behavior above that of not only Evan, but possibly dozens of students, based on his action, clearly molested from one school to the next.
Once Evan confesses to Clay what is happening, it takes Clay all of two or three hours to find out rumors about Brother Blowjob and another student he has simply harassed. Father Valentin doesn't put one minute of investigation into Evan's allegations, makes Evan feel as though he is at fault and over the next several years removes himself from Evan's life in any meaningful way continuing to perpetuate the idea that somehow this was Evan's fault. The characterization is completely disgusting.
Clay, a lawyer in the making, never even suggests they call the authorities or that they tell any other adult figure is also disturbing. That it never occurs to Evan, not once, is all to indicative of the internal struggle with guilt that molested children face.
That Evan would send his kid back to that school and would leave him there after his talk with Father Valentin proves the long standing emotional effects the molestation had on his reasoning skills. It defines just how damaged Evan really is by what happened to him and that he needs therapy to truly understand where the fault lays. That the perpetual cover up of this type of problem (with no remorse from Father Valentin that he did cover it up, except that he prays over it often) would lead me, as a parent to know it would happen again and that his child is not safe there. Evan should have called the police as soon as he knew where his tormentor was, but again, that action is never even remotely considered. Never once. Not even the child advocate lawyer that his long time lover, Clay, has become thinks to make that suggestion. What is wrong with people?
If you want to read about church justified actions of molestation cover ups this book is for you. For me it just made me so mad, I couldn't sleep.
ETA one of my comments below:
The focus is on Evan. Father Valentin is only in the beginning and end of the book, however, the problems I described overshadowed the story he is trying to tell about Evan.
After reading many, if not all, of AG's books, I feel certain he did not think he was writing the book I described. I would not turn away from his stories all together. Try any of his other books. They are all, even this one, written with heart and emotion (sometimes a little too much emotion). That is why I can't rate the book. I just don't know how. Many people will love the story of how Evan survives and for sure his life would have been completely different had the proper reporting procedures and investigations taken place.
It was brave for AG to try and tackle this subject but at the same time, he falls prey to the same ideas that too many victims and church followers seem to cling too. He probably wrote a very realistic book. But that realism, the way these people acted, is just too abhorent to me not to completely undermine the story I believe AG meant to be writing. The story of how Evan made a life, a good life, despite the odds
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2014
Can't understand why Evan (after what he endured) would send his son to attend the same school, that was just f'd up!
January 23, 2019
3.5 stars rounded down to 3 because still no 1/2 stars here on GR and...there's more but you know full review to follow soonish...hopefully!
Sometimes revisiting the past isn't the best of ideas...
I can say with a certainty that it's been well over 4 years since I read the book and when I saw it on Audible with Sean Crisden as the narrator well I was all in on this one. It sounded like such a good idea and while I did enjoy the audio book I didn't love it the way I had when I read the book originally.
I can say with a certainty that the narration was well done and I thoroughly enjoyed that part of the experience. I don't feel like it was any one thing that kept me from connecting with this story as strongly as I did the first time...it was more a case of a lot of little disconnects that just kept things from working quite as well as they had originally...things that either didn't bother me the first time or that I just didn't pick-up on the first time around.
I have to admit I was really looking forward to enjoying this one on audio and to say the least I was more than a little disappointed at the end of it all when I realized that while I liked the audio book I didn't love the story the way that I had originally and sometimes that's what happens. I know there have been other books that I've re-read/listen to that I originally read years ago and my thoughts and feelings haven't changed or I've maybe even liked them a little more than the first time around but every once in a while things don't workout that way and sadly this was one of them.
Sometimes revisiting the past isn't the best of ideas...
I can say with a certainty that it's been well over 4 years since I read the book and when I saw it on Audible with Sean Crisden as the narrator well I was all in on this one. It sounded like such a good idea and while I did enjoy the audio book I didn't love it the way I had when I read the book originally.
I can say with a certainty that the narration was well done and I thoroughly enjoyed that part of the experience. I don't feel like it was any one thing that kept me from connecting with this story as strongly as I did the first time...it was more a case of a lot of little disconnects that just kept things from working quite as well as they had originally...things that either didn't bother me the first time or that I just didn't pick-up on the first time around.
I have to admit I was really looking forward to enjoying this one on audio and to say the least I was more than a little disappointed at the end of it all when I realized that while I liked the audio book I didn't love the story the way that I had originally and sometimes that's what happens. I know there have been other books that I've re-read/listen to that I originally read years ago and my thoughts and feelings haven't changed or I've maybe even liked them a little more than the first time around but every once in a while things don't workout that way and sadly this was one of them.
November 1, 2011
I don’t know how to rate this book.
On one side I was deeply moved by it, on the other side there were things I can’t comprehend.
I enjoy the author’s books, because he has a great writing style. He writes with passion and this shows in the stories.
This book is also written with passion and heart, but I can’t understand some people’s behavior.
Okay, the romance plot was nonetheless nice to read. It’s a very emotionally read and some parts I really enjoyed.
I enjoyed the good parts and they are worth 5 stars, but there are things… no, sorry, that’s not worth one star.
April 8, 2014
A very good book, but while some parts of the book went a bit slow, others that I felt could have used a few more pages left me wishing for a little more than the story line provided.
Like the fast forwarded college years and the 10 year jump at the end. I would have loved for those years to have been flushed out, allowing the reader to be privy to those details as well.
The story was actually plot-driven vs. erotica driven (only 3 or 4 sex scenes, if I'm remembering correctly), which a lot of authors tend to fall back on to fill pages and keep reader interest. Nod to the author on that one.
One thing that I did find a bit out of character though was the fact that Evan I'm still scratching my ass over that one. :- ?
As I mentioned, it was a good book and I highly recommend this read.
Like the fast forwarded college years and the 10 year jump at the end. I would have loved for those years to have been flushed out, allowing the reader to be privy to those details as well.
The story was actually plot-driven vs. erotica driven (only 3 or 4 sex scenes, if I'm remembering correctly), which a lot of authors tend to fall back on to fill pages and keep reader interest. Nod to the author on that one.
One thing that I did find a bit out of character though was the fact that Evan I'm still scratching my ass over that one. :- ?
As I mentioned, it was a good book and I highly recommend this read.
August 9, 2016
I devoured this book in a couple of hours and immediately went to buy the second book in the series. When I think back at the parts I liked the most, I feel ambivalent because, despite the angst and abuse, and the tears it brought to my eyes, I really enjoyed the first part of the book, the one set in the Saint Bartholomew's Academy.
To summarize, Seven Days is a very emotional and poignant book that I definitely find worth reading.
To summarize, Seven Days is a very emotional and poignant book that I definitely find worth reading.
April 29, 2011
A sweet story, but something about the structure of it added a feeling of distance
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May 25, 2011I liked the idea at the base of this novel, to tell about 7 days in the life of a man, but not 7 consecutive days, but more 7 days which changed his life. Maybe I will not comment on the realism of the story, a single gay man who is allowed to adopt a 4 years old beautiful boy without no issue at all if not, rightly, missing his parents recently passed away. In Italy that would be impossible, legally impossible, and sincerely I think that also in the United States, even if the law theoretically allows it, reality is another thing. But Andrew Grey has already accustomed us to his pink glasses perspective romances, with just that nasty touch of realism to make the story less sugary (in this case an abusive teacher), but in the end with plenty of love and happily ever after.
The first day sees Evan, a 16 years old boy at the time, whoring himself on the street; he is orphaned and scared, and probably would have not lasted long if a priest, Father Valentine, wouldn’t have helped him. That is the turn in his life that will change everything, not only in Evan’s life, but also in the life of all the other people Evan will help after that. Again, it’s a positive perspective in the possible evolution of the story, many kids are not so lucky as Evan, and even if they are given a chance, often they are not able to take it. True, where Father Val is a positive figure, a truly good man, in the catholic school where he will bring Evan, the boy will meet his opposite, an evil man who will take advantage of the kid. That is, as I said, the only real bad event in the story, but of course it’s also the one with the biggest impact on Evan; and I also liked how the author chose to give “closure” to this part of Evan’s life, if he was too “good” also in this case, it wouldn’t have been right.
Another point that I liked is that, while Evan met the love of his life, Clay, when he is still very young, they weren’t immediately allowed to their happily ever after, on the contrary, that happily ever after is on standby for a whole long time, so long that I often wondered if it was in the future at all. In a way, it gave to Clay more realism as well. Clay was not a troubled kid like Evan, and so he didn’t grow up ahead of his time; at 18 years old he is still a kid, and as such, he is influenced by many factors, in a positive and negative way. There are really no obstacles to his love for Evan, if not his own immaturity; and the solution to their troubles is simply for him to grow up.
So probably the only complain that I have about this story is that no one was complaining at all for Evan and Clay to be gay and in love, not the priests at their school, not the social workers who need to decide if Evan can be a possible father, not even Clay’s family… of course that is wonderful, and more than desirable, but how often it happens in today’s world?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1615818790/?...
The first day sees Evan, a 16 years old boy at the time, whoring himself on the street; he is orphaned and scared, and probably would have not lasted long if a priest, Father Valentine, wouldn’t have helped him. That is the turn in his life that will change everything, not only in Evan’s life, but also in the life of all the other people Evan will help after that. Again, it’s a positive perspective in the possible evolution of the story, many kids are not so lucky as Evan, and even if they are given a chance, often they are not able to take it. True, where Father Val is a positive figure, a truly good man, in the catholic school where he will bring Evan, the boy will meet his opposite, an evil man who will take advantage of the kid. That is, as I said, the only real bad event in the story, but of course it’s also the one with the biggest impact on Evan; and I also liked how the author chose to give “closure” to this part of Evan’s life, if he was too “good” also in this case, it wouldn’t have been right.
Another point that I liked is that, while Evan met the love of his life, Clay, when he is still very young, they weren’t immediately allowed to their happily ever after, on the contrary, that happily ever after is on standby for a whole long time, so long that I often wondered if it was in the future at all. In a way, it gave to Clay more realism as well. Clay was not a troubled kid like Evan, and so he didn’t grow up ahead of his time; at 18 years old he is still a kid, and as such, he is influenced by many factors, in a positive and negative way. There are really no obstacles to his love for Evan, if not his own immaturity; and the solution to their troubles is simply for him to grow up.
So probably the only complain that I have about this story is that no one was complaining at all for Evan and Clay to be gay and in love, not the priests at their school, not the social workers who need to decide if Evan can be a possible father, not even Clay’s family… of course that is wonderful, and more than desirable, but how often it happens in today’s world?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1615818790/?...
May 31, 2011
A lovely romance with a clever "framework" - each chapter (there are seven in total) takes place during a single day of Evan Donaldson's life. Each of those seven days represents a pivotal moment in which Evan's life is inexorably changed. Beautiful writing, excellent editing and a poignant story.
SPOILERS FOLLOW:
SPOILERS FOLLOW:
November 9, 2012
This is defitely not one of Adrew Grey's better books.
Why?
Because there are moments/actions that won't fit...
A teacher and monks uses a boy and nobody really reacts? Not the supervising Brother - he does not take sides, don't believe the boy but still loves him and cares for him? - nor the friends, sorry, just searching for other who might be victims is not enough. Why did none of them call their parents?
Finally declaring their love for each other in the last night in school and then loosing contact over the years? Staying connected with all the other friends but not with the love of his life?
There are more minor actions that won't fit for me so - sometimes I had the feeling, the book was supposed to go into that direction and was pressed to do so - no matter how logical or fitting for the character it was.
It was saved for me by the fact that I have it as an audiobook, narrated by the fabulous Sean Crisden...that man could probably read the phonebook to me and I'd enjoy it.
Why?
Because there are moments/actions that won't fit...
A teacher and monks uses a boy and nobody really reacts? Not the supervising Brother - he does not take sides, don't believe the boy but still loves him and cares for him? - nor the friends, sorry, just searching for other who might be victims is not enough. Why did none of them call their parents?
Finally declaring their love for each other in the last night in school and then loosing contact over the years? Staying connected with all the other friends but not with the love of his life?
There are more minor actions that won't fit for me so - sometimes I had the feeling, the book was supposed to go into that direction and was pressed to do so - no matter how logical or fitting for the character it was.
It was saved for me by the fact that I have it as an audiobook, narrated by the fabulous Sean Crisden...that man could probably read the phonebook to me and I'd enjoy it.
March 26, 2020
The concept of this story is an interesting one. Seeing how 7 individual days spread throughout a persons life can affect them is intriguing. Unfortunately, the story didn't come across that way. I was never able to fully connect to the story or the MCs. There are definitely parts that are very sweet and parts that broke my heart, but the author also had the MCs do things that I questioned. I think I'll have to put this one on the "it might be me not the book" shelf and just let it go at that.
TAGS
-- fast easy read -- second chance -- first time -- friends to lovers -- kids -- family -- past abuse -- no spark -- couldn't connect -- didn't work for me -- it might be me not the book
August 21, 2012
3.5 stars?
I went back and forth on the review for this book. This book focuses on 7 pivotal days in the life of the protagonist, Evan Donaldson. I really like the 7 day concept, but as I read the book, it didn't feel like 7 days to me since it spanned the MC's entire life. It flowed just like any other book in my opinion. I think maybe if each day were delineated a little better it would have jumped out more. I actually forgot as I was reading that it was 7 pivotal days. I think if the chapter titles were Day 1...Day 2...or maybe even within each chapter have "wake-up"...8:00...12:00...like the TV show "24"? Just some thoughts on how it would feel like 7 distinct days instead of one book. It didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book, it just didn't feel like 7 days as I was reading.
One interesting thing about this book that I noticed only because I read Andrew Grey's book Accompanied by a Waltz right before, is that in Waltz, the MC, Jonathon talked about his background and it was almost identical to Evan's background. It feels like Mr. Grey expanded on Jonathan's background and turned it into another book. The following spoiler is a spoiler for both this book AND Accompanied by a Waltz so do not click on this unless you are prepared to be spoiled twice! So either Mr. Grey really liked that storyline in Waltz and wanted to make it into a new story all on its own, or Mr. Grey ran out of book ideas! I think it's the former, however, because it's very interesting and I can see why an author would want to expand on that story.
There are some decisions/choices made my characters or plot aspects in this book that didn't sit well with me.
I did enjoy reading this book and the issues I note in the spoiler section above did not overly detract from my overall enjoyment of this book.
I went back and forth on the review for this book. This book focuses on 7 pivotal days in the life of the protagonist, Evan Donaldson. I really like the 7 day concept, but as I read the book, it didn't feel like 7 days to me since it spanned the MC's entire life. It flowed just like any other book in my opinion. I think maybe if each day were delineated a little better it would have jumped out more. I actually forgot as I was reading that it was 7 pivotal days. I think if the chapter titles were Day 1...Day 2...or maybe even within each chapter have "wake-up"...8:00...12:00...like the TV show "24"? Just some thoughts on how it would feel like 7 distinct days instead of one book. It didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book, it just didn't feel like 7 days as I was reading.
One interesting thing about this book that I noticed only because I read Andrew Grey's book Accompanied by a Waltz right before, is that in Waltz, the MC, Jonathon talked about his background and it was almost identical to Evan's background. It feels like Mr. Grey expanded on Jonathan's background and turned it into another book. The following spoiler is a spoiler for both this book AND Accompanied by a Waltz so do not click on this unless you are prepared to be spoiled twice! So either Mr. Grey really liked that storyline in Waltz and wanted to make it into a new story all on its own, or Mr. Grey ran out of book ideas! I think it's the former, however, because it's very interesting and I can see why an author would want to expand on that story.
There are some decisions/choices made my characters or plot aspects in this book that didn't sit well with me.
I did enjoy reading this book and the issues I note in the spoiler section above did not overly detract from my overall enjoyment of this book.
May 24, 2015
¿Puede la vida de una persona cambiar en un día? ¿Qué tal en siete?
Esta es la premisa con la que empieza esta historia. Evan Donalson un chico que a la tierna edad de dieciséis años lo ha perdido todo, sus padres, su casa y todo cuanto conocía, termina en las calles tratando de sobrevivir el día a día prostituyéndose, hasta que la providencia pone en su camino al Padre Valentin. En un principio totalmente reacio a confiar en el Padre Valentin, Evan piensa que nadie hace algo sin querer nada a cambio, pero la bondad en los ojos del hombre lo convencen de aceptar su ayuda y es llevado por él al Colegio San Bart, donde será cuidado, educado y conocerá a Clay quien, además de ser su compañero de cuarto, se convertiría en su mejor amigo y primer amor.
La última novela de Andrew Gray nos lleva a vivir de forma muy creativa y vertiginosa junto con Evan y Clay siete días fundamentales en la vida de estos dos hombres, siete días en donde sus vidas cambiaron para siempre, pero sobre todo siete días que, de una u otra forma, vivieron juntos. Todo conspiró para que fuera así, mostrándoles el camino que debían tomar ambos para poder alcanzar lo que querían desde el principio.
Una historia emotiva y romántica sobre el valiente y fuerte Evan y el adorable y a veces un poco perdido Clay. Y de cómo Evan llega a la conclusión de que cuando Dios le cerraba una puerta ahí estaba Clay abriéndole una ventana.
Esta es la premisa con la que empieza esta historia. Evan Donalson un chico que a la tierna edad de dieciséis años lo ha perdido todo, sus padres, su casa y todo cuanto conocía, termina en las calles tratando de sobrevivir el día a día prostituyéndose, hasta que la providencia pone en su camino al Padre Valentin. En un principio totalmente reacio a confiar en el Padre Valentin, Evan piensa que nadie hace algo sin querer nada a cambio, pero la bondad en los ojos del hombre lo convencen de aceptar su ayuda y es llevado por él al Colegio San Bart, donde será cuidado, educado y conocerá a Clay quien, además de ser su compañero de cuarto, se convertiría en su mejor amigo y primer amor.
La última novela de Andrew Gray nos lleva a vivir de forma muy creativa y vertiginosa junto con Evan y Clay siete días fundamentales en la vida de estos dos hombres, siete días en donde sus vidas cambiaron para siempre, pero sobre todo siete días que, de una u otra forma, vivieron juntos. Todo conspiró para que fuera así, mostrándoles el camino que debían tomar ambos para poder alcanzar lo que querían desde el principio.
Una historia emotiva y romántica sobre el valiente y fuerte Evan y el adorable y a veces un poco perdido Clay. Y de cómo Evan llega a la conclusión de que cuando Dios le cerraba una puerta ahí estaba Clay abriéndole una ventana.
November 3, 2014
Ok, this book, was good, probably a 4.5 star read.
We really follow Evan from being a rent boy living on the the streets through 20 years of his life. We check in on seven different days, seven important and sort of life changing days of his life. I feel like there was a day that really wasn't quite about Evan and maybe I would have loved to exchange that day for a different one.
Overall I really liked this book. Strangely enough there were characters that I wanted more of than what we got. This was my first Andrew Grey and it won't be my last.
We really follow Evan from being a rent boy living on the the streets through 20 years of his life. We check in on seven different days, seven important and sort of life changing days of his life. I feel like there was a day that really wasn't quite about Evan and maybe I would have loved to exchange that day for a different one.
Overall I really liked this book. Strangely enough there were characters that I wanted more of than what we got. This was my first Andrew Grey and it won't be my last.
July 9, 2011
For the Gang Bang Q3 recommended by Mika. Some Andrew Grey books can be a little on the too sweet side but this one worked for me. Maybe it's the format of picking 7 important days in the course of the main character, Evan's life that helped by giving it more focus. I found myself reacting on an emotional level to the story. I did think the priest in the story was not quite the good guy the story portrayed, especially with the way he reacted to what Evan revealed in the story. Father Valentin reaction is consistent with what we know happened in the church but I was irritated that Evan never realized that Father Valentin by his inaction shared culpability. But I do think it was consistent with Evan's character to overlook any flaws in Father Valentin as this is the man who saves his life. The main romantic pairing of Evan & Clay is slowly developed here and yes it's sweet, but not cloyingly so. I do recommend this as a nice feel good story.
February 7, 2025
¡Me ha encantado! Cada uno de esos siete días de la vida de Evan es una magnífica instantánea donde, al contemplarse cronológicamente, se percibe el paso de los años y los cambios experimentados en él. Es una hermosa y conmovedora historia que no dejará indiferente al lector. Una historia donde lo peor y lo mejor que la vida puede ofrecer al ser humano queda brillantemente plasmado en tan sólo siete días de la existencia de su protagonista. Un canto a la amistad, el amor, la familia y, especialmente, a la fé y confianza en uno mismo y al afán de superación. Muy recomendable para todos aquellos que gustan de buenas historias de romance gay.Por favor, visita mi página para leer la review completa:
https://despertaresdestonewall.net/20...
https://despertaresdestonewall.net/20...
January 31, 2015
Sette giorni ha il pregio di essere una storia molto carina, ma il grande difetto di non riuscire a far affezionare i lettori ai suoi personaggi. Credo che il problema risieda nella scelta di narrare solo sette giorni della vita di Evan Donaldson, i sette giorni che porteranno a cambiamenti radicali.
Il che di per sé non sarebbe una cattiva idea, ma ha comportato una frammentazione nel ritmo narrativo, dato che questi sette giorni non sono consecutivi e sono a distanza di anni l'uno dall'altro. Quindi l'autore ha costretto il lettore a riaffezionarsi daccapo ai personaggi ad ogni capitolo, che però risultava troppo breve per poter far breccia nella sua simpatia. Purtroppo, tolta l'empatia, in questo genere rimane poco altro se non la storia pura e semplice.
Il che di per sé non sarebbe una cattiva idea, ma ha comportato una frammentazione nel ritmo narrativo, dato che questi sette giorni non sono consecutivi e sono a distanza di anni l'uno dall'altro. Quindi l'autore ha costretto il lettore a riaffezionarsi daccapo ai personaggi ad ogni capitolo, che però risultava troppo breve per poter far breccia nella sua simpatia. Purtroppo, tolta l'empatia, in questo genere rimane poco altro se non la storia pura e semplice.
June 10, 2011
Sweet romance, well written. Interesting way of framing the story. The main characters are very well developed but could have done with more depth to the secondary ones. It's a very serious story of redemption and personal growth, but it's treated a bit like a fairy tale and that detracts from my enjoyment. Also, it felt like a lot was missing, from one chapter to the next. It could have been fleshed out better.
It's my first book by this author and I think I'll try another before I give up on him.
It's my first book by this author and I think I'll try another before I give up on him.
July 4, 2011
Seven connected but discontinuous vignettes chronicling the major events in the life of the main character. Good concept, well executed, but the story is basically a character study with very little plot development or dramatic tension. For that reason, at the end of it, I really didn't care much about the characters, or the various events in their lives that just sort of happened without any sense of importance or urgency.
May 29, 2011
Well-written, with an interesting setting and a compelling backstory. But there was something about the sheer amount of time the book covered that made it feel distant to me. I couldn't connect to the romance as fully as I wanted to. But still, a good read, and I look forward to reading more by this author.
November 22, 2015
I like Andrew Grey's writing, I do, however, I wish he'd been born with a uterus so he could give birth and raise all the babies he wants. Almost every book he writes has gay men adopting a baby. I find that so tedious. Not every gay man wants to be a mommy.
January 20, 2016
Been a long time since I first read this and loved it just as much as had the first time round.
November 16, 2017
TRE STELLINE E MEZZO (Amneris Di Cesare)
Forse io ho qualche problema con Andrew Grey come autore, perché pur essendo lui popolarissimo nel mondo dei Male To Male, non riesce a coinvolgermi completamente. La storia di Evan potrebbe essere intrigante: giovane sedicenne che si prostituisce nelle strade per sopravvivere e che viene soccorso da un sacerdote che lo accoglie in una prestigiosissima scuola/collegio e gli offre un futuro fatto di studio e di impegno; l’amore che piano piano nasce per il suo compagno di stanza Clay, e che viene vissuto in silenzio prima dell’ultimo giorno di scuola, della laurea e dell’andare per il mondo. E gli alti e bassi di una vita trascorsa a cercare di dimenticare quell’unico momento di amore tra i due. Fino all’epilogo finale, che arriva alla velocità di un asteroide che cade sulla vita di entrambi. Per molti versi scontato e già visto, già letto in altri romanzi sempre di Grey e altri suoi colleghi. E il tutto, purtroppo, non sollevato da uno stile particolarmente intenso. Diciamo un romance nella norma, che può piacere a chi non ha molte pretese.
Forse io ho qualche problema con Andrew Grey come autore, perché pur essendo lui popolarissimo nel mondo dei Male To Male, non riesce a coinvolgermi completamente. La storia di Evan potrebbe essere intrigante: giovane sedicenne che si prostituisce nelle strade per sopravvivere e che viene soccorso da un sacerdote che lo accoglie in una prestigiosissima scuola/collegio e gli offre un futuro fatto di studio e di impegno; l’amore che piano piano nasce per il suo compagno di stanza Clay, e che viene vissuto in silenzio prima dell’ultimo giorno di scuola, della laurea e dell’andare per il mondo. E gli alti e bassi di una vita trascorsa a cercare di dimenticare quell’unico momento di amore tra i due. Fino all’epilogo finale, che arriva alla velocità di un asteroide che cade sulla vita di entrambi. Per molti versi scontato e già visto, già letto in altri romanzi sempre di Grey e altri suoi colleghi. E il tutto, purtroppo, non sollevato da uno stile particolarmente intenso. Diciamo un romance nella norma, che può piacere a chi non ha molte pretese.
March 27, 2018
Forse io ho qualche problema con Andrew Grey come autore, perché pur essendo lui popolarissimo nel mondo dei Male To Male, non riesce a coinvolgermi completamente. La storia di Evan potrebbe essere intrigante: giovane sedicenne che si prostituisce nelle strade per sopravvivere e che viene soccorso da un sacerdote che lo accoglie in una prestigiosissima scuola/collegio e gli offre un futuro fatto di studio e di impegno; l’amore che piano piano nasce per il suo compagno di stanza Clay, e che viene vissuto in silenzio prima dell’ultimo giorno di scuola, della laurea e dell’andare per il mondo. E gli alti e bassi di una vita trascorsa a cercare di dimenticare quell’unico momento di amore tra i due. Fino all’epilogo finale, che arriva alla velocità di un asteroide che cade sulla vita di entrambi. Per molti versi scontato e già visto, già letto in altri romanzi sempre di Grey e altri suoi colleghi. E il tutto, purtroppo, non sollevato da uno stile particolarmente intenso. Diciamo un romance nella norma, che può piacere a chi non ha molte pretese. Tre stelline e mezzo.
November 10, 2017
This is an interesting concept for a story. How can a life/relationship be changed in seven pivotal days through out a life. It was interesting to see what days that author used in Evan's life and how each one effected him. Where this book fails is that in seven days I can't really connect with Evan and Clay and a romance has a lot of trouble being built in those few days. It felt like there was a distance between me and the relationship. Also a great deal of the pages focused on other parts of Evan's life shrinking things further. The format would have worked better either focusing completely on seven days that changed Evan's life or seven days of romance between Evan and Clay. Since this book tries for both it seems to fail some.
January 28, 2018
This is a well written story and it is amazing how someone story can be told by taking a close look at seven specific days over an about 20 year period. We go from a trouble teen to a caring and wonderful adult. It also gives you the insight how one person can impact another for good or bad depending on their actions. Evan proves to be a strong young man. We also get to watch Cole grow as well. Found this buried on my TBR pile and I'm so glad that I did.
October 23, 2018
Listened to the audiobook but it's not available to review. I enjoyed this book and the narration was good. There was some back and forth feelings on the part of the characters and sometimes I didn't feel the connection between the two characters. But I liked the sweetness that did exist at times between them.
January 23, 2021
I read this in the fall of 2020 when the audible escape package was wrapping up. I enjoyed the book and narrator(s). I am just catching up on my reviews. I binged about 5-6 Andrew Grey books in a row prior to the end of the unlimited package. I am so happy I did!! The Narrator - Sean Crisden did a great job too!!
September 9, 2019
The mc is kind of an ass. I just could not connect to Clay and felt no real chemistry between him and Evan.
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