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Green Twining: Sometimes love needs a little untangling...
Following an unfortunate incident 90 years earlier, life at Green Twining Farm seems terminally blighted. But, by the summer of 1985, Joe – the farmer’s son – has secretly fallen in love with David, his handsome work friend at the town hall. And Joe wonders if David feels the same way about him. Then – when Tim, Joe’s former musical friend, reappears after a long absence, with a surprising proposal – hidden cogs begin to turn, transforming the lives of Joe, David, and everyone who lives in Green Twining.
Green Twining is work of LGBT Fiction which also explores the themes of neurodiversity and the emotional effects of childhood trauma. It is set on the Lincolnshire Marsh at the time of the Aids Crisis and the resulting rise in homophobia, especially in the media. However, this is a positive, celebratory novel in which love triumphs over adversity.
The main locations in the novel are loosely based on Grimsby, Louth and a farm on the edge of the Marsh. The main characters are musicians and the story traces their musical and romantic journeys as they form musical relationships and practice together in preparation for a late summer local folk festival. At the same time, the old ways of life in the area are under threat or are transforming, as small farms become uneconomical and are amalgamated, and the local industries are gradually replaced with new ones or just left to collapse.
This is a novel about positive transformation and the power of love and friendship to bring that transformation about.
Green Twining is work of LGBT Fiction which also explores the themes of neurodiversity and the emotional effects of childhood trauma. It is set on the Lincolnshire Marsh at the time of the Aids Crisis and the resulting rise in homophobia, especially in the media. However, this is a positive, celebratory novel in which love triumphs over adversity.
The main locations in the novel are loosely based on Grimsby, Louth and a farm on the edge of the Marsh. The main characters are musicians and the story traces their musical and romantic journeys as they form musical relationships and practice together in preparation for a late summer local folk festival. At the same time, the old ways of life in the area are under threat or are transforming, as small farms become uneconomical and are amalgamated, and the local industries are gradually replaced with new ones or just left to collapse.
This is a novel about positive transformation and the power of love and friendship to bring that transformation about.
530 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 30, 2024
35 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Cheffings
4 books65 followersAndrew Cheffings was born on a small working farm on the Lincolnshire Marsh. But the local small farming culture he was born into was gradually coming to an end after a long decline following the Enclosures, almost two centuries before. His Grandfather still spoke N. Lincolnshire dialect and had a store of stories, aurally transmitted through the generations. Evenings with him were often spent enjoying these stories and those of his Grandmother, who had written a few down decades earlier and sent them to the ‘Farmers’ Weekly’ who published them in their magazine during the second world war.
Life on the farm had its difficulties. And Andrew’s father remembered a time when every winter was spent digging long trenches by hand, right across the wide, heavy clay fields of the farm, back and forth, right through the day, in order to drain the water-logged earth.
Andrew's stories reflect his experiences of growing up in a challenging local culture which was in terminal decline, but which was still rich in stories and traditions. And into these stories, he weaves threads of the new life which was being imposed (supposedly by economic realities) and was gradually taking its place. His stories are healings, processing and resolving the wounds where local tradition and colonial modernism meet.
Join Andrew for: local places/local culture through a Queer lens; Queer Romance; a spirituality grounded in Queer Ecology.
Life on the farm had its difficulties. And Andrew’s father remembered a time when every winter was spent digging long trenches by hand, right across the wide, heavy clay fields of the farm, back and forth, right through the day, in order to drain the water-logged earth.
Andrew's stories reflect his experiences of growing up in a challenging local culture which was in terminal decline, but which was still rich in stories and traditions. And into these stories, he weaves threads of the new life which was being imposed (supposedly by economic realities) and was gradually taking its place. His stories are healings, processing and resolving the wounds where local tradition and colonial modernism meet.
Join Andrew for: local places/local culture through a Queer lens; Queer Romance; a spirituality grounded in Queer Ecology.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
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September 9, 2025Green Twining is one of those rare novels that feels both hauntingly gothic and deeply human, a story where the echoes of the past intertwine with the tender, unsteady rhythms of love and belonging. Andrew Cheffings masterfully captures the atmosphere of 1980s Lincolnshire, the isolation of the marshes, the shadow of the AIDS crisis, and the suffocating weight of silence in small-town life, yet what shines through most is the fierce resilience of love.
Joe’s secret longing for David is rendered with such authenticity that the pages seem to pulse with unspoken emotion. Their romance is tentative, hopeful, and achingly real, made all the more poignant against the background of fear and prejudice. When Tim re-enters the story with his own revelations, the novel shifts into something larger than a love story, it becomes a meditation on the courage it takes to claim joy, even in the face of history’s darkest shadows.
What makes Green Twining stand apart is not only its exploration of queer love in a time of crisis, but its insistence on hope. Despite its gothic undertones and themes of trauma, this is a novel that celebrates transformation, of individuals, of relationships, and of communities. Music threads through the narrative like a heartbeat, reminding us that art and love share the same power: to heal, to connect, and to endure.
Cheffings’ prose is lush yet precise, painting the marshes with an almost mythic quality while grounding the story in raw human emotion. The pacing is deliberate, allowing the reader to sink fully into its world and witness how each secret, each choice, ripples outward into lives forever changed.
For readers who crave queer historical fiction with depth, tenderness, and atmosphere, Green Twining is unforgettable. It lingers like a folk melody you can’t quite shake, haunting, beautiful, and full of quiet courage.
Joe’s secret longing for David is rendered with such authenticity that the pages seem to pulse with unspoken emotion. Their romance is tentative, hopeful, and achingly real, made all the more poignant against the background of fear and prejudice. When Tim re-enters the story with his own revelations, the novel shifts into something larger than a love story, it becomes a meditation on the courage it takes to claim joy, even in the face of history’s darkest shadows.
What makes Green Twining stand apart is not only its exploration of queer love in a time of crisis, but its insistence on hope. Despite its gothic undertones and themes of trauma, this is a novel that celebrates transformation, of individuals, of relationships, and of communities. Music threads through the narrative like a heartbeat, reminding us that art and love share the same power: to heal, to connect, and to endure.
Cheffings’ prose is lush yet precise, painting the marshes with an almost mythic quality while grounding the story in raw human emotion. The pacing is deliberate, allowing the reader to sink fully into its world and witness how each secret, each choice, ripples outward into lives forever changed.
For readers who crave queer historical fiction with depth, tenderness, and atmosphere, Green Twining is unforgettable. It lingers like a folk melody you can’t quite shake, haunting, beautiful, and full of quiet courage.
August 7, 2025
There is something both absurd and authentic about the way Andrew Cheffings writes emotional intimacy. In this scene from Green Twining, we’re thrown into a messy and magnetic conversation that unravels the love lines between Sean, Tim, and Lance. It’s sharp, funny, and oh so human.
Sean steals the spotlight with his effortless storytelling and theatrical delivery. He manages to turn emotional confusion into entertainment, narrating his affairs with a combination of cheeky humor and subtle longing. He’s magnetic, but he’s also unreliable a chaos agent whose emotional trail is littered with mixed signals and half-closed doors.
Lance enters like a bolt of charm and confidence, but there’s something earnest behind the wit. His interest in Tim is immediate, and unlike Sean’s scattershot energy, Lance is focused. He knows what he wants, and he’s not afraid to ask for it. Yet even his confidence hides the fresh wound of a breakup. His flirtation, though bold, carries the weight of someone trying to move on.
Tim, meanwhile, is the most emotionally exposed. He doesn’t say much, but every reaction his discomfort, his posture, the way he fiddles with his hands reveals his inner struggle. He’s drawn to Lance but shackled by lingering feelings, complicated connections, and perhaps the pressure of being the steady one in a group of impulsive souls.
What makes this scene brilliant isn’t just the sharp dialogue or the romantic tension. It’s the way Cheffings balances laughter with ache. There’s a sense that everyone’s hiding something behind the jokes. And even though this moment is light and playful on the surface, you can feel the heartbreak beneath.
Sean steals the spotlight with his effortless storytelling and theatrical delivery. He manages to turn emotional confusion into entertainment, narrating his affairs with a combination of cheeky humor and subtle longing. He’s magnetic, but he’s also unreliable a chaos agent whose emotional trail is littered with mixed signals and half-closed doors.
Lance enters like a bolt of charm and confidence, but there’s something earnest behind the wit. His interest in Tim is immediate, and unlike Sean’s scattershot energy, Lance is focused. He knows what he wants, and he’s not afraid to ask for it. Yet even his confidence hides the fresh wound of a breakup. His flirtation, though bold, carries the weight of someone trying to move on.
Tim, meanwhile, is the most emotionally exposed. He doesn’t say much, but every reaction his discomfort, his posture, the way he fiddles with his hands reveals his inner struggle. He’s drawn to Lance but shackled by lingering feelings, complicated connections, and perhaps the pressure of being the steady one in a group of impulsive souls.
What makes this scene brilliant isn’t just the sharp dialogue or the romantic tension. It’s the way Cheffings balances laughter with ache. There’s a sense that everyone’s hiding something behind the jokes. And even though this moment is light and playful on the surface, you can feel the heartbreak beneath.
August 6, 2025
Andrew Cheffings spins a sparkling, slyly heartfelt tale in Green Twining, full of tangled friendships, near-missed romances, and the messy truth of attraction. This particular scene captures everything I love about his style: dialogue that dances, characters who surprise you, and just enough chaos to keep the pages turning.
The interplay between Sean, Tim, and Lance is sharp and comedic but layered with quiet longing and real vulnerability. Sean’s breezy honesty about his romantic entanglements is as funny as it is disarming. Lance, confident yet sincere, adds new tension the moment he arrives. And poor Tim torn between flirtation and frustration feels instantly real in his awkwardness.
What makes this excerpt shine is its refusal to take itself too seriously while still hinting at deeper emotional undercurrents. It's about timing, misunderstandings, class quirks, and that eternal question: who's really your type and are you theirs?
Cheffings has a gift for giving small social interactions the weight of full-blown drama, without losing charm or wit. This scene alone is enough to make me want to read the whole book.
The interplay between Sean, Tim, and Lance is sharp and comedic but layered with quiet longing and real vulnerability. Sean’s breezy honesty about his romantic entanglements is as funny as it is disarming. Lance, confident yet sincere, adds new tension the moment he arrives. And poor Tim torn between flirtation and frustration feels instantly real in his awkwardness.
What makes this excerpt shine is its refusal to take itself too seriously while still hinting at deeper emotional undercurrents. It's about timing, misunderstandings, class quirks, and that eternal question: who's really your type and are you theirs?
Cheffings has a gift for giving small social interactions the weight of full-blown drama, without losing charm or wit. This scene alone is enough to make me want to read the whole book.
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October 16, 2025Reading Green Twining felt like walking through misty fields at dawn, mysterious, quiet, but full of life beneath the surface. The setting is so vividly drawn I could smell the rain on soil. I was especially impressed by how well the story balanced romance and suspense. The secrets at the heart of Joe’s family, the mysterious guest, and David’s hidden past all intertwined beautifully. This book feels literary but never pretentious, a heartfelt blend of queer fiction, gothic mystery, and emotional healing.
September 1, 2025
This book is perfect for discussion. There’s so much here: intergenerational trauma, questions of identity, the way small communities both stifle and sustain. Every chapter gives you something new to think about.
What struck me most was how Cheffings makes ordinary lives feel extraordinary. Joe, Sid, David all flawed, all searching, yet their stories are profoundly moving.
I can easily see this becoming a modern classic in queer literature.
What struck me most was how Cheffings makes ordinary lives feel extraordinary. Joe, Sid, David all flawed, all searching, yet their stories are profoundly moving.
I can easily see this becoming a modern classic in queer literature.
September 1, 2025
Absolutely stunning! Green Twining is lyrical, heartfelt, and full of humanity. I couldn’t put it down.
September 4, 2025
At first I thought it was a family saga, but it’s so much more. It’s about ghosts both literal and the ones we carry inside. It’s about love, inheritance, and survival. Absolutely beautiful and so necessary.
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August 6, 2025Cheffings offers us a portrait of a family where silence says more than words. Joe is a sensitive soul trapped in a world of stoic men and rigid expectations. His queer identity is treated with such subtle realism that it becomes heartbreaking never loudly condemned, but quietly suffocated.
The symbolism throughout from bindweed to axes, from cracked mortar to unplayed music is used masterfully. The house at Green Twining is more than a setting; it’s a mirror for everything these characters carry and suppress.
The symbolism throughout from bindweed to axes, from cracked mortar to unplayed music is used masterfully. The house at Green Twining is more than a setting; it’s a mirror for everything these characters carry and suppress.
September 4, 2025
Like a folk song in novel form strange, sad, and beautiful.
September 4, 2025
Reading Green Twining felt like pulling weeds in an overgrown garden. Slowly, layer by layer, the roots of history reveal themselves. Painful at times, but the blossoms are worth it.
July 24, 2025
A heartfelt and hopeful story set in 1980s rural England. Green Twining explores love, friendship, and healing as Joe navigates hidden feelings, past trauma, and a changing world. With rich themes like neurodiversity and the impact of the AIDS crisis, it’s a gentle but powerful novel that celebrates transformation through love and music.
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September 10, 2025I came across Green Twining through Austin’s book circle, and it completely surprised me. From the very first chapters, the atmosphere drew me in, moody, tender, and quietly powerful. Joe’s hidden longing for David is written with such raw honesty that it lingers long after you put the book down.
What really struck me is how the story blends gothic tension with hope. Even in the darkest moments, there’s a thread of love and resilience running through it. By the end, I didn’t feel like a spectator. I felt like part of the village, part of their struggles, part of their triumphs.
What really struck me is how the story blends gothic tension with hope. Even in the darkest moments, there’s a thread of love and resilience running through it. By the end, I didn’t feel like a spectator. I felt like part of the village, part of their struggles, part of their triumphs.
August 7, 2025
Few authors can write dialogue as layered and believable as Andrew Cheffings. In this passage from Green Twining, what starts as light-hearted banter quickly transforms into a rich, nuanced study of attraction, social standing, and emotional timing.
Sean is the spark the mischief-maker with too many lovers and not enough clarity. His unapologetic recounting of past dalliances is both hilarious and oddly touching. There’s something very real about his confusion, even when he tries to dress it up as confidence. He’s not just seeking attention he’s seeking a resolution that hasn’t arrived.
Lance enters as the romantic disruptor. Suave, assertive, and direct, he’s the opposite of Sean’s chaos. His attention to Tim is immediate and genuine, and their interaction crackles with interest and unspoken possibility. When Lance invites Tim to be his date to the Deer Park staff dance, it’s a moment of raw, hopeful vulnerability disguised as playful invitation.
Tim’s slow unraveling is the heart of the scene. He’s clearly not used to being pursued, especially not by someone as forward as Lance. His careful words, hesitant posture, and small admissions make him feel heartbreakingly relatable. You can sense his internal tug-of-war his desire to say yes battling his fear of consequence and entanglement.
What elevates this beyond typical romance, though, is the social lens. Their banter about housing, jobs, and status subtly reveals the characters’ positions in society. The Deer Park, Eaubank Hill, Heaven’s Gate each becomes symbolic of class, access, and aspiration. Cheffings doesn’t hammer the point, but it’s there, adding a layer of realism that grounds the flirtation in something deeper.
This is Cheffings at his best funny, clever, and unafraid to show how messy and beautiful human connection can be.
Sean is the spark the mischief-maker with too many lovers and not enough clarity. His unapologetic recounting of past dalliances is both hilarious and oddly touching. There’s something very real about his confusion, even when he tries to dress it up as confidence. He’s not just seeking attention he’s seeking a resolution that hasn’t arrived.
Lance enters as the romantic disruptor. Suave, assertive, and direct, he’s the opposite of Sean’s chaos. His attention to Tim is immediate and genuine, and their interaction crackles with interest and unspoken possibility. When Lance invites Tim to be his date to the Deer Park staff dance, it’s a moment of raw, hopeful vulnerability disguised as playful invitation.
Tim’s slow unraveling is the heart of the scene. He’s clearly not used to being pursued, especially not by someone as forward as Lance. His careful words, hesitant posture, and small admissions make him feel heartbreakingly relatable. You can sense his internal tug-of-war his desire to say yes battling his fear of consequence and entanglement.
What elevates this beyond typical romance, though, is the social lens. Their banter about housing, jobs, and status subtly reveals the characters’ positions in society. The Deer Park, Eaubank Hill, Heaven’s Gate each becomes symbolic of class, access, and aspiration. Cheffings doesn’t hammer the point, but it’s there, adding a layer of realism that grounds the flirtation in something deeper.
This is Cheffings at his best funny, clever, and unafraid to show how messy and beautiful human connection can be.
August 7, 2025
Andrew Cheffings excels at capturing life’s delicious awkwardness, and this excerpt from Green Twining is a perfect showcase. What begins as a casual exchange after a talk quickly blossoms into a deeply entertaining web of romantic entanglements and social maneuvering. We meet Sean, who openly recounts his complicated love life with unapologetic honesty, using charm as both shield and sword. He’s a character who floats effortlessly between relationships but remains strangely endearing, never quite taking full responsibility yet never entirely careless either.
Enter Lance, whose bold entrance and immediate interest in both Sean and Tim instantly shifts the emotional energy. Their interaction is brisk, flirtatious, and loaded with subtext, with each line carrying both a joke and a challenge. Tim, caught between curiosity and loyalty, becomes the emotional pivot. His reactions discomfort, coyness, defensiveness are beautifully rendered, making him feel the most grounded in a scene filled with larger-than-life personalities.
But beyond the witty banter and overlapping affections, Cheffings subtly weaves in themes of class and belonging. The discussion about Wolston-Wold, Eaubank Hill, and Heaven’s Gate isn’t just location trivia it underscores the delicate tension between background, aspiration, and social status. Lance, though confident, expresses a desire for a more inclusive role in society, while Tim's defensiveness about his address reveals his own insecurities.
This is more than just a rom-com moment it’s a nuanced exploration of attraction, identity, and how we fit into the world around us. Cheffings writes with humor and heart, never letting either overpower the truth in his characters. A beautifully layered scene.
Enter Lance, whose bold entrance and immediate interest in both Sean and Tim instantly shifts the emotional energy. Their interaction is brisk, flirtatious, and loaded with subtext, with each line carrying both a joke and a challenge. Tim, caught between curiosity and loyalty, becomes the emotional pivot. His reactions discomfort, coyness, defensiveness are beautifully rendered, making him feel the most grounded in a scene filled with larger-than-life personalities.
But beyond the witty banter and overlapping affections, Cheffings subtly weaves in themes of class and belonging. The discussion about Wolston-Wold, Eaubank Hill, and Heaven’s Gate isn’t just location trivia it underscores the delicate tension between background, aspiration, and social status. Lance, though confident, expresses a desire for a more inclusive role in society, while Tim's defensiveness about his address reveals his own insecurities.
This is more than just a rom-com moment it’s a nuanced exploration of attraction, identity, and how we fit into the world around us. Cheffings writes with humor and heart, never letting either overpower the truth in his characters. A beautifully layered scene.
September 1, 2025
Andrew Cheffings’ Green Twining is a striking blend of historical atmosphere and intimate storytelling. Rooted in the Lincolnshire Marsh of 1985, the novel captures a community weighed down by the past yet poised for change. Against the uncertainty of the AIDS crisis and the erosion of rural traditions, Cheffings crafts a narrative where love, identity, and music converge with quiet intensity.
Joe’s concealed love for David is written with nuance and restraint, embodying both the risk and the beauty of queer desire in an unforgiving era. The reappearance of Tim introduces a compelling tension, pushing the story into a space where memory, music, and unspoken truths collide.
What distinguishes this novel is its refusal to linger in despair. While acknowledging prejudice, trauma, and cultural loss, Green Twining ultimately affirms resilience, belonging, and the transformative power of human connection. The prose is lyrical yet grounded, carrying an authenticity that allows both setting and characters to resonate long after the final page.
A poignant and finely wrought work, Green Twining stands as a celebration of love’s endurance and a reminder of its capacity to heal, even in the most difficult times.
Would you like me to tighten this further into a 3–4 sentence professional review (ideal for press features or promotional blurbs), or keep it in this fuller editorial style?
Joe’s concealed love for David is written with nuance and restraint, embodying both the risk and the beauty of queer desire in an unforgiving era. The reappearance of Tim introduces a compelling tension, pushing the story into a space where memory, music, and unspoken truths collide.
What distinguishes this novel is its refusal to linger in despair. While acknowledging prejudice, trauma, and cultural loss, Green Twining ultimately affirms resilience, belonging, and the transformative power of human connection. The prose is lyrical yet grounded, carrying an authenticity that allows both setting and characters to resonate long after the final page.
A poignant and finely wrought work, Green Twining stands as a celebration of love’s endurance and a reminder of its capacity to heal, even in the most difficult times.
Would you like me to tighten this further into a 3–4 sentence professional review (ideal for press features or promotional blurbs), or keep it in this fuller editorial style?
September 5, 2025
Andrew Cheffings’ Green Twining is an extraordinary novel that blends romance, history, and atmosphere into a story that feels both intimate and epic. Rooted in the haunting beauty of the Lincolnshire Marsh, the narrative spans the summer of 1985, a time shadowed by the AIDS crisis and marked by rising prejudice, cultural loss, and the quiet unraveling of rural traditions. Within this setting, Cheffings crafts a tale of forbidden love, resilience, and the courage to step into the light.
At the heart of the novel is Joe, the farmer’s son, who has long carried the weight of family silence. His secret love for David, his charming colleague at the town hall, is drawn with aching tenderness, a slow-burn yearning that feels both fragile and inevitable. When Tim, Joe’s former friend and musical companion, suddenly reappears with an unexpected proposal, the rhythms of life at Green Twining begin to shift. What unfolds is not just a romance, but a meditation on friendship, belonging, and the quiet revolutions that love can spark.
Cheffings writes with a lyricism that makes every scene pulse with atmosphere. The marshland setting feels alive, its vastness echoing loneliness, its beauty reflecting moments of joy. The musical threads that bind Joe, David, and Tim together add depth and texture, turning the story into more than a romance; it becomes a symphony of human connection.
At the heart of the novel is Joe, the farmer’s son, who has long carried the weight of family silence. His secret love for David, his charming colleague at the town hall, is drawn with aching tenderness, a slow-burn yearning that feels both fragile and inevitable. When Tim, Joe’s former friend and musical companion, suddenly reappears with an unexpected proposal, the rhythms of life at Green Twining begin to shift. What unfolds is not just a romance, but a meditation on friendship, belonging, and the quiet revolutions that love can spark.
Cheffings writes with a lyricism that makes every scene pulse with atmosphere. The marshland setting feels alive, its vastness echoing loneliness, its beauty reflecting moments of joy. The musical threads that bind Joe, David, and Tim together add depth and texture, turning the story into more than a romance; it becomes a symphony of human connection.
August 30, 2025
A beautifully tangled masterpiece of love and humanity
Green Twining is not just a novel it’s an emotional journey that lingers long after the final page. Andrew Cheffings has crafted a story that feels both intimate and universal, weaving together the fragility of human connection with the raw, unfiltered truths of love.
What makes this book remarkable is how it balances tenderness with complexity. The characters are not one-dimensional; they breathe, ache, stumble, and rise in ways that make you reflect on your own experiences of love, longing, and untangling the knots we often carry within ourselves.
Cheffings’ prose is lyrical yet grounded, painting scenes that feel alive and immersive. Every line seems to hold a deeper meaning sometimes quiet, sometimes piercing and it’s this delicate interplay that keeps you hooked.
This isn’t just a romance; it’s a meditation on vulnerability, resilience, and the beauty found in imperfection. Readers who appreciate writing that goes beyond surface-level storytelling will find themselves deeply moved.
If you’re searching for a book that will touch your heart, stir your mind, and stay with you long after, Green Twining is an absolute must-read.
Green Twining is not just a novel it’s an emotional journey that lingers long after the final page. Andrew Cheffings has crafted a story that feels both intimate and universal, weaving together the fragility of human connection with the raw, unfiltered truths of love.
What makes this book remarkable is how it balances tenderness with complexity. The characters are not one-dimensional; they breathe, ache, stumble, and rise in ways that make you reflect on your own experiences of love, longing, and untangling the knots we often carry within ourselves.
Cheffings’ prose is lyrical yet grounded, painting scenes that feel alive and immersive. Every line seems to hold a deeper meaning sometimes quiet, sometimes piercing and it’s this delicate interplay that keeps you hooked.
This isn’t just a romance; it’s a meditation on vulnerability, resilience, and the beauty found in imperfection. Readers who appreciate writing that goes beyond surface-level storytelling will find themselves deeply moved.
If you’re searching for a book that will touch your heart, stir your mind, and stay with you long after, Green Twining is an absolute must-read.
August 30, 2025
Andrew Cheffings weaves a story that feels at once delicate and deeply resonant, like ivy winding its way up an old stone wall, steady, surprising, and impossible to ignore. Green Twining is not just a love story; it is a meditation on the knots of human connection, the tangles of desire, memory, and vulnerability that make us who we are.
Cheffings has a gift for rendering emotions in fine detail, with prose that shimmers between tenderness and sharp honesty. The characters are flawed yet achingly real, and their journey reminds us that love rarely arrives neatly packaged, it often comes with its own labyrinth of doubts, discoveries, and truths waiting to be unearthed.
What makes this book unforgettable is its quiet courage: it doesn’t rush to resolve complexities but instead allows the reader to sit within them, to breathe the same air as the characters, and to feel the slow untangling of hearts learning how to trust.
Green Twining is a novel that lingers, like a half-forgotten melody that drifts back unexpectedly and stays with you long after the last page. For anyone who has ever struggled with the messy beauty of love, this book is both a mirror and a balm.
Cheffings has a gift for rendering emotions in fine detail, with prose that shimmers between tenderness and sharp honesty. The characters are flawed yet achingly real, and their journey reminds us that love rarely arrives neatly packaged, it often comes with its own labyrinth of doubts, discoveries, and truths waiting to be unearthed.
What makes this book unforgettable is its quiet courage: it doesn’t rush to resolve complexities but instead allows the reader to sit within them, to breathe the same air as the characters, and to feel the slow untangling of hearts learning how to trust.
Green Twining is a novel that lingers, like a half-forgotten melody that drifts back unexpectedly and stays with you long after the last page. For anyone who has ever struggled with the messy beauty of love, this book is both a mirror and a balm.
August 30, 2025
Green Twining is the kind of book that doesn’t just tell a story, it wraps itself around you and slowly unfurls, revealing truths about love, vulnerability, and the ways we try (and sometimes fail) to hold on to one another.
Andrew Cheffings writes with an elegance that is both poetic and piercing. His prose moves like a vine, graceful, deliberate, and full of quiet strength, capturing the beauty and fragility of relationships in a way that feels startlingly intimate. The characters are flawed, deeply human, and impossible not to care for; their struggles with love and identity echo far beyond the page.
What struck me most is the honesty: Cheffings doesn’t shy away from the tangles of desire, doubt, and longing. Instead, he leans into them, showing us that sometimes the most powerful love stories are not about neat resolutions, but about the courage to untangle what binds us.
This isn’t just a novel, it’s an experience, one that lingers long after the final chapter. Tender, haunting, and beautifully written, Green Twining reminds us that love is rarely simple, but always worth the untangling.
Andrew Cheffings writes with an elegance that is both poetic and piercing. His prose moves like a vine, graceful, deliberate, and full of quiet strength, capturing the beauty and fragility of relationships in a way that feels startlingly intimate. The characters are flawed, deeply human, and impossible not to care for; their struggles with love and identity echo far beyond the page.
What struck me most is the honesty: Cheffings doesn’t shy away from the tangles of desire, doubt, and longing. Instead, he leans into them, showing us that sometimes the most powerful love stories are not about neat resolutions, but about the courage to untangle what binds us.
This isn’t just a novel, it’s an experience, one that lingers long after the final chapter. Tender, haunting, and beautifully written, Green Twining reminds us that love is rarely simple, but always worth the untangling.
September 1, 2025
Green Twining is the kind of novel that doesn’t just tell a story, it breathes life into an entire world. Andrew Cheffings masterfully blends the intimacy of a small-town romance with the sweeping weight of history, crafting a narrative that is both tender and haunting.
Joe’s quiet yearning for David is beautifully drawn, filled with the kind of tension that keeps you turning the pages, while Tim’s unexpected return adds a layer of intrigue and emotional depth. The Lincolnshire Marsh itself feels like a living character, raw, vulnerable, and evolving alongside the people who call it home.
What makes this book remarkable is its balance: while it confronts the shadow of the AIDS crisis and the prejudice of the era, it never loses sight of hope. Music, friendship, and love become acts of defiance and healing, transforming what could have been a bleak tale into a celebration of resilience.
At over 500 pages, Green Twining is immersive, lyrical, and deeply human. It lingers long after the last page, reminding us that even in the darkest chapters of history, love has the power to shine through.
Joe’s quiet yearning for David is beautifully drawn, filled with the kind of tension that keeps you turning the pages, while Tim’s unexpected return adds a layer of intrigue and emotional depth. The Lincolnshire Marsh itself feels like a living character, raw, vulnerable, and evolving alongside the people who call it home.
What makes this book remarkable is its balance: while it confronts the shadow of the AIDS crisis and the prejudice of the era, it never loses sight of hope. Music, friendship, and love become acts of defiance and healing, transforming what could have been a bleak tale into a celebration of resilience.
At over 500 pages, Green Twining is immersive, lyrical, and deeply human. It lingers long after the last page, reminding us that even in the darkest chapters of history, love has the power to shine through.
September 1, 2025
Green Twining is a rare novel that feels both sweeping and intimate, pulling you into a world where secrets, longing, and love quietly reshape lives. Andrew Cheffings writes with a lyrical touch, turning the Lincolnshire Marsh into more than a backdrop, it becomes a mirror of the characters’ struggles and transformations.
Joe’s hidden love for David is rendered with such quiet intensity that you can almost feel the ache in every silence between them. The arrival of Tim, carrying both history and possibility, sparks a chain of events that weave romance, music, and courage into something unforgettable.
What struck me most is how the story never shies away from the realities of its time, the shadow of the AIDS crisis, the sting of prejudice, the slow collapse of old rural traditions, yet it still glows with hope. Music and friendship become lifelines, and love itself is shown as an act of defiance and renewal.
At over 500 pages, this isn’t a quick read, it’s a journey. One that lingers, that makes you reflect, and that leaves you believing in the quiet power of love to endure, even when the world tries to silence it.
Joe’s hidden love for David is rendered with such quiet intensity that you can almost feel the ache in every silence between them. The arrival of Tim, carrying both history and possibility, sparks a chain of events that weave romance, music, and courage into something unforgettable.
What struck me most is how the story never shies away from the realities of its time, the shadow of the AIDS crisis, the sting of prejudice, the slow collapse of old rural traditions, yet it still glows with hope. Music and friendship become lifelines, and love itself is shown as an act of defiance and renewal.
At over 500 pages, this isn’t a quick read, it’s a journey. One that lingers, that makes you reflect, and that leaves you believing in the quiet power of love to endure, even when the world tries to silence it.
September 1, 2025
Andrew Cheffings’ Green Twining is a beautifully crafted novel that blends historical resonance with deeply personal storytelling. Set against the shifting landscape of the Lincolnshire Marsh during the AIDS crisis, the narrative captures both the intimate struggles of its characters and the wider cultural upheavals of the time.
Joe’s concealed affection for David is portrayed with quiet precision, offering a moving exploration of desire, vulnerability, and the fear of disclosure. The reappearance of Tim, carrying both memory and change, provides the catalyst for a story that intertwines love, friendship, and music in powerful ways.
What elevates this work is its balance of realism and hope. While acknowledging prejudice, loss, and the erosion of traditional rural life, Cheffings creates a narrative that ultimately celebrates resilience and the transformative strength of human connection.
At once poignant and affirming, Green Twining is a rich and resonant exploration of love’s endurance, a novel that stays with the reader long after the final page.
Joe’s concealed affection for David is portrayed with quiet precision, offering a moving exploration of desire, vulnerability, and the fear of disclosure. The reappearance of Tim, carrying both memory and change, provides the catalyst for a story that intertwines love, friendship, and music in powerful ways.
What elevates this work is its balance of realism and hope. While acknowledging prejudice, loss, and the erosion of traditional rural life, Cheffings creates a narrative that ultimately celebrates resilience and the transformative strength of human connection.
At once poignant and affirming, Green Twining is a rich and resonant exploration of love’s endurance, a novel that stays with the reader long after the final page.
September 1, 2025
With Green Twining, Andrew Cheffings delivers a novel that feels at once timeless and urgent. Set in the summer of 1985, the story carries the echoes of a decades-old tragedy while immersing the reader in a community on the cusp of transformation. Against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis and the decline of traditional rural life, Cheffings explores how love, friendship, and music can become acts of quiet revolution.
Joe’s unspoken devotion to David is drawn with exquisite subtlety, capturing the tenderness and risk of queer love in an unforgiving era. The return of Tim, with his surprising proposal, adds both momentum and emotional depth, setting hidden tensions into motion and altering the lives of all who inhabit Green Twining Farm.
What makes this novel remarkable is its duality: it acknowledges trauma, prejudice, and cultural loss, yet insists on hope, healing, and the enduring power of connection. Richly atmospheric and deeply human, Green Twining is not only a queer romance but also a resonant meditation on belonging, resilience, and the courage to live authentically.
Joe’s unspoken devotion to David is drawn with exquisite subtlety, capturing the tenderness and risk of queer love in an unforgiving era. The return of Tim, with his surprising proposal, adds both momentum and emotional depth, setting hidden tensions into motion and altering the lives of all who inhabit Green Twining Farm.
What makes this novel remarkable is its duality: it acknowledges trauma, prejudice, and cultural loss, yet insists on hope, healing, and the enduring power of connection. Richly atmospheric and deeply human, Green Twining is not only a queer romance but also a resonant meditation on belonging, resilience, and the courage to live authentically.
September 5, 2025
Green Twining is a hauntingly beautiful novel about the quiet power of love to transform lives. Andrew Cheffings sets the story in 1985 on the Lincolnshire Marsh, where the weight of past tragedy lingers over a farm and its people. At the heart is Joe, the farmer’s son, who hides a tender longing for his colleague David, a love that feels as dangerous as it is undeniable. When Tim, a former friend bound to Joe through music and memory, reappears with a surprising proposal, the fragile balance of their world begins to shift.
What makes this book stand out is the way Cheffings marries atmosphere and emotion. The marshes feel alive with tension, echoing the uncertainty of an era marked by the AIDS crisis and the collapse of rural traditions. Yet beneath the shadows, the novel glows with hope, showing how music, friendship, and love can become lifelines against despair.
Lyrical, layered, and deeply moving, Green Twining is not simply a romance but a testament to resilience and belonging. It’s the kind of story that stays with you, quiet at first, then unforgettable.
What makes this book stand out is the way Cheffings marries atmosphere and emotion. The marshes feel alive with tension, echoing the uncertainty of an era marked by the AIDS crisis and the collapse of rural traditions. Yet beneath the shadows, the novel glows with hope, showing how music, friendship, and love can become lifelines against despair.
Lyrical, layered, and deeply moving, Green Twining is not simply a romance but a testament to resilience and belonging. It’s the kind of story that stays with you, quiet at first, then unforgettable.
September 5, 2025
Green Twining is a powerful and immersive tale of love, loss, and renewal. Set on the hauntingly beautiful Lincolnshire Marsh in 1985, the novel follows Joe, a farmer’s son carrying both family burdens and a secret love for his colleague David. When Tim, an old friend and fellow musician, reappears with an unexpected proposal, their lives are set on a course that will challenge silence, awaken desire, and transform a community weighed down by the past.
Andrew Cheffings captures the tension of the AIDS crisis and the erosion of rural traditions with unflinching honesty, yet the story never loses its heart. Music, friendship, and love pulse through every page, offering light against prejudice and despair.
Lyrical, atmospheric, and deeply human, Green Twining is more than a romance, it is a celebration of resilience and the enduring courage to love openly. A novel that doesn’t just tell a story, but leaves you changed by it.
Andrew Cheffings captures the tension of the AIDS crisis and the erosion of rural traditions with unflinching honesty, yet the story never loses its heart. Music, friendship, and love pulse through every page, offering light against prejudice and despair.
Lyrical, atmospheric, and deeply human, Green Twining is more than a romance, it is a celebration of resilience and the enduring courage to love openly. A novel that doesn’t just tell a story, but leaves you changed by it.
September 10, 2025
I usually get lost in fantasy and science fiction worlds, so picking up Green Twining was a delightful change of pace, and what a discovery! Cheffings has a way of making the quiet rhythms of small-town life feel almost enchanting, with music, hidden love, and personal courage at its heart.
Joe, David, and Tim’s journey pulled me in completely. The marshes, the folk festivals, and the sense of a town on the edge of transformation created a world as vivid and immersive as any fantasy realm I’ve explored. The romance felt authentic, the friendships were deeply moving, and the story’s celebration of love and resilience left me genuinely inspired.
I found myself reflecting on the story long after finishing it, it’s rare for me to feel so connected to a contemporary tale, yet here I am, already urging fellow Austin readers who cherish rich, heartfelt stories to experience it too. Cheffings has crafted something unforgettable.
Joe, David, and Tim’s journey pulled me in completely. The marshes, the folk festivals, and the sense of a town on the edge of transformation created a world as vivid and immersive as any fantasy realm I’ve explored. The romance felt authentic, the friendships were deeply moving, and the story’s celebration of love and resilience left me genuinely inspired.
I found myself reflecting on the story long after finishing it, it’s rare for me to feel so connected to a contemporary tale, yet here I am, already urging fellow Austin readers who cherish rich, heartfelt stories to experience it too. Cheffings has crafted something unforgettable.
September 11, 2025
I read Green Twining after it was suggested in our Austin Fantasy & Sci-Fi club, and I have to say, it completely pulled me in. Andrew Cheffings writes with such honesty and atmosphere that the farm and the marshlands almost felt like characters themselves.
What really struck me was how layered the story is. On one level, it’s a tender love story between Joe and David, but on another, it’s a powerful reflection on resilience, community, and the courage to be yourself in a world that doesn’t always make it easy. That’s not something I come across often, even in the most imaginative fantasy or sci-fi worlds we usually read.
The writing is beautiful without ever feeling forced, and the emotions land in a way that stays with you. By the last page, I felt like I’d lived alongside these characters, their fears, their music, their quiet victories.
This isn’t just a good book; it’s one that lingers, the kind you end up recommending because you want others to feel what you felt.
What really struck me was how layered the story is. On one level, it’s a tender love story between Joe and David, but on another, it’s a powerful reflection on resilience, community, and the courage to be yourself in a world that doesn’t always make it easy. That’s not something I come across often, even in the most imaginative fantasy or sci-fi worlds we usually read.
The writing is beautiful without ever feeling forced, and the emotions land in a way that stays with you. By the last page, I felt like I’d lived alongside these characters, their fears, their music, their quiet victories.
This isn’t just a good book; it’s one that lingers, the kind you end up recommending because you want others to feel what you felt.
February 5, 2026
Green Twining is a heartfelt queer gothic romance that blends love, music, small town life, and long buried secrets into a powerful and emotional story.
Joe and David’s relationship is written with quiet tenderness their slow burn romance feels real, fragile, and full of longing. Set during the AIDS crisis, the novel captures the fear, prejudice, and emotional weight of the era while still celebrating love, resilience, and hope.
What makes this book stand out is its depth. It explores neurodiversity, childhood trauma, friendship, and the healing power of music, all while reflecting the changes happening in rural life. The atmosphere of Green Twining Farm feels haunting yet comforting, like a place shaped by memory and transformation.
Despite its heavy themes, this is ultimately a warm, uplifting story about courage, belonging, and the power of love to heal. Emotional, atmospheric, and beautifully written a must read for fans of LGBTQ+ fiction and slow burn romance.
Joe and David’s relationship is written with quiet tenderness their slow burn romance feels real, fragile, and full of longing. Set during the AIDS crisis, the novel captures the fear, prejudice, and emotional weight of the era while still celebrating love, resilience, and hope.
What makes this book stand out is its depth. It explores neurodiversity, childhood trauma, friendship, and the healing power of music, all while reflecting the changes happening in rural life. The atmosphere of Green Twining Farm feels haunting yet comforting, like a place shaped by memory and transformation.
Despite its heavy themes, this is ultimately a warm, uplifting story about courage, belonging, and the power of love to heal. Emotional, atmospheric, and beautifully written a must read for fans of LGBTQ+ fiction and slow burn romance.
July 31, 2025
As someone who grew up queer in a small town and found refuge in music, Green Twining hit me hard. Joe and David’s evolving relationship slow, tentative, and filled with all the unspoken things queer love often carries was deeply resonant. The novel doesn’t just focus on sexuality; it threads in generational trauma, rural isolation, and how neurodivergence can shape one’s perception of love and friendship. Tim’s return isn’t just a plot twist, it’s a catalyst that opens up the entire emotional field of the book. Cheffings writes like someone who knows the land, the weather, the weight of silence, and the healing nature of collaboration. The folk music theme was like an instrument softly accompanying the plot. If you’ve ever felt like the world didn’t have a place for you, this book is a quiet reassurance that love really can reshape everything.
August 1, 2025
Reading Green Twining was like walking through a quiet, hidden lane where the past and present whisper to each other. Set against the backdrop of rural Lincolnshire in 1985, the story pulls you into a world that feels both isolated and deeply intimate—a place haunted by old tragedies but quietly yearning for healing.
Joe, the farmer's son, immediately struck me as a character who carries so much more than he says out loud. His silent love for David is tender and painful in equal parts, especially within a world that offers little room for softness between men. And then there's Tim—his return shakes the quiet stillness of Joe’s life and opens up doors no one expected, not even Joe himself. The relationships between these three—Joe, David, and Tim—are the beating heart of the book. They're tangled, imperfect, but real.
Joe, the farmer's son, immediately struck me as a character who carries so much more than he says out loud. His silent love for David is tender and painful in equal parts, especially within a world that offers little room for softness between men. And then there's Tim—his return shakes the quiet stillness of Joe’s life and opens up doors no one expected, not even Joe himself. The relationships between these three—Joe, David, and Tim—are the beating heart of the book. They're tangled, imperfect, but real.
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