Man By The Pool

by Michael Hartwig

Paolo, a gay man, travels from Boston to the outskirts of Rome to settle his grandfather's estate and sell the family vineyard. The discovery of an ancient Roman mosaic on the property upsets his plans, forcing him to deal with a local archaeologist, Mauro, who he knew as a teen. Earlier animosities give way to a long simmering sexual fascination each felt for the other. As excavations take place, Paolo discovers family secrets and is forced to confront the demons of his past. Mauro, at a crossroads in his own life, must finally make peace with his own sexual inclinations. The tender love story takes place against the backdrop of the beautiful Roman countryside and the art, history, food, and wine that make Italy so enchanting. The story explores the land that holds secrets, the vines that produce their tonic, and the power of destiny to melt the reserve of two men frozen in time. 

Genres: Gay

232 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2024

About the author

Michael Hartwig is a Boston and Provincetown-based author of LGBTQ fiction. Hartwig is an accomplished professor of religion and ethics as well as an established artist.

Hartwig grew up in Dallas but spread his wings early on – living in Rome for five years, moving to New England on his return, and then working in the area of educational travel to the Middle East and Europe.

His fiction weaves together his interest in LGBTQ+ studies, ethics, religion, art, languages, and travel. The books are set in international settings. They include rich local descriptions and are peppered with the local language. Characters grapple not only with their own gender and sexuality but with prevailing paradigms of sexuality and family in the world around them. Hartwig has a facility for fast-paced plots that transport readers to other worlds. They are romantic and steamy as well as thoughtful and engaging. Hartwig imagines rich characters who are at crossroads in their lives. In many instances, these crossroads mirror cultural ones. There’s plenty of sexual tension to keep readers on the edge of their seats, but the stories are enriched by broader considerations – historical, cultural, and philosophical.

Reviews

[Spencer Keasey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every time I read a book by Michael Hartwig, I remember the longing. I remember those days of wondering, of watching and waiting for some clue, some sign, anything that would confirm my suspicions. Or rather, confirm my hope that the beautiful boy or man who kept crossing my path would look at me that way. And then I'd know.

While I willingly admit I'm jealous of the younger generations who live in a world of openness (the gays are everywhere) and of technology (he's one of us.... saw him on Grindr), those years of not knowing, of longing for that guy who could be, might be, maybe, please, god, let him be, gay, were gifts. Coming across books that remind me of the angst and hope that comes with longing, they are some of my favorites.

The author does it again, but takes his time in this book. We just don't know. And in the meantime, we're given what I now consider classic Hartwig themes: ancient history, religion, and spirituality along with the longing. This time he adds a focus on family, aging parents, aging middle-age bodies, archeology and more. Within is a titillation that comes from having grown up with classic literature and movies where a stare, a brush of a hand, and a blush can bring an excitement so much more powerful than anything graphic. Loved this book, these characters and Michael's ability to take me back to feelings that get my heart racing and send me into a dreamland of my youth.

[Steven Hoffman · Rating 3 out of 5]

SAME STUFF, JUST ARRANGED DIFFERENTLY

I was very intrigued by the story concept for this book. Paolo, the chief protagonist, is an Italian American who has come back to the small Italian village, home to his grandfather's villa and vineyard, to settle his grandparent's estate after their passing. He wants to unload it quickly. He needs the money to care for his ailing elderly parents back in the States.

In the course of cleaning up the property an ancient Roman ceramic floor is uncovered in the cellar of a barn where wine had been made. The archeologist brought in to investigate turns out to be a person from Paolo's past. Mauro was just seventeen, the same age as Paolo, when he would visit Paolo's grandparents back in the nineties. His grandfather would host pool parties with teens Paolo's age in hope of drawing him out of his morose depression. It didn't work and the one person most held in distain by Paulo because he's secretly crushing on him, is Mauro.

Now twenty-five years later they meet again. Of course, it's obvious where this story is going as the men wearily reapproach each other. In fact, this is really the main and only storyline in the novel. While Hartwig's given circumstances present some opportunities, no meaningful subplots or tangents are taken with the exception, perhaps, of a discovery Paolo makes concerning his grandfather during World War II and its influence on the way his grandfather treated him when he was growing up.

The previews and reviews for this book promised vivid, richly textured descriptions of the lush Italian countryside and a deep emersion into Italian culture. I didn't find this to be the case. Hartwig's descriptions were pretty generalized and did not create for me any feeling of being emersed in Italian life.

There were also repetitions in the prose that a good editor should have caught. As example: we're informed that Paolo is making a trip into town while Mauro stays behind at the villa to care for Paolo's great niece who staying with them. Two pages later we are informed of this again. This is not an isolated occurrence, the redundant prose occurs enough times to make the writing seem sloppy.

While Hartwig does spring a few plot twists on us, they are often telegraphed and too convenient; a clumsy effort to advance the plot. It seemed if he wanted to move the story forward, at times he also did not want to invest the time in writing a well-crafted transition to take us there. Months would pass, significant events and actions occur, all in a single paragraph. He seemed, at times, in a hurry to write about what he wanted to write about and scurried through the rest of the narrative to get there.

Of course, it wouldn't be a "m/m romance" novel without explicit depictions of sex. Here, Hartwig does at least hold off on these scenes until the latter half of the book and there are only a few, far less than what appear in other books in this genre.

The story was not horrible, had its moments, but I just found it another predictable m/m romance. I guess I was hoping because of the descriptions and reviews, to finally read a superior novel of same sex romance told in a distinctive setting with a clever and unique plot. Years back I was on a holiday in Cancun and visited a "shopping mall" near our resort. It was mostly souvenir shops full of cheap chotskies. As I passed one shop the proprietor sitting out front noticed me. He saw me gaze into his store and said in a deadpan voice, "same stuff, just arranged differently."

[Russ Weeks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this summer read — in some ways it was a simple fantasy, but these lines could not have been more relatable for such a time as this in my life:

“Between my parents’ illnesses and my own work, I have enough on my plate.”

“Jesus came to help us recognize our innate divine nature, and organized religion wanted to maintain control.”

“You are at a major crossroads in your life, filled with all sorts of emotions. Be easy on yourself.”

“We set our own pace, one that makes sense to us.”

“‘I’m damaged goods.’
‘We all are. That’s what relationships are about. They are where we become vulnerable and realize we are lovable.’”

— Michael Hartwig

Now I just need a trip to Italy, a winery, and a man by the pool 😂😅😆!

[Doc R · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is arguably one of Michael Hartwig’s best books, and I believe that I have read them all. What draws me in is that it is gay fiction with ancient historical connections, archaeological references, and beautiful and relatable Italian/American characters. Hartwig articulates the hypocrisy of Christianity but reveals the early foundations of Catholic beliefs around homosexuality. His very sexy characters bring these conflicts to contemporary life, for us, the readers to wrestle, and resolve.
I can’t wait for the next one…

[James Sheehan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Memories by the pool…

This is much more than just a “fall in love” story. The author’s knowledge of Italy and its culture provides us with wonderful settings for the characters as they wrestle with the ghosts of their pasts. We feel the anxieties of loss, growth and evolving closeness. A great read.

[PaperMoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first read for this author. The plot grabbed my attention from the start and kept it right throughout. Both MCs were nicely developed although the occasional POV switch to minor secondary characters took a little getting used to at first. 4.5 stars and I'm definitely looking forward to diving into the rest of the authors' works.

[Charles R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a beautiful book!

I felt every emotion possible with this book.
The characters, Italy, countryside, museums, and the Love ❤️
This love story transported me back to a wonderful vacation I was privileged to enjoy. Please enjoy this lovely book

[Steve Herring · Rating 2 out of 5]

Man by the Pool starts with a promising setup, but it just doesn’t follow through. The dialogue feels stiff and the characters never really come to life. I kept waiting for it to dive deeper, but it stayed in the shallow end.