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The Czar of Wilton Drive
Jonathan Antonucci, a 21 year old, barely-out-the-closet gay man from suburban New York, overnight finds himself a multi-millionaire, thanks to a bequest by his late gay great uncle. Uncle Charlie has unexpectedly died of a heart attack, leaving him the sole owner of several of the most successful bars in Wilton Manors, Fort Lauderdale’s gay ghetto, making Jonathan the Czar of Wilton Drive.
Flying down to Lauderdale to claim his bequest, Jon encounters Uncle Charlie’s dubious friends and business associates, and is immediately submerged in Lauderdale’s scene of unbridled sex and heavy drugs. He also discovers his great uncle’s memoirs which reveal truths not only about Jon’s own past but also what may have really happened to his uncle.
Flying down to Lauderdale to claim his bequest, Jon encounters Uncle Charlie’s dubious friends and business associates, and is immediately submerged in Lauderdale’s scene of unbridled sex and heavy drugs. He also discovers his great uncle’s memoirs which reveal truths not only about Jon’s own past but also what may have really happened to his uncle.
213 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 7, 2014
2 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
R.P. Andrews
9 books6 followersRP Andrews spent most of his life in New York City as a public relations executive before relocating to Fort Lauderdale in 2002, where he enjoyed a brief, second career teaching writing at a local university.
All his works of erotic gay fiction and non-fiction on available on amazon.com.
His first work of erotic gay fiction, a collection of edgy short stories called Basic Butch, was originally published by San Francisco-based GLBT Publishers in 2008.Basic Butch features characters who go down life paths that, in the end. they wish they had never explored.
His latest works of serious gay fiction include:
For The Love of Samuel. New Yorker and aging gay man Billy Veleber who abhors growing old has lost Mitch, his former meth head lover, to his habit, and Gus, the older man in his life and mentor, to despair, when he is confronted with the chance to become 21 all over again, through the magical prowess of the dog tag of a long dead Civil War soldier, Samuel Evans. Young again, Billy abandons Manhattan for Fort Lauderdale where he meets Dare, the love of his life, whose clever quick rich venture first bonds them, then threatens to end their idyllic lives together forever. Billy also faces the reality of having to tell Dare the truth about himself.
Buy Guys, the story of Blaze and Pete, two young, handsome drifters with nothing and nothing to lose. Blaze convinces Pete, who is falling in love with him, to leave dreary New Jersey and lead free and easy lives as male prostitutes in sunny Fort Lauderdale, posting their profile on the male escort site, Buy Guys. Blaze, however, soon pulls Pete into a much larger, more dangerous scheme, a scheme that eventually threatens to destroy them both.
The Czar of Wilton Drive, the story of Jonathan Antonucci, a 21 year old, barely-out-the-closet gay man from suburban New York who overnight finds himself a multi-millionaire, thanks to a bequest by his late gay great uncle. Uncle Charlie has unexpectedly died of a heart attack, leaving him the sole owner of several of the most successful bars in Wilton Manors, Fort Lauderdale’s gay ghetto, making Jonathan the Czar of Wilton Drive.
Flying down to Lauderdale to claim his bequest, Jon encounters Uncle Charlie’s dubious friends and business associates, and is immediately submerged in Lauderdale’s scene of unbridled sex and heavy drugs. He also discovers his great uncle’s memoirs which reveal truths not only about Jon’s own past but also what may have really happened to his uncle. In the end, Jon is torn between avenging Uncle Charlie’s death or loving the man responsible for it. From Kokoro Press.
Not In it For The Love, set at the turn of the new millennium. Josh, a young street-smart Florida drifter is snatched from his dead-end existence as a male hustler in a cheap Key Largo motel by Bishop, a Wall Street power broker who sets him up as his trophy boy in Manhattan society.
There, Josh, after leading a promiscuous lifestyle within New York City’s gay sub-culture, meets Hylan, a young, bi-racial, down-on-his luck, wheelchair-bound musician who awakens in Josh what love can be between two men. But their chance at happiness and the lives of those around them are forever changed by 9/11. From Totally Bound Press August 15.
RP Andrews’ daily social commentary blog on gay life in America has been running since 2010 at str8gayconfessions.com, and a second edition collection of these commentaries is available as an e-book on amazon.com. Confessions of a Str8Gay Man is RP Andrews’ unvarnished, unorthodox views of Modern Gay America which are often counter to today’s political correct gay media.
In addition, there is Furry Man's Journal, his erotic memoirs as a hirsute gay man as told through his experiences with the dozen iconic men in his life.
All his works of erotic gay fiction and non-fiction on available on amazon.com.
His first work of erotic gay fiction, a collection of edgy short stories called Basic Butch, was originally published by San Francisco-based GLBT Publishers in 2008.Basic Butch features characters who go down life paths that, in the end. they wish they had never explored.
His latest works of serious gay fiction include:
For The Love of Samuel. New Yorker and aging gay man Billy Veleber who abhors growing old has lost Mitch, his former meth head lover, to his habit, and Gus, the older man in his life and mentor, to despair, when he is confronted with the chance to become 21 all over again, through the magical prowess of the dog tag of a long dead Civil War soldier, Samuel Evans. Young again, Billy abandons Manhattan for Fort Lauderdale where he meets Dare, the love of his life, whose clever quick rich venture first bonds them, then threatens to end their idyllic lives together forever. Billy also faces the reality of having to tell Dare the truth about himself.
Buy Guys, the story of Blaze and Pete, two young, handsome drifters with nothing and nothing to lose. Blaze convinces Pete, who is falling in love with him, to leave dreary New Jersey and lead free and easy lives as male prostitutes in sunny Fort Lauderdale, posting their profile on the male escort site, Buy Guys. Blaze, however, soon pulls Pete into a much larger, more dangerous scheme, a scheme that eventually threatens to destroy them both.
The Czar of Wilton Drive, the story of Jonathan Antonucci, a 21 year old, barely-out-the-closet gay man from suburban New York who overnight finds himself a multi-millionaire, thanks to a bequest by his late gay great uncle. Uncle Charlie has unexpectedly died of a heart attack, leaving him the sole owner of several of the most successful bars in Wilton Manors, Fort Lauderdale’s gay ghetto, making Jonathan the Czar of Wilton Drive.
Flying down to Lauderdale to claim his bequest, Jon encounters Uncle Charlie’s dubious friends and business associates, and is immediately submerged in Lauderdale’s scene of unbridled sex and heavy drugs. He also discovers his great uncle’s memoirs which reveal truths not only about Jon’s own past but also what may have really happened to his uncle. In the end, Jon is torn between avenging Uncle Charlie’s death or loving the man responsible for it. From Kokoro Press.
Not In it For The Love, set at the turn of the new millennium. Josh, a young street-smart Florida drifter is snatched from his dead-end existence as a male hustler in a cheap Key Largo motel by Bishop, a Wall Street power broker who sets him up as his trophy boy in Manhattan society.
There, Josh, after leading a promiscuous lifestyle within New York City’s gay sub-culture, meets Hylan, a young, bi-racial, down-on-his luck, wheelchair-bound musician who awakens in Josh what love can be between two men. But their chance at happiness and the lives of those around them are forever changed by 9/11. From Totally Bound Press August 15.
RP Andrews’ daily social commentary blog on gay life in America has been running since 2010 at str8gayconfessions.com, and a second edition collection of these commentaries is available as an e-book on amazon.com. Confessions of a Str8Gay Man is RP Andrews’ unvarnished, unorthodox views of Modern Gay America which are often counter to today’s political correct gay media.
In addition, there is Furry Man's Journal, his erotic memoirs as a hirsute gay man as told through his experiences with the dozen iconic men in his life.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 25, 2015
3.5 stars. This was a super interesting read and very entertaining. I enjoyed the characters although I wanted to smack some of them in the back of the head. My rating came down from 4 stars because the book doesn't really end, it just stops, leaving lots of questions. It is also in need of some editing, but still worth the read.
April 13, 2015
Mr Andrews took me on a heady trip into the past where the lifestyle was still playing fast and loose. I enjoyed the way that the story began with Jon then flashed back to Charlie's life experiences and then ended again with Jon. Most of the characters were real and alive for the time period. I know that some people will have a problem with the men barebacking but the reader needs to realize that AIDS was fairly new during Charlie's life and the drugs and barebacking was more the norm than condoms. I enjoyed the way that Jon made things right with his family before heading back to Ft. Lauderdale permanently. The open ended ending served well in this case and made the reader use their imagination as to how Jon's life went. The story needed some heavy handed editing to clean it up. This story is definitely worth reading.
April 5, 2015
Review for CZAR of Wilton Drive by RP Andrews
I pretty much walked into this one, offering to do a review when prompted without looking into it first. I jumped on the bait for ‘dark eroticism’. The ‘gay ghetto’ reference was the first hint I wasn’t going to like this one. First off, it’s Urban and YA. They don’t tell you this, so I am.
I was going to be nice, just leave this as a DNF, and not give it a star rating. As of now, I would give this a negative 5 stars if I could. The reason being I was going to go nice was that I stopped reading it after chapter 1 and figured there could have been a chance the story would have developed into something others might enjoy. Just for me, there were things annoying me, little things that got in the way that by the time I reached chapter 2 I just couldn’t go on.
What first set me off is that gay people don’t go around calling themselves gay every five sentences; we don’t divide our family and friends up by who is gay and who isn’t. I didn’t see the author titling the straight ones, or the black ones, just the gay ones. So the passive aggressive separation didn’t sit well with me. The playing around with the nose ring was weird, I’ve never seen a person twist the ring around and no they don’t take them out to go on the airplane. Nose picker came to mind when I read it, that and the sudden urge to go wash my hands. Throwing in the random PA bit just showed you know little about body piercing, they don’t come out like earrings.
Information like this is thrown at you with the consistency of someone with ADD and not always relevant, but that was somehow the world building. Then there was the squirrel in the road tactic of explaining the mother’s father’s grandfather’s mother accident... yeah, totally lost me there.
Fans of Urban might like it, I can’t speak for them, but at 4.99 for a mere 150 pages, it’s hard to offer any optimism for anyone
Adjustment: After writing this review, I thought maybe I should give it a second chance and explore a little more. I wish I hadn’t. The constant nose picking is a turn off, yet it kept being brought up as if the nose ring was significant or made the character appear badass and cool.
The list of stupid is never ending and mind you, I am only in Ch. 2:
--The lawyer was about as professional as a punk kid, about a dozen laws broken and how he ‘took the liberty of…’ and then touching the kid.
--the continuation of gay ghetto, gay bars, gay this, and gay that. I’m surprised it didn’t come down to gay dishes and gay bathrooms for the gay vacationers that come from all over the world to visit the 2 gay bars in a city that has nearly 30 of them, yet somehow owning 2 makes this nose picking punk urban kid the czar of gay wealth.
I had to skim just to reach the end of Ch. 2,
--four more mentions of nose picking,
--a naive 21 yr. old virgin, who grew up in Stanton Island, now in a strange city, trustingly invites a stranger over the phone to come over. The kid had already been played at that point. The case of the stupids didn’t stop until he had unprotected sex with the HIV positive stranger then act as if it was no big deal afterwards. It might be fiction but I don’t want it in my reads.
The only thing I was getting from this is that the author hates gays and gay men are nothing but ghetto trash, immoral, irresponsible people. I would share my response to this but then my review would get blocked, so just assume an archive of F words and you’ll get the idea.
The list of stupid and insult of gay men never ends. But I’m done.
Post note: Reading Czar of Wilton Drive came across with the impression the author was female, more as if written by a very young one with naive and rather odd ideas about how the world works and perhaps has an ugly perception of gay men. I decided to look at the author’s profile and it shows RP Andrews to be a man. After looking through his other books, I’m not so sure whom he is trying to convince is gay, himself or us. Nevertheless, he seems to have a moral dilemma with himself and paints gays as the worst kind of man out there in his books to vent his own inner self-hatred.
I pretty much walked into this one, offering to do a review when prompted without looking into it first. I jumped on the bait for ‘dark eroticism’. The ‘gay ghetto’ reference was the first hint I wasn’t going to like this one. First off, it’s Urban and YA. They don’t tell you this, so I am.
I was going to be nice, just leave this as a DNF, and not give it a star rating. As of now, I would give this a negative 5 stars if I could. The reason being I was going to go nice was that I stopped reading it after chapter 1 and figured there could have been a chance the story would have developed into something others might enjoy. Just for me, there were things annoying me, little things that got in the way that by the time I reached chapter 2 I just couldn’t go on.
What first set me off is that gay people don’t go around calling themselves gay every five sentences; we don’t divide our family and friends up by who is gay and who isn’t. I didn’t see the author titling the straight ones, or the black ones, just the gay ones. So the passive aggressive separation didn’t sit well with me. The playing around with the nose ring was weird, I’ve never seen a person twist the ring around and no they don’t take them out to go on the airplane. Nose picker came to mind when I read it, that and the sudden urge to go wash my hands. Throwing in the random PA bit just showed you know little about body piercing, they don’t come out like earrings.
Information like this is thrown at you with the consistency of someone with ADD and not always relevant, but that was somehow the world building. Then there was the squirrel in the road tactic of explaining the mother’s father’s grandfather’s mother accident... yeah, totally lost me there.
Fans of Urban might like it, I can’t speak for them, but at 4.99 for a mere 150 pages, it’s hard to offer any optimism for anyone
Adjustment: After writing this review, I thought maybe I should give it a second chance and explore a little more. I wish I hadn’t. The constant nose picking is a turn off, yet it kept being brought up as if the nose ring was significant or made the character appear badass and cool.
The list of stupid is never ending and mind you, I am only in Ch. 2:
--The lawyer was about as professional as a punk kid, about a dozen laws broken and how he ‘took the liberty of…’ and then touching the kid.
--the continuation of gay ghetto, gay bars, gay this, and gay that. I’m surprised it didn’t come down to gay dishes and gay bathrooms for the gay vacationers that come from all over the world to visit the 2 gay bars in a city that has nearly 30 of them, yet somehow owning 2 makes this nose picking punk urban kid the czar of gay wealth.
I had to skim just to reach the end of Ch. 2,
--four more mentions of nose picking,
--a naive 21 yr. old virgin, who grew up in Stanton Island, now in a strange city, trustingly invites a stranger over the phone to come over. The kid had already been played at that point. The case of the stupids didn’t stop until he had unprotected sex with the HIV positive stranger then act as if it was no big deal afterwards. It might be fiction but I don’t want it in my reads.
The only thing I was getting from this is that the author hates gays and gay men are nothing but ghetto trash, immoral, irresponsible people. I would share my response to this but then my review would get blocked, so just assume an archive of F words and you’ll get the idea.
The list of stupid and insult of gay men never ends. But I’m done.
Post note: Reading Czar of Wilton Drive came across with the impression the author was female, more as if written by a very young one with naive and rather odd ideas about how the world works and perhaps has an ugly perception of gay men. I decided to look at the author’s profile and it shows RP Andrews to be a man. After looking through his other books, I’m not so sure whom he is trying to convince is gay, himself or us. Nevertheless, he seems to have a moral dilemma with himself and paints gays as the worst kind of man out there in his books to vent his own inner self-hatred.
April 1, 2015
I got this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I got this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
The Czar of Wilton Drive is a piece of erotic fiction and not a romance. This is significant because it changes expectations of the book and it allows me to better tolerate some aspects of this book.
First is that there is one MC that is living and the other MC we see only through his memoirs, which he left on his computer. Jonathan Antonucci learns that he has an inheritance from his great uncle, Charlie. He flies from metro NYC to Fort Lauderdale to find out what he inherited. It turn out that he inherited quite a bit in the way of real estate including a share in one profitable bar and out right ownership of a leather bar. He meets with Charlie's friend and lawyer and gets involved in the community. The two primary friend are Marcos and Gil, the Manager of the leather bar.
When Jonathon goes to the funeral home to view the body of Charlie before it is shipped back to New York City, he picks up the death certificate and learns the cause of death is an accidental overdose of drugs, believed to be injected in the bloodstream. Reading the memoirs, Jonathon learns that Charlie has a severe aversion to needles and wouldn't self inject himself. Jonathon later learns that Charlie usually used drugs when he had sex and his partner would inject him and also that Charlie was about to meet up with Gil for sex. Jonathon interrogates Gil while setting Gil up for bondage sex. Charlie Learn that Gil was trying to hook Charlie on drugs so that Marcos, A drug dealer, could use the bar to launder the drug money. Jonathon decide to get together with Marcos as he came to the conclusion that Charlie was a grown man and knew the risks. We, the readers are left in this state of flux not knowing if Marcos and Jonathon will pair up.
The other thing is the frequent and casual use of drug which would be a major sticking point for a romance for me but it is the culture this book was set in.
Also in the memoirs, in the 1980's, it is stated belief that tops are at reduced risk of getting HIV/AIDS. I am not sure, but I believe this belief to be in error; as with all medical information I would not use a work of fiction for medical advice.
I got this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
The Czar of Wilton Drive is a piece of erotic fiction and not a romance. This is significant because it changes expectations of the book and it allows me to better tolerate some aspects of this book.
First is that there is one MC that is living and the other MC we see only through his memoirs, which he left on his computer. Jonathan Antonucci learns that he has an inheritance from his great uncle, Charlie. He flies from metro NYC to Fort Lauderdale to find out what he inherited. It turn out that he inherited quite a bit in the way of real estate including a share in one profitable bar and out right ownership of a leather bar. He meets with Charlie's friend and lawyer and gets involved in the community. The two primary friend are Marcos and Gil, the Manager of the leather bar.
When Jonathon goes to the funeral home to view the body of Charlie before it is shipped back to New York City, he picks up the death certificate and learns the cause of death is an accidental overdose of drugs, believed to be injected in the bloodstream. Reading the memoirs, Jonathon learns that Charlie has a severe aversion to needles and wouldn't self inject himself. Jonathon later learns that Charlie usually used drugs when he had sex and his partner would inject him and also that Charlie was about to meet up with Gil for sex. Jonathon interrogates Gil while setting Gil up for bondage sex. Charlie Learn that Gil was trying to hook Charlie on drugs so that Marcos, A drug dealer, could use the bar to launder the drug money. Jonathon decide to get together with Marcos as he came to the conclusion that Charlie was a grown man and knew the risks. We, the readers are left in this state of flux not knowing if Marcos and Jonathon will pair up.
The other thing is the frequent and casual use of drug which would be a major sticking point for a romance for me but it is the culture this book was set in.
Also in the memoirs, in the 1980's, it is stated belief that tops are at reduced risk of getting HIV/AIDS. I am not sure, but I believe this belief to be in error; as with all medical information I would not use a work of fiction for medical advice.
February 7, 2015
I'm not real sure what I just read...
Jon, dubbed the new czar of Wilton Drive after his uncle dies, isn't the brightest bulb in the pack. Even after learning about his uncles life with all of it's pitfalls.
I did think reading the uncle's story was interesting at least more interesting than Jon's.
I really wanted this to be good but that didn't happen. I appreciate the story the author was trying tell. I think I enjoyed the the uncles journal more than the MC's story. I was hoping that Jon would learned some things from reading his uncle's journal that would help him make better decisions but by the end of the story I see that doesn't happen. Between learning how his parents really died and finding out about how his uncle died and who was responsible you'd think Jon would do better. And all of the unsafe sex and drug use was a bit much. I mean the smexy parts were even sorta rushed through.
Jon, dubbed the new czar of Wilton Drive after his uncle dies, isn't the brightest bulb in the pack. Even after learning about his uncles life with all of it's pitfalls.
I did think reading the uncle's story was interesting at least more interesting than Jon's.
I really wanted this to be good but that didn't happen. I appreciate the story the author was trying tell. I think I enjoyed the the uncles journal more than the MC's story. I was hoping that Jon would learned some things from reading his uncle's journal that would help him make better decisions but by the end of the story I see that doesn't happen. Between learning how his parents really died and finding out about how his uncle died and who was responsible you'd think Jon would do better. And all of the unsafe sex and drug use was a bit much. I mean the smexy parts were even sorta rushed through.
March 24, 2015
Some people might object to this book, but I found it to be a blunt look at what so many gay men faced during this time period. I hoped Jon would make better decisions about his future, but, as all too often happens, there's no HEA ending here.
June 8, 2015
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. I wanted to review The Czar of Wilton Drive because I thought it would be different and it was. Jon is a naive, 21 year old virgin, who finds that his estranged great-uncle has made him a millionaire. Jon's Uncle Charlie was gay and owned real estate as well as a successful leather bar in Fort Lauderdale. The story takes a turn into fantasy land when Jon starts meeting Uncle Charlie's friends. Jon has spent his sexual life afraid to have sex due to the fear of getting HIV. However, less than twenty-four hours after arriving in Florida, he is engaging in unprotected sexual activity with someone he just met, but who happens to be HIV positive. For me, that's a stretch considering how concerned Jon and his friend Eddie were about having sex. Also, the scene near the end of the book between Jon and Gil was a little far fetched. Jon was a total wuss and for him to "torture" Gil was not believable. What saved this book for me, were the scenes when Jon was reading Uncle Charlie's life story. You could see growth in Jon after each diary reading scene. It's that growth and maturity that made some of what happened later with Gil unrealistic.
Contrary to what is indicated in the blurb, there is no romance between Jon and anyone. The book ends abruptly so the question of whether Jon is going to avenge Uncle Charlie's death or love the man responsible is never answered.
If you looking to learn about the gay leather scene and are interested in what the lifestyle was like in the 60s through the early 2000s, then this may be the book for you.
Contrary to what is indicated in the blurb, there is no romance between Jon and anyone. The book ends abruptly so the question of whether Jon is going to avenge Uncle Charlie's death or love the man responsible is never answered.
If you looking to learn about the gay leather scene and are interested in what the lifestyle was like in the 60s through the early 2000s, then this may be the book for you.
November 7, 2019
First of all let me say that this isn't a romance. It's pure and simple a gay fiction story. I have to admit the blurb is slightly misleading on this aspect of the book.
I knew it wasn't a romance going in. That did make enjoying the book, knowing not to bother looking for the romance aspect, easier. Having said that, there is romance in the book, just not anything traditional. And not really so much involving Jonathan.
The book is about Jonathan finding out he's the main beneficiary of his great uncle Charlie's estate. Not that he knew much, if anything about uncle Charlie, other than his grandfather's referrals to his "queer, faggot brother of mine". So it all comes as somewhat of a surprise to Jonathan.
While the story revolves around Jonathan and the adjustments he has to make, a very large portion of the book is taken up by Charlie's diary that he finds on a computer in his house. This diary is a gritty, hardcore insight into life as a gay man in the 70's and beyond. Pre and post AIDS... some of the statements made in the book are definitely iffy, but then again, that's what was believe in those times, and that's how the book needs to be read.
The ending of the book is rather abrupt. I would have loved it to have been a little more fleshed out, it actually feels a little unfinished. It also needs a go-over by an editor to be honest. But all that aside, it's definitely worth the read.
I knew it wasn't a romance going in. That did make enjoying the book, knowing not to bother looking for the romance aspect, easier. Having said that, there is romance in the book, just not anything traditional. And not really so much involving Jonathan.
The book is about Jonathan finding out he's the main beneficiary of his great uncle Charlie's estate. Not that he knew much, if anything about uncle Charlie, other than his grandfather's referrals to his "queer, faggot brother of mine". So it all comes as somewhat of a surprise to Jonathan.
While the story revolves around Jonathan and the adjustments he has to make, a very large portion of the book is taken up by Charlie's diary that he finds on a computer in his house. This diary is a gritty, hardcore insight into life as a gay man in the 70's and beyond. Pre and post AIDS... some of the statements made in the book are definitely iffy, but then again, that's what was believe in those times, and that's how the book needs to be read.
The ending of the book is rather abrupt. I would have loved it to have been a little more fleshed out, it actually feels a little unfinished. It also needs a go-over by an editor to be honest. But all that aside, it's definitely worth the read.
October 10, 2016
I liked Charlie...even though I cringed many times.
But Jonathon? Wtf man?
Did you learn nothing?
You really want to follow in Charlies footsteps?
You are supposed to LEARN from history.
Only your jumping beyond were Charlie left off. At least Charlie built up to it over a lifetime.
Jonathon jumps right to heavy drugs, kinky sex, and covering up for drug dealers...and he's only 21.
I really think Charlie left his life's story, more as a guideline of what Jonathon should avoid, Were he can get the best parts of Charlies life, and avoid the downfalls. But Jonathon did learn the correct lessons.
I had no issues with Jonathan enjoying his windfall...or even jumping into all the perks he could get. But he should have learned from Charlie, to proceed with a little caution.
Oh...this just leaves me sad. I see him broke, or dead before he's 40.
But Jonathon? Wtf man?
Did you learn nothing?
You really want to follow in Charlies footsteps?
You are supposed to LEARN from history.
Only your jumping beyond were Charlie left off. At least Charlie built up to it over a lifetime.
Jonathon jumps right to heavy drugs, kinky sex, and covering up for drug dealers...and he's only 21.
I really think Charlie left his life's story, more as a guideline of what Jonathon should avoid, Were he can get the best parts of Charlies life, and avoid the downfalls. But Jonathon did learn the correct lessons.
I had no issues with Jonathan enjoying his windfall...or even jumping into all the perks he could get. But he should have learned from Charlie, to proceed with a little caution.
Oh...this just leaves me sad. I see him broke, or dead before he's 40.
May 3, 2015
As someone in Genesis said, ‘My brother Easu is an hairy man’, and so it is with every male that appears in this book….not a smooth chest among ‘em. Well, if that’s your thing you may enjoy a slight bit of this fare, but bear in mind that there is no room for variety here, or plot, or characterization, or action of any kind. What there is is an abundance of the dreaded ‘telling’. A long telling of the life of a dead character. Worse, the author’s cerebral approach to the writing has everything laid out so perfectly that there is no possibility of surprise for the reader, leaving nothing but the story of a mundane life to trudge through….and trudge I did. All the way through 40% of the text. This book was given to me in exchange for writing an honest review and honestly, I just couldn't finish it.
October 29, 2016
21-year-old Jonathan inherits a bunch of gay nightclubs from his Uncle Charlie, so he moves to Miami to take care of and explore them. Pretty early in the book we find out that Jon is very much Too Stupid To Live. He emerges himself in a very unsafe lifestyle filled with unprotected sex and drugs.
He only interesting thing about this book was that Jon finds his Uncle Charlie’s journal and through that we get to see Charlies life in the gay scene in Miami in the 80’s, during a period when a lot happened in the gay community, largely due to HIV/AIDS.
The writing is all over the place and the editing is horrible. The story was told in a way that unfortunately was too erratic and unengaging for me to be able to clearly see if I might have liked this book better if the editing had been better. Maybe, maybe not.
He only interesting thing about this book was that Jon finds his Uncle Charlie’s journal and through that we get to see Charlies life in the gay scene in Miami in the 80’s, during a period when a lot happened in the gay community, largely due to HIV/AIDS.
The writing is all over the place and the editing is horrible. The story was told in a way that unfortunately was too erratic and unengaging for me to be able to clearly see if I might have liked this book better if the editing had been better. Maybe, maybe not.
01-mm-tbr
August 26, 2015choice
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews