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PEG BOY
Many unorthodox ways of life were allowed during the early days of the California Gold Rush. The demands of the times and a great influx of races forced tolerance. San Francisco became notorious for its lawlessness, its gambling casinos, and its bordellos and madams. The Barbary Coast became a part of California's history and San Francisco's heritage. The Barbary Coast was an area near the waterfront that law enforcers found almost impossible to control. Those who operated establishments there, refused to abide by the gradually encroaching law and order being established by the other parts of town. For along the Barbary Coast any vice could be bought. There also, a little-known vice guarded with great secrecy were the male houses of prostitution. Some of the more clandestine operations offered young boys. Most of these boys had few means of survival other than their wits and bodies. Known as peg-houses, the places provided young boys to those who were able to meet the extraordinary prices. These houses were often operated by unscrupulous and ruthless men who provided the boys with drugs, thereby chaining them by their addictions. These could become hopeless addicts unable to function as anything but subservient slaves to their masters.An international slave trade supplied these houses with boys who were enticed or kidnapped from all over the world. Peg-houses were common in the Orient. The custom was brought to the West by seamen who had grown fond of such pleasures. Boys were trained to service customers by wearing a wooden peg of gradually increasingly sizes. They would be offered for selection while sitting on stools that displayed the properly sized peg protruding from the bottom to indicate the size that each boy had been trained to accommodate. This is the story of Santiago Cali, one such boy.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 12, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 25, 2024
I came across and read some but not all of this novel years ago and my problem then and my problem now is that the whole 'peg boy' phenomena is totally bogus. There is no evidence of the term earlier then the 'Playboy Book of Forbidden Words' by Robert Anton published 1972 and there is nothing surprising about this - the whole idea of 'Peg Boys' - boys being perched on wooden dildos supposedly resembling those found on sailing ships and particularly Royal Navy ships to keep and/or expand their sphincters (the Royal Navy was supposed to have boys permanently perched on such dildos at all time's on all ships to keep the sailors satisfied while at sea) is a so clearly a concept dreamt up by a group of heterosexual males who clearly had massive fear of but no knowledge of sodomy. It is a homophobic term from an exceptionally unreliable source - honestly most Playboy staff in the 1960s/70s had only the most prejudiced views on homosexuals (they certainly would never have referred to them as Gays) and their views on and knowledge of women (including how to sexual satisfy a woman - which they probably never have thought a man's job) were probably equally limited. It has absolutely no roots in the gay/queer history of the British, or any other, navy and certainly no roots in the large, interesting and multifaceted gay/queer history of the California Gold Rush or San Francisco.
That does not mean that there were not male brothels, opium dens or a huge amount of abuse of children, though I am amazed that those Goodreads reviewers who either got excited or enraged by the idea of sex involving 'children' never seem to have any interest in the far more numerous children who were exploited in mines, docks, factories etc. This novel is not all twaddle but the ridiculous 'peg boy' theme and the grossly over sentimentalized storyline just makes this a unsatisfying, indeed ridiculous read, and I honestly can't recommended it to anyone for any reason.
That does not mean that there were not male brothels, opium dens or a huge amount of abuse of children, though I am amazed that those Goodreads reviewers who either got excited or enraged by the idea of sex involving 'children' never seem to have any interest in the far more numerous children who were exploited in mines, docks, factories etc. This novel is not all twaddle but the ridiculous 'peg boy' theme and the grossly over sentimentalized storyline just makes this a unsatisfying, indeed ridiculous read, and I honestly can't recommended it to anyone for any reason.
December 13, 2022
Following personal disaster, sympathetic and beautiful 12-year-old Santiago Cali and his father leave their home in Peru to join the Californian Gold Rush of 1848. Further tragedy leaves Santiago left to his own resources for survival. Already richly experienced and enthusiastic about sex, and finding a lot of men attracted to him, he opts to support himself in San Francisco through prostitution but falls into the hands of an unscrupulous and loathsome pimp.
Peg Boy is quite erotic without being erotica, by which I mean there are many graphic sex scenes, but they take place easily in the context of the story and do not dominate or disrupt it. Some will delight those who can appreciate such things, whilst the scenes of rape and other violence are unsurprisingly nauseating and frightening.
The sex is sometimes over the top. For example, explanation of the book's title emerges titillatingly as an elaboration of the unsubstantiated claim made in the sensationalist Boys for Sale by Drew and Drake (1969) that boys in San Francisco brothels sat inserted on chairs with pegs of different sizes protruding both ways to advertise their potential fit with customers. I understand Peg Houses are well-attested and were so-called from pegs being used to train their boys, but pegs were surely superfluous for all but the newest recruits.
I have more serious reservations about some of the historical realism. This matters with a book whose draw is surely to take one convincingly into a lost time. Describing 1848, best known as the year of revolutions, as "relatively peaceful" for the world in the opening sentences of the book is an unfortunate beginning for establishing historical credibility.
Whilst I find it credible that in the circumstances of the Gold Rush the numbers of men wanting sex with boys was far higher than has ever been normal in the United States, it is deeply unrealistic that absolutely no one in the story feels the disgust and outrage over sodomy that was surely typical of Americans then. Only two minor characters are made to feel mild disapproval. One of these is the suspecting owner of a hotel to which Santiago is unworriedly taken with another boy for a threesome. They would have to have been idiots to take such a risk, but that is far from how they are depicted.
I suspect it is also a modernist anachronism to depict a Peruvian boy of that age and period making so much of homosexuality as his fixed identity and feeling it conflicted with his attraction to a girl.
Recommended despite all this (and there being more typos than in any other book I've come across). The story is well-paced, exciting and moving, and the depiction of San Francisco then is fascinating.
Edmund Marlowe, author of Alexander's Choice, an English boy's love story, https://www.amazon.com/dp/191457107X
Peg Boy is quite erotic without being erotica, by which I mean there are many graphic sex scenes, but they take place easily in the context of the story and do not dominate or disrupt it. Some will delight those who can appreciate such things, whilst the scenes of rape and other violence are unsurprisingly nauseating and frightening.
The sex is sometimes over the top. For example, explanation of the book's title emerges titillatingly as an elaboration of the unsubstantiated claim made in the sensationalist Boys for Sale by Drew and Drake (1969) that boys in San Francisco brothels sat inserted on chairs with pegs of different sizes protruding both ways to advertise their potential fit with customers. I understand Peg Houses are well-attested and were so-called from pegs being used to train their boys, but pegs were surely superfluous for all but the newest recruits.
I have more serious reservations about some of the historical realism. This matters with a book whose draw is surely to take one convincingly into a lost time. Describing 1848, best known as the year of revolutions, as "relatively peaceful" for the world in the opening sentences of the book is an unfortunate beginning for establishing historical credibility.
Whilst I find it credible that in the circumstances of the Gold Rush the numbers of men wanting sex with boys was far higher than has ever been normal in the United States, it is deeply unrealistic that absolutely no one in the story feels the disgust and outrage over sodomy that was surely typical of Americans then. Only two minor characters are made to feel mild disapproval. One of these is the suspecting owner of a hotel to which Santiago is unworriedly taken with another boy for a threesome. They would have to have been idiots to take such a risk, but that is far from how they are depicted.
I suspect it is also a modernist anachronism to depict a Peruvian boy of that age and period making so much of homosexuality as his fixed identity and feeling it conflicted with his attraction to a girl.
Recommended despite all this (and there being more typos than in any other book I've come across). The story is well-paced, exciting and moving, and the depiction of San Francisco then is fascinating.
Edmund Marlowe, author of Alexander's Choice, an English boy's love story, https://www.amazon.com/dp/191457107X
June 28, 2022
Clearly some historical research went into this, but what the FUCK did I just read? I googled the historical phenomenon (peg boys) cos it felt like a lurid story that was used to make a social or political point, and this book seems to be the only mention longer than a passing comment? Mostly though, this book has a very 70's/80's feel to it. It follows the pattern of other gay fiction from those decades that I've read. I'm still trying figure out what the book was trying to say... Also REALLY not a fan of the focus on a perfect, angelic teenager who just gets more gorgeous but never grows up while being lusted after by every man he meets. The protagonist acted and spoke more like he was 10 or 11 a lot of the time, which is fucked up, cos he's 17 through most of the book. Too young to be an appropriate subject for an erotic novel, but the writing got off on infantilizing him further.
Also, the cover is gross. I should have sprinted in the other direction upon seeing it, but my dumb ass wanted to know more about the history, so here we are.
Also, the cover is gross. I should have sprinted in the other direction upon seeing it, but my dumb ass wanted to know more about the history, so here we are.
September 2, 2022
this was quite a slog to get through. i can't give 2 1/2 stars, so 3 it is. how old is the boy?? don't really know. somewhere between 12 and 17, as his age changed from low to high to somewhere in between. the book could have been shorter and thus, would probably have been better. it just got too much for a 12 year old to do what has been described, and it made it sense when he was described as older, but an older boy would not have been a peg boy, so then back to being confused about how old he was and how he could do what he did. you have to read it to understand.
March 13, 2016
I like historical novels – particularly if the author is reliable and has done all the footwork. It’s a bit like history without the boring bits.
I found that I am now a lot more knowledgeable about the early years of San Francisco, the short lived gold rush, the emigrant situation at the time and of course the flesh market. If you are familiar with the TV show Deadwood then you will easily relate to the background of this novel. I think the author does a very good job of conveying the state of the nascent city of San Francisco with its dirt, temporary buildings, lack of law and order and characters of dubious pasts. Anyone could turn up and be born again as his or her past would be unknown.
The opium problem at the time permeates a good half or more of this book. We forget how prevalent and how acceptable to everyone the drug was. The contact with the Chinese empire (as it was then) is crucial to the supply of the drug which so many of the people came to depend on. It was probably unknown at the time how addictive it was especially as doctors were using it as a pain killer and muscle relaxant. Those of a particular vintage may remember the programme Kung Fu when Caine visits an opium den. Such scenes turn up in this novel a lot.
Never having taken opiates I cannot vouch for the author’s description of the protagonists state of mind when he is fed or willingly takes opium but the scenes are well described and give a good picture of how distorted the thought processes of the imbiber become so that he cannot tell how much time has passed or what is going on around him even though he is supposed to be conscious.
McIntyre – the evil trafficker of the book – uses opium and physical threats to keep the boys compliant. He is a well-drawn character. Although hated and feared by all around him he gets his way by being nice on the surface but utterly ruthless if anyone should oppose him. Life was cheap for him yet he is not drawn as some monster but rather as a businessman who trades boys rather than any other commodity. He is not in competition with the other flesh houses which cater for rather more pedestrian needs but he knows that he is supplying a need to the gentry, the political classes and the sailors who picked up the habit while sailing in the Far East. What he knows is that he has a lot more leeway with the authorities than the owner of Belle’s brothel because he can cause a lot of embarrassment to the authorities should they chose to get ‘official’ with him. He knows a lot of secrets.
Santiago, the hero of this book is also quite a well-drawn character. He is not all white. He has a dark side and he has to use it from his very first days in San Francisco. To be all pure would leave you dead in a short time. He likes sex. He is well endowed and he also likes his opium and comes to depend on it. Contrary to some of the other reviews Santiago is not 12 when he leaves Peru with his father. He is sixteen. I think there was some confusion by the author at the beginning of the book when he describes Santiago’s sexual behaviour with his older brother and friend up in the mountain village. There is little about that in graphic terms of course but he is nearly 17 when he works for McIntyre and he couldn’t have done what he did in the mountains if he were any younger. Santiago likes what he is and accepts it. Some readers find this strange and possibly farfetched that men were easily available to him with little social disapproval by the good people of San Francisco. Of course at the time Santiago was living in a very circumscribed world. He was moving in a prostitute’s world in an edge of civilisation town at that time. He did not mix with the run of the mill populace so of course his behaviour was perfectly acceptable. His clients were largely married from what he could tell which would have been normal up until recent times. Social convention meant that men had to marry or enter the church – what they did in their spare time was their own affair. Contacts were from customers so of course they would be gay too – not that the term had any meaning then. Santiago has to work out his own place in all of this.
The book is well researched and well written. It should have been edited a bit tighter and there are more typos than there should be but not enough to be too distracting. These can be corrected by the author quick enough. For those who think that the book is a bit too much on the salacious side you may be disheartened to know that such exploitation of minors has not been banished from the planet but is just as prevalent today as it was in San Francisco in the 1840s. Despite report after report by the UN or NGO’s the trafficking of children goes on as though time had never passed. Change the time frame and Santiago and the twins can be found in any Far Eastern or Middle Eastern city today.
I found that I am now a lot more knowledgeable about the early years of San Francisco, the short lived gold rush, the emigrant situation at the time and of course the flesh market. If you are familiar with the TV show Deadwood then you will easily relate to the background of this novel. I think the author does a very good job of conveying the state of the nascent city of San Francisco with its dirt, temporary buildings, lack of law and order and characters of dubious pasts. Anyone could turn up and be born again as his or her past would be unknown.
The opium problem at the time permeates a good half or more of this book. We forget how prevalent and how acceptable to everyone the drug was. The contact with the Chinese empire (as it was then) is crucial to the supply of the drug which so many of the people came to depend on. It was probably unknown at the time how addictive it was especially as doctors were using it as a pain killer and muscle relaxant. Those of a particular vintage may remember the programme Kung Fu when Caine visits an opium den. Such scenes turn up in this novel a lot.
Never having taken opiates I cannot vouch for the author’s description of the protagonists state of mind when he is fed or willingly takes opium but the scenes are well described and give a good picture of how distorted the thought processes of the imbiber become so that he cannot tell how much time has passed or what is going on around him even though he is supposed to be conscious.
McIntyre – the evil trafficker of the book – uses opium and physical threats to keep the boys compliant. He is a well-drawn character. Although hated and feared by all around him he gets his way by being nice on the surface but utterly ruthless if anyone should oppose him. Life was cheap for him yet he is not drawn as some monster but rather as a businessman who trades boys rather than any other commodity. He is not in competition with the other flesh houses which cater for rather more pedestrian needs but he knows that he is supplying a need to the gentry, the political classes and the sailors who picked up the habit while sailing in the Far East. What he knows is that he has a lot more leeway with the authorities than the owner of Belle’s brothel because he can cause a lot of embarrassment to the authorities should they chose to get ‘official’ with him. He knows a lot of secrets.
Santiago, the hero of this book is also quite a well-drawn character. He is not all white. He has a dark side and he has to use it from his very first days in San Francisco. To be all pure would leave you dead in a short time. He likes sex. He is well endowed and he also likes his opium and comes to depend on it. Contrary to some of the other reviews Santiago is not 12 when he leaves Peru with his father. He is sixteen. I think there was some confusion by the author at the beginning of the book when he describes Santiago’s sexual behaviour with his older brother and friend up in the mountain village. There is little about that in graphic terms of course but he is nearly 17 when he works for McIntyre and he couldn’t have done what he did in the mountains if he were any younger. Santiago likes what he is and accepts it. Some readers find this strange and possibly farfetched that men were easily available to him with little social disapproval by the good people of San Francisco. Of course at the time Santiago was living in a very circumscribed world. He was moving in a prostitute’s world in an edge of civilisation town at that time. He did not mix with the run of the mill populace so of course his behaviour was perfectly acceptable. His clients were largely married from what he could tell which would have been normal up until recent times. Social convention meant that men had to marry or enter the church – what they did in their spare time was their own affair. Contacts were from customers so of course they would be gay too – not that the term had any meaning then. Santiago has to work out his own place in all of this.
The book is well researched and well written. It should have been edited a bit tighter and there are more typos than there should be but not enough to be too distracting. These can be corrected by the author quick enough. For those who think that the book is a bit too much on the salacious side you may be disheartened to know that such exploitation of minors has not been banished from the planet but is just as prevalent today as it was in San Francisco in the 1840s. Despite report after report by the UN or NGO’s the trafficking of children goes on as though time had never passed. Change the time frame and Santiago and the twins can be found in any Far Eastern or Middle Eastern city today.
November 9, 2018
I read a lot of M/M romance and every now and again I feel like I need to take a break. I was somewhat wary of starting this book due to the subject matter. Human trafficking and child prostitution are pretty heavy subjects and I upset easily. I made the assumption that this would be punishing read so I initially declined until it showed up on Kindle Unlimited.
My fears were unfounded. Peg Boy is a snappy read. There are earthquakes and road trips in Peru, treks through the California wilderness but the bulk of the story is set in the wild and untamed San Francisco of the Gold rush days. I have no idea if the setting is historically accurate but it is certainly believable and compelling.
The author did a good job of defining child prostitution as pure evil without delving too deeply into the nitty gritty details of client interactions. I was thankful of that. The pimp character makes a great supervillain and he gets his comeuppance in the end. This story is set in 1849 at a time when slavery was still a thing in America. Depicted attitudes regarding race and the innate value of human life are not modern.
Although the story provides a happily ever after ending I don’t believe strict fans of M/M romance will appreciate the story. Romance novels tend to place a high value on monogamy (both emotional and sexual.) The protagonist gets around and is happy doing so.
My fears were unfounded. Peg Boy is a snappy read. There are earthquakes and road trips in Peru, treks through the California wilderness but the bulk of the story is set in the wild and untamed San Francisco of the Gold rush days. I have no idea if the setting is historically accurate but it is certainly believable and compelling.
The author did a good job of defining child prostitution as pure evil without delving too deeply into the nitty gritty details of client interactions. I was thankful of that. The pimp character makes a great supervillain and he gets his comeuppance in the end. This story is set in 1849 at a time when slavery was still a thing in America. Depicted attitudes regarding race and the innate value of human life are not modern.
Although the story provides a happily ever after ending I don’t believe strict fans of M/M romance will appreciate the story. Romance novels tend to place a high value on monogamy (both emotional and sexual.) The protagonist gets around and is happy doing so.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2022
Despite some reviews saying otherwise, Santiago is actually sixteen years old when he leaves Peru for San Francisco. He does encounter much younger boys in his sordid adventures, and the author struggles a couple of times to even remember Santiago’s age, but everything else in the book makes sense when this fact is remembered. The story was riveting, albeit uncomfortable at times, and a light edit from the author would alleviate the many grammatical, spelling, and typo errors. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the balanced pace of this book, even if it curdled my stomach on several occasions.
February 24, 2025
sad but charming tale
I enjoy a good MM novel. When they are bad I stop reading them and look for another. Peg Boy was a thoroughly engrossing tale. Loved it from beginning to end.
I enjoy a good MM novel. When they are bad I stop reading them and look for another. Peg Boy was a thoroughly engrossing tale. Loved it from beginning to end.
February 19, 2015
I found this to be a pretty good book, it's well written and has a nicely sympathetic lead character. The story is set in the gold rush period of around 1885. The early part of the book centres around 12 year old Santiago Cali's life in Peru with his family. We get to know Santiago well and the author paints a rather nice picture of a simple rural life. Santiago has obviously entered adolescence rather early, and we discover his first sexual encounters and his love and devotion to his male neighbour, a slightly older boy.
The story really gets going after a natural disaster brings great change to the life of Santiago, and he leaves his beloved friend behind and departs with his father - bound for America in search of a new life and the hope of fortune. Young Santiago seems to have a rather insatiable appetite for sex, and throughout his journey manages to have sex with several adult males. Some he cares for - others through no choice of his own, he hates. The final 3rd of the book places Santiago in San Francisco where he is forced to be a Peg Boy, by a ruthless Irish criminal and his gang of thugs. Although, it is work that the boy seems to enjoy - at least at first.
There is too much emphasis on sex, if I'm honest, and the regular reminders of his large penis do become quite tiresome. And the sheer number of men who desire him seems hardly plausible. But then, perhaps moral standards during this wild rush for wealth were very different. Santiago is a very pretty boy, and it would seem that the majority of men he meets want to have him. Immediately.
It's by no means a perfect story, there are some glaring mistakes and ill fitting story points. I found lots of errors in the manuscript itself, but because I read on a Kindle device, it's hard to be certain that the errors are not simply scan or conversion errors. Plus the book cover makes zero sense - that photo is too modern given the 19th century storyline. That irks me!
There are two other issues that jumped out at me:
1/ One of the main protagonists suddenly changes name from Michael McIntyre to Samuel McIntyre, which I found very odd. How could an author make such a glaring mistake?
2/ The author seems to have given no thought at all to the value of currency in the late 1800's. For example, two boys go to a restaurant and pay $40 for a meal. Later, they are given $25 to buy new clothes. But in 1885 - $25 would have been worth circa $1,000 in todays money! So that was one hell of a meal they ate - and one heck of an outfit.
But overall I enjoyed the story, except for the occasional violence against boys. I would have rated this four stars if it weren't for the slightly "rushed" ending and the mistakes I've mentioned above.
The story really gets going after a natural disaster brings great change to the life of Santiago, and he leaves his beloved friend behind and departs with his father - bound for America in search of a new life and the hope of fortune. Young Santiago seems to have a rather insatiable appetite for sex, and throughout his journey manages to have sex with several adult males. Some he cares for - others through no choice of his own, he hates. The final 3rd of the book places Santiago in San Francisco where he is forced to be a Peg Boy, by a ruthless Irish criminal and his gang of thugs. Although, it is work that the boy seems to enjoy - at least at first.
There is too much emphasis on sex, if I'm honest, and the regular reminders of his large penis do become quite tiresome. And the sheer number of men who desire him seems hardly plausible. But then, perhaps moral standards during this wild rush for wealth were very different. Santiago is a very pretty boy, and it would seem that the majority of men he meets want to have him. Immediately.
It's by no means a perfect story, there are some glaring mistakes and ill fitting story points. I found lots of errors in the manuscript itself, but because I read on a Kindle device, it's hard to be certain that the errors are not simply scan or conversion errors. Plus the book cover makes zero sense - that photo is too modern given the 19th century storyline. That irks me!
There are two other issues that jumped out at me:
1/ One of the main protagonists suddenly changes name from Michael McIntyre to Samuel McIntyre, which I found very odd. How could an author make such a glaring mistake?
2/ The author seems to have given no thought at all to the value of currency in the late 1800's. For example, two boys go to a restaurant and pay $40 for a meal. Later, they are given $25 to buy new clothes. But in 1885 - $25 would have been worth circa $1,000 in todays money! So that was one hell of a meal they ate - and one heck of an outfit.
But overall I enjoyed the story, except for the occasional violence against boys. I would have rated this four stars if it weren't for the slightly "rushed" ending and the mistakes I've mentioned above.
December 21, 2018
Peg have always held multiple meanings for me.
I knew of peg houses and the practice in the Middle and Far East while still in grade school, although it was not a openly discussed topic. Even mention of pegging the speedometer of a car as teenage drivers caused a tightening of muscles into a real pucker factor.
So this story is a glimpse into the dark world of a peg boy and his search for a HEA ending. He meets many people, some good and some bad, as he tries to survive in a situation where greed has more value than life. His beauty offers opportunity that others do not get to enjoy, but also pain and suffering with the direction of the wind changing as fast as life and death options.
The descriptions are mild compared to the reality and life expectancy of the gold fields. Yes, it was possible to make a fortune with a little work, but easier to just take what you want without work. Men were at extreme risk, and women did not stand a chance. Mules were treated better than children.
But with gold dust dreams swirling in their heads, thousands discarded everything and everyone for the dream of riches, only to loose it all to guns, drugs, sickness, booze, gambling, and sex. Scavengers got rich from others losses. The sex for sale slavery of the poor was tolerated as long as the dream existed, but soon everyone realizes they were screwed instead of screwing others. The scars still exist and the wind still covers the remains. Only a few escape alive. What man will do for greed and jealousy is not something to be proud of, but is good to know the traps
I knew of peg houses and the practice in the Middle and Far East while still in grade school, although it was not a openly discussed topic. Even mention of pegging the speedometer of a car as teenage drivers caused a tightening of muscles into a real pucker factor.
So this story is a glimpse into the dark world of a peg boy and his search for a HEA ending. He meets many people, some good and some bad, as he tries to survive in a situation where greed has more value than life. His beauty offers opportunity that others do not get to enjoy, but also pain and suffering with the direction of the wind changing as fast as life and death options.
The descriptions are mild compared to the reality and life expectancy of the gold fields. Yes, it was possible to make a fortune with a little work, but easier to just take what you want without work. Men were at extreme risk, and women did not stand a chance. Mules were treated better than children.
But with gold dust dreams swirling in their heads, thousands discarded everything and everyone for the dream of riches, only to loose it all to guns, drugs, sickness, booze, gambling, and sex. Scavengers got rich from others losses. The sex for sale slavery of the poor was tolerated as long as the dream existed, but soon everyone realizes they were screwed instead of screwing others. The scars still exist and the wind still covers the remains. Only a few escape alive. What man will do for greed and jealousy is not something to be proud of, but is good to know the traps
October 2, 2018
A heart rending story with more twists then a fairground ride a young lad Santiargo with a sexual attraction to other boys and men who led quite a wild life Having to leave his lover to join his Father to travel to the USA to join the gold rush a huge number of events turns his life upside down before getting back some normality On the ship to America he has an affair with the ships captain on arrival heading for the area where gold was found he has sex with the Daughter of another miner hence reluctantly but also desperate soon he was to end up alone when returning to the camp he found his Father dead with the killers still on site who decide he would be their sex slave and so end up raping him violently But soon he finds a way to get free and takes murderous revenge on all three later he ends up working in a brothel where boys were sold for sex at first he was willing until a young boy of 9 is killed by a punter and finds out the owner planned to kill the boys twin brother as well as him so sets out to make a daring rescue that could have failed if not for a surprise twist
September 28, 2015
Interesting story of a displaced father and son from Peru who head to the States at the time of the gold rush. But it seems that isn't enough for Berube as the novel descends into controversial pornography.
October 16, 2019
A romance novel with a wonderful sense of love and history. While not for the average reader, it should be more widely read.
Skilled storytelling about a subject unknown to many. I thought it would be more clinical but the romance was a pleasant surprise.
Skilled storytelling about a subject unknown to many. I thought it would be more clinical but the romance was a pleasant surprise.
December 15, 2019
Wow, just wow. This book has so much emotion and sadness. It’s hard to come to terms with the fact that while this book is fiction, that this sort of thing really happens. Very graphic but I couldn’t stop reading. I had to know what happened at the end.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews