Little Blue Whistle

by Mark Lages

Robert Ashcroft is a sixty-three year old retired car salesman who has just moved with his wife, Veronica, from Southern California to South Carolina. He learns just a week before Thanksgiving that his thirty year old son, Paul, is gay. Paul is coming to visit for the holiday, and he is bringing along his boyfriend with him. Robert has one week to come to terms with his son’s sexuality and to prepare himself for the visit. Little Blue Whistle is an entertaining rollercoaster ride of dreams, memories, and subsequent insights into fathers, sons, and our brave new world.

Genres: Fiction, LGBT

290 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 20, 2018

About the author

Quickly...I was born and raised in California, but now live in South Carolina with my wife and our animals. I am neither a liberal nor a conservative. In fact, I despise politics. I think of myself as an artist, and not as a journalist. I've been influenced by Milton Friedman, Frank Lloyd Wright, Hunter S Thompson, Douglas Adams, Salvador Dali, MC Escher, JS Bach, Keith Jarrett, Vincent Price, Tom Waits, and many others. I like to smoke cigars and drink lots of coffee. And I do love to write. Lock me in a room with a box of cigars, a coffee maker, and a computer, and I will do just fine. Click here to leap to my website for more info about me and my books.

Reviews

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

LITTLE BLUE WHISTLE is an interesting read concerning a 63 year old father coming to terms with the fact that his son is gay. The only problem I had with this novel was all of the side stories which felt like a diversion to me.

[Tami Bussing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Lages has a great sublime way of weaving stories within stories. Little Blue Whistle journeys a man through stories of his past, his family's past, his son's past, to a profound reckoning in gaining courage for the near future. It's philosophic, intelligent and insightful- all with a casual breeze. A wonderful read!

[Susan Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone needs a little blue whistle to help them through tricky spots in life. This book is about a father who has to adjust his own personal dreams and expectations for his son when his son tells him that he is gay. In addition to coming to terms with that revelation, Robert (the father) has to feel comfortable enough with this forced change of perspective by Thanksgiving dinner when he will be introduced to his son's love interest. By analyzing his dreams and remembrances of the past, Robert is changed enough to feel prepared for the future as a loving father of a gay son.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Glimpse into a Father's Mind

This was a great glimpse into the mind of a father who just learned his son was gay and was bringing his partner home for Thanksgiving. He had one week to think about it before their arrival. It was so interesting to follow the father's thoughts, good and bad. I highly recommend this book. It was worth three time to read it.

[Beagle Lover (Avid Reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars ****

Mr. Lages manages to paint a most vivid and honestly detailed book based on many stories within the book to explain how the protagonist deals with the admission of his son admitting he is gay. He wonders if things he did in the past effected his son sexuality in the present through amazingly vibrant recollections of incidents in his own past as well as the past of his son, Paul. The quandary Paul's "coming out" puts the MC in is one that he questions his actions in raising his son, the choices his son made and various other factors that could have led to Paul admitting his homosexuality.

The MC goes through self-doubt, memories that lead him to question his ability as a nurturing father and if he and his wife had done something wrong while raising their son. And when Paul calls and states that he and his boyfriend, Terrance, are coming home for Thanksgiving in a week, the anxiety level for the father skyrockets. How to deal with this visit? Accept Paul for who he is now or outright reject the lifestyle he has chosen.

Mr. Lages is indeed a brilliant writer, painting a wonderful dilemma that shakes the MC to the core. Did he miss certain "signs" that Paul was gay early in his teens or was Paul's new sexuality not his fault at all? Through a masterful collection of recollections from both the MC's and Paul's past and present, the protagonist finally arrives at a decision when he picks up his son and boyfriend at the airport. His decision? Ah...you'll have to read the book. And enjoy some trips down memory lane, if you will.

One thing of note that irked this reader was numerous grammatical and punctuation editing errors. Nothing turns my face red that a poorly edited book. This factor alone usually counts for 50% of my rating and did indeed prevent me from rating this book higher. Missing words, incorrect punctuation and grammatical errors just totally put me off reading a book for a few hours. I admit I am not perfect in typing my reviews, but I do not have the advantage of an editor, either.

[Linda McCutcheon · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much I want to say about this book but I know as a reader you want to know the gist of why I rated it 5 stars. If I could I would rate it 10 stars. Think of that book you read as a teen or maybe college student that stopped you in your tracks. That you realized when you finished it you would not be done with it. You would give it others to read because you needed to talk about it. You needed to share it so others could feel the way you did when it was over; that the author took you on a journey that led to tears streaming down your face as you slowly closed the book with a slight smile.


Everything you need to know about this book is in the first paragraph of the first chapter. Robert's son Paul is coming home for Thanksgiving with his boyfriend Terrance who Robert has never met. He has never met him because he never knew his adult son was gay until he got the phone call about visiting for Thanksgiving. He now has seven days before Paul comes home to deal with this unprecedented news. Right in the opening paragraph we learn Robert is not happy about this news and he feels Paul has been selfish springing this life altering news on him.

Right from the beginning we learn this story is not about Paul's journey of self discovery but about Robert's journey of not just self discovery but of grief for the life he thought his son had been living up til now.

No matter your personal views on the gay community you come to realize in the book that it is not a political issue or a religious issue. It is a family issue. Some chapters might be upsetting because they are so honest in how Robert is genuinely hurt by his son's coming out. Please keep reading. Whether you are for or against this issue I think you will recognize yourself being represented in at least one chapter and maybe understand how someone feels who has a different view.

The title may seem strange for the subject of the book but once you read it you realize how it is a perfect title. This is the fourth book I have read by Mark Lages and he never disappoints. I usually give away my copy of his books to relatives and friends after I read them but I highlighted so many passages in my copy of this book that this time I am buying copies to give to friends as presents. Some of my favorite books were gifts that I treasured and that is how I feel about Little Blue Whistle. I think it's a must-read for everyone.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have to say that this book is like nothing I have ever read before. In saying this I do have to admit that I have never read any books about a father trying to develop an understanding of his son's announcement of being gay or even a book about anyone telling the world that they are gay. The perspective of Robert (the father) is so well written that I found my emotions bouncing from being proud of his deep love for his son, to wanting to put the book down because I was so angry at what he was thinking. The honest thoughts and beliefs of a man that is in his sixties and grew up before there was a "Will and Grace" on primetime TV can be shocking. But to be honest myself, his views are something that I can tell you I have heard from many of the men I know from his generation. To start down the road of understanding one must first take a look deep within one's own heart. Little Blue Whistle is a solidly written novel of a father taking the first step of truly getting to know his son and love him as any father should love a son.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shortly after moving to South Carolina from California a couple get a call from their son informing them he is gay. He is also going to visit and bring his partner. Only one week until his son arrives and the father is trying to figure out how to handle there arrival. I love the "flashbacks" to the fathers childhood and also the raising of their son. So many of the experiences just put such a real and personal touch on the story. There is so much feeling and emotion woven into this story. The author has done a fantastic job of presenting a sometimes difficult subject. The ending is very touching. As to the title (Little Blue Whistle) I will leave it to you to discover the meaning of that. It is a very important part of the story.

[Lynn Pines · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rated this slightly less for my hosting of our book club, but it was mostly because of the blatant grammatical/punctuation errors in a few of the chapters (I realize this often happens in self-published books, where an editor is truly needed). However, I have re-thought my review and, as far as the writing and story line, it really was wonderfully entertaining and sweetly emotional at times..... so 5 stars it is ;-)

[Linnea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author deals with his son's homosexuality in an informative and often humorous way. This was a Good reads giveaway and well worth the story.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly engaging and satisfying story that strongly reflects the imagination of its Author. From it's beginning to it's end this book will provide readers a pleasant tale full of dreams, hopes and everyday life experiences.
Mr. Lages has done it again, his writing does not disappoint.

Recommended 4.5 star read.

[Lyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reminded me of the very first of Lages's books that I read, The Church of the Divine Duck. I can't really explain why it did, as they're very different books, just that it did, and I enjoyed it quite a lot, as usual.
It was, in a way, simpler than some of Lages's other books - not to say that the journey to accepting that your child is gay when you've spent your whole life thinking that homosexuality is wrong, just that there were no detailed or complicated explanations required to help the reader understand the points Lages was trying to make about a certain topic. Instead, there were dreams and memories from Robert, to help you understand the way that he was taught to view homosexuality, and why he couldn't immediately accept that his son was gay. As someone who has grown up where homosexuality is not necessarily 100% accepted, but is at least pretty common, it was interesting to see some stories about why older folks don't approve of it. And the ending of this one was unexpectedly sweet, so that was great!

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have never read a book by Mark Lages, you are missing out on a wonderful read..
In Little Blue Whistle the main character Robert Ashcroft is a retired car salesmen who has just been informed by his son Paul that he is gay and is bringing his partner home with him for a visit. Robert's thoughts and memories unfold as he tries to come to grips with this news. Mark's words make you stop and really think about some of the most important parts on ones life.

Thank you, Mark, for sending me a copy of this book. I enjoyed it immensely and look forward to reading your next book. Your imagination is amazing. Every book is completely different from your prior one and yet is so interesting and readable.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book. The story is about a father struggling to accept that his son is gay. Rethinking memories of the past and experiences thinking somehow they influenced his sons choice of sexuality. It makes you think and rethink the way things can happen in life. That just because you are taught one way does not mean that you have to choose to accept and think the same. How choices can be made, learned from and grown from no matter what your age. The ending was sweet and tugged at the heartstrings. I love Mark's books, have enjoyed the few I've read and plan to finish all. Unique and entertaining I would highly recommend his stories.

[Desiree Villatoro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Blue Whistle makes you really feel engaged. I really enjoyed reading it, and I highly recommend it to everyone. It really made me think.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Typical Mark Lages creativity applied to a fascinating subject. Lots of insight and thought provoking ideas. I like Lages' writing more and more each time I read one of his books.

[Maudaevee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think what I love most about this and other Mark Lages books, his descriptions of everyday, mundane things are beautiful and entertaining! I think the style is what really pulls this off, I was hooked right from the start.

[Sharon Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

Would have been an interesting story but towards the end it was too much as 3 chapters are dedicated to the main character's dreams which, while I knew what the point was, it was boring to have 3 chapters devoted to silly dreams. One could figure out what the father would eventually do.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I could give this book three and a half stars on here, I would, but sadly GoodReads is quite determined to keep stars as whole numbers! And so, I rounded up. I have only read one other Mark Lages book, and I wasn't too fond of that one, but this one sized up to be fairly better. An irate, upper middle-class, man has recently been told that his adult son, and only offspring, is gay. In a week, he his son will visit with his boyfriend to meet the parents. The book itself is an up close look at the internal monologue of thought going through the father's head, and how to unravel the complications he is experiencing due to his son coming out with his sexuality.

Being quite liberal myself, it's hard to imagine that a father would have to put this much effort into sorting out his son's sexuality, but it's pretty close to the truth, I'd imagine, for much less liberal households. The psychology behind it is pretty spot on and is similar to the steps of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Of course, it all happens in a pretty unrealistic time frame considering how adamantly shocked and upset he is about his son. In a week, he must sort out his feelings and develop a whole new perspective of his son, one in which he feels he might have been able to control.

Truly, the book is pretty decent in that regard. It arrives to several conclusions through anecdotal stories from the father's past and from that of his son's, told through his eyes. I wasn't too gung ho about the ending, though, as it was inconclusive and a bit too neat with the conclusions the reader is left to piece together. Simply, I don't think our narrator has enough time to navigate the rocky waters he finds himself in so quickly, especially since he had harbored rather negative thoughts quite recently in the storyline about the idea of being a homosexual.

Another issue with the novel is the rampant spelling, grammatical, and syntax errors. This was not nearly as bad as the issues in the other book I read, Team Charlie, but they are still distracting and an editor's nightmare.

The book does address some rather pertinent issues where conservatism meets liberalism on the grounds of sexuality, and for that I appreciate its candor.

[Michelle Arredondo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully well crafted read.

Little Blue Whistle by Mark Lages is such a thought provoking read. A father coming to terms with his son's sexuality. "Coming to terms"....that's a thing. What people have learned through the ages..what people grow up being told what is right and wrong...coming into a new time...a new age of acceptance isn't always easy for some. For a father I can imagine it is difficult and sometimes the fact that you love your child doesn't make it easier to accept what you don't fully know, grasp, or understand. The father searching through his own past, recalling memories, wondering if he unknowingly caused the creation of what his son has become. The feels that it gave me...it's humbling and maddening..sometimes both at once.

This book gave me so many emotions. I couldn't even process them at times. I told myself I would not judge the father character. Then I was angrily judging the father character. Then I felt deeply for him. Then anger again. The finally understanding. By the end I closed the book...and stewed on all the things I felt. I realized just how impactful and charming and wonderfully crafted this book is. It's meant to give you all these emotions. It's meant to give you that different perspective...that understanding and patience for those people that have trouble coming to terms with something that they have never grown up knowing as normal. This is life. This is what it is to experience life....forever moving forward, growing, and becoming more diverse. Not everyone can catch up at the same speed as everyone else. I shared this book with others and am eagerly awaiting their thoughts on it. I feel that this book is that kind of read that must be discussed.

Great read. Highly recommend.

Thanks to goodreads and to Author Mark Lages for my free copy of this book. I received. I read. I reviewed this book honestly and voluntarily.

[Tony Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert Ashcroft (63, retired car salesman) & Veronica Ashcroft (59, wife) have packed their bags & moved from Southern California-South Carolina.
Reminisce as the family goes through their life the ups/downs.
Paul (30, son, gay, USC) calls the family & says he is bringing his gay partner home for Thanksgiving.
The parents are headed to Augusta Regional Airport to pick the 2 guys up.

What does the little blue whistle represent?

Warning: This book is for adults only & contains violent or graphic adult content or profanity &/or sexually explicit scenarios. It may be offensive to some readers.

I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.

A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written hilarious thought-provoking family-oriented book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great family-oriented movie, or better yet a mini TV series. A very easy rating of 5 stars.

Thank you for the free authorhouse; author; paperback book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)

[Gayle Slagle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no problem giving Little Blue Whistle by Mark Lages five stars; I loved this book. The main character, Robert Ashcroft is a sixty-three year old retired car salesman who has just learned that his only son is gay and will be bringing his boyfriend home at Thanksgiving, which is one week away. Robert is broadsided by this news and is having a difficult time coming to terms with his son's sexuality. The book covers the time period between the phone call from Paul, Robert's son, and the arrival of Paul. Little Blue Whistle explores the mind, heart, and soul process that Robert goes through in trying to accept his son as he is. This process is at times light-hearted and at times heart-rending. He reflects on his present situation, his childhood, and Paul's childhood. It presents an honest and realistic portrait of a father trying to accept a fact about his child that is inherently unacceptable to him. While we might like to think that people are open-minded about homosexuality today, the truth of the matter is that there are still many people who look on it as abominable. The road traveled by Robert in this book is arduous and rocky; will his love for his son prove stronger than his prejudices? I have no problem endorsing this book with enthusiasm; I have read several books by Lages and I am amazed that he is not more well know and more widely read. Give this one a try; hopefully, you will become as big a fan as I am.

[Austin Allred · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book on a free giveaway for an honest review.
This is a book about an older gentleman finding out that his Son is gay, and that he is bringing his boyfriend to thanksgiving dinner. He has 7 days to come to terms with it. It follows his narrative of looking back on his time with his son.
This book was a hard read to begin with. I had a hard time with the main character. I didn't like his views, and I dislike his thoughts. He thought every terrible cliche though of somebody who is homophobic. "My son can't be gay, he never played with dolls" "what did i do to turn my son gay" "He can't be gay, it would be so embarrassing to have a gay son"
I thought that i would quit because i could not just get past the terrible things he said and thought.
But then by the end, he comes to term with his son, and he is accepting of his boyfriend.
He finds strength in a plastic blue whistle, to finally be accepting. The same little whistle he bought his son on his first day of school to help his son get through that scary time.
Once you take the time to realize that this is an older gentleman from a different generation, you start to see that he is not a bad guy, just misinformed.
It is the great writing of Mark Lages that got me through this, and i actually ended up really enjoying the journey of his acceptance.

[Andrew Langert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read several Mark Lages books and liked them all, but this might be his best yet.
This is about a grown man reflecting back on his life as he prepares to meet the partner of his adult son, who has just come out as being gay. But, as usual, what you get from Mark Lages is way more than what the basic premise of this book suggests.
Lages is an absolute master storyteller. His protagonist in this book goes off on frequent tangents as he reflects back on his life, wondering why he didn't figure out earlier than his son was gay. Using a folksy writing style, he packs his stories with both wisdom and humor. I find myself quoting his words of wisdom and his wittiness with people I've been around while reading this book for the past couple of days. His hilarious rant on why he doesn't miss southern California (he moved to South Carolina) had me in stitches.
Don't worry about what this book is about. Just read it and be entertained by one of the best books you will read all year.

[Lisa DeWaard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read many books by this author and enjoyed them all, but I think this one has by far been my favorite. The subject is near and dear to my heart. Robert Ashcroft is a retired car salesman who has moved to North Carolina with his wife. His 30 year old son has come out to him and has announced he is coming for a visit and bringing his boyfriend. It was such an interesting perspective to go on Robert's journey with him as he spends the week prior to his son's visit going through a roller coaster of emotions trying to deal with how he will react seeing his son again, meeting his partner, remembering past memories both good and bad, and dealing with his own feelings on the subject as well as his love for his son. There are some parts where I hate Robert and some where I am swept up in his emotions. I think it's a wonderful story that deserves to be read and re-read. Highly recommended.

[sharon mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

What ingredients make for coming out gay?

The Little Blue Whistle is more than a novel, it's actually a talisman for luck, courage, perseverance and growth. It was a gift from a father to his son on his first day of school. Now the son, Paul, is thirty years old and has told his father on the phone 2,000 miles away, that he's gay and wants to bring his boyfriend home with him for Thanksgiving. The rest of the story is a series of of memories that Robert, Paul's dad, is trying to understand and interpret this information. What a tangled web we live as we learn to believe (or something close to that) happens to Robert as he asks the suspect journalistic questions to prepare himself for this visit. The big questions for the reader are what would you think, say or do. It's an interesting literary approach with lots of familiar childhood memories to connect with.

[Lisa Cobb Sabatini · Rating 5 out of 5]

The narrator in Mark Lages's novel, Little Blue Whistle, has one week to decide how he is going to handle his son's upcoming visit. Robert has just learned that his son is gay, and for Robert to make that important decision,he explores his memories and his dreams.
Each chapter of the novel presents the reader with one of Robert's memories or dreams, as he works his way through the week and his heart in search of answers. He looks at the times in his life when he had been challenged to think differently or, perhaps, now wishes that he had thought differently. And his dreams prod him to reexamine his world and himself.
At times humorous, at times heart wrenching, Robert's journey is full of questions, regret, insight, and wonder, and the reader is glad to have journeyed with him.

[Diane Haney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Often Mark Lages stories are stories within a story and Little Blue Whistle is no exception. Robert Ashcroft a man of certain years, brought up rather unspectacularly, with views fairly common to his generation learns after 30 years of fatherhood his only son and only child, Paul is gay. Paul is bringing his boyfriend home to meet his parents. This news catapults Robert into memories of both his and his son’s childhood searching for cluees and explanations. Along the way attitudes toward sex and sexual preference, religion, the Vietnam Nam war, career choice, love and marriage and other topics are discussed.

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway.

This story is the mental journey a dad goes through after learning his son is gay and is bringing his boyfriend home for Thanksgiving. At first the dad was super critical and I didn't really like him much. After he remembered more about his own life and different situations he had been in with his son, his attitude changed. By the end of the book my attitude towards the dad had changed as well.

Give this book a chance. You don't need to be a parent or have a family member that has come out to relate. This story seems to me, to be about being willing and able to accept others as they are.

[Johnette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the first chapter and the last chapter but the ones in between fell short of my expectations. I didn’t get all the side stories or what they had to do with the premise of the book. They seemed like filler and not relevant at all. I was really disappointed because I have loved every other book I’ve read by Mr. Lages. If it were a short story I’d give it 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I’m still looking forward to the next new book because I know not every book I read will resonate with me. I bet plenty of you will like this one.