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That Summer of '74 #1
That Summer of '74
Living alone in his idyllic beach house, struggling artist and part-time lifeguard Alex Morgan's hurtling towards thirty. Losing faith in his talent, tired of being broke and sexually confused, he fears another year may slip by in a haze of surfing, beer, and thwarted ambition. All that changes, however, when Rick Stradman, the charming but neurotic son of a Hollywood movie producer, offers a solution to his financial problems by renting a room in his beach house. Despite initial friction during their summer share, Alex is gradually seduced by Rick's madcap world of movie stars, Bel Air mansions and, despite fighting their growing attraction, by Rick himself. Alex's beach bum singleton lifestyle being turned on its head as he acquires a surprising taste for sports cars, luxury hotels and his first experience of a relationship with another guy. Over the golden summer their secret affair grows increasingly passionate, but also increasingly complicated as the pressures of fame, family and 1970's prejudice test the strength of their love.
With a background of LA's modern art scene and Hollywood TV drama, "That Summer of '74" is an uplifting, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, story about the joy, pain and timelessness of true love, whether between friends, family or lovers.
WARNING - this book contains adult language and scenes of a sexual nature.
With a background of LA's modern art scene and Hollywood TV drama, "That Summer of '74" is an uplifting, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, story about the joy, pain and timelessness of true love, whether between friends, family or lovers.
WARNING - this book contains adult language and scenes of a sexual nature.
498 pages, Paperback
First published December 19, 2018
41 people are currently reading
128 people want to read
About the author
Howard Rayner
8 books8 followersHoward Rayner is an accomplished novelist with a diverse body of work that includes both adult and young adult fiction. He developed a love of reading at a young age and spent his formative years exploring a wide range of literature, from classic children's stories to ground-breaking LGBTQ+ literature.
In addition to his successful career as an actor, singer, and dancer in film, theater, and TV, Howard has studied fine art, costume design, and screenwriting, all of which have influenced his body of work. His travels and experiences living and working in the UK, USA, and Australia have also shaped his storytelling. Howard usually spends a portion of each summer in Venice, Italy, where he is inspired by the city's rich history and cultural traditions.
In addition to his six novels for young readers, Howard is a prolific writer of short stories and factual pieces for English language programs. He is currently working on several new projects and can be found sharing updates on his writing journey on social media.
In addition to his successful career as an actor, singer, and dancer in film, theater, and TV, Howard has studied fine art, costume design, and screenwriting, all of which have influenced his body of work. His travels and experiences living and working in the UK, USA, and Australia have also shaped his storytelling. Howard usually spends a portion of each summer in Venice, Italy, where he is inspired by the city's rich history and cultural traditions.
In addition to his six novels for young readers, Howard is a prolific writer of short stories and factual pieces for English language programs. He is currently working on several new projects and can be found sharing updates on his writing journey on social media.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 22, 2021
I got married and moved to St Louis in the ear!y 70s.
I had been in active duty with the Army. I visited the beach almost daily, but in the East Coast in New Jersey.
I remember the crazy madness of lot smoke swirling in clouds above almost any small crowds of hippies, sippies, and dippies that blocked the boardwalks and sidewalks of cities and camped in park and beaches across the country.
Viet Man Was at a stalemate. Government at a checkmate. Paper airplanes for Air Force. Paper clips for Congress. Navy and Marine playing "Go Fish" Army wondering what happened? Colleges and Canada full of draft Dodgers as the Guard and Reserves begged for training money. The Coast Guard was chasing drugs and the thugs were after quick cash. Border Patrol Agents guarded cactus and trees.
The streets were a bit safer, but the whole country was a mess playing Doctor, Monopoly, or strip poker. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you loose. I was just glad to see things start g to get better, but I lost so many friends and classmates in the war. Drugs and booze and Aids took more. I gained a sense of depression as the world struggled to avoid itself. The sand in the beach or the stars in the sky were not enough to save Hollywood from itself. The ocean still waves and the sun still shines, but the Moon has lost so much love to apathy that no one cares.
I had been in active duty with the Army. I visited the beach almost daily, but in the East Coast in New Jersey.
I remember the crazy madness of lot smoke swirling in clouds above almost any small crowds of hippies, sippies, and dippies that blocked the boardwalks and sidewalks of cities and camped in park and beaches across the country.
Viet Man Was at a stalemate. Government at a checkmate. Paper airplanes for Air Force. Paper clips for Congress. Navy and Marine playing "Go Fish" Army wondering what happened? Colleges and Canada full of draft Dodgers as the Guard and Reserves begged for training money. The Coast Guard was chasing drugs and the thugs were after quick cash. Border Patrol Agents guarded cactus and trees.
The streets were a bit safer, but the whole country was a mess playing Doctor, Monopoly, or strip poker. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you loose. I was just glad to see things start g to get better, but I lost so many friends and classmates in the war. Drugs and booze and Aids took more. I gained a sense of depression as the world struggled to avoid itself. The sand in the beach or the stars in the sky were not enough to save Hollywood from itself. The ocean still waves and the sun still shines, but the Moon has lost so much love to apathy that no one cares.
April 20, 2021
I think I disliked every single person in this book... But the writing was great.
April 13, 2021
3 - Stars for the first 80%
There were many times I thought of abandoning ‘That Summer of ’74’ by Howard Rayner. I can’t recall reading anything recently with so many selfish, unlikeable, manipulative, viscous characters. At one point, even the motives of Alex Morgan, the aspiring artist and part-time lifeguard who serves as the novel’s primary narrator, were called into question.
At times the insecurities of the protagonists, Alex Morgan and Rick Stradman, were totally understandable. At other times, their insecurities were difficult to believe.
Alex, the son of an abusive father was raised by his loving grandmother in a Sunset Cove, CA beach house. Rick, the neurotic actor, is the son of divorced parents - a demanding, philandering father who's a major Hollywood producer, and an almost psychotic mother, who's a faded Hollywood star currently living in Italy as a patron of the arts.
5 - Stars for the final 20%
While the final portions of ‘That Summer of ’74’ seemed ‘rushed’ to bring the story to a conclusion, and many other reviewers seemed to have been turned off the the events described there, I found both the resolution and the manner in which it unfolded to be original, emotional, and ‘almost’ completely satisfying.
There were many times I thought of abandoning ‘That Summer of ’74’ by Howard Rayner. I can’t recall reading anything recently with so many selfish, unlikeable, manipulative, viscous characters. At one point, even the motives of Alex Morgan, the aspiring artist and part-time lifeguard who serves as the novel’s primary narrator, were called into question.
At times the insecurities of the protagonists, Alex Morgan and Rick Stradman, were totally understandable. At other times, their insecurities were difficult to believe.
Alex, the son of an abusive father was raised by his loving grandmother in a Sunset Cove, CA beach house. Rick, the neurotic actor, is the son of divorced parents - a demanding, philandering father who's a major Hollywood producer, and an almost psychotic mother, who's a faded Hollywood star currently living in Italy as a patron of the arts.
5 - Stars for the final 20%
While the final portions of ‘That Summer of ’74’ seemed ‘rushed’ to bring the story to a conclusion, and many other reviewers seemed to have been turned off the the events described there, I found both the resolution and the manner in which it unfolded to be original, emotional, and ‘almost’ completely satisfying.
December 23, 2019
I very much enjoyed the story. It was well paced and the characters all had more than two dimensions. Even the less likeable characters had positive motivations for doing what they do. Nobody came off as a villain.
My criticisms are small. The author displayed good knowledge of Southern California. But he is obviously British. Reading about these seventies California boys winding up windows and queuing up for lines took me out of the moment.
Also, there is a twist at the end regarding a flight number that I think should be removed. It just seemed to intrude on the story being told and at the very end at that. It really put me off and would have lost the book half a star if Goodreads did half stars.
Still, the book is worth reading.
My criticisms are small. The author displayed good knowledge of Southern California. But he is obviously British. Reading about these seventies California boys winding up windows and queuing up for lines took me out of the moment.
Also, there is a twist at the end regarding a flight number that I think should be removed. It just seemed to intrude on the story being told and at the very end at that. It really put me off and would have lost the book half a star if Goodreads did half stars.
Still, the book is worth reading.
May 24, 2019
Amazing
I’m going to make this short. This was an amazing book. There’s so much going on, so much learning by the characters, particularly Alex, about life and that things are not always as they seem. Be prepared to laugh out loud, cry, get angry, laugh some more, and cry, cry, cry. The ending is heartbreaking. You’ll know when you read it. So sad. Yet still a great book. The writing was perfect, the character were well developed, especially Alex’s. Just read it. I didn’t read any of the reviews before or since reading The Summer of ‘74 but it there are any negative reviews ignore them.
I’m going to make this short. This was an amazing book. There’s so much going on, so much learning by the characters, particularly Alex, about life and that things are not always as they seem. Be prepared to laugh out loud, cry, get angry, laugh some more, and cry, cry, cry. The ending is heartbreaking. You’ll know when you read it. So sad. Yet still a great book. The writing was perfect, the character were well developed, especially Alex’s. Just read it. I didn’t read any of the reviews before or since reading The Summer of ‘74 but it there are any negative reviews ignore them.
March 29, 2022
I agree with both the positive and negative reviews of this book but mainly with the negative ones. It is well written but most of the characters are shallow and ruthless with the exception of the main character, Alex. I too felt cheated by the turn of events and unnecessarily sad ending.
There were some very unrealistic descriptions of the time period with more than a few female characters described as wearing beehive hairdos and cat eye glasses which were characteristic of the early '60s. The artists and cool people also wore lots of black which was more late '80s or '90s instead of the bright colors, wide lapels and platform shoes which were the height of '70s fashion.
There was too much made of the Alex and Rick's relationship, especially when considering this was the era of gay liberation. Rick worked on the set of McMillan and Wife and it was well known in Hollywood that Rock Hudson was gay so Rick would have been privy to this as an insider. His father, the director, would also have been surrounded by gays an lesbians who have always been a major part of the creative process of film and television. The sex scenes were few, lacking warmth and intimacy.
It also seems totally unrealistic that Alex would allow 25 or however many years pass without putting pride aside and asking Rick to come back. If Danielle had truly loved Alex she would have contacted Rick to let him know how miserable Alex was without him, instead of marrying him. How lame!
I think the cruel emotional and physical suffering bestowed on the hero of this story by the writer was unforgivable. This book left me feeling cheated and hollow inside so rather than risk more disappointment I chose not to read the sequel. Instead, I went back to one of my favorite authors of gay male romances, Z.A. Maxfield, whose characters are more well rounded and while also suffering pain and sorrow, usually experience healing and growth. This results in an inspiring and uplifting rather than thoroughly depressing, ending.
There were some very unrealistic descriptions of the time period with more than a few female characters described as wearing beehive hairdos and cat eye glasses which were characteristic of the early '60s. The artists and cool people also wore lots of black which was more late '80s or '90s instead of the bright colors, wide lapels and platform shoes which were the height of '70s fashion.
There was too much made of the Alex and Rick's relationship, especially when considering this was the era of gay liberation. Rick worked on the set of McMillan and Wife and it was well known in Hollywood that Rock Hudson was gay so Rick would have been privy to this as an insider. His father, the director, would also have been surrounded by gays an lesbians who have always been a major part of the creative process of film and television. The sex scenes were few, lacking warmth and intimacy.
It also seems totally unrealistic that Alex would allow 25 or however many years pass without putting pride aside and asking Rick to come back. If Danielle had truly loved Alex she would have contacted Rick to let him know how miserable Alex was without him, instead of marrying him. How lame!
I think the cruel emotional and physical suffering bestowed on the hero of this story by the writer was unforgivable. This book left me feeling cheated and hollow inside so rather than risk more disappointment I chose not to read the sequel. Instead, I went back to one of my favorite authors of gay male romances, Z.A. Maxfield, whose characters are more well rounded and while also suffering pain and sorrow, usually experience healing and growth. This results in an inspiring and uplifting rather than thoroughly depressing, ending.
May 3, 2021
Well written with great character development. A wonderful journey through tne lives of 2 men as they find themselves.
A great book.
A great book.
May 6, 2020
A beautiful story that was ruined by an unnecessary detail in the last few paragraphs of the book. All of the good emotions I experienced while reading the book turned into anger over such a cheap stunt and made me feel I wasted my time getting invested in the characters and their stories.
Also, the British slang was completely out of place in a story that took place in Southern California in 1974.
Also, the British slang was completely out of place in a story that took place in Southern California in 1974.
March 30, 2020
It took me far too long to finish this book. While I liked Alex’s character and the basic plot, there were too many minor characters whose story lines diverted from the main story of Alex and Rick. I just didn’t care about Scotty, Hank, the neighbors on the beach, etc. Also the frequent lapses into British speech bothered me.
December 14, 2019
Loved this ... great characters with a OMG ending.
May 30, 2020
GREAT READ BUT AUTHOR IS HIS OWN WORST ENEMY
What begins as a bromance between a "prince and the pauper" quickly evolves into a full blown romance between two very different men who are arguably both bisexual. The story is told from the pauper's viewpoint and Rayner's characters are so well drawn I found myself totally immersed in their reality. The "smart ass" dialog he creates between the two lovers is so funny and true to life. I fell in love with these guys.
There are a few situations he creates that appear too contrived for the sake of advancing the story. While otherwise the narrative is clever and the twists sophisticated, Rayner seems to lose his finesse with these plot points. Also, as one other reviewer points out, Rayner is British and some of his descriptions and phrases are glaringly out of place with a story set in Southern California. Petty perhaps, but as a retired school teacher I also have to mention the myriad amount of typos in the text. Not Rayner's fault, but they really became a distraction. These are minor criticisms however.
Because Rayner was so successful emotionally connecting me with this couple, I hated his ending, especially the last three pages. In retribution, the five star rating I would have given his story, I'm reducing to four. So there, Howard! Take that! I suppose it speaks to his talent that he was so effective in riling me up and bringing me down. This story lingers with me. I still think of these guys.
What begins as a bromance between a "prince and the pauper" quickly evolves into a full blown romance between two very different men who are arguably both bisexual. The story is told from the pauper's viewpoint and Rayner's characters are so well drawn I found myself totally immersed in their reality. The "smart ass" dialog he creates between the two lovers is so funny and true to life. I fell in love with these guys.
There are a few situations he creates that appear too contrived for the sake of advancing the story. While otherwise the narrative is clever and the twists sophisticated, Rayner seems to lose his finesse with these plot points. Also, as one other reviewer points out, Rayner is British and some of his descriptions and phrases are glaringly out of place with a story set in Southern California. Petty perhaps, but as a retired school teacher I also have to mention the myriad amount of typos in the text. Not Rayner's fault, but they really became a distraction. These are minor criticisms however.
Because Rayner was so successful emotionally connecting me with this couple, I hated his ending, especially the last three pages. In retribution, the five star rating I would have given his story, I'm reducing to four. So there, Howard! Take that! I suppose it speaks to his talent that he was so effective in riling me up and bringing me down. This story lingers with me. I still think of these guys.
February 5, 2023
A bit cheesy but I liked it
Boys meet and fall in love but life gets in the way. 1974 was a different world and to be gay was a lot more difficult. A good read giving an insight into the movie and art scene in the seventies.
Boys meet and fall in love but life gets in the way. 1974 was a different world and to be gay was a lot more difficult. A good read giving an insight into the movie and art scene in the seventies.
June 30, 2019
Interesting look at male/male relationships in 1974.
October 12, 2024
This was an absolutely excellent read. I would definitely recommend it. I've already started the sequel.
July 11, 2019
Typical story of two people accidentally meeting and their developing love for each other with all the accompanying impediments thrown in their way. Will Rick and Alex finally commit to each other and find true happiness? That is the genesis of the story. Even though the story takes place in 1974, it could have been any time period; however, being gay in 1974 and the attendant problems of that period did ring true. Right up to the end we weren't sure how the story would end. I can't say that I liked Rick's flawed character and perhaps it was better that he and Alex parted ways. As for the plot you can read that elsewhere.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2024
This breezy, nostalgic recollection of a post-Stonewall summer in Southern California is rich with characters, tender with romance, and softened with loss.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews