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That Summer of '74 #2
Until the Fall of '19
Only one thing is sweeter than a memory of lost love ...
and that's finding it again.
March 2008. Having put the heartache and loss of seven years ago behind him, 62-year-old artist Alex Morgan lives comfortably behind high walls in his Venice Beach compound. With a devoted housekeeper, a loyal studio assistant, a compliant male lover and a badly behaved dog, his life is totally under control ... apart from the dog.
But a heart attack during his morning swim shatters his pleasant existence. The brush with death raises ghosts of repressed grief, unresolved hurts and self-doubt. During a period of enforced recuperation, Alex discovers not everyone in his little kingdom is as content as he thought. The palm trees, fiery sunsets and clack of skateboards on concrete may be the sights and sounds of home to him, but he suspects his lover’s heart lies elsewhere.
And when the re-emergence of a familiar nemesis pressurizes the crack in his long-term relationship into a split, should Alex let go of the past and pursue a new love in LA, or venture to a place he vowed never to tread and fight for an old one?
We re-join the well-loved characters from The Summer of ’74 as they negotiate reality TV, gay marriage, a Presidential election and an unfolding financial crisis during a very different summer – the summer of 2008.
Moving between LA, New York and Italy, Until the Fall of ’19 is a seductive, warm-hearted, gay romantic drama about addressing your faults, embracing your dreams and never being afraid to shout ‘I love you’ right out loud – no matter what age you are.
and that's finding it again.
March 2008. Having put the heartache and loss of seven years ago behind him, 62-year-old artist Alex Morgan lives comfortably behind high walls in his Venice Beach compound. With a devoted housekeeper, a loyal studio assistant, a compliant male lover and a badly behaved dog, his life is totally under control ... apart from the dog.
But a heart attack during his morning swim shatters his pleasant existence. The brush with death raises ghosts of repressed grief, unresolved hurts and self-doubt. During a period of enforced recuperation, Alex discovers not everyone in his little kingdom is as content as he thought. The palm trees, fiery sunsets and clack of skateboards on concrete may be the sights and sounds of home to him, but he suspects his lover’s heart lies elsewhere.
And when the re-emergence of a familiar nemesis pressurizes the crack in his long-term relationship into a split, should Alex let go of the past and pursue a new love in LA, or venture to a place he vowed never to tread and fight for an old one?
We re-join the well-loved characters from The Summer of ’74 as they negotiate reality TV, gay marriage, a Presidential election and an unfolding financial crisis during a very different summer – the summer of 2008.
Moving between LA, New York and Italy, Until the Fall of ’19 is a seductive, warm-hearted, gay romantic drama about addressing your faults, embracing your dreams and never being afraid to shout ‘I love you’ right out loud – no matter what age you are.
- GenresM M RomanceGay Fiction
496 pages, Paperback
Published September 10, 2021
5 people are currently reading
14 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 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 27, 2021
A WRONG RIGHTED, A BEAUTIFUL LOVE STORY BROUGHT TO ITS PROPER END
This novel is the sequel to Howard Rayner's, In the Summer of '74. I read that book more than a year ago and love, love, loved it. Up until the final three pages and then I hated it! I wasn't the only one. Many of the reviews I read, mine included of course, were not very kind to how Rayner chose to end that wonderful story of a great summer romance between a "prince and a pauper." As I said in my review at the time, I suppose it's a compliment to Rayner's talent that he got me to care so much about his characters, I was pissed as to what he did to them! A month or two after finishing that book, I was notified through Kindle that Rayner was working on a sequel. I signed up for it then and there. I starting reading the book as soon as it became available and I've now just finished.
The thing about writing is: what an author can do in a few paragraphs, he can undo in a few more. That's exactly how this sequel opens. Rayner "fixes" the ending of the previous book. Whether it was his intent to always do so, or a reaction to readers like me doesn't matter. He fixed it!
From there, the story of these two men, their families and friends, continues into their old age. Actually the story in this sequel begins some thirty years after the summer of 1974. It's now the first decade of the 21st century. There are a lot of references in the book to events from the first novel, some are more familiar to me than others. Some Rayner very deftly intertwines. I wish I had read these two books closer together. If you're new to them, I suggest you read them back to back.
As with the first novel, Rayner's plot in this one is complex and clever. His textures for characters, their dialog, and scene descriptions are rich with detail. He seems to draw you right into the story almost effortlessly. While I'm happy with my life, if not a bit bored now in retirement, I found myself looking forward to escaping back into the lives of Alex and Rick when I would pick the book back up. You know you love a story when you are sorry, really sorry, to see it end.
Perhaps the impact this story has had on me is tied to my life experience with my own partner, now husband, of 39 years. We are in our early sixties in good health with, hopefully, a lot of living with one another still ahead. My husband, however, likes to joke "we're now entering our final stage." That's where Rayner ultimately takes us with Alex and Rick. It's the story of a truly long-term relationship with all its joy and sorrow, triumphs and challenges, less about physical love (although there is that) and more about the true bonding that happens when human-beings become almost as one over time. In this instant, they just both happen be male. Soul-mates as they say.
Rayner's prose truly makes these people seem very real, more biography than fiction. The contribution he has made to our world in this story is the capacity of humans to love, and to love deeply, is not bound by the stereotypes society has historically placed around human gender and sexuality. Thanks for this sequel Mr. Rayner and not ending Alex and Rick with your first novel.
This novel is the sequel to Howard Rayner's, In the Summer of '74. I read that book more than a year ago and love, love, loved it. Up until the final three pages and then I hated it! I wasn't the only one. Many of the reviews I read, mine included of course, were not very kind to how Rayner chose to end that wonderful story of a great summer romance between a "prince and a pauper." As I said in my review at the time, I suppose it's a compliment to Rayner's talent that he got me to care so much about his characters, I was pissed as to what he did to them! A month or two after finishing that book, I was notified through Kindle that Rayner was working on a sequel. I signed up for it then and there. I starting reading the book as soon as it became available and I've now just finished.
The thing about writing is: what an author can do in a few paragraphs, he can undo in a few more. That's exactly how this sequel opens. Rayner "fixes" the ending of the previous book. Whether it was his intent to always do so, or a reaction to readers like me doesn't matter. He fixed it!
From there, the story of these two men, their families and friends, continues into their old age. Actually the story in this sequel begins some thirty years after the summer of 1974. It's now the first decade of the 21st century. There are a lot of references in the book to events from the first novel, some are more familiar to me than others. Some Rayner very deftly intertwines. I wish I had read these two books closer together. If you're new to them, I suggest you read them back to back.
As with the first novel, Rayner's plot in this one is complex and clever. His textures for characters, their dialog, and scene descriptions are rich with detail. He seems to draw you right into the story almost effortlessly. While I'm happy with my life, if not a bit bored now in retirement, I found myself looking forward to escaping back into the lives of Alex and Rick when I would pick the book back up. You know you love a story when you are sorry, really sorry, to see it end.
Perhaps the impact this story has had on me is tied to my life experience with my own partner, now husband, of 39 years. We are in our early sixties in good health with, hopefully, a lot of living with one another still ahead. My husband, however, likes to joke "we're now entering our final stage." That's where Rayner ultimately takes us with Alex and Rick. It's the story of a truly long-term relationship with all its joy and sorrow, triumphs and challenges, less about physical love (although there is that) and more about the true bonding that happens when human-beings become almost as one over time. In this instant, they just both happen be male. Soul-mates as they say.
Rayner's prose truly makes these people seem very real, more biography than fiction. The contribution he has made to our world in this story is the capacity of humans to love, and to love deeply, is not bound by the stereotypes society has historically placed around human gender and sexuality. Thanks for this sequel Mr. Rayner and not ending Alex and Rick with your first novel.
February 14, 2023
Eternal love
A love that survived a gap of 26 years. This story has everything Hollywood, modern art, reality tv and travel but what sustains it is the love between two men.
A love that survived a gap of 26 years. This story has everything Hollywood, modern art, reality tv and travel but what sustains it is the love between two men.
October 26, 2024
I think this was even better than the first instalment - and that was an excellent read! They were both tear jerkers. Definitely highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews