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Tell Me the Truth About Love
A novel about sexual love, straight and queer, about love between friends, between exes, between parents and children, between lovers old and new, Erik Tarloff’s Tell Me the Truth About Love tells the story of Toby Lindeman, a divorced man in San Francisco leading what appears to be an enviable bachelor’s life. Suave, attractive, somewhat detached from the emotional needs of those around him, he seems to sail blithely above life’s common difficulties as he goes about his duties as chief fundraiser for the San Francisco Opera.
But then, to his own surprise, he falls passionately in love with the most inappropriate woman possible, the long-time mistress of the powerful man on whom his own future seems to depend. As Toby navigates the risks of this relationship, encountering heartbreak and professional catastrophe along the way, he also finds himself reconnecting on a much deeper level with all the people in his life. Suspenseful, sexy, and often laugh-out-loud funny, Tell Me the Truth About Love is a very contemporary look at the varieties of human connection.
But then, to his own surprise, he falls passionately in love with the most inappropriate woman possible, the long-time mistress of the powerful man on whom his own future seems to depend. As Toby navigates the risks of this relationship, encountering heartbreak and professional catastrophe along the way, he also finds himself reconnecting on a much deeper level with all the people in his life. Suspenseful, sexy, and often laugh-out-loud funny, Tell Me the Truth About Love is a very contemporary look at the varieties of human connection.
- GenresQueerRomanceContemporary
388 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 11, 2022
4 people are currently reading
3978 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
February 13, 2023
I worked at SF Opera for eight years, most of it in Development, so this review is a bit skewed. It's a quick diverting read, but Tarloff even notes at the end that he interviewed people who were leaders at SF Opera 20+ years ago and he diverted from what they told him was how things actually work. So he knows he's portraying things inaccurately. That was annoying, but creative license, whatever. But he also makes a point of Development being this person's job, so it was irritating to see it portrayed so wrong. Also, Toby never works. Like it's somehow acceptable for him to never be in the office, to never be at a performance, etc. He does have a lot of sex. As a former colleague said to me in reading the book review: "I don't remember any afternoon trysts. I do remember a lot of board meetings and a lot of work in Excel."
My other issue is this book feels like it was written 20+ years ago and didn't get picked up then. Tarloff tried to dust it off and submit it again in 2021, and this time it was accepted, but they didn't bother to make any real attempt to make it read like the era it is supposed to be taking place in (2022, post pandemic). All of these characters in their 40s have a landline phone. When Toby goes into the office, his assistant hands him pink slips with his messages. He talks of hot days in San Francisco needing AC (hahaha), and how easy it was for his daughter to get into UC Berkeley, the local college (comical even 20 years ago). There are literally two lines referencing the pandemic -- otherwise I would have thought it was taking place in 2000. There's creative license and then there's laziness.
My other issue is this book feels like it was written 20+ years ago and didn't get picked up then. Tarloff tried to dust it off and submit it again in 2021, and this time it was accepted, but they didn't bother to make any real attempt to make it read like the era it is supposed to be taking place in (2022, post pandemic). All of these characters in their 40s have a landline phone. When Toby goes into the office, his assistant hands him pink slips with his messages. He talks of hot days in San Francisco needing AC (hahaha), and how easy it was for his daughter to get into UC Berkeley, the local college (comical even 20 years ago). There are literally two lines referencing the pandemic -- otherwise I would have thought it was taking place in 2000. There's creative license and then there's laziness.
November 28, 2022
This is another fine book by Erik Tarloff. Here the main protagonist is Toby Lindeman, who is in charge of raising money for the San Francisco Opera. He is trying to get millions out of a billionaire named Bradley Solomon for a new opera. At a party, he meets the girlfriend, Amy Baldwin, of said wealthy person (the latter happens to be married, but his wife is ill). They fall madly in love. His best friend is a gay musician named Jonas who is living with Brian,the conductor of Opera orchestra. His ex-wife and their daughter live nearby. The plot revolves around how Toby negotiates his relationships with all these people while experiencing the usual ups and downs of his romantic relationship with Amy. This is a very readable and satisfying book. Highly recommended.
February 4, 2023
My gay 16 year old grandson says "captures romantic love beautifully"
November 20, 2022
I have always loved reading Erik Tarloff’s work, and for me this novel is his most satisfying and complex. I was first struck and delighted by the natural but carefully nuanced dialogue; the pace and tone of the exchanges bring the characters to life immediately, while the narrator’s wry voice introduces the irony and humor that underlie their interactions. Then, of course, I got caught up in the story and found the book hard to put down. I especially enjoyed the diversity of characters, their witty repartee, the vivid local color, the glimpses into the intrigues of the San Francisco opera world, and - as always with this author's writing - the elevated language and sentence structure. Not to mention the provocative exploration of what - and whom, and how - it means to love.
November 16, 2022
Talking today to a friend about his partner who I characterized as "a fan of love...like me." The friend said he was sorry but he wasn't a fan like his partner. And he said perhaps he was on a "spectrum," and I said when it comes to love the switch is either on or off, and maybe his wishing he was at least on a spectrum meant that his love switch actually was on. "In the old days" love meant something very narrowly defined; today it is still love switched on, but there are so many different kinds of "loves"... Eric gives a sympathetic portrayal of each, providing an understanding (not just intellectual, but visceral) of them, including those that used to be considered wrong. And it is in the emotional (what I call visceral) in Eric's portrayal that the "Truth" is found.
December 25, 2022
Give someone Tell Me the Truth About Love for Christmas and the lucky person will disappear on you until it’s finished.
I know. I started reading it on Thanksgiving and finished a day later, eschewing pumpkin pie and Bananagrams. In Eric Tarloff’s first book, “Face Time,” his hero climbs the slippery pole of White House politics where success is measured in minutes spent in the gaze of the president. Relationships are secondary and fraught.
In this one, Toby Lindeman is climbing a very different slippery pole as head of development at the San Francisco Opera, where relationships are fraught, but come first. We meet him running to a fancy dinner at the insistence of Doris, his whip-smart boss, to harpoon the city’s biggest whale, Brad Solomon. On the way to his table, Toby stumbles upon the beguiling Amy Baldwin. Neither can suss out why the other is there but both care enough to try. “Are you, like a professional escort, hired to squire a biddy with God knows what’s expected of you at the end of the evening?’’ Amy asks. “Is it that obvious?” Toby replies. “Damn.’’
When Amy gets to her table, it doesn’t take a genius to see that she’s with Moby Dick. There’s a wrench in the works for you. The attraction could be fatal but lives on because Solomon is conveniently unwoke. He assumes that because Toby works at the opera, he must be gay.
That gives the two enough purloined time to become one mind, two bodies. It’s hard to decide whether the repartee between them is the best you’ve ever heard or the sex is the best you’ve never had. This is the first time Toby’s been with a woman who gets him totally, her conversation like a “ping pong ball always flying back over the net, and with a devilish new spin on it each time.”
If not Nick and Nora Charles, they’re Harry and Sally, and the wrench gives time for a gallery of supporting characters to have their moments on stage: Toby’s first wife whom he gets to know after their divorce, his teenage daughter he used to know until she became a teenager, his best friend Jonas who gets his heart broken and moves in with Toby, forming a makeshift family with him and the teenager who could teach the adults a thing or two about love. Doris tethers everyone to the ground, as she deals with her fanciful artistic director who has commissioned an opera that’s so wildly woke and unentertaining as to be un-producible. .
In the end, and it comes too soon, Toby loses his wife but finds love. He loses his job and finds balance, blows up his relationship with his daughter to have one. More I cannot say except that lucky for us, Tarloff, who told us all he knew about power in Washington left it for San Francisco to tell us all he knows about love.
I know. I started reading it on Thanksgiving and finished a day later, eschewing pumpkin pie and Bananagrams. In Eric Tarloff’s first book, “Face Time,” his hero climbs the slippery pole of White House politics where success is measured in minutes spent in the gaze of the president. Relationships are secondary and fraught.
In this one, Toby Lindeman is climbing a very different slippery pole as head of development at the San Francisco Opera, where relationships are fraught, but come first. We meet him running to a fancy dinner at the insistence of Doris, his whip-smart boss, to harpoon the city’s biggest whale, Brad Solomon. On the way to his table, Toby stumbles upon the beguiling Amy Baldwin. Neither can suss out why the other is there but both care enough to try. “Are you, like a professional escort, hired to squire a biddy with God knows what’s expected of you at the end of the evening?’’ Amy asks. “Is it that obvious?” Toby replies. “Damn.’’
When Amy gets to her table, it doesn’t take a genius to see that she’s with Moby Dick. There’s a wrench in the works for you. The attraction could be fatal but lives on because Solomon is conveniently unwoke. He assumes that because Toby works at the opera, he must be gay.
That gives the two enough purloined time to become one mind, two bodies. It’s hard to decide whether the repartee between them is the best you’ve ever heard or the sex is the best you’ve never had. This is the first time Toby’s been with a woman who gets him totally, her conversation like a “ping pong ball always flying back over the net, and with a devilish new spin on it each time.”
If not Nick and Nora Charles, they’re Harry and Sally, and the wrench gives time for a gallery of supporting characters to have their moments on stage: Toby’s first wife whom he gets to know after their divorce, his teenage daughter he used to know until she became a teenager, his best friend Jonas who gets his heart broken and moves in with Toby, forming a makeshift family with him and the teenager who could teach the adults a thing or two about love. Doris tethers everyone to the ground, as she deals with her fanciful artistic director who has commissioned an opera that’s so wildly woke and unentertaining as to be un-producible. .
In the end, and it comes too soon, Toby loses his wife but finds love. He loses his job and finds balance, blows up his relationship with his daughter to have one. More I cannot say except that lucky for us, Tarloff, who told us all he knew about power in Washington left it for San Francisco to tell us all he knows about love.
November 21, 2022
I know I’ve hooked into a good book when time and again I’m whiplashed by what happens next; of course, on the other, hand it’s a lousy book and I should just put it aside if I can finish each sentence for the author before I read it or hear it. On both counts Tell Me the Truth About Love is simply a reader’s delight. The dialogue is sparkling and the crafting of the story equally clever.
I am so totally not Toby; he leads me into soirees and salons that I would only experience in a bad dream. But instead of standing next to the punch bowl looking at his watch, he walks across the room and does something totally cringeworthy and I want to grab onto him and hiss “Don’t!! Don’t say that! Don’t sit on that couch!” Toby and Amy remind me of Jim and Margaret in my other favorite laugh-aloud book, Lucky Jim. For years after, I read most of Kingsley Amis hoping to find another Jim and never did. I’ll be eagerly watching for Erik’s next book.
I am so totally not Toby; he leads me into soirees and salons that I would only experience in a bad dream. But instead of standing next to the punch bowl looking at his watch, he walks across the room and does something totally cringeworthy and I want to grab onto him and hiss “Don’t!! Don’t say that! Don’t sit on that couch!” Toby and Amy remind me of Jim and Margaret in my other favorite laugh-aloud book, Lucky Jim. For years after, I read most of Kingsley Amis hoping to find another Jim and never did. I’ll be eagerly watching for Erik’s next book.
September 28, 2024
lowkey very mid. the book just really didn’t have a plot and i thought the pacing was off. the main relationship was kind of weird and had no build up which made it confusing how the characters liked each other so fast?? also the complete disregard, and rather, promotion of teacher-student relationship knocked a whole star off in its entirety. i still don’t know what the point of that addition was but i found it very odd. all in all it was just kind of boring, and the parts that were memorable were not for a good reason. i can’t say i’d recommend to someone else but it wasn’t the worst book in the world so i give it like a 2.5.
November 23, 2022
A fun, touching page turner! Erik Tarloff's latest novel is full of sparkling dialogue, well-developed, believable characters, plenty of plot twists and turns, and with a big heaping of funny and tender moments for both male and female characters that ring oh, so true. I began leafing through it whilst watching the baseball playoffs, but soon found the playoffs fading into the far background, as I became more and more engrossed. A real page turner. As a Bay Area resident, I enjoyed the San Francisco setting.
November 16, 2022
Good storytelling gives you that "fly on the wall" perspective and when that is combined with an endearing protagonist, that is a very good book. "Tell Me The Truth About Love" is one of those really good books. It is compelling, engaging and a completely delightful read. I cared about Toby, with all his dilemmas (or in spite of them) because he was lovable.
Read this book. You will thank me.
Read this book. You will thank me.
Read
November 28, 2022What a great new book from Erik Tarloff. His prose is lush, and the characters and relationships/situations very relatable, albeit somewhat complicated at times. I haven’t read a book for awhile that I was as eager to get back to when I had to put it down. I had a couple of ideas about how the book would end. The author’s ending was so much better than the ones I had imagined. “Tell Me The Truth About Love” is a wonderful read, with some unexpected twists and
turns.
turns.
December 5, 2022
Any book I find myself chewing on a full week later, deserves its 5-star rating from me. Erik Tarloff again demonstrates his deep insight into so many levels of human connection, in this book, with the fine-arts community—be it with bosses or donors, composers/conductors/musicians (classical to rock to wannabe), as well as with wives, former and current lovers, rebellious teenagers, and friends gay and straight. Well-plotted, funny, racy, as well as sophisticated about the arts community.
November 9, 2022
Fast, witty dialogue speeds us through a romantic comedy for modern times, with hijinx at the San Francisco Opera, swanky fundraisers, and blinds-drawn bedrooms. A treat for fans of Cathleen Schine, Max Shulman, and Erik Tarloff’s delightful earlier novels “The Man Who Wrote the Book” and “Face Time.”
November 15, 2022
This book is frothy and intoxicating — like a big bubbly glass of champagne, even though the hero prefers bourbon. Very much an adult novel, in the best way. Yes, there’s sex, and that’s fine, but there’s also love — romantic, platonic, extramarital, parental. Amid farcical comings and goings and dialogue that sparkles like, you know, the bubbly.
November 19, 2022
A warm and witty multilayered story full of snappy dialogue with laugh out loud sketches, what's not to love. The characters were multidimensional, credible, and likable. Opera buffs are in for a treat and a backstage look. Couldn't put it down and wanted it not to end. It's a book you'll want to recommend to your friends.
December 3, 2022
Tell Me the Truth about Love is a wonderful book. It's got a great plot, interesting and sympathetic characters, whose relationships evolve in believable ways. The dialogue throughout is engaging and often laugh- out- loud funny. It succeeds in offering an analysis of complex relationships without sacrificing humor. This is a book which, once started, is difficult to put down.
Julie Owen
Julie Owen
July 2, 2023
A wonderful novel about love in many forms set in the world of opera. It combines literary elegance with page-turning momentum. The characters are vividly drawn and unique, the dialogue is sparkling and often hilarious. Once started it is hard to put down. The ending is as surprising as it is satisfying.
Read
November 15, 2022Having read Mr. Tarloff's earlier books I was already a fan. But this latest novel surpasses the excellent work that preceded it. Wonderfully engrossing. Characters leap off the page. Don't miss one of the best new novels out there, IMHO. *****
November 29, 2022
Tarloff’s latest is also his best. An engaging story about relationships. Beautifully written, with great character development, clever repartee, and an engrossing plot line. A lovely read for a relaxing Sunday afternoon.
December 8, 2022
Fun book
This book isn’t deep but it is a hell of an enjoyable read. The characters are intriguing — and except for one person, the musical director of the opera- they all have surprisingly good qualities. I recommend this highly.
This book isn’t deep but it is a hell of an enjoyable read. The characters are intriguing — and except for one person, the musical director of the opera- they all have surprisingly good qualities. I recommend this highly.
Read
May 19, 2023I won a copy in a goodreads giveaway and I’m glad I did because it was a nice difference from the YA book I normally read age wise. I did end up DNFing it because of a bad reading slump but hopefully I get a chance to revisit it.
October 20, 2022
Excellent.
My review, for ZYZZYVA magazine, is linked below.
https://www.zyzzyva.org/2022/10/14/te...
My review, for ZYZZYVA magazine, is linked below.
https://www.zyzzyva.org/2022/10/14/te...
November 16, 2022
Beautiful story about love and heartbreak. I really enjoyed Tarloff's latest novel.
July 4, 2023
Clever read, not predictable.
December 27, 2022
The protagonist of this sophisticated romance, something of a cipher to himself, succumbs to a grand and inappropriate (but not for any of the reasons you’re thinking of) passion, which deepens other relationships he thought comfortably settled in middle-age. The sense of place (San Francisco) is sharp, and the milieu (arts non-profits) is fresh, at least to me. It’s essentially a comic novel, and a funny one, even when the truths it tells are painful.
November 15, 2022
Can't say enough about Erik Tarloff's latest novel. Compelling, smart, emotional, funny, intricately crafted. Superb character-driven story. You will love this book. That's the truth.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews