What do you think?
Rate this book
Three Fortunes in One Cookie
Leaving behind a dead-end job, failed artistic aspirations, and the prospect of another cold New York winter, Phillip Powell returns to the town he spent years trying to escape to look after his mother, who has gone a little crazy. Two aunts-one of whom is a religious fanatic, the other a lesbian-a roommate who is both a hooker and a voyeur, an old classmate with a big secret, and Phillip's demented mother all play a part in Phillip's discovery that the complicated ties of home and family are often the very things that set us free. Cochrane Lambert is the writing team of Becky Cochrane and Timothy Lambert, authors of The Deal , and (under the name Timothy James Beck) It Had To Be You , He's the One , and I'm Your Man .
308 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2005
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Read
June 12, 2010This is a little buried treasure, and one of the most enchanting romance I read lately. Phillip is 23 years old, young, gay and living in New York City. He is from a wealthy family who “disowned” him, or maybe he disowned them, but in a way or the other, I have the feeling that, if he was really in need of something, they would be there for him. So Phillip is not having a bad life in NYC, but it’s clear that he has some loose strands to close in Pass Christian, Mississippi, the small town he left in is running away from trouble.
When Phillip talks of his family, even if he describes all of them like a bunch of nut people, it’s clear that he loves them; when his grandfather comes to NYC, with a proposal for Phillip, it’s also clear that he will agree to that: his grandfather has to go to China for six months for a job and he doesn’t want to leave his daughter, Phillip’s mother, alone; she is not stable, and everyone, from her father, to her 4 sisters, to a whole lot of other people think she needs a caretaker, and so Phillip agrees to be the one. But the same night he accepts his grandfather’s offer, he also meets Kieran, one possible very good candidate to the role of Mr Right in this story: they have only one month, but it’s a perfect month, and when Phillip goes back to Mississippi, he has the feeling to have forgotten something in NYC, his heart.
Many young men fly from their small home town to big city to find themselves; here instead Phillip has to go back to that small town to do that. In New York City, Phillip was stalling, it was not his real life, and in any case, he has to much closure to do in Pass Christian to be able to really enjoy his life in the big city. Phillip is an artist, but instead of feeding his art, the life in NYC was almost exhausting it, and only coming back to Pass Christian, Phillip is able to “create” again. Even his story with Kieran, thought interrupted, gains from the distance: I don’t know, but I think that, if Phillip was living in New York City, when the time come for Kieran to go back home in Ireland, their story would have ended like that, like a good cherished memories in Phillip’s walk on his memories lane.
In Pass Christian Phillip has the chance to confront himself more than he had in New York City; a former best friend, Chad, who was probably more than that; a buddy friend with benefits, Dash, some new best girl friends, Shanon and Jess, who replace Alyssa, former best girl friend from NYC, who moved out month before and maybe one of the reason why Phillip was not so much enjoying his life in the city. Plus instead of letting him go, his previous life in NYC seems to come to Pass Christian with him, and Carlos, Claude, Kieran and even Bunny, in a way or the other, all of them will come to small town to help Phillip to understand who he is and what he wants, or better who he wants. And Phillip will understand that, for once, small town is probably a better place to live than big city, and that he has many, many more chance to find love here than everywhere else.
Three Fortunes in One Cookie is a choral book, with a lot of interesting supporting characters, all orchestrated by Phillip, or maybe all of them giving a little piece of advice to the man to help him find their way. All of them is an important piece, a little burst of energy that will drive Phillip to his happily ever after ending.
Unfortunately I don't understand why this book is out of stock, as are some of the previous novels from two of these co-author, Becky Cochrane and Timothy J. Lambert, two of the four authors who were the team under the pen name of Timothy James Beck. Until now, not one of the romance I read by them was disappointing, and I strongly recommend to some publisher to consider to re-print these books, or at least to who wants to read them, to search on the second hand market.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/155583910X/?...
When Phillip talks of his family, even if he describes all of them like a bunch of nut people, it’s clear that he loves them; when his grandfather comes to NYC, with a proposal for Phillip, it’s also clear that he will agree to that: his grandfather has to go to China for six months for a job and he doesn’t want to leave his daughter, Phillip’s mother, alone; she is not stable, and everyone, from her father, to her 4 sisters, to a whole lot of other people think she needs a caretaker, and so Phillip agrees to be the one. But the same night he accepts his grandfather’s offer, he also meets Kieran, one possible very good candidate to the role of Mr Right in this story: they have only one month, but it’s a perfect month, and when Phillip goes back to Mississippi, he has the feeling to have forgotten something in NYC, his heart.
Many young men fly from their small home town to big city to find themselves; here instead Phillip has to go back to that small town to do that. In New York City, Phillip was stalling, it was not his real life, and in any case, he has to much closure to do in Pass Christian to be able to really enjoy his life in the big city. Phillip is an artist, but instead of feeding his art, the life in NYC was almost exhausting it, and only coming back to Pass Christian, Phillip is able to “create” again. Even his story with Kieran, thought interrupted, gains from the distance: I don’t know, but I think that, if Phillip was living in New York City, when the time come for Kieran to go back home in Ireland, their story would have ended like that, like a good cherished memories in Phillip’s walk on his memories lane.
In Pass Christian Phillip has the chance to confront himself more than he had in New York City; a former best friend, Chad, who was probably more than that; a buddy friend with benefits, Dash, some new best girl friends, Shanon and Jess, who replace Alyssa, former best girl friend from NYC, who moved out month before and maybe one of the reason why Phillip was not so much enjoying his life in the city. Plus instead of letting him go, his previous life in NYC seems to come to Pass Christian with him, and Carlos, Claude, Kieran and even Bunny, in a way or the other, all of them will come to small town to help Phillip to understand who he is and what he wants, or better who he wants. And Phillip will understand that, for once, small town is probably a better place to live than big city, and that he has many, many more chance to find love here than everywhere else.
Three Fortunes in One Cookie is a choral book, with a lot of interesting supporting characters, all orchestrated by Phillip, or maybe all of them giving a little piece of advice to the man to help him find their way. All of them is an important piece, a little burst of energy that will drive Phillip to his happily ever after ending.
Unfortunately I don't understand why this book is out of stock, as are some of the previous novels from two of these co-author, Becky Cochrane and Timothy J. Lambert, two of the four authors who were the team under the pen name of Timothy James Beck. Until now, not one of the romance I read by them was disappointing, and I strongly recommend to some publisher to consider to re-print these books, or at least to who wants to read them, to search on the second hand market.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/155583910X/?...
July 3, 2010
Do you know the phrase the walking wounded? When I first came out, and it went very poorly, I met a small group of mostly gay friends and we jokingly referred to ourselves as the walking wounded. We gathered at holidays with the rest of the people we knew had nowhere to go ( Christmas for Losers! we'd happily advertise), and generally held each other up a bit as we navigated what was likely to be one of the worst periods of our lives.
At the start of Three Fortunes in One Cookie, I was strongly reminded of that time in my life, and the people I knew at that point. Phillip Powell, and most of the people he meets within the first few chapters, are very much the walking wounded. Phillip's art is stuck in inspiration-free zones, his ability to hold a relationship together seems broken, and when his grandfather all but blackmails him with financial security into coming home to care for his crazy mother, there's not much holding him back. His best friend has moved away and married, his lover is leaving the country, and he's broke.
So, five years after he was ejected from his family, he's back in Mississippi.
Now, I could tell you all about the plot, but I won't. What struck me - what always strikes me about the writings of Cochrane Lambert (and Timothy James Beck, and Becky Cochrane, and Timothy Lambert, all of whom are incarnations in full or in part of the same author group) are the characters. Phillip isn't perfect by any stretch - he's human, and you can't help but feel for him, even when he's being a collossal ass. As the characters form around Phillip, you get the feeling that all of them, Phillip included, are coming out of the darker parts of their lives.
Does everyone end up healed and happy? Of course not - and that's something else I can praise of Cochrane Lambert's work, as always. If everything came up daisies for everyone, the authors would lose the sense of emotional reality these characters evoke. Some of them make some of the worst decisions ever, and some of the horrible is pretty final. But the rest of them - I'll say it again, though I'm beating it to death - the walking wounded keep walking, and they get a little better with every step.
At the start of Three Fortunes in One Cookie, I was strongly reminded of that time in my life, and the people I knew at that point. Phillip Powell, and most of the people he meets within the first few chapters, are very much the walking wounded. Phillip's art is stuck in inspiration-free zones, his ability to hold a relationship together seems broken, and when his grandfather all but blackmails him with financial security into coming home to care for his crazy mother, there's not much holding him back. His best friend has moved away and married, his lover is leaving the country, and he's broke.
So, five years after he was ejected from his family, he's back in Mississippi.
Now, I could tell you all about the plot, but I won't. What struck me - what always strikes me about the writings of Cochrane Lambert (and Timothy James Beck, and Becky Cochrane, and Timothy Lambert, all of whom are incarnations in full or in part of the same author group) are the characters. Phillip isn't perfect by any stretch - he's human, and you can't help but feel for him, even when he's being a collossal ass. As the characters form around Phillip, you get the feeling that all of them, Phillip included, are coming out of the darker parts of their lives.
Does everyone end up healed and happy? Of course not - and that's something else I can praise of Cochrane Lambert's work, as always. If everything came up daisies for everyone, the authors would lose the sense of emotional reality these characters evoke. Some of them make some of the worst decisions ever, and some of the horrible is pretty final. But the rest of them - I'll say it again, though I'm beating it to death - the walking wounded keep walking, and they get a little better with every step.
June 19, 2010
I will start out by saying, I really liked this book. Ok.
Now the negatives: I feel like this book played a bit up to stereotypes and just really shone some dirty light on the part of gay culture that seems to be so Queer as Folk. The book is barely over 300 pages but the main character has sex with 5 different guys. There is the drugged out flamer gay and the butch construction worker lesbian.
Also there seemed to be an uneven balance of gay people. Everyone seemed to be gay. That was a tad over the top to me.
I did like it, was a cute book. Just left me with a bit of a bitter taste on my tongue...
Now the negatives: I feel like this book played a bit up to stereotypes and just really shone some dirty light on the part of gay culture that seems to be so Queer as Folk. The book is barely over 300 pages but the main character has sex with 5 different guys. There is the drugged out flamer gay and the butch construction worker lesbian.
Also there seemed to be an uneven balance of gay people. Everyone seemed to be gay. That was a tad over the top to me.
I did like it, was a cute book. Just left me with a bit of a bitter taste on my tongue...
November 19, 2013
Maybe the 2 star rating is unfair. The book was well written and I didn't mind that it was about a young gay mans life and his struggles with his family, who had deep roots in Mississippi. Most of the issues he had with the various people in his life would have existed regardless of his sexual preferences.
Overall the author took about 100 pages too many to tell the story. Also, in my opinion, there were too many explicit sex scenes.
Overall the author took about 100 pages too many to tell the story. Also, in my opinion, there were too many explicit sex scenes.
July 24, 2016
I have read this book a few times over the years and generally enjoy it, but for a reason that I can never really pin-point. The characters feel realized and rounded for the most part, and it's a nice slice-of-life story, but it does have a number of tangents and secondary characters that don't add to the plot or do anything to express the characters.
That said, I will most likely cycle this book back into my reading schedule again in a few years and will re-read it again after that.
That said, I will most likely cycle this book back into my reading schedule again in a few years and will re-read it again after that.
May 16, 2007
I loved this book! The characters are fun and dark and twisty and interesting and witty and deep. I didn't know how the book would end until the last page but I was rooting for all the possible outcomes for the characters--each and everyone.
If you love twists and turns and something frothy and fun then this could be your book for sure.
If you love twists and turns and something frothy and fun then this could be your book for sure.
January 21, 2008
Hilarious
July 24, 2008
This is by far my favortie by Becky and Tim. I fell in love with Phillip from the first chapter. I also greatly idenified wth him having recently returned to ym hometown myself.
October 16, 2011
It was ok, nothing to write home about.
The quality of writing was good but there was nothing 'catching' about the story. It was just an average 'few months in the life of...'
The quality of writing was good but there was nothing 'catching' about the story. It was just an average 'few months in the life of...'
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews