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Latter Days
“It’s an all-stops-out heart-tugger for sure . . . its emotional wallop is earned honestly and uncompromisingly.”—Kevin Thomas, L.A. Times
Winner of the Outstanding First Narrative Feature Award at OUTFest (the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival), and the Best Gay Male Feature Film Award at the Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.
Combine a hunky, repressed Mormon missionary and an L.A. party boy, sensual sex and knowing humor, and the result is a sure-fire crowd-pleaser. Christian is a handsome, young man who flits from guy to guy without much of a thought in his pretty little head. So when his roommate Julie discovers that the gorgeous group of young men who moved in next door are Mormon missionaries, they bet on whether Christian can bed one of them. Christian quickly moves in for the kill, identifying Elder Aaron Davis as a repressed homo—and quite a sexy one at that. Their initial encounters have a charged sexual tension, but fear of the devil keeps Aaron’s libido at bay. When the two are alone together, Aaron’s Mormon missionary roommates interrupt, spot their brother as gay and send him back in shame to his Idaho hometown and embarrassed parents. But in a heartfelt conclusion that brought festival audiences to their feet, love wins out over fear.
The feature film version of Latter Days will be released in January 2004, starring Jacqueline Bisset, Mary Kay Place, Wes Ramsey, Steve Sandvoss and Amber Benson.
C. Jay Cox wrote the screenplay for the smash hit film Sweet Home Alabama, starring Reese Witherspoon, and makes his directing debut with Latter Days, for which he also wrote the screenplay.
Winner of the Outstanding First Narrative Feature Award at OUTFest (the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival), and the Best Gay Male Feature Film Award at the Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.
Combine a hunky, repressed Mormon missionary and an L.A. party boy, sensual sex and knowing humor, and the result is a sure-fire crowd-pleaser. Christian is a handsome, young man who flits from guy to guy without much of a thought in his pretty little head. So when his roommate Julie discovers that the gorgeous group of young men who moved in next door are Mormon missionaries, they bet on whether Christian can bed one of them. Christian quickly moves in for the kill, identifying Elder Aaron Davis as a repressed homo—and quite a sexy one at that. Their initial encounters have a charged sexual tension, but fear of the devil keeps Aaron’s libido at bay. When the two are alone together, Aaron’s Mormon missionary roommates interrupt, spot their brother as gay and send him back in shame to his Idaho hometown and embarrassed parents. But in a heartfelt conclusion that brought festival audiences to their feet, love wins out over fear.
The feature film version of Latter Days will be released in January 2004, starring Jacqueline Bisset, Mary Kay Place, Wes Ramsey, Steve Sandvoss and Amber Benson.
C. Jay Cox wrote the screenplay for the smash hit film Sweet Home Alabama, starring Reese Witherspoon, and makes his directing debut with Latter Days, for which he also wrote the screenplay.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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214 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
October 4, 2017
I was a bit afraid to dive into this book, since the movie is in my top 5 favorites. But I was very pleasantly surprised! I was expecting a straight from movie to page interpretation, since I think it said this was based on the screenplay. Now, the dialogue and scenes were pretty much the same as in the movie as far as I could tell. It's been a few months since I have seen the movie.
BUT we get to hear inside every character's head! We get to know what they are thinking, how they feel, background information that wasn't possible to tell in the movie. It's going to be so fun to watch the movie again with 'new' eyes, knowing all of this information for the characters. We find out some more about Aaron's mission work that happened before he moved to California. We get to know some more about Christian's past. Even more about Ryder!
I was hoping there would be a tiny bit more at the end, but I can't really fault the book, as it ended the exact same place the movie did. Just me being greedy.
Anyway, if you enjoyed the movie, you should like the book!
BUT we get to hear inside every character's head! We get to know what they are thinking, how they feel, background information that wasn't possible to tell in the movie. It's going to be so fun to watch the movie again with 'new' eyes, knowing all of this information for the characters. We find out some more about Aaron's mission work that happened before he moved to California. We get to know some more about Christian's past. Even more about Ryder!
I was hoping there would be a tiny bit more at the end, but I can't really fault the book, as it ended the exact same place the movie did. Just me being greedy.
Anyway, if you enjoyed the movie, you should like the book!
dnf
December 27, 2017Alright I can´t take it anymore. The writing is just too bad. So I´m giving up at page 57.
Just watch the movie. It´s way better and the dialogue doesn´t feel so incredibly cringy.
Just watch the movie. It´s way better and the dialogue doesn´t feel so incredibly cringy.
January 4, 2008
Normally, I'm a huge fan of film novelizations, especially on films I enjoy. Considering I adored the film, I had great expectations of this book. Sadly, it fell flat and thoroughly failed in nearly all respects. The one thing the book did well was stay true to the film. The unfortunate side was that the book did scarcely a thing beyond staying true to the film. No extra insight; few extra details; zero added emotion.
If you've seen the film and watched the deleted scenes from the DVD, only two or three tiny specks of the action in the book will surprise you. The rest is a basic transcript of the movie. As either a tribute to the original actors or as direct insult to this author, it's far easier to get a greater sense of emotional attachment and involvement from the characters on-screen than from those in the book. The characters we read are simply playing out the actions and lines already given them in the film. No additional sense of life or reality is added to the printed page, and far too much of the subtle nuance is omitted. The novel's characters seem to have no minds to consider what's happening to them. They have no hearts to feel the powers of the conditions of their lives. And they certainly have no will or motivation to allow them to react to situations as they please. The novel seems devoid of substance, of heart, and of feeling -- the three things overwhelmingly present and important in the film.
Whereas the movie is full of genuine interactions, meaningful glances, and intense focus from an independent filmmaker and a rookie cast, the book reduces everything to a slap-shod compilation of action-based scenes with no depth or importance, allowing the intense importance of the most significant scenes evaporate into nothingness. It isn't possible to care about these characters or situations because the thinking or feeling behind their actions and decisions is never explored. The author never takes the time to show us what's going on behind the surface level...the only level this author seemed to take the film on.
And finally, one of the strengths of well-told books is their ability to fully wrap up a situation and leave the reader with a sense of fulfillment and completion, with all "loose strings" tied up neatly. In this case, the book stops after a particular event. The postscript that could have so meaningfully resolved the various happenings of the story line was absent, leaving the reader with a "well, that's nice" feeling rather than a substantial and rewarding "that all makes sense and fits together nicely" kind of feeling. In fact, I would say that the book effectively robs a couple characters of their importance, making it somewhat unclear as to who should have the focus of the story and the lasting impression on our hearts. Like the book itself, the characters simply don't have the power to create such an impression.
I'd say the most frustrating thing about the book is that it takes longer to consume than its cellophane counterpart, making it a greater investment for a far, far less valuable return. Likewise, the most frustrating thing about writing this review is that I'm obligated to give it an entire star when the book deserves so much less.
If you've seen the film and watched the deleted scenes from the DVD, only two or three tiny specks of the action in the book will surprise you. The rest is a basic transcript of the movie. As either a tribute to the original actors or as direct insult to this author, it's far easier to get a greater sense of emotional attachment and involvement from the characters on-screen than from those in the book. The characters we read are simply playing out the actions and lines already given them in the film. No additional sense of life or reality is added to the printed page, and far too much of the subtle nuance is omitted. The novel's characters seem to have no minds to consider what's happening to them. They have no hearts to feel the powers of the conditions of their lives. And they certainly have no will or motivation to allow them to react to situations as they please. The novel seems devoid of substance, of heart, and of feeling -- the three things overwhelmingly present and important in the film.
Whereas the movie is full of genuine interactions, meaningful glances, and intense focus from an independent filmmaker and a rookie cast, the book reduces everything to a slap-shod compilation of action-based scenes with no depth or importance, allowing the intense importance of the most significant scenes evaporate into nothingness. It isn't possible to care about these characters or situations because the thinking or feeling behind their actions and decisions is never explored. The author never takes the time to show us what's going on behind the surface level...the only level this author seemed to take the film on.
And finally, one of the strengths of well-told books is their ability to fully wrap up a situation and leave the reader with a sense of fulfillment and completion, with all "loose strings" tied up neatly. In this case, the book stops after a particular event. The postscript that could have so meaningfully resolved the various happenings of the story line was absent, leaving the reader with a "well, that's nice" feeling rather than a substantial and rewarding "that all makes sense and fits together nicely" kind of feeling. In fact, I would say that the book effectively robs a couple characters of their importance, making it somewhat unclear as to who should have the focus of the story and the lasting impression on our hearts. Like the book itself, the characters simply don't have the power to create such an impression.
I'd say the most frustrating thing about the book is that it takes longer to consume than its cellophane counterpart, making it a greater investment for a far, far less valuable return. Likewise, the most frustrating thing about writing this review is that I'm obligated to give it an entire star when the book deserves so much less.
March 20, 2012
Not a bad book, it's based on an adapted screenplay, so you can imagine its depth and breadth of character. Still, it took me one evening to read, and parts made me smile, and parts made me a little sad.
Here's the basic set up: Stereotypically gay Christian basically lives for sex, and is shallow and pointless. He and his friends note the arrival of a group of Mormons on their mission across the way, and his friends make him bet he can't bed one of them (and steal the sacred underwear) before thirty days. Money is wagered.
Interesting Aaron - the saving grace of this book - is the Mormon with doubts about his sexuality, and what that means for who he is, a non stereotypically devout believer who can't decide what to do about this confusion in his life. When Christian makes his moves (and, in true Hollywood fashion, learns he is shallow and just, gosh-darn, wants to change to be worthy of Aaron after all), the confusion and misunderstandings abound. Including the typical "I was just a bet!" discussion, the book is still worthy if only for Aaron's journey, who, like I said before, is a rare well-written gay-and-faith character from a religion that decries what he is.
That said, I'm sure the movie is all about smooth chests and washboard abs. Internal dialogue rarely makes it to the big-screen.
Here's the basic set up: Stereotypically gay Christian basically lives for sex, and is shallow and pointless. He and his friends note the arrival of a group of Mormons on their mission across the way, and his friends make him bet he can't bed one of them (and steal the sacred underwear) before thirty days. Money is wagered.
Interesting Aaron - the saving grace of this book - is the Mormon with doubts about his sexuality, and what that means for who he is, a non stereotypically devout believer who can't decide what to do about this confusion in his life. When Christian makes his moves (and, in true Hollywood fashion, learns he is shallow and just, gosh-darn, wants to change to be worthy of Aaron after all), the confusion and misunderstandings abound. Including the typical "I was just a bet!" discussion, the book is still worthy if only for Aaron's journey, who, like I said before, is a rare well-written gay-and-faith character from a religion that decries what he is.
That said, I'm sure the movie is all about smooth chests and washboard abs. Internal dialogue rarely makes it to the big-screen.
September 8, 2016
"Dad, your grandfather had at least a half-dozen wives, and the same goes for every single person in this room. I'd say we were the original definition of 'alternative lifestyle.' But now that we've conveniently erased that episode from our theology, that gives our church the right to define normal for everybody else? Don't you see what a contradiction that is?"
being queer and growing up in utah (aka the land of the mormons), i just feel very emotionally attached to this story. i fell in love with the movie years before i even knew there was a book. i will say i like the movie a lot more, but it was still an enjoyable read.
being queer and growing up in utah (aka the land of the mormons), i just feel very emotionally attached to this story. i fell in love with the movie years before i even knew there was a book. i will say i like the movie a lot more, but it was still an enjoyable read.
June 6, 2021
Adaptado de la icónica película , esta novela no solo muestra una historia de amor gay honesta y humana, sino que nos enseña esos rincones de la psicología de los personajes y las escenas extendidas que no están en la película. Qué gusto volver a esta historia después de tantos años y descubrí que sigue viva y vigente.
November 18, 2009
Ok, first thing:
I saw the movie befoee I read the book. In terms of gay cinema, it's a really cute movie. Considering the slew of badly overacted or badly written/produced gay cinema out there, getting one that's really cute/great/well-written can be tough. Now, having noticed that the novelization of the movie is based on the screenplay, I'm going to say that I have more respect for the actor who plays Aaron, I really feel like the material that he was given had very little depth. At times, the novel felt sluggish, and there was no real dimension to the emotional upheaval that's supposed to be happening.
In addition, (and before anyone throws something, it may just be me,) Christian has no depth. One of my first reactions after seeing the movie was that the Christian character was a complete miscast. Although there may have been chemistry between the actors themselves, the actor's range falls flat for the movie.
As a rule, that's generally my usual complaint about gay cinema. If the story's great, the acting's awful. If the acting's awful, the story's so cliche that you might want to stop watching. With the notable exception of a few amazing Hollywood contributions, (Brokeback Mountain, the Hours, Milk, etc.,)and several fan-favorite indie pieces (The Sum of Us, Beautiful Thing, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, etc.) most of the gay cinema I've seen is so full of cliches and over/underacting. Here endeth the rant.
Getting back to the review...for me, the movie's cute, the novel falls short. There's a range of emotion and depth in the movie that just doesn't cross over into the novel.
I saw the movie befoee I read the book. In terms of gay cinema, it's a really cute movie. Considering the slew of badly overacted or badly written/produced gay cinema out there, getting one that's really cute/great/well-written can be tough. Now, having noticed that the novelization of the movie is based on the screenplay, I'm going to say that I have more respect for the actor who plays Aaron, I really feel like the material that he was given had very little depth. At times, the novel felt sluggish, and there was no real dimension to the emotional upheaval that's supposed to be happening.
In addition, (and before anyone throws something, it may just be me,) Christian has no depth. One of my first reactions after seeing the movie was that the Christian character was a complete miscast. Although there may have been chemistry between the actors themselves, the actor's range falls flat for the movie.
As a rule, that's generally my usual complaint about gay cinema. If the story's great, the acting's awful. If the acting's awful, the story's so cliche that you might want to stop watching. With the notable exception of a few amazing Hollywood contributions, (Brokeback Mountain, the Hours, Milk, etc.,)and several fan-favorite indie pieces (The Sum of Us, Beautiful Thing, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, etc.) most of the gay cinema I've seen is so full of cliches and over/underacting. Here endeth the rant.
Getting back to the review...for me, the movie's cute, the novel falls short. There's a range of emotion and depth in the movie that just doesn't cross over into the novel.
March 28, 2017
After seeing the movie I was thrilled to find the book; this is one of the rare cases where the movie far outshines the book. The story is very rushed and the characters lack depth (Even though one of the main characters, Christian, is a shallow character, his shallowness could have still been portrayed with more depth.). Most of the descriptions are superficial. Christian's flings had lukewarm and brief descriptions, and when it came to the relationship that really mattered (Christian and Aaron) details were left out completely, instead there was only, "how long did we go at it?" "two and a half hours." The ending also was cut a little too soon.
There was however this fabulous quote in the book, "Funny thing about guilt, there's nothing so bad that you can't add a little guilt to it and make it worse. But there's nothing so good that you can't add a little guilt to it to make it better."
There was however this fabulous quote in the book, "Funny thing about guilt, there's nothing so bad that you can't add a little guilt to it and make it worse. But there's nothing so good that you can't add a little guilt to it to make it better."
April 23, 2013
I saw the film first and then read the book. The book, for me, padded out the screen characters. It's a fast read for sure. But there is plenty of substance here for discussion. In short, the book represents the strident stance of religious fundamentalism against unfolding 21st Century society. We see the ducking-stool mentality, still so present today, in so many churches and the lengths to which people will go to 'enforce' their beliefs on others.
It's a good read and I'm happy to give it five. I ask all my readers not to be too hard on it; not to pick it apart too much - don't fall into the trap of failing to see the wood for the trees.
Regardess of what limitations either the book or its film adaptation have, for me one thing stands true. It is, and remains, a major milestone in my life in finally coming out and also keeping my faith in context.
I've read the book several times and it's good to do that now and again.
Ian Bradley Marshall
UK
It's a good read and I'm happy to give it five. I ask all my readers not to be too hard on it; not to pick it apart too much - don't fall into the trap of failing to see the wood for the trees.
Regardess of what limitations either the book or its film adaptation have, for me one thing stands true. It is, and remains, a major milestone in my life in finally coming out and also keeping my faith in context.
I've read the book several times and it's good to do that now and again.
Ian Bradley Marshall
UK
May 30, 2012
After watching the movie, I saw that there was a novel based off it. I had never read a novelization of a movie before but since I loved the story I felt this was a good one to try. Overall it was a very enjoyable read. While sometimes it felt like the author's intention was to summarize the movie -by focusing on the characters' clothing choices rather than actions and inner feelings- the back stories of the minor characters gave them more depth and more insight into their actions.
It took me less than a day to finish the novel because I just couldn't put it down and as soon as I finished reading it I wanted to read it again.
It took me less than a day to finish the novel because I just couldn't put it down and as soon as I finished reading it I wanted to read it again.
March 11, 2018
Sweet novelization of the wonderful movie Latter Days. It's when opposites attract when gay playboy Christian meets young Mormon missionary Aaron. It starts off shaky, Christian makes a bet with his fellow waiting staff a Lila's to defrock one of the missionary flocks. It becomes more than that when Christian gets to Aaron who sees Christian as a pretty piece of fluff with no substance. I love this book and I truly love the movie.
July 28, 2011
The movie is one of my favorite movies of all time and the book was exactly like it. The only thing I didn't understand was the prologue. It really had nothing to do with the story and I'm glad they didn't add it in the movie. The best part of the book was the lines they used were the exact same in the movie. I enjoyed reading it!
May 17, 2015
I've wanted to see the movie that this book is based on but I've never found it anywhere. So when I found the book at the library, I just read that instead (though I might watch the movie if I have come across it). It was a rather lovely read but the plot twists were so obviously movie-esque. Still, the romance was tender and the tension was well done.
January 31, 2018
Novelizations of film scripts are usually hit or miss for me. It’s true a novel can give more insight to the characters thoughts, but sometimes that just isn’t enough.
I LOVE this movie and have watched it many times over the years since I purchased the DVD. I figured I would give this book a read.
And I thought it was just okay. I’l stick with watching and enjoying the film.
I LOVE this movie and have watched it many times over the years since I purchased the DVD. I figured I would give this book a read.
And I thought it was just okay. I’l stick with watching and enjoying the film.
June 14, 2013
Beautiful love story. The book really is just the novelization of the film, which is heart-wrenching. If you ask, I'd simply recommend watching the film over and over.
March 7, 2025
This movie is a huge inside joke between my friend and I and we bought this book and are taking turns reading it. This was such an insane read, the writing was kinda giving amateur ao3 fanfic but in a good way.
April 17, 2025
So happy to find this book at the thrift store!
Okay, so I adore this film. When I lived in L.A. I also had the opportunity to volunteer at Project Angel Food. Still really miss their lemon cookies.
Was this novelization awesome, no. Ask me if I care?
Okay, so I adore this film. When I lived in L.A. I also had the opportunity to volunteer at Project Angel Food. Still really miss their lemon cookies.
Was this novelization awesome, no. Ask me if I care?
March 2, 2019
I must admit I did not read the book but watched the film. But I had tears in my eyes most of the time. Wonderful story.
June 28, 2020
Okay. It was okay. That it was an adaptation from a movie script is evident in the way scenes unfold and the light characterization.
April 18, 2011
I enjoyed the novelization because I love the movie and it tugs at my heartstrings every time I see it. I realize that it is contrived and cheesy,but there is just something about it because it really is romantic. I can't recommend this book with a straight face. Author is fascinated with the smell of sweat.
December 17, 2015
I loved this film, it blew me away and I didn't expect to feel what it made me feel. That being said, the book adaption probably wouldn't have impressed me had I not seen the film first. But I had, and I loved it. I'm getting "beautiful" "funny" and "good" tattooed soon, I love Aaron's quote about everything being connected so much.
May 15, 2008
This is an incredible story of a Mormon who comes to terms with his sexuality in the context of a romance with a West Hollywood party boy forcing him to choose between his religion and his true self. Very moving and intense in its character portrayal.
August 26, 2008
This is one of the few times the movie was better than the book. I think the only thing better about the book was that some thoughts and feelings that couldn't be caught on film were found in the pages of this book.
April 14, 2009
I really enjoyed reading the book and the story was fantastic. It did lack the character development and flow that comes from adapting a screenplay into a novel though; certain things just translate better on film than in words. All and all though an excellent story, heartbreaking even.
September 7, 2016
I saw the movie before I read the book. I think that was a mistake. The book was missing something. The movie moved me but the book didn't do anything for me. I still read all of it though because I kept hoping that it would get better. So much for hope.
February 5, 2012
I adored this movie wholeheartedly. I had hoped that the book would give more insight into the characters-- more internal monologues, more details, an extended scene at the ending. I was very disappointed.
August 29, 2014
I got the impression T. Fabris wasn't used to writing fiction when I read this (although I could be wrong) but I really enjoyed this, Latter Days is my favourite movie of all time and this added slightly more to it.
April 11, 2008
I got this book a few years ago after watching the movie. The book was so boring I couldn't even get past the first chapter, and I have to say the movie really wasnt even worth renting.
November 24, 2010
Good story and did the movie it was based on justice.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews