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Another Enchanted April
Can the idyllic simplicity of a garden change a life forever? It's a question three men on a vacation to the small seaside town of Beechwood will find the answer to when they stay at a B&B with an expansive and breathtakingly beautiful garden. A garden with an air of the supernatural. Jerry's there for love, Doug's there for sex, and Tony? Well, Tony is practically dragged along against his will. A comedy of errors ensues as the three men cling stubbornly to their self-destructive ways; can a cook named Anna Magnani, a roller-skating drag queen, and the magic of the garden tame the tempest and prevent love's labors from being lost?
188 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 12, 2011
11 people are currently reading
260 people want to read
About the author
Eric Arvin
47 books564 followersEric Arvin resided in the same sleepy Indiana river town where he grew up. He graduated from Hanover College with a Bachelors in History. He has lived, for brief periods, in Italy and Australia. He has survived brain surgery and his own loud-mouthed personal demons. Eric is the author of WOKE UP IN A STRANGE PLACE, THE MINGLED DESTINIES OF CROCODILES & MEN, SUBSURDITY, SIMPLE MEN, and various other sundry and not-so-sundry writings.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
April 3, 2016
When I saw the title of this book I had to read it because The Enchanted April and http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101811/?... are favourites of mine. In a way it was not fair setting it up against my favourites as comparisions are often odious. But Arvin wrote it this way and I did not resist. Happily the story, the writing stood up very well to the test. Arvin reworked the original making this his story and at the same retaining the core of what I loved in the original. That is its exploration of how, how we see things, what we think of ourselves, how we appreciate what is around us, effects what we see, how others see us and what we do. The original always gives me a happy feeling, a feeling of hope and feeling of 'possibilities', attainable possibilities and Arvin's work gives me that feeling too.
December 19, 2013
This book should be made into a movie. I know that has kind of been done, but I know I would like this version even better. The only problem is, you would miss out on the words. The way the author can put a few words together to convey so much is truly beautiful.
At some point, just about every avid reader has thought, "Hey, I have great ideas, I bet I could write too." Then you read something like this and you realize, "Um, yeah, no I can't, I'll stick to reading."
The blurb describes it all, so I will just add how incredibly romantic and peaceful this book is. Not just a romance between characters, but a romance with a place and a point in time. The whole feel is very peaceful and it does feel like a vacation. Intermingled with that are incredibly amusing situations, great secondary characters and enough snark and honesty to keep it from being too sweet.
Highly recommended and a definite re-read for me.
At some point, just about every avid reader has thought, "Hey, I have great ideas, I bet I could write too." Then you read something like this and you realize, "Um, yeah, no I can't, I'll stick to reading."
The blurb describes it all, so I will just add how incredibly romantic and peaceful this book is. Not just a romance between characters, but a romance with a place and a point in time. The whole feel is very peaceful and it does feel like a vacation. Intermingled with that are incredibly amusing situations, great secondary characters and enough snark and honesty to keep it from being too sweet.
Highly recommended and a definite re-read for me.
January 10, 2017
This was a wonderful tale but doesn't offer the concrete romance ending so many want. I liked the way it ended. I also feel like all three characters were a bit of Eric put on paper. It also held a bit of self-prophesy in it, which I found sad. Great story.
September 13, 2016
Man. Nature. Hope. Love.
Apparently based on the title, the book is inspirited by Elizabeth Arnim's book Enchanted April (1922), which I've never read (Maria's review gave me a clue) . The story centers on three young friends, who is on a vacation in a costal villa surrounded by beautiful and mystical gardens, and in need of change. Each one is looking for something different Doug come to Beechwood for sex, Jerry for love, and Tony wants nothing more than to be left alone. In one way or another, they were, all three of them, damaged people.
The most powerful impact on me was the psychological plaiting between man and nature.Oh these gardens!These gardens with something supernatural and magical going on, can make you drunk from its scent, can change a man. Help something—or someone—recognize its beauty. Everything grows there. It was symbolic of their nature.
Eric Arvin has woven together a reading so lyric and with such a deep characterization, descriptions, that made me pause many times, thereby learning by heart whole sentences, which hold purpose and fineness. It's been a mesmerizing journey.
...
**** This is a3.54.5 rounded up to a 45, for me*** I do not feel that the cover is utterly relevant to the content, and I usually do not support replicas even in their modern variations if I'd got it.
PS: I like when I was wrong. It's different from the original and is a real inspiration!
Apparently based on the title, the book is inspirited by Elizabeth Arnim's book Enchanted April (1922), which I've never read (Maria's review gave me a clue) . The story centers on three young friends, who is on a vacation in a costal villa surrounded by beautiful and mystical gardens, and in need of change. Each one is looking for something different Doug come to Beechwood for sex, Jerry for love, and Tony wants nothing more than to be left alone. In one way or another, they were, all three of them, damaged people.
The most powerful impact on me was the psychological plaiting between man and nature.Oh these gardens!These gardens with something supernatural and magical going on, can make you drunk from its scent, can change a man. Help something—or someone—recognize its beauty. Everything grows there. It was symbolic of their nature.
Eric Arvin has woven together a reading so lyric and with such a deep characterization, descriptions, that made me pause many times, thereby learning by heart whole sentences, which hold purpose and fineness. It's been a mesmerizing journey.
**** This is a
PS: I like when I was wrong. It's different from the original and is a real inspiration!
January 27, 2011
Excellent and cleverly written m/m romance about three friends on vacation in a seaside town, staying at an Italianate villa with intoxicatingly lovely gardens. Each of them will be profoundly changed... but not necessarily in the ways they expected. (And I may have gotten sniffly whilst reading this. I can neither confirm nor deny.)
September 4, 2013
Okay, I feel like I'm turning into a one woman Eric Arvin fan club at the moment. I've read several of his books over the last few weeks and have yet to find one I don't love. Another Enchanted April was, yet again, a winner for me. His prose is just beautiful to read, descriptions, humour, characterisation, plot - he has it nailed.
Three friends set off for a holiday to the small seaside town of Beechwood and they each have their own agenda. Tony, who really doesn't want to be there, wants to mind his own business and for everyone else to mind theirs. Doug - beautiful, fit Doug - well his agenda is easy; sex and lots of it please. Jerry's agenda is simply Doug, and the hope that maybe this year his best friend will see what's right in front of his face.
Eric Arvin's sense of humour shines through in this book as all three of the protagonists muddle their way through the holiday. From an orgy in the shower to a narcoleptic hunk who just can't stay awake at the crucial moment, you can pretty much guarantee you've not read it before - and if you have, most definitely not like this.
The descriptions of the gardens (in which much of the book is set) are written so well they paint a vivid picture in the mind's eye. I have found this with his other books, the scenery is not just background to his story, it is a crucial part of it.
This can also be said for his secondary characters, each of them bring something important to the story. I'm very partial to excellent secondary characters and often find I prefer them to the main ones, Eric Arvin manages that fine line between supporting the main cast without over-shadowing them.
I really wanted the characters to have an HEA in this book (okay, I always want an HEA, I like happy) - did they get it? Well you'll have to read it and see! Once again, highly recommended.
Three friends set off for a holiday to the small seaside town of Beechwood and they each have their own agenda. Tony, who really doesn't want to be there, wants to mind his own business and for everyone else to mind theirs. Doug - beautiful, fit Doug - well his agenda is easy; sex and lots of it please. Jerry's agenda is simply Doug, and the hope that maybe this year his best friend will see what's right in front of his face.
Eric Arvin's sense of humour shines through in this book as all three of the protagonists muddle their way through the holiday. From an orgy in the shower to a narcoleptic hunk who just can't stay awake at the crucial moment, you can pretty much guarantee you've not read it before - and if you have, most definitely not like this.
The descriptions of the gardens (in which much of the book is set) are written so well they paint a vivid picture in the mind's eye. I have found this with his other books, the scenery is not just background to his story, it is a crucial part of it.
This can also be said for his secondary characters, each of them bring something important to the story. I'm very partial to excellent secondary characters and often find I prefer them to the main ones, Eric Arvin manages that fine line between supporting the main cast without over-shadowing them.
I really wanted the characters to have an HEA in this book (okay, I always want an HEA, I like happy) - did they get it? Well you'll have to read it and see! Once again, highly recommended.
June 18, 2012
The whole book has a bit of dream-like quality. I loved the idea of 'enchanted' garden, in a beautiful mansion, in a picturesque little town. It's not a paranormal story with real magic involved, but there is 'something in the air' that forces three friends to reevaluate their life's choices.
At the beginning I alternatively pitied them or felt contempt reading about their self-destructive ways, but slowly they changed and grew (some faster, some slower). People who facilitate the change - a wise, down-to-earth cook Anna and a mysterious, philosophical gardener Sal - could together write a book "How to find a Happiness in Life". I underlined several beautiful passages in the book where they spoke. I also liked the gentle humor of the writing style.
Romance is not the most important part of the story, personal growth is. There isn't even a definite HEA, the new found loves being fresh and the the future unsure.
I started the novella with different expectations, but I don't regret reading the beautiful story. I recommend it to everyone.
At the beginning I alternatively pitied them or felt contempt reading about their self-destructive ways, but slowly they changed and grew (some faster, some slower). People who facilitate the change - a wise, down-to-earth cook Anna and a mysterious, philosophical gardener Sal - could together write a book "How to find a Happiness in Life". I underlined several beautiful passages in the book where they spoke. I also liked the gentle humor of the writing style.
Romance is not the most important part of the story, personal growth is. There isn't even a definite HEA, the new found loves being fresh and the the future unsure.
I started the novella with different expectations, but I don't regret reading the beautiful story. I recommend it to everyone.
May 11, 2012
This was a beautiful story of three friends who go on holiday together. Each man has own dreams for their time away but each will discover things about themself and by the end of their time away each will have had their life changed. Tony, Jerry and Doug were all well-rounded characters but I probably loved Jerry the most. This was my first book by Eric Arvin but it will definitely not be my last.
February 17, 2015
Eric Arvin is such a gifted storyteller. I adored these three and loved their journey.
April 17, 2012
Really, truly lovely story about three friends learning some fairly profound truths about themselves and life. There is hope, and joy, love and lust, beautiful scenery (of the garden-y kind and of the manflesh kind). I was drawn earliest to Tony; Jerry took a while longer and even Doug managed to more-or-less redeem himself in the end. There were some lovely allusions to other works (including, but not limited to, Shakespeare) and I was particularly amused by the author's insertion of his own name as an author -- it could have come off as obnoxious, but instead seemed playful, as if poking a gentle finger at the name-dropping I've seen in other books.
May 20, 2011
I really liked Tony and Sal but we never really got to know them
the story seemed to focus a lot more on Jerry and Doug and i didn't like either of them so kinda ruined the book for me
the story seemed to focus a lot more on Jerry and Doug and i didn't like either of them so kinda ruined the book for me
August 16, 2020
This is a weird little thing, and not just on account of the strange, hallucinatory goings-on in the enchanted garden. The writing style imitates that of the original by Elizabeth von Arnim, complete with a lot of purple-prosy descriptions and a narrator that switches somewhat unpredictably between omniscient and limited. The juxtaposition of this quaint style and the very modern party scene setting is clearly meant to be humourous, and succeeds in being so some of the time, but more often it is rather awkward, especially when it comes to the crisis of the main conflicts in the story. Since these conflicts are actually quite serious issues, the tone then automatically feels melodramatic, all the humour is lost and everything just seems corny.
Still, a fun read for a sweltering summer night.
Still, a fun read for a sweltering summer night.
dnf
April 15, 2025dnf at 11 %, I'm usually an easy sell on queer retellings of beloved classics but I don't like the writing style and the mashup with modern-day US just isn't working for me.
December 13, 2011
4.5 Stars
Nice story about 3 friends who go on a vacation to this huge manor with a magical garden. The garden is pretty much the center point of the story as most interaction occurs there.
There's Tony who has secluded himself from life since an accident 5 years prior. He is forced to go on this vacation by his friends Jerry and Doug. He doesn't go without a fight. He is bitter and not exactly what you would call a people person. Jerry is in love with Doug, though he comes across mostly as an obsessed, starry-eyed teen lusting after his first crush. Doug is a self-absorbed egomaniac who acts as if the world totally revolves around him and him alone. While he claims to be a close friend to Tony and Jerry, it's really all "Me! Me! Me!" I think we have all met at least one Doug in our lifetime. Then there is Sal. Sal is the gardener who takes an instant liking to Tony..... NOT Doug... which I think is what finally gets Doug moving along to seeing the world does not, in fact, revolve around him. (Wow... someone said no to him????)
I really liked this. I liked Tony once he started opening up. Loved Sal. I kind of got where I was liking Jerry once he stopped acting like such a wimp. Doug..... well, I never really did warm up to him.
The story flowed well. There were no lulls in the story so it never got boring in places, as some books do. The secondary characters (the cook, the rollerskating drag queen, the perv doctor, etc.) were all entertaining.
This is my second book by Eric Arvin, the first being Woke Up In A Strange Place, which I totally LOVED. I've learned from reading these two books that he obviously has an amazing imagination and is able to take topics which may seem totally off the wall and turn them into believable stories. Not many authors can do that. I am definitely a new fan and look forward to reading more of his work.
OH... I have to throw in something about the cover. Even had I not already wanted to read this, that photo would have definitely done it for me. :) (It's HOT!)
Nice story about 3 friends who go on a vacation to this huge manor with a magical garden. The garden is pretty much the center point of the story as most interaction occurs there.
There's Tony who has secluded himself from life since an accident 5 years prior. He is forced to go on this vacation by his friends Jerry and Doug. He doesn't go without a fight. He is bitter and not exactly what you would call a people person. Jerry is in love with Doug, though he comes across mostly as an obsessed, starry-eyed teen lusting after his first crush. Doug is a self-absorbed egomaniac who acts as if the world totally revolves around him and him alone. While he claims to be a close friend to Tony and Jerry, it's really all "Me! Me! Me!" I think we have all met at least one Doug in our lifetime. Then there is Sal. Sal is the gardener who takes an instant liking to Tony..... NOT Doug... which I think is what finally gets Doug moving along to seeing the world does not, in fact, revolve around him. (Wow... someone said no to him????)
I really liked this. I liked Tony once he started opening up. Loved Sal. I kind of got where I was liking Jerry once he stopped acting like such a wimp. Doug..... well, I never really did warm up to him.
The story flowed well. There were no lulls in the story so it never got boring in places, as some books do. The secondary characters (the cook, the rollerskating drag queen, the perv doctor, etc.) were all entertaining.
This is my second book by Eric Arvin, the first being Woke Up In A Strange Place, which I totally LOVED. I've learned from reading these two books that he obviously has an amazing imagination and is able to take topics which may seem totally off the wall and turn them into believable stories. Not many authors can do that. I am definitely a new fan and look forward to reading more of his work.
OH... I have to throw in something about the cover. Even had I not already wanted to read this, that photo would have definitely done it for me. :) (It's HOT!)
November 8, 2013
I read a review of Eric Arvin's 'Another Enchanted April' by Jim Provenzano excerpted from his 'The Bay Area Reporter' (7 July 2011) and really I couldn't better it, so this is shorter than my usual reviews! This is a light romantic read, with the most gorgeous, lush descriptions of a, very stately B+B's, Italianate garden you will ever read. The sensual influence of this garden on three troubled, gay friends, who come to holiday at this seaside B+B, is the central story however, it is Eric Arvin's gorgeous descriptive writing that makes this such an enjoyable read. As always he includes wonderful secondary characters, here we have Anna the cook and Weaver the narcoleptic, muscle bound hunk and a woman, female drag, roller skating waitress, a gorgeous Italian Gardener and a shower full of naked men. Need I say more?
May 24, 2011
This is another book I had on my Kindle and which I read while up in NY. I enjoyed it so much I wished I had a manor house with gardens like those. And of course a gardener like Sal (although as fate would have it, he's a gay man and I'm a straight woman.) A cook like Anna Magnani would be nice as well. She made a real Italian meal where you ate and ate and ate. *g*
It's a lovely read, although I wanted to smack Doug upside the head for not seeing what he had in Jerry until it was almost too late. But good for Jerry for making him work for it.
It's a lovely read, although I wanted to smack Doug upside the head for not seeing what he had in Jerry until it was almost too late. But good for Jerry for making him work for it.
February 17, 2011
I really wanted to like this book, the premise seemed like it had promise. But I had a hard time identifying with the characters and it seemed to just keep meandering without really going anywhere. I got very annoyed with Jerry and couldn't see why he would be attracted at all to Doug since Doug was such a jerk most of the time. The place they were staying just seemed weird, not mystical and I really got sick of the gardens.
February 20, 2012
Another Enchanted April is another delightful book by Eric Arvin. The more I read his work, the more I enjoy it. This story allows the reader’s head to be wrapped around more than one of his characters. The story shows a path for growth, change and healing. It is almost a spiritual journey and for me, it was an extremely refreshing way to spend a Sunday by the fire. If you haven’t read any of Eric’s books, you are cheating yourself out of a really good time.
January 4, 2016
Reviewed by Brandilyn for Prism Book Alliance. Don't read Another Enchanted April by Eric Arvin if you are looking for a formula romance. Don't read it if you want your heroes to ride off into the sunset. Read Another Enchanted April for the journey. Find the whole review at http://www.prismbookalliance.com/?pos...
February 24, 2013
3.5
I always love the bit of whimsy that Eric Arvin throws into his stories. This was a vibrant book of possibilities and change that I enjoyed, just wanted some more character development to really make the story whole for me. Still a fun read!
I always love the bit of whimsy that Eric Arvin throws into his stories. This was a vibrant book of possibilities and change that I enjoyed, just wanted some more character development to really make the story whole for me. Still a fun read!
September 10, 2023
I’m a huge Elizabeth Von Arnim fan and a lover of M/M fiction so I was excited for this. What a let down. The writing is all over the place, the continuity is sketchy, and the characters are cardboard. I think the book is supposed to be funny but that’s more because you can see the “insert laughtrack here” pauses than from any actual humor.
I don’t need a faithful translation of the original novel into gay but this is more of an insult than anything else.
I don’t need a faithful translation of the original novel into gay but this is more of an insult than anything else.
July 21, 2019
Can a one week vacation change your outlook on life? Three friends leave their humdrum routines behind for a week by the sea in Beechwood at a B & B who's idyllic gardens lead down to the sea. Each of the three friends finds something in the gardens and in themselves that leaves them transformed and enriched. Can one week in April make change possible?
January 28, 2022
I didn’t read past the first couple of chapters. The story is about 3 gay friends who travel to an old manor house with a beautiful magical garden. It is situated in a town renowned for gay men. It is crude. I don’t need this in my mind. I knew two beautiful gay men. They were discreet gentlemen. This book does gay men no favours.
March 3, 2018
This was my first Eric Arvin read. This was a mm contemporary story with fantasy as well. This story was beautifully written but I found it hard to stay connected and skipped a lot.
March 22, 2018
Very enjoyable!!!
May 29, 2025
A quick and delightful read about a vacation with three friends; Doug, Jerry, and Tony. They go on the trip with different levels of enthusiasm and leave with a better perspective on life and love.
March 31, 2016
Review will be word-for-word as included in the Eric Arvin Greatest Hits review.
~
Honestly, I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to say about this one. This wasn't the fun-loving or prank-ridden story that Simple Men was. Though I suspect the two stories exist in the same universe – because of Verona College – this story is more mature. It's like the Papa Bear to the Pimply Teen.
The story started with Tony, who was a shocking portrayal of a self portrait for me. Though I'm not male and my medical condition is different to his, everything is the same. The stick (I use it occasionally, when not using my wheelchair) and the emotions of his character are just me. Not even relatable or real to me, but me. I've thought or done the same things so many times that it was a really sudden reflective moment I wasn't emotionally prepared for. We're both anti-social because of our conditions, on benefits and see the world outside our homes as something grey and frightening. It took me a long time and not so pleasant a journey to accept that truth. Tony's journey is much nicer.
The characters – with the exception of the unsociable Tony – are all cheerful, hopeful and full of spice. They want this holiday to be the best ever, each harbouring their own secrets, their own plans and hopes for what it might bring to their lives. Tony is there grudgingly, at first, until the gardens and their gardener give him a reason to stay that is all his own. For himself.
Jerry is...he makes me sad. Just thinking about him makes me want to cry and I did, while reading his journey. More than once. I hadn't expected that, when he first showed up in the story, but it became clear really quickly that I didn't have to worry about Tony, because Jerry was the one with the broken heart and mind. He was the one that desperately needed happiness. He's so insecure and willingly plays the doormat for Doug to step on. All of their interactions made me wish he could have a better life.
Doug is something else entirely. He's vain, superficial and selfish, but deep down you can sense that he's afraid of being thought of as anything other than a pretty face, because the expectations are too heavy for him to bear. He's used to being in the spotlight and all he really wants is his parents approval, though he goes the wrong way about getting it. He's the typical pretty boy, too afraid to be anything else, because it's always worked for him until now. Until Sal, the gardener ignores him in favour of Tony.
This is a much more serious and not-so-hilarious story than Simple Men. The humour in this is more playful than outright hilarity and the characters and plot come across more sophisticated, in a way, and more mature. There's a meaningful side to the story, if you overlook Doug's behaviour, which ranges from playful to downright ignorant and slutty.
As a little shining light, the cook/caretaker Anna really gives it to Doug and gains my undivided devotion. She's a great, fiery character that offered some meaningful insight. Just as Sal did, when he was with Tony. These two – Anna and Sal – were the wise words and smart thinking of the group of characters. The only people in the whole place who had their lives on track and knew what they wanted.
There were still some laugh-out-loud moments – which got really awkward when it was after midnight, in a house full of sleeping people. But the tender moments were what really got to me. The honesty and the emotion of the moments. Even when Doug turned childish and moody, there were still some really special moments to be had, with the other characters. These moments belong to Sal and Tony, for me. They're the intimate, emotionally connected, tender couple that dreams are made of. They share things that made me melt and love them even more. The sad parts – the parts that ripped out my heart and had me crying, begging for a HEA – belonged to Jerry. That poor, tortured soul.
Of a million quotes that I loved, it was really hard to pick one that beat the rest. There are two quotes that I'd like to use: one is Amazon in-appropriate and the review wouldn't be posted, so I'm reserving it for the Quotes pile on Goodreads. The other, however, would give too much away, so I'm harbouring that little secret close to my chest. But, these two made me cry, so I'm going with these two quotes:
“Doug was in bliss at the happy, well-dressed, good-looking populace. Jerry was invisible. Even in the shop windows, he couldn't see his own reflection for the gleaming muscle boy beside him.”
““Do you trust me?”
“I want to, but...”
“Just trust me. Ripple for me.”
And it was almost a literal thing, the rippling. Tony felt it run through him, touching everything inside. It was warm and comfortable. He took Sal's outstretched hand and let the cane fall to the ground.”
I can't finish that quote, because it would ruin the story for you. But, suffice it to say that this last line was what really hit me and it came later, but directly related to this event.
“And the world is yours again,” said Sal.”
~
Honestly, I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to say about this one. This wasn't the fun-loving or prank-ridden story that Simple Men was. Though I suspect the two stories exist in the same universe – because of Verona College – this story is more mature. It's like the Papa Bear to the Pimply Teen.
The story started with Tony, who was a shocking portrayal of a self portrait for me. Though I'm not male and my medical condition is different to his, everything is the same. The stick (I use it occasionally, when not using my wheelchair) and the emotions of his character are just me. Not even relatable or real to me, but me. I've thought or done the same things so many times that it was a really sudden reflective moment I wasn't emotionally prepared for. We're both anti-social because of our conditions, on benefits and see the world outside our homes as something grey and frightening. It took me a long time and not so pleasant a journey to accept that truth. Tony's journey is much nicer.
The characters – with the exception of the unsociable Tony – are all cheerful, hopeful and full of spice. They want this holiday to be the best ever, each harbouring their own secrets, their own plans and hopes for what it might bring to their lives. Tony is there grudgingly, at first, until the gardens and their gardener give him a reason to stay that is all his own. For himself.
Jerry is...he makes me sad. Just thinking about him makes me want to cry and I did, while reading his journey. More than once. I hadn't expected that, when he first showed up in the story, but it became clear really quickly that I didn't have to worry about Tony, because Jerry was the one with the broken heart and mind. He was the one that desperately needed happiness. He's so insecure and willingly plays the doormat for Doug to step on. All of their interactions made me wish he could have a better life.
Doug is something else entirely. He's vain, superficial and selfish, but deep down you can sense that he's afraid of being thought of as anything other than a pretty face, because the expectations are too heavy for him to bear. He's used to being in the spotlight and all he really wants is his parents approval, though he goes the wrong way about getting it. He's the typical pretty boy, too afraid to be anything else, because it's always worked for him until now. Until Sal, the gardener ignores him in favour of Tony.
This is a much more serious and not-so-hilarious story than Simple Men. The humour in this is more playful than outright hilarity and the characters and plot come across more sophisticated, in a way, and more mature. There's a meaningful side to the story, if you overlook Doug's behaviour, which ranges from playful to downright ignorant and slutty.
As a little shining light, the cook/caretaker Anna really gives it to Doug and gains my undivided devotion. She's a great, fiery character that offered some meaningful insight. Just as Sal did, when he was with Tony. These two – Anna and Sal – were the wise words and smart thinking of the group of characters. The only people in the whole place who had their lives on track and knew what they wanted.
There were still some laugh-out-loud moments – which got really awkward when it was after midnight, in a house full of sleeping people. But the tender moments were what really got to me. The honesty and the emotion of the moments. Even when Doug turned childish and moody, there were still some really special moments to be had, with the other characters. These moments belong to Sal and Tony, for me. They're the intimate, emotionally connected, tender couple that dreams are made of. They share things that made me melt and love them even more. The sad parts – the parts that ripped out my heart and had me crying, begging for a HEA – belonged to Jerry. That poor, tortured soul.
Of a million quotes that I loved, it was really hard to pick one that beat the rest. There are two quotes that I'd like to use: one is Amazon in-appropriate and the review wouldn't be posted, so I'm reserving it for the Quotes pile on Goodreads. The other, however, would give too much away, so I'm harbouring that little secret close to my chest. But, these two made me cry, so I'm going with these two quotes:
“Doug was in bliss at the happy, well-dressed, good-looking populace. Jerry was invisible. Even in the shop windows, he couldn't see his own reflection for the gleaming muscle boy beside him.”
““Do you trust me?”
“I want to, but...”
“Just trust me. Ripple for me.”
And it was almost a literal thing, the rippling. Tony felt it run through him, touching everything inside. It was warm and comfortable. He took Sal's outstretched hand and let the cane fall to the ground.”
I can't finish that quote, because it would ruin the story for you. But, suffice it to say that this last line was what really hit me and it came later, but directly related to this event.
“And the world is yours again,” said Sal.”
January 31, 2014
Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars
Summary Review: This lovely novella is more of a wonderful addition to the best of gay literature than it is a traditional romance. Readers who love character growth will get it in spades here.
The Review:
(Full disclosure: My first, almost-finished review disappeared into the ether of WordPress Hell, so if this one doesn’t flow as well as usual, please forgive me. I can be only eloquent once!)
Tony, Doug and Jerry have been close friends since college. Now 29, and five years removed from the accident that changed his world forever, Tony is emotionally unsettled but physically trapped–his income derives from his disability pay. Because of the precarious equilibrium that requires the use of a cane, he doesn’t get out much. That is, until Doug literally carries him, fireman-style, out of his apartment and into a grand adventure.
Doug is a sex machine. His entire life–and his workout routine–revolves around the hunt for the next warm male body to rub up against. He is a muscle boy constantly in search of his next conquest, all the while trying not to think too much or look too deeply at himself.
Jerry is the invisible one. He is Doug’s shadow and total opposite. Where Doug is muscle and brawn, Jerry is thin enough to have been mistaken for anorexic. He is a reader; Doug is the action hero (horizontally speaking, of course). Doug and Jerry hooked up several times in college and Jerry still hasn’t gotten over his infatuation with the glorious muscle boy.
The three men are painted so vividly, so independently, that they quickly seem like old friends. As I (re)write this, the skies above my home are the color of steel, sucking the joy from the day with the unholy mix of stinging sleet and swollen snowflakes. Here is a first-page description of Tony:
Tony longed for something poetic, something beautiful. It was an everyday longing, but there seemed to be no way out of the life he had been given. He wanted out of the gray but felt weighed down. “How am I supposed to start my day,” he wondered aloud, “when even the sky looks lazy?”
The three arrive at the bed and breakfast, called the Manor House, after dark, having endured a long, slow drive through the rain. The next morning, Jerry awakens and is overcome by the beauty of the multi-level gardens in the back of the house. The lush descriptions made me want to experience the place.
Jerry was only a few feet onto the stone path, which was interspersed with tufts of green grass, when he started feeling light-headed. Everything around him seemed too much and too beautiful. He was vanished by it all. Quite invisible. He had not gone five feet from the steps, yet he was lost. Lost in the thriving, wild, still-wet beauty of the gardens around him. The green was the greenest he had ever seen, and the trees reached for the sky as proud and significant as if they were soon to take to marching. They were not threatening; quite the opposite. The trees hardly noticed Jerry at all. He was insignificant to them. His awe of them was not important.
The nature of the plot, three grown gay men on vacation in a heavily gay populated beach destination, easily lends itself to hilarious hijinks and/or over-the-top melodrama. It is a credit to the author’s skill that, while we are treated to a bit of both, neither is too much. Indeed, the rollerskating possibly-transgendered (I was never quite sure) drag queen waitress seemed perfect in her place. Each of the three men experiences tremendous, dramatic (in the good sense) character growth. Tony learns that he is more than his disability. Doug discovers there is more to him than his whatzit. And Jerry figures out that he has the ability to control his invisibility switch. None of this is easily or painlessly learned, nor is it necessarily easy to read (Doug’s chocolate waffle breakdown was painful but more than a little amusing). Never fear: there is romance within these pages, but it is not the main focus.
If I had a niggle about Another Enchanted April, it is that some of the description was wasted on me. The gardens and the Manor House are vividly described, sometimes in more detail than I can wrap my mind around. I wanted to skip over the parts that seemed overly descriptive, but I was mostly successful in taming that impatient streak in me. Those of you who love descriptive prose will be in ecstasy in these gardens.
This book brings to mind the classics of Gay Literature, resonating as much as Andrew Holleran’s Dancer from the Dance or In September, the Light Changes, as much as Michael Cunningham’s A Home at the End of the World. No, this is not the traditional boy-meets-boy romance. It is so much more than that, all while being wonderfully accessible (Arvin loves to drop pop culture references) and, at times, wickedly funny. Recommended.
Reviewed for Reviews by Jessewave, February 26, 2011.
Summary Review: This lovely novella is more of a wonderful addition to the best of gay literature than it is a traditional romance. Readers who love character growth will get it in spades here.
The Review:
(Full disclosure: My first, almost-finished review disappeared into the ether of WordPress Hell, so if this one doesn’t flow as well as usual, please forgive me. I can be only eloquent once!)
Tony, Doug and Jerry have been close friends since college. Now 29, and five years removed from the accident that changed his world forever, Tony is emotionally unsettled but physically trapped–his income derives from his disability pay. Because of the precarious equilibrium that requires the use of a cane, he doesn’t get out much. That is, until Doug literally carries him, fireman-style, out of his apartment and into a grand adventure.
Doug is a sex machine. His entire life–and his workout routine–revolves around the hunt for the next warm male body to rub up against. He is a muscle boy constantly in search of his next conquest, all the while trying not to think too much or look too deeply at himself.
Jerry is the invisible one. He is Doug’s shadow and total opposite. Where Doug is muscle and brawn, Jerry is thin enough to have been mistaken for anorexic. He is a reader; Doug is the action hero (horizontally speaking, of course). Doug and Jerry hooked up several times in college and Jerry still hasn’t gotten over his infatuation with the glorious muscle boy.
The three men are painted so vividly, so independently, that they quickly seem like old friends. As I (re)write this, the skies above my home are the color of steel, sucking the joy from the day with the unholy mix of stinging sleet and swollen snowflakes. Here is a first-page description of Tony:
Tony longed for something poetic, something beautiful. It was an everyday longing, but there seemed to be no way out of the life he had been given. He wanted out of the gray but felt weighed down. “How am I supposed to start my day,” he wondered aloud, “when even the sky looks lazy?”
The three arrive at the bed and breakfast, called the Manor House, after dark, having endured a long, slow drive through the rain. The next morning, Jerry awakens and is overcome by the beauty of the multi-level gardens in the back of the house. The lush descriptions made me want to experience the place.
Jerry was only a few feet onto the stone path, which was interspersed with tufts of green grass, when he started feeling light-headed. Everything around him seemed too much and too beautiful. He was vanished by it all. Quite invisible. He had not gone five feet from the steps, yet he was lost. Lost in the thriving, wild, still-wet beauty of the gardens around him. The green was the greenest he had ever seen, and the trees reached for the sky as proud and significant as if they were soon to take to marching. They were not threatening; quite the opposite. The trees hardly noticed Jerry at all. He was insignificant to them. His awe of them was not important.
The nature of the plot, three grown gay men on vacation in a heavily gay populated beach destination, easily lends itself to hilarious hijinks and/or over-the-top melodrama. It is a credit to the author’s skill that, while we are treated to a bit of both, neither is too much. Indeed, the rollerskating possibly-transgendered (I was never quite sure) drag queen waitress seemed perfect in her place. Each of the three men experiences tremendous, dramatic (in the good sense) character growth. Tony learns that he is more than his disability. Doug discovers there is more to him than his whatzit. And Jerry figures out that he has the ability to control his invisibility switch. None of this is easily or painlessly learned, nor is it necessarily easy to read (Doug’s chocolate waffle breakdown was painful but more than a little amusing). Never fear: there is romance within these pages, but it is not the main focus.
If I had a niggle about Another Enchanted April, it is that some of the description was wasted on me. The gardens and the Manor House are vividly described, sometimes in more detail than I can wrap my mind around. I wanted to skip over the parts that seemed overly descriptive, but I was mostly successful in taming that impatient streak in me. Those of you who love descriptive prose will be in ecstasy in these gardens.
This book brings to mind the classics of Gay Literature, resonating as much as Andrew Holleran’s Dancer from the Dance or In September, the Light Changes, as much as Michael Cunningham’s A Home at the End of the World. No, this is not the traditional boy-meets-boy romance. It is so much more than that, all while being wonderfully accessible (Arvin loves to drop pop culture references) and, at times, wickedly funny. Recommended.
Reviewed for Reviews by Jessewave, February 26, 2011.
April 9, 2016
‘Another Enchanted April’ is a magical, almost dreamlike story about three young men who have been friends for many years. They go on a trip together, and their stay at a B&B with a beautiful, mysterious garden turns out to be very different from what they expected. Much like in the original book (1922) by Australian-born Elizabeth von Arnim - where it is four women who rent a chateau in Italy and find themselves changed by their visit - the three young men in Eric Arvin’s story begin to see and understand certain things about themselves and one another as the story progresses. It is a gradual process, and while there are moments of increased energy and pace, the majority of this story flows quietly like a small stream that grows into a lively river almost without me noticing it. Very much like in real life, where we see what we want to see, all three of them initially ignore the glimpses of truth this place brings out in them. Reading about these three men, their realizations, and the changes they made, was a very powerful experience for me.
Tony has spent the last five years hiding from the world. After his accident he has difficulty walking and has to use a cane, which makes him so unattractive in his own mind that even blatant interest from others (like Sal, the B&B’s gardener) does not register on Tony’s radar. And when it does, he dismisses it as wishful thinking. But there is more to Sal than Tony thinks, and suddenly, his need “to be left alone” is no longer paramount.
Jerry has lived in the shadows of his unrequited feelings for Doug for many years. Not only does he pale beside the glittering attractiveness of his richer, better-looking friend, his continued hope that Doug will notice and love him one day stops him from finding love with someone else. Seeing himself as secondary, even invisible compared to Doug, prevents him from having a life. I loved watching him take control and truly moving on.
Doug loves being the center of attention and does everything he can to stay there. He is not interested in commitment, and the more amorous adventures he can add to his “resume”, the better. I found him a hard character to like. He doesn’t like himself either, no matter what he tries to tell himself, so it made sense that I had problems with him. A lot of his behavior can be explained by his past, but I wanted to see him take his life into his own hands, just like Tony and Jerry did. Doug was a much harder nut to crack, but even for him, there is hope!
If you like complicated, multilayered characters on a journey of self-discovery, if an idyllic setting with almost mystical undertones sounds interesting, and if you’re looking for a read full of lyrical language, moments of sudden insight, and a message of hope, then you will probably like this novella as much as I did. It definitely enchanted me!
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Tony has spent the last five years hiding from the world. After his accident he has difficulty walking and has to use a cane, which makes him so unattractive in his own mind that even blatant interest from others (like Sal, the B&B’s gardener) does not register on Tony’s radar. And when it does, he dismisses it as wishful thinking. But there is more to Sal than Tony thinks, and suddenly, his need “to be left alone” is no longer paramount.
Jerry has lived in the shadows of his unrequited feelings for Doug for many years. Not only does he pale beside the glittering attractiveness of his richer, better-looking friend, his continued hope that Doug will notice and love him one day stops him from finding love with someone else. Seeing himself as secondary, even invisible compared to Doug, prevents him from having a life. I loved watching him take control and truly moving on.
Doug loves being the center of attention and does everything he can to stay there. He is not interested in commitment, and the more amorous adventures he can add to his “resume”, the better. I found him a hard character to like. He doesn’t like himself either, no matter what he tries to tell himself, so it made sense that I had problems with him. A lot of his behavior can be explained by his past, but I wanted to see him take his life into his own hands, just like Tony and Jerry did. Doug was a much harder nut to crack, but even for him, there is hope!
If you like complicated, multilayered characters on a journey of self-discovery, if an idyllic setting with almost mystical undertones sounds interesting, and if you’re looking for a read full of lyrical language, moments of sudden insight, and a message of hope, then you will probably like this novella as much as I did. It definitely enchanted me!
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
January 8, 2017
3.5 stars
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