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Dewey Decimal Number: 813.52 EAN: 9781555832902 ISBN: 1555832903 Label: Alyson Books Manufacturer: Alyson Books Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 256 Publication Date: July 01, 1995 Publisher: Alyson Books Studio: Alyson Books Editorial Review: Product Description: Prior to the publication of this beloved novel, nearly every gay novel and play seemed to end in suicide--or at least deep despair. Merrick was one of the first writers to insist that a gay relationship could in fact be a happy one. The Lord Won't Mind tells the story of Peter and Charlie, who begin a love affair at their Ivy League college in the '60s. Related Items:      see moreAverage Rating:
 Rating:  - I don't mind either!Charlie and Peter meet in the 1920s. (They don't specify a date but that's my guess--two wars are mentioned in the course of the story). They fall in love and end up living together but keeping their love secret. However things come up that tear them apart. Will they end up happy together? **WARNING:PLENTY OF SPOILERS AHEAD!** This originally came out in 1970. For its era it was bold. The characters were unapologetically gay, the sex is explicit and they end up together at the end! The characters are interesting and well-drawn--but Charlie is more than a little bit of a jerk and Peter is WAY too submissive at times. Still, they don't hate themselves or apologize for what they do. The happy ending this has still amazes me--back then "The Boys in the Band" was considered an accurate portrayal of gay men! However this is far from perfect. The female characters come off as being controlling (C.B.) or utter witches (Hattie). The story jumps around a lot--some important plot points are never explained! An important conversation between Peter and C.B. comes out of nowhere and isn't even in the book! You hear about it AFTER it happens. Also what Peter lives on after he leaves Charlie isn't totally clear. It's suggested he's a prostitute but the books skirts the issue. And what Hattie does to Charlie is just downright sickening. Still the book moves quickly and draws you in. I was never bored and it all has a very satisfying end. Avoid the next two books of this trilogy. They're homophobic and pointless. This HAS an ending--you don't need anything more. Recommended. Rating:  - The Lord didn't mind, but I do...When I was a rather frightened young man, coming out at 20 in 1971, this novel and later its sequels helped give me the strength to come out, though as an English major and a writer even then I had no illusions about the book as literature. But the saga of Charlie and Peter undoubtedly helped young people of my generation believe that gay was good. I hadn't read the novels for many years, but, my life partner of 30 years having died two years ago I have been dipping into my nostalgia shelves more and more. (I didn't know I still owned these!) This reading I howled laughing, but I could see why my young self was impressed. The characters are bold, attractive and unafraid. The book abounds in ghastly stereotypes, hideous misogyny and at times I found myself wondering if Merrick was indeed gay. Certainly in this more enlightened time many more positive depictions of a gay bildungsroman are out there. And yet, in some ways the book holds up from its sheer exuberance. I would recommend that young gay people read it just to get a feeling for the lost time and mindsets the book depicts. Rating: - The Lord Won't Mind...That I'm Ecstatic Over This Book!Well folks, I've just discovered Gordon Merrick. What a fine storyteller he was! It's very sad that all of his work is now out of print. Published in 1970, THE LORD WON'T MIND was a landmark novel. It was one of the first to present homosexuality it a positive light. I am a sucker for period fiction and Merrick beautifully recreates New England circa 1940 just before America was to enter the war. The period atmosphere is spot on and the characterizations are rich. The story centers on Charlie and Peter, two upper-class young men brought together by Charlie's rather eccentric Grandmother. She is in the habit of taking attractive young men under her wing and grooming them to become important and successful in society. Charlie is a slave to his Grandmother's quiet and cunning manipulations. The whirlwind romance between him and Peter quickly self-destructs due to Charlie's inability to accept himself as "queer", whereas Peter embraces the gay life and yearns to be able to proclaim his love for Charlie to the world. Merrick was himself a gay man living in this era which is why I think the story feels so authentic. He was surely writing from experience. Yes, the sexual descriptions are explicit and graphic, but I would NOT regard this as erotica. The depictions are artistic in a way that submerges the reader into their reality, unlike erotica which only uses graphic descriptions to stimulate and arouse. This is now my second-favorite gay novel. My favorite being E. M. Forster's Maurice. Rating: - Good, but still lacking...SPOILERS AHEADI bought this book from Profsmith's books from amazon and was pleased when it came with ONE FOR THE GODS. (...). I was only able to read the first page before purchasing this book and was hoping that the rest of the book would be as good. It really wasnt. I dont know what Gordon Merrick has against women but I hope the sequel isnt as sexist. He makes C.B. a two faced and sneaky, manipulative woman. He describes Betty as a tease and says that most all women are like that. That they will act like they want it until it is presented to them and then they fail to deliver. (...) I was partly pleased but i have many more gay themed novels that are MUCH better. Rating: - Great Tawdry (Gay) Romance NovelWho doesn't love a good sex filled emotionally exhausting romance novel every once in a while? This was the first gay novel I'd ever read. It kept me reading straight through (including a doctors visit) until I was finished. This does everything you could ask of a tawdry romance novel. It gives you innocent love, betrayal, happiness and sadness, and of course lots of great sex scenes. A must read for all gay guys of the world. |
Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., Green
Diesel vehicles have nearly a 50-percent market share in Europe, thanks to tax incentives and diesel-friendly legislation across the EU. Diesels are so passé there that you can buy a BMW 730d and no one will think it odd that your luxury car burns oil. Pull up in a diesel 7-Series in America and people would leer at you like you've alighted from an amphibious vehicle reeking of saltwater and dead trout.
But now, thanks to the oft-reported combo of newly-raised CAFE standards, not-so-newly-raised gas prices, and the 50-state diesel engine, GM, Ford, and Chrysler are about to dip more than a hesitant toe into the diesel game. Chrysler offers a diesel in the Grand Cherokee, but soon all three automakers will offer diesels in their best-selling lineups of light trucks -- the Dodge Ram 1500 is expected to offer a 50-state diesel after 2009. Light trucks are being used to lead the charge since those buyers stand to gain the most with the least amount of (perceived) sacrifice.
Diesels currently have 3.2-percent of the American market. Some estimates put them at 15-percent by 2015. That's a huge leap, and diesel still has plenty of hurdles. Diesels will come with a cost premium over gasoline-engined cars. That should be easy enough to conquer -- incentives and some quick cost and longevity calculations should convince people of the benefit. The real hurdle is the nagging issue of perception. The plan will probably be to attack that with a price that makes the proposition unbeatable. Said Chrysler's director of environmental affairs, "If it's priced right, we can sell diesel here. Diesel can give you an immediate poke in fuel economy -- 20 to 40 percent. Not many technologies can deliver that today."
[Source: Detroit News]
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