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HomeShop at BookSurgeFictionGayThe Gathering (Common Threads in the Life) |
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2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
It took a while, but Definitely worth the wait May 17, 2007
Ronald Donaghe has done it again. The Gatering, the fourth novel in the Common Threads series is once agian a masterpiece. From simply reading the first few words, the Reese family and all the others were magically reacalled into my mind as if they were old firends coming for a visit.
Donaghe has a way of crating characters that you get to know, and really care about. They become friends that you want to talk with. I actually wish that Joel and Tom were real people, who you could go visit out in Commons, New Mexico and sit on the porch, and be a member of their family. At the end of each novel, he leaves you wanting more, because you just want to spend more time with these friends that you have made.
The Gathering was supposed to be the final book in the series, but Donaghe lets you know that is will not be. I know that I am eargerly awaiting the next novel, and being transported back to that farm in Commons, New Mexico, to visit with old firends.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
An appealing, memorable novel Jan 23, 2007
As someone who reads every book the prolific and talented Ronald L. Donaghe writes, I waited quite a long time for this particular novel. The series Common Threads in the Life began with Common Sons, a gay classic that went out of print for a while then eventually came back as a print-on-demand book. And the demand definitely existed!
Donaghe then continued his series with The Salvation Mongers, a searing look at the ex-gay movement. That second book used some of the same settings and characters. The couple from the first novel again took center stage in The Blind Season, which introduced readers to a much larger extended family.
Donaghe kept saying he was writing a book called The Gathering, which would bring together the Common Threads characters. Fortunately, he changed his mind about The Gathering concluding the series. At least one more novel remains. Of course, he writes other series as well, but this review strictly focuses on Common Threads.
Tom and Joel, the two young men who come out and fall in love as the title characters of Common Sons, are now in their fifties. The daughter they fathered during The Blind Season is now a grown, fascinating woman, and the mother of that daughter has also forged her own identity as an independent woman who has overcome a troubled past. In The Salvation Mongers, Kelly works to expose the ex-gay group that had caused suffering in his life. In The Gathering, he falls back into Tom and Joel's life, along with an old enemy.
I would call The Blind Season the darkest part of the series, and this novel shares some of that book's gritty tragedy. However, the spotlight soon returns to the relationships of The Gathering's large--and mostly lovable--cast. The characters spring as naturally from the New Mexico landscape as the agrarian life they enjoy. Instead of catty, stereotypical queens in a New York City coffee shop, Donaghe gives us three-dimensional people that represent the lives of countless gays across countless small towns. He also gives us heterosexual characters who often surprise us in their ability or inability to overcome prejudice.
As other reviewers often note, Donaghe also gives us gay couples who work hard to create lasting relationships--with or without gay role models. Tom and Joel's hard work on their farm constantly mirrors their hard work at making a better life for themselves and other gays. Donaghe not only imagines that possibility, but presents it in an appealing, memorable novel.
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
The Gathering Jan 19, 2007
Great story, Ron did a good job of bringing his fans up to date on the lives of Joel & Tom.
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
The Gathering Jan 17, 2007
I really loved this book as much as I did the last three, a lot of characters are involved here and every one of them is special. I am the type who really gets into a good story so I cried at the beginning of the book when I learned about some of the people that are in it. I cant wait to see where the gang in Common go from here.
2 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Finally here but well worth the wait! Jan 13, 2007
Ted Bandy has given a perfect review of the story. On my part, I just wish to contribute a 5 stars rating and thank Donaghe for finally giving us the 4th vol of this amazing series. Common Son (Vol 1) was one of my introductions into gay romance and will always remain my top favorite.
Vol 4 after more than 6 years since Vol 3 is well worth the wait. Tom and Joe is one of my favorite gay couples and reading about them when they are in their 50's and their friends and family is a wonderful experience. Theirs is truly a timeless love story. I look forward to "Summer's Change" Vol 5 of this series.
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