Ford McKinney leads a charmed life: he's a young doctor possessing good looks, good breeding, and money. He comes from an old Savannah family where...
read full description
reviews
Jan 04, 2009
Punk
rated it: 
Fiction. Full of flashbacks, red herrings, and the unsettling business of hemophilia, this novel jerked me around until I lost track of which Christmas it was and what occasion it marked for Dan and Ford's relationship. Complete with half-assed themes (Ford has a little boy inside him; Dan has two people inside him -- what? why? who?) and the gay equivalent of Cold Comfort Farm's famously vague "something nasty in the woodshed," this book left me feeling both cheated and disturbed. So
More...
2 comments
like
(5 people liked it)
Apr 11, 2010
Alan
rated it: 
Dan Krell is an introverted hospital bureaucrat with a painful childhood past. Ford Mckinny is an attractive, successful doctor raised in an old-money, Eastern family. The two meet and form a somewhat shaky relationship, and before it achieves stability, the holidays roll around and they decide to go home as a couple. But the depth of their commitment is sorely tested when Ford’s family cannot reconcile themselves to their son’s sexuality, and Dan’s long-kept family secrets are somewhat revealed
More...
4 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Dec 29, 2008
Trin
rated it:
This is a queer romance, set around Christmas, so I thought it would be the perfect holiday read for me. Um. Not so much. The tone is just so dour—I’m not sure there’s a joke in the entire book. Neither Ford nor Dan particularly grabbed me. And Grimsley has this annoying tendency to write sentences. That stop. And devolve. Into fragments. Argh!
There are some nice atmospheric moments, but I never felt involved with the characters and was thus pretty bored.
There are some nice atmospheric moments, but I never felt involved with the characters and was thus pretty bored.
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Jun 09, 2011
Jeruen
rated it:
I suppose after having read a couple of books that took me a full month to read, this is something different. It only took me this weekend to actually finish this novel.
So, what is this novel about? This novel talks about the challenges that a same-sex couple faced, dealing with each other, and also dealing with their families. One is a doctor, coming from a very upper-class family from the southern US, while the other is a hospital administrator, and his family doesn't have a lot of m More...
So, what is this novel about? This novel talks about the challenges that a same-sex couple faced, dealing with each other, and also dealing with their families. One is a doctor, coming from a very upper-class family from the southern US, while the other is a hospital administrator, and his family doesn't have a lot of m More...
Mar 23, 2010
Kernos
rated it:
I can certainly relate to this novel, as I suspect many males in long term spousal relationships can do. I too had to choose between my spouse (of 30 years) and my parents. This book ends with such a choice made by Ford, leaving the future to the experience of the reader. It took about 5 years before my parents came around to accept us completely and now give Chris their love, always ask about him. Sometimes, I even think they like him better than me :-) He has become like an adopted son to them
More...
Oct 29, 2010
Matt
rated it: 
This is another wonderful Jim Grimsley book. As usual the storyline is somewhat dark and you wonder if things are going to end up tragically or not.
In brief, it's the story of a physician, who is gradually coming to terms with "possibly" being gay, falling for a hospital administrator who is openly gay. They are both from vastly different backgrounds which complicates their relationship.
The physician is from an extremely wealthy and prestigious family in Savanna More...
In brief, it's the story of a physician, who is gradually coming to terms with "possibly" being gay, falling for a hospital administrator who is openly gay. They are both from vastly different backgrounds which complicates their relationship.
The physician is from an extremely wealthy and prestigious family in Savanna More...
4 comments
like
(4 people liked it)
Sep 09, 2011
Manuela
rated it:
This story has a slow pace, which sometimes bores me in books. It's not the case here. I really enjoyed it. It feels like a journey, for Ford as an individual and for Ford&Dan as a couple. It's sometimes painful, sometimes frustrating, but always speaking of honest feelings of love. At times I wanted to slap some sense into Ford, but then he would always do something to redeem himself. The problems the characters face feel real and so do their reactions to them. Everything is handled by the auth
More...
Jan 29, 2012
Feliz
rated it:
Original Title: "Comfort and Joy"
Ford McKinney is a wealthy doctor from a family of wealthy doctors. Dan Crell's family is living in a trailer park, and Dan is working as a hospital administrative in the same hospital as Ford.
Both men are gay, but while Dan has long ago come to terms with his sexuality, Ford is still in denial about himself. And what is more, Dan is HIV positive, and a hemophiliac.
That a relationship between the two very unlikely partne More...
Ford McKinney is a wealthy doctor from a family of wealthy doctors. Dan Crell's family is living in a trailer park, and Dan is working as a hospital administrative in the same hospital as Ford.
Both men are gay, but while Dan has long ago come to terms with his sexuality, Ford is still in denial about himself. And what is more, Dan is HIV positive, and a hemophiliac.
That a relationship between the two very unlikely partne More...
Feb 23, 2010
Ford is the classical good boy of a wealthy southern family. Third generation doctor, he has always followed the steps his parents have setted for him. But when he is expected to marry a good girl from a wealthy southern family he begins to question some of that steps. Cause almost by accident, he discovers that he is more attracted from men than women.
Told be truth, till almost his late twenties years, he pleases himself with the adoration from other men. Ford is an handsome man, we More...
Told be truth, till almost his late twenties years, he pleases himself with the adoration from other men. Ford is an handsome man, we More...
Oct 12, 2008
Chris
rated it:
The holiday season is that time of year when favorites and least-favorites come to mind more often than any other time of year. I look forward to a visit from my favorite aunt, my favorite ornament surfaces for its annual display, and I’m likely to pay several visits to my favorite store. I’m also reminded of my least favorite gift (and somehow remember exactly when and from whom I received it), that least favorite New Year’s Eve I arrived at home on the verge of tears, and my least favorite Chr
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Mar 27, 2008
Sianeka
rated it: 
This is the story of Danny Crell, a lonely young man from a harsh and difficult background, and the story of Ford McKinney, a rich and pedigreed young doctor who is also lonely and tired of being pigeon-holed into the life his family has created for him. They find each other and a romance develops. But can they each overcome their background and hangups to let this new love work? This story of men finding love and happiness, and searching together to make a foundation for a long-lasting relation
More...
Oct 03, 2011
Snowmore
rated it:
It's been a few years since I read this book, and I still consider it one of my favourites in the m/m genre, though I hate to limit it to that genre. To me it was just a story looking into the lives of two men and the life they are building together, as one struggles with his family's ideas on his sexuality.
Mr. Grimsley has a fluid writing style, which helped me to become engaged with the characters. I will re-read this book.
Mr. Grimsley has a fluid writing style, which helped me to become engaged with the characters. I will re-read this book.
Jan 11, 2011
Katie M.
rated it:
I'm inexplicably crazy about this book. It's a pretty made-for-tv-movie of a story about a gay couple going home for the holidays, but it's sweet and moving and on the whole entirely convincing. It had some of the aspects of Dream Boy A Novel that I liked (without the epic fail is-this-a-hallucination-or-did-it-really-happen? ending), and vastly beat out the schlocky caricature that was Boulevard. Apparently it's the sequel to Winter Birds, which sounds like his classic and one that I probab
More...
Aug 02, 2011
Erika
rated it:
This was the second Jim Grimsley novel I have read, and it sent me searching for more books authored by him. In "Comfort and Joy" we meet Danny and Ford, two gay men who fall in love. The story is about making a relationship work, coming out to family and friends and remaining an individual while growing as a couple. The characters seem real with real emotions, and Danny and Ford remind us that love is not about being straight or gay, but about being human. The author handles the love
More...
Nov 15, 2011
Bob
rated it:
What a fabulous discovery! Two very different men, a Doctor and a Hospital Administrator work out the many issues of a burgeoning relationship involving both families, work environment and personal demons. I couldn't put it down--the characters were engaging, the plot well-crafted and it reads like buttah. I plan to read more of his work.
Jan 19, 2011
Vfields
rated it:
Two men in their late twenties meet and try to build a life together. One well off, the other from the other side of the tracks. They are complicated characters that are written with an honest hand. I really felt the end was as good as it gets and leaves me wanting to watch them for the rest of their lives. What a shock!
Jan 25, 2009
maria
rated it:
this story is about a man bringing his significant other home to meet his family. he is worried because his family is poor while his boyfriend comes from a wealthy family, and also their relationship has been having some problems. this is a love story with real life problems.
Jan 22, 2012
Laura
rated it:
Lovely relationship drama hitting all the right notes. It's impossible not to care deeply about these characters as they struggle to love each other in the face of family conflicts, as well as their own fears and self-doubt. Docked a star for failing to answer a question to my satisfaction--what happened in the house at Harvey Crossroads that so damaged Danny? Otherwise, a very satisfying read, with a great ending.
Aug 01, 2011
Alex
rated it:
Love it, love it. Love the emotion in his stories. Just, ahh, wonderful.
May 05, 2010
Carycleo
rated it:
This book is beautifully written, with prose that is sometimes breathtakingly lyrical. The relationship between the two protangonists develops in fits and starts -- just like often happens in real life.
Dec 29, 2011
Dolphe
rated it:
Luckily, I was reading this book when a host of family and work related demands began to monopolize almost every bit of my free time. I say "luckily" because this is a story that you can set aside and pick up a week later and still get back into the groove of the tale. It's a simple story of two gay men and their familial relations. Nothing epic here -- more movie of the week variety.
Dec 19, 2010
Ray
rated it:
This is a story about two men in the early stages of a relationship. It's non-linear (though not radically so) and a lot of the story centers around family, specifically family at Christmas time. This struck some chords in terms of thinking about that first visit to the home of a lover.
There were some contrived moments and there is little happiness but it made me feel stuff.
There were some contrived moments and there is little happiness but it made me feel stuff.
Jan 08, 2008
Susan
rated it:
This is not a mystery but a wonderful little book of real people and real families. A successful pediatric surgeon and his lover discover each other and their ties to their very different, but very similar families. It's a marvelous afternoon read and I guarantee you that you will rediscover members of your own family in the character set. This is a wonderful treat of a story.
Nov 12, 2008
Julian
rated it:
The dynamics between the two main characters is astoundingly realistic: they are both so real that their flaws are painful to the reader. They practically spring off the pages. Their relationship is truly astounding through Grimsley stark and clear prose.
Nov 29, 2011
Nichole (Dirty H)
rated it:
Soooo good. This is a super romantic m/m novel that deals with real world situations, and is written like a "real book". It had that great literary feel mixed with a love story that I could believe. I highly recommend it.
Feb 15, 2008
Stephen
rated it:
This isn't really a review (I'm really bad at writing them) but just wanted anyone interested in this book - it's the sequel to Winterbirds
Apr 27, 2011
Chris
rated it:
Plodding, slow, confusing time shifts, dull: his book Dream Boy is a five-star classic, this one is not - skip it.
Dec 16, 2009
Evan
rated it:
A wonderfully understated book about bringing your lover home for the holidays.
