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The Forgotten Man
In 1932, after Captain Joshua Pascal’s family loses its fortune, the Great War veteran’s sense of duty compels him to help his mother convert his childhood home into a Jewish boarding house. He’s lived openly as a homosexual among his friends, but now Joshua must pretend to be a “normal,” and hiding his nature is a lonely way of life. But in the middle of Chanukah, Joshua meets Will, a street musician with a ready smile, and wonders if he might deserve a chance at love. During the cold December nights they find comfort in each other. But the specter of the workhouse and the possibility of family and personal ruin hang over them, making their every move dangerous. Which would they rather their lives as they know them... or the promise of a future together?
156 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 20, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
December 25, 2011
3.5 stars
I rarely pick up historical romance in purpose. Somehow, I always prefer contemporary story. However, this one has a baby in the cover, and how can I resist?!?
This story has a tenderness to it -- it is about two men who find each other in the era of Great Depression. I like Joshua's nickname for Will before he finds out the real name of the musician (Joshua calls him, "Blue"). The baby in the cover is Will's daughter, whose wife died and left him a struggling single father/musician. I enjoy the dynamic of Joshua and his family. I love Joshua's approach to Will, who is at first full of concern about being with men, especially with his status as single father and in that era, he cannot afford to go to jail.
My complain goes for the lovemaking scene. While it is not overwhelming but I feel like it's done in a bit of a rush ... especially considering that Will is a bit skittish at first. So it feels choppy and more like just a passing thought and it disrupts my enjoyment in reading it.
I rarely pick up historical romance in purpose. Somehow, I always prefer contemporary story. However, this one has a baby in the cover, and how can I resist?!?
This story has a tenderness to it -- it is about two men who find each other in the era of Great Depression. I like Joshua's nickname for Will before he finds out the real name of the musician (Joshua calls him, "Blue"). The baby in the cover is Will's daughter, whose wife died and left him a struggling single father/musician. I enjoy the dynamic of Joshua and his family. I love Joshua's approach to Will, who is at first full of concern about being with men, especially with his status as single father and in that era, he cannot afford to go to jail.
My complain goes for the lovemaking scene. While it is not overwhelming but I feel like it's done in a bit of a rush ... especially considering that Will is a bit skittish at first. So it feels choppy and more like just a passing thought and it disrupts my enjoyment in reading it.
November 5, 2019
An interesting period piece (New York, 1932) with a very nice sense of time and a clear attention to historical research and accuracy.
I've thoroughly enjoyed the first two-thirds of the novel. The characters are nuanced and convincing, the setting truly fascinating in its mixture of Depression-era details and glimpses into the rituals of Chanukah.
In terms of plotline, however, I thought that things came a bit apart after the Pansy Ball scene. All of a sudden the novel took on a frantic pace that felt more like the summary of what the story could have been, rather than the actual continuation of a plot that had been up to that point quietly-paced, well written and meditative.
Pet peeve: that really ugly cover. A 2.5-star rating rounded to 3-star for me.
I've thoroughly enjoyed the first two-thirds of the novel. The characters are nuanced and convincing, the setting truly fascinating in its mixture of Depression-era details and glimpses into the rituals of Chanukah.
In terms of plotline, however, I thought that things came a bit apart after the Pansy Ball scene. All of a sudden the novel took on a frantic pace that felt more like the summary of what the story could have been, rather than the actual continuation of a plot that had been up to that point quietly-paced, well written and meditative.
Pet peeve: that really ugly cover. A 2.5-star rating rounded to 3-star for me.
July 24, 2012
It was great to find another book set in this era, as Prohibition/Depression America is a hugely untapped market and all in all I enjoyed this story. I felt that perhaps the few problems I found with it were maybe the length of the book, which made it a little difficult to take the characterisation and conflict deeper than it was.
I liked Joshua a good deal, he’s a man who has been shoved back into the closet because he’s had to move back home. Not that he was “out” of course, but having his own apartment in New York meant he had a little more freedom over his own life. Now, because his well-to-do family has lost all of its money, he’s living back in the large house with his mother and brother his personal life has shrunk to visiting “Shorty’s” – a bar which welcomes homosexuals and where he’s been having an on-off sexual liaison with one of the staff.
I liked his sense of obligation to his family without having the resentment that many of us show. That’s not to mean that he’s a saint, he’s grumpy and snappy like all of us. It was with his interraction with his family that one of the gaps showed, for me. The whole missing father arc seems to have been introduced and there’s an attempt to solve the situation, but it seemed to me as though it was a plot that was meant to do something, but really didn’t. I kept waiting for something to happen–good or bad–but nothing much did. When Joshua’s brother Asher fails in what he sets out to do the backlash is glossed over, we are told that Joshua looked after Asher, but that’s about it.
The thing is, I think, is that the book is bursting out of its “I’m a gay romance” skin because there’s so much extra world here: the club, the family, the father interest and the romance aspect suffers from all these interesting plot developments that don’t come to fulfilment and the other plots suffer a little because of the romance.
The second protagonist is Will–or Blue as Joshua first calls him, not knowing his name. He’s a new widower trying to protect and support a new-born child on the streets by busking and not doing terribly well at it. It’s not exactly a “gay for you” plot as it turns out that Will is bisexual, but had been scared senseless away from his gay leanings by his family at a young age, but it’s along the lines of “it’s not men, it’s just him (Joshua)”
I didn’t like Will as much, possibly because we are rarely in his point of view, but I found his constant running away to be irritating–added to the speed that they went from “I’m straight” to “I’m in your bed.” He blames part of his running away on the fact that Joshua was too uptown for him, but this class difference wasn’t really stressed–unless it was the oddly inserted riding scene which I didn’t see what it was demonstrating. If Joshua had been one of the top nobs in New York I’d have liked that to have been more illustrated, as it wasn’t really clear to me until Will starts angsting about it. Apparently too, both men had been noticing each other for a long while as Joshua passed Will in the street but this again isn’t particularly strong. He only really notices Will on the day that Will isn’t on the corner as expected.
The ending was a little odd, and how the conflict is resolved struck me as arbitrary and odd–plus there were a good couple of plot holes that stood out, Joshua would have known what he finds out (sorry to be vague) a lot quicker simply by going to the bar–the fact he stopped going made no sense at all.
I had a niggling feeling that it was converted fanfic, due mainly to the appearance of a military coat, and the fact there’s a character called Harper and the protagonist has a younger brother, but I’ve had contact with the author and they assure me that it definitely isn’t converted fanfic, so no worries there.
I realise that I haven’t said it very well, becuase I’ve been trying to work out why the book didn’t blow me away as much as it should have, but I actually did enjoy this book very much. The fact that it gets four stars despite all the issues I’ve pointed out here demonstrates that, I hope. It was a little schmoopy for me, but there’s enough of a hard edge in it too, in all those plots which deserved more time and space to be explored, that pulled it out of the average. Plus a holiday themed book is allowed to be schmoopy by most.
I’m sure you’ll enjoy it if you try it out. Ebook only.
I liked Joshua a good deal, he’s a man who has been shoved back into the closet because he’s had to move back home. Not that he was “out” of course, but having his own apartment in New York meant he had a little more freedom over his own life. Now, because his well-to-do family has lost all of its money, he’s living back in the large house with his mother and brother his personal life has shrunk to visiting “Shorty’s” – a bar which welcomes homosexuals and where he’s been having an on-off sexual liaison with one of the staff.
I liked his sense of obligation to his family without having the resentment that many of us show. That’s not to mean that he’s a saint, he’s grumpy and snappy like all of us. It was with his interraction with his family that one of the gaps showed, for me. The whole missing father arc seems to have been introduced and there’s an attempt to solve the situation, but it seemed to me as though it was a plot that was meant to do something, but really didn’t. I kept waiting for something to happen–good or bad–but nothing much did. When Joshua’s brother Asher fails in what he sets out to do the backlash is glossed over, we are told that Joshua looked after Asher, but that’s about it.
The thing is, I think, is that the book is bursting out of its “I’m a gay romance” skin because there’s so much extra world here: the club, the family, the father interest and the romance aspect suffers from all these interesting plot developments that don’t come to fulfilment and the other plots suffer a little because of the romance.
The second protagonist is Will–or Blue as Joshua first calls him, not knowing his name. He’s a new widower trying to protect and support a new-born child on the streets by busking and not doing terribly well at it. It’s not exactly a “gay for you” plot as it turns out that Will is bisexual, but had been scared senseless away from his gay leanings by his family at a young age, but it’s along the lines of “it’s not men, it’s just him (Joshua)”
I didn’t like Will as much, possibly because we are rarely in his point of view, but I found his constant running away to be irritating–added to the speed that they went from “I’m straight” to “I’m in your bed.” He blames part of his running away on the fact that Joshua was too uptown for him, but this class difference wasn’t really stressed–unless it was the oddly inserted riding scene which I didn’t see what it was demonstrating. If Joshua had been one of the top nobs in New York I’d have liked that to have been more illustrated, as it wasn’t really clear to me until Will starts angsting about it. Apparently too, both men had been noticing each other for a long while as Joshua passed Will in the street but this again isn’t particularly strong. He only really notices Will on the day that Will isn’t on the corner as expected.
The ending was a little odd, and how the conflict is resolved struck me as arbitrary and odd–plus there were a good couple of plot holes that stood out, Joshua would have known what he finds out (sorry to be vague) a lot quicker simply by going to the bar–the fact he stopped going made no sense at all.
I had a niggling feeling that it was converted fanfic, due mainly to the appearance of a military coat, and the fact there’s a character called Harper and the protagonist has a younger brother, but I’ve had contact with the author and they assure me that it definitely isn’t converted fanfic, so no worries there.
I realise that I haven’t said it very well, becuase I’ve been trying to work out why the book didn’t blow me away as much as it should have, but I actually did enjoy this book very much. The fact that it gets four stars despite all the issues I’ve pointed out here demonstrates that, I hope. It was a little schmoopy for me, but there’s enough of a hard edge in it too, in all those plots which deserved more time and space to be explored, that pulled it out of the average. Plus a holiday themed book is allowed to be schmoopy by most.
I’m sure you’ll enjoy it if you try it out. Ebook only.
July 4, 2012
A really beautifully done historical. I'm absolutely floored by how the author manages to squeeze SO much meticulous research and SO many living, breathing, three-dimensional characters into such a short work--as well as to create a realistic HEA that not just acknowledges but *incorporates* the extreme societal and legal prejudices of the time. My only complaint was that it was a shorter work. I'd have been happy to read another 200 pages set in this outstandingly detailed, well-written world.
December 20, 2015
I really liked it a lot. Will just needed to be independent and to look after his daughter on his own. I'm glad that Joshua was able to understand and let Will do for himself.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 14, 2025
I've noticed an almost surefire way to predict that I'll love a romance novel. It's not a requirement for me to enjoy the book, but if it happens, it's almost certain I will.
Alas, this element is rare and hard to find. But I found it here: In the first chapter or two of the book, the protagonist has sex with someone who's not the main love interest. And that's when I knew this was the book for me.
Admittedly, the story would have been great even without that sex scene, but I have a theory about writers willing to "go there" in their work: they are invested in the individual characters as much as they are in the romance. They are willing to explore everything about the characters and what makes them tick. They're ready to build two (or more) people who seem *real*, and aren't merely convenient set pieces for moving a romance plot forward.
I loved this book. The Forgotten Man is a character-based romance steeped in period details of New York City in the Great Depression. As a romance, it's slow to begin—we spend the first few chapters getting to know the protagonist and his family, and in fact I guessed the wrong person as the love interest and didn't know I was wrong until about a third of the way into the book—but I never felt bored or like the story was dragging. Everything that gets introduced in those chapters is relevant later.
Once the romance starts, it moved a bit quickly for my taste, but it was the perfect pacing for the characters, so that was fine with me.
In case I didn't say it loudly enough before, I loved it and would highly recommend, especially for readers on the look out for character- and mileau-based romance.
Alas, this element is rare and hard to find. But I found it here: In the first chapter or two of the book, the protagonist has sex with someone who's not the main love interest. And that's when I knew this was the book for me.
Admittedly, the story would have been great even without that sex scene, but I have a theory about writers willing to "go there" in their work: they are invested in the individual characters as much as they are in the romance. They are willing to explore everything about the characters and what makes them tick. They're ready to build two (or more) people who seem *real*, and aren't merely convenient set pieces for moving a romance plot forward.
I loved this book. The Forgotten Man is a character-based romance steeped in period details of New York City in the Great Depression. As a romance, it's slow to begin—we spend the first few chapters getting to know the protagonist and his family, and in fact I guessed the wrong person as the love interest and didn't know I was wrong until about a third of the way into the book—but I never felt bored or like the story was dragging. Everything that gets introduced in those chapters is relevant later.
Once the romance starts, it moved a bit quickly for my taste, but it was the perfect pacing for the characters, so that was fine with me.
In case I didn't say it loudly enough before, I loved it and would highly recommend, especially for readers on the look out for character- and mileau-based romance.
December 18, 2018
This is a lovely addition to the Hanukkah romance genre. The author did her historical research into Jewish culture and same-sex relationships in the America of the 1930s, and the realistic details enhance the love story.
Read
March 2, 2024Hanukkah
June 21, 2017
In a word: Read the thing. This one is a pretty interesting story about two men finding love during the Great Depression, while also dealing with a homophobic society. Joshua is an ex-army Captain; escalating money problems have seen him move back into his childhood-home-cum-boarding-house with his mother, brother, and various tenants. Will is a widowed, homeless, single father, playing his guitar on a street corner for small change to survive. It’s not love at first sight when they meet, but there is a connection of some sort between them by the time Joshua rescues a sick Will and brings him and his infant daughter home. Their romance is not destined to be in any way easy. They both live and love in a time where being gay is a crime and just generally unsafe. It’s clear that Joshua and Will are very much into each other, but they’re terrified (and rightfully so) about what could happen to them and their families if they decide to act on their feelings. It’s not exactly a downer, but the fact that Joshua and Will have to live with these secrets that might have their loved ones turn on them at a moment’s notice doesn’t exactly make for a fluff fest. The story isn’t as dark as it could’ve been but at the same time it doesn’t really sugar-coat anything.
[read the full post at In A Word]
[read the full post at In A Word]
September 29, 2012
In December 1932, times are tough all over, even in New York City. Captain Joshua Pascal has moved back into his family home, which has been turned into a Jewish boarding house. He doesn’t mind living at home, because he is needed to make ends meet after the departure of his father, but he longs for companionship, for a partner to share life with. Trouble is, Joshua is gay and deeply in the closet.
During Chanukah, Joshua meets Will, a street musician and his baby daughter. Even though Will is seemingly straight, Joshua dreams that this just might be his chance at love. Joshua gives Will a snug place to live, Will gives Joshua comfort in each other, but issues of coming out and fear of being arrested drive a wedge between their love. Can they make a future together?
The author does an excellent job of setting mood and describing the historical setting. Also exceptional is how the romance develops at a slow, measure pace, giving the reader time to warm up to these characters. The plot is rather simple, your typical M/M romance with no surprises and plenty of overly sentimental moments.
I felt the two main characters were one dimensional, and needed to show more depth to be believable. The secondary characters were no more than props, and had very little time on the page. Because of thinness of these main characters, they were hard to like or even establish a connection with.
The main issue I had with this story is there is virtually no real conflict in the story, and the minor conflict there is seems forced by the author rather than any authentic problems these lovers would encounter. Conflict is what makes a story interesting, and without it, a story is dull.
Due to the lack of conflict, this is NOT a story I can highly recommend.
During Chanukah, Joshua meets Will, a street musician and his baby daughter. Even though Will is seemingly straight, Joshua dreams that this just might be his chance at love. Joshua gives Will a snug place to live, Will gives Joshua comfort in each other, but issues of coming out and fear of being arrested drive a wedge between their love. Can they make a future together?
The author does an excellent job of setting mood and describing the historical setting. Also exceptional is how the romance develops at a slow, measure pace, giving the reader time to warm up to these characters. The plot is rather simple, your typical M/M romance with no surprises and plenty of overly sentimental moments.
I felt the two main characters were one dimensional, and needed to show more depth to be believable. The secondary characters were no more than props, and had very little time on the page. Because of thinness of these main characters, they were hard to like or even establish a connection with.
The main issue I had with this story is there is virtually no real conflict in the story, and the minor conflict there is seems forced by the author rather than any authentic problems these lovers would encounter. Conflict is what makes a story interesting, and without it, a story is dull.
Due to the lack of conflict, this is NOT a story I can highly recommend.
December 17, 2014
This was a good book but not one that really spoke to me and made me connect fully with the characters. Taking place in 1932 made for difficulty in being out in NYC and caused some trouble for the MC's. Joshua was a sweet guy who became obsessed with the guitar player on the corner near his bar. Guitar player(Will) has a kid. Joshua takes him in because he is ill and can't take care of himself.
It was a good book overall but not one that I felt moved by.
It was a good book overall but not one that I felt moved by.
May 28, 2015
This tale set in the early '30s is wonderfully written. I related with Joshua for having to move home and help his family, some people just don't understand that but I really felt the author did and tackled the concept perfectly. As for Will, how can you not love him for all he's dealing with and doing so the best way he can. When these two meet finally, the connection is already there, you can just feel it through Joshua's inner monologue describing their "eyes meet" emotion. As usual, there are obstacles that they have to overcome and watching them skirt the mine field that they have found themselves in is interesting and well written. If you love historicals then this is definitely one for you and if you're on the fence whether you want to try a historical for the first time, this is a perfect one to get your feet wet with. This is the first time I've read this author but it won't be the last.
January 26, 2016
I really enjoyed about 70% of the story and then it suddenly went downhill for me
February 19, 2013
Easy and heartwarming story for Christmas.
To be honest, I'm a little bit disappointed. I was expecting something more. Not exactly sure what, just... something ;)
As I've mentioned already, everything was happening very fast. So... It wasn't just an impression, it's a fact. I think that's one of the features of Christmas stories, especially if they're short, like this one.
To be honest, I'm a little bit disappointed. I was expecting something more. Not exactly sure what, just... something ;)
As I've mentioned already, everything was happening very fast. So... It wasn't just an impression, it's a fact. I think that's one of the features of Christmas stories, especially if they're short, like this one.
July 18, 2014
Historical romance, I'd like to think parents have always loved their kids no matter what, so this story makes my heart happy. The post war years are tough and the era of being gay in times of strict alcohol and sodomy laws seems un believable but those times existed. This story provides love in those times and is a beautiful romance.
December 28, 2016
4.75 stars. Terrific author and terrific story. A peek into the world of two men, Joshua and Will, living in 1930s New York. Wonderful supporting characters. Joshua's mother made me cheer when she discovered her son at a gay ball. Her actions and her words.
Adult read
Adult read
January 3, 2012
Romantic story with simple language and simple ptedictable plot. Easy read for free afternoon.
December 26, 2012
3.5 stars. Read for m/m team bingo challenge.
Want to read
July 4, 2014Dreamspinner deal of the day for $0.99! 7/4/14
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October 26, 2015
2012 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)
Read
July 3, 2016Dnf. Left off at 25%.
November 26, 2016
2.5
At times this one held my attention but at others I felt unconnected. Very mixed feelings. Maybe not quite the happy fairytale I hoped for as a Christmas read.
At times this one held my attention but at others I felt unconnected. Very mixed feelings. Maybe not quite the happy fairytale I hoped for as a Christmas read.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews