Ginter's Pope

by John Musgrove

As the South struggles through Reconstruction, Lewis Ginter attempts to rebuild his lost fortunes in the Manhattan banking sector. After his only sister returns Richmond, he struggles to fit in with society as a lifelong bachelor. An invitation to join the growing Richmond tobacco industry sets his move back to Virginia in motion, but an encounter with a courier haunts his thoughts. Risking his new opportunity, he desperately seeks out the young man’s family to convince them that he is just the candidate for his new enterprise. As the two make the journey south, they discover that they have far more in common than just business and success: they find love despite their age gap. In Richmond, they build a life together, weathering criticism, overeager parents seeking to marry off their daughters, and long separations as they work to build their empire.

Genres: Historical, LGBT, Fiction

302 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 22, 2022

Reviews

[lauraღ]

DNF @ 24%. This has been mildly interesting so far, and I do love gay historical fiction, but I really did not enjoy the omniscient POV and all the head-hopping. At this stage, it was annoying, and I know if I continue, it'll probably start to piss me off. The pacing wasn't my favourite either; I didn't expect them to just come out and start talking about their attraction to men. They hardly know each other at this point.

Also, I didn't realise when I started, but these were both real, historical figures, and it always makes me feel a little weird, reading a fictionalised account of real people's lives. So based on that, and not liking the writing style, I figured it made sense to DNF now. Maybe I'll return to this if the mood strikes me? Or I'll read non-fiction about Ginter.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although fiction, this book provides a wonderful insight into the mores, attitudes, and traditions of late 19th century life in post-war Richmond, Virginia. Lewis Ginter, a major during the Civil War, finds his fortunes in tatters, and heads to New York to rebuild his financial position. There he encounters John Pope, an 18 year old boy, who has taken a fascination with the older man. After Ginter’s sister returns to Richmond, Lewis follows her there, bringing the young man along as his protégé. What follows is a fascinating picture of Richmond society and its view of the relationship between the two men. This book is a “must read” for anyone who wants to learn more about same-sex relationships in the late 19th century.

[Ebb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating story of one of Richmond, Virginia's best-kept secrets. Even with money, power and connections, Lewis Ginter was vulnerable to casual insults and innuendoes in a morally corseted society. Of particular interest was the description of the pressure put on young women and men of the period to marry and produce children in order to replace at least some of 258,000 fallen in the Civil War.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a lucky winner of the Goodreads giveaway for this book. This work of historical fiction covers my favorite topic a person or event that I had no prior knowledge of. Lewis Ginter was a businessman and philanthropist in post Civil War Richmond, Virginia. John Pope was a younger man that worked his way up to business partner in Ginter’s tobacco company. The two lived together as confirmed bachelor’s. The author’s story tells his interpretation of their business and private life as a couple. The book is very enjoyable and reads fast. This is the first of a series and I will be reading the next book upon publication.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous, delicious story about a charmed love affair that lasted over 20 years.

[Devon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ginter’s Pope is a look at two men who were real life people: Lewis Ginter and John Pope. Ginter made a fabulous fortune in cigarettes, and the much-younger Pope was adopted by him and was brought up to be partner in the company when Ginter’s previous partner retired. Pope and Ginter lived together for nearly thirty years before Pope sickened and died in 1896, just shy of forty, and Ginter, in his grief, died the year after.

I wanted to like this book, and I also didn’t—don’t—want to be mean, but it has issues.

•The way the narration is set up where the reader follows both men and it goes back and forth between them means it’s more difficult to get to know either of them. Sometimes the text starts with Pope in one paragraph and the next is giving Ginter’s perspective and feelings. I feel distant from both the characters and the action. It’s really hard to gauge the passage of time as well; one point mentions five years have gone by and it feels like much fewer. At another time, the paragraph mentions a year elapsing. Years just dribble by so quickly!

•I also noticed there are few contractions used in dialogue which may add to the stiffness. Everyone talks in the same cadence, and very properly. I would think at the very least someone who was raised in Brooklyn and had Irish parents (Pope) might have an interesting speech pattern.

•It seems kind of wild to me that after very little interaction between them and hardly knowing each other that Ginter would volunteer he likes men to Pope when Pope asks if he’s married. It’s a very big risk for a man who is uprooting himself and taking a gamble on a business venture—the public’s perception is important and he could lose his opportunity before it launched if gossip started. It’s not dissimilar to how easily Ginter’s business partner divulges he’s gay when Ginter first asks him why he isn’t married. I’d be petrified to volunteer that information to someone I don’t even know is gay when it could be used against me in a violent way that could also see me losing the support of the community, which is necessary for business. The immediate leap afterward that boiled down to Allen and Ginter losing their virginity to one another, with little build-up outside of learning the other was gay, was so odd. John telling Grace he loves her uncle is met with no fanfare whatsoever; I find it hard to believe no one is that shaken to hear that either of them are gay. I understand Grace is a lesbian, but I would still be surprised in that circumstance to learn my uncle was gay.

•It’s also a little odd to me that seemingly everyone knows that they’re gay and just openly discusses it. Pope’s family suspects it (How? Why? He’s eighteen; no one would expect him to immediately get married, especially since he’s poor and struggling), Ginter’s (also gay) business partner quizzes him as to how long he’s been infatuated…it’s dangerous to be gay and Ginter says they need to keep up pretences, but somehow people seem to know anyway and do nothing about it. A man accosts them outside the courthouse. Ginter’s sister Jane immediately suspects it and says people in church are discussing it. Even if it’s not explicitly about being gay, they will also be lectured about not marrying and procreating. I can’t envision people in society in public are going to be like “you not being married is selfish and you need to do your duty!”

•Also specifically talking about his sister, she seems more horrified that he’s taking advantage of Pope rather than that they are gay. I don’t know why she would be so appalled; the author has given Pope the age of eighteen when it seems he was actually younger in real life. Girls courted generally at age eighteen to twenty and while the war seemingly delayed marriage, it was on average at twenty-three. He wouldn’t be any more taken advantage of than her own daughter Jo, who was sixteen at the start (but presumably older at this point of the novel) and literally went to a ball which was used to find men to court and eventually marry. I also don’t know how she believed her daughters would figure out they were gay; most people’s thoughts didn’t immediately leap to men being gay just because they spent time in each other’s company. It’s hard to get anywhere with historical figures because some historians dig their heels in and fly the flag of “romantic friendship” to block any claims of romantic love and sex between men; if everyone truly was pointing fingers at men and shrieking “gay!” in the past, it wouldn’t be half so difficult NOW to make such a case.

•The book goes back and forth between people confronting them about being gay or people confronting them about being unmarried to the point any time it brought up a new setting or a new person I just went “all right are they gonna attack them for being gay or single?”. When, for example, Pope went home after his mother died, I was anticipating one or the other—he was jumped on for both! Why are they concerned that he isn’t married when his brother is two years older and is only engaged?

When Ginter is invited to a matchmaking session by a reverend and he just tells him he’s gay? And the reverend’s fine with it? Wishes him “the most lasting happiness”? Come on.

And when’s the perfect time to accost someone about not being married? Oh right—as your mother in law is actively dying. When you’re freshly married into the family, no less. It’s also a great time to accuse the person of being gay as well.

Another good time? After a funeral service; just march right up and lecture the man who is grieving his sister that he should be married right now. In fact, he’s also GAY and should be ASHAMED of himself!

Why not also confront one of them at a party he’s throwing! This happens not just once but twice, once for their homewarming and once to celebrate the opening of their hotel. Women (and a couple men) are apparently lining up to interrogate their hosts in order to happily be chucked out on their ears.

I just find it hard to believe to the point of absurdity that people are simply walking up to these men and doing the equivalent of “why aren’t you married? Is it because you’re gay?” at literally EVERY SINGLE turn. Any time either Ginter or Pope are alone with anyone else, they will either be quizzed about not being married or asked if they’re homosexual—sometimes both—and I can’t fathom that would happen period, let alone with no further blowback. People wouldn’t be like “ARE YOU GAY?” and get no response or a coy deflection or WORSE—admittance that indeed they ARE gay—and then said people go “oh ok” and essentially drop it.

I was more enamoured with the idea of this novel and less with the execution of it. I see the author has another book about Lewis’s niece Grace, which I’d like to read.

[Gloria D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good read! Another reviewer wrote you should read if you are interested in same sex relationships in that era. I read it because Lewis Gunter left his mark on Richmond. He is named for an entire neighborhood as well as a beautiful botanical garden. John’s writing has an emotional element that had me truly involved with all of the characters and events. I even got teary eyed a couple of times. It’s a beautiful book which I highly recommend.

[Joyce Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well written, interesting book about an aspect of Lewis Ginter's life that I knew nothing about. Lewis Ginter and John Pope became so real for me. I enjoyed reading it.