The Gay Divorcee

by Paul Burston

Phil Davies should be happy. He has a flourishing bar in the heart of Soho and in six months he will be marrying Ashley. There's just one problem. Phil has been married before, 20 years ago. To a woman. In fact, technically Phil and Hazel are still married. And what Phil doesn't know yet is that Hazel has a son - a 19-year-old son.

Genres: LGBT, Fiction, Gay, Queer

282 pages, Paperback

First published June 23, 2009

Reviews

[Vicky "phenkos" · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was fun and gave me a glimpse of the gay men's scene (which is not the same as the lesbian scene). Not a very demanding read, if you know what I mean, but you won't put it down until you get to the end. A nice mix of characters -- some deep, some superficial -- and a happy ending for some (the deserving ones!) which is quite uplifting after all the drama in the gay world.

[Nicolas Chinardet · Rating 3 out of 5]

A generally fun read with a suitably emotional ending. There is however a bitter streak throughout the book, which is worthy of Bitchy Queen, the anonymous gossip blogger in the story, and is at times uncomfortable for its relentless negativity.

[Kirsti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this storyline really interesting; the characters, each holding their own secrets, each holding their own hopes and interpretation of the situation. It didn't seem to make a big deal of the gay characters; their relationships were no different than if they book had been about purely straight characters and I really liked that. It was just your usual hidden son who was actually in sight story. I particularly like Ashley- or hated him, one or the other. Seeing his character made the book seem so real, knowing there are money grubbing gay men out there. I really liked Phil and Carl too, and knowing Phil came to his senses in time was a relief, and Carl ends up happy too. A great read, really well developed characters, and an interesting world. Well done, Paul Burston!

[David C Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. Maybe because the plot line is very close to home for me. But also because it’s a damn good read which I couldn’t put down once I’d started. Recommended.

[Kenzie Leckie ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Not too complex of a read but easily enough to follow. I liked the different perspectives of each character in this book and wasn’t hard to keep up with or confusing.

[John Boyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was cliché and funny to read but the story was quite heart-warming towards the end.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read. Captivating and the author really captures the raw emotions felt by each character from the fall out.
Do yourself a favour and read this one!

[Rosemary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Phil is planning to get married to his young, gorgeous boyfriend Ashley but there is one problem: Phil was married in his teens to a girl, and has never been divorced. And in fact, unknown to Phil, there's another problem: a child, now grown up. (That's not a spoiler - it's in the GR description and on the back of the book.)

I fell on this with delight in the library. I wanted to love it. And I did like it. I had some issues with it, but the characters saved it for me. There were certainly a few stereotypes in there, but I found them funny and fascinating. The gay scene lifestyle that is described, with its massive drug use, overwhelming focus on physical appearances, and a certain amount of casual sex, was very different from a straight romance, but I was fine with that.

So the issues were: (1) Predictability. The author tells too much too soon and misses almost every opportunity to make a drama out of a crisis (not living up to the gay stereotype there!) Giving away the existence of the child on the back of the book is typical.
(2) Too many points of view, switching too fast. We don't need to know what everyone is thinking all the time.
(3) The ending. Although in a sense there was a happy ending for the MC, it fell short of what he clearly wanted and what I think every reader would have wanted for him. A potential partner was introduced for him in the middle of the book, a guy who had met him years ago and had never forgotten him - perfect - but nothing came of it. I would have loved just a hint that they were still in contact at the end.

So only three stars but I'll look out for his other books.

[sabienne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Despite the fact that the cover is littered with praise, I can't say this book impressed me - there were times where I just wanted to throw it out of the window. It contains a vast amount of revelations, and most of them were blindingly predictable, which tends to make me both feel clever and really dissapointed. Mostly the latter, I must say.
The book starts off with a prologue, which feels scrabled and confusing. Something quickly retold in order for the rest of the story to make sense.
Then the story unfolds, releasing bits of information slowly. There were moments where I was really curious, but the curiousity was often too much to make it a comfortable read, and when the answers were finally given it was rarely satisfying enough.
I had a lot of trouble with some of the characters, too. Because it's told from alternating perspectives you get inside the mind of the people involved. In the case of Hazel's mother, who's very homophobic, this bothered me, as it's not something I enjoy reading about.. to put it mildly. I do get why she was written that way, it does make sense, and to get a rise out of me the way she did (and not just her, there were more characters that grated me) is an achievement in itself, of course. In that sense, it was well done.
There was something that kept me reading though, so it wasn't all bad, but I'm glad to have finished this book.

[Jack Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book: loved the entertaining plot, some tasty twists and a refreshingly natural narrative style. There's an interesting tension and contrast between London's Soho and Wales, some wonderfully colourful descriptions of the gay scene in London, brilliant, cutting humour and some lovely fast-moving writing. The sub-lots work well and add real depth. This book is one of those satisfying and well-crafted reads that left me wanting to read more of the same. I'm glad I found it.

[Kristina Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good read. The drama builds throughout with new revelations and tension. And the characters all feel real. They aren't there just to support the main protagonists but have lives of their own which affect the action and their interactions.
This is more than just a relationship story, it's also a bit of a mystery with the phantom blogger appearing throughout. And it covers a range of relationships, mother/daughter, mother/son, father/daughter, best friends, gay partners and all kinds of casual acquaintances.

[Chris Hinchley · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable, sometimes very predictable, soapy romp through the interminably bitchy, drink and drug fuelled lives and scene of a handful of London gay lives. Paul Burston of course knows his stuff but it does reinforce a ton of stereotypes and reinforces how glad I am that I was always a homo on the fringes of the scene and never within it. But it's a great summer read when you don't want anything too demanding.

[Jose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought it while on travel. I couldn't leave it for a week. Clever, sensitive, well written, funny and entertaining. I'll leave it here for my mum to read.The Gay Divorcee

[Alison Smith]

Chiklit for boys. Won't be trying any more of this writer.

[Beatriz · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a fun, quick read while on vacation....but it seems to rely on stereotypes that makes the characters lack complexity and be more like caricatures. So we laugh, but is it really fair to do so?

[Inez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Troszkę poumierałam na tłumaczeniu:P

[Paulalilyuk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Predictable but a pleasant enough read

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a rather surprising book!

A good read indeed.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

readable but nothing special.