About this title: Prior to the publication of this beloved novel, nearly every gay novel and play seemed to end in suicide--or at least deep despair. Merrick was one of the first writers to insist that a gay relationship could in fact be a happy one. The Lord Won't Mind tells the story of Peter and Charlie, who begin a love affair at their Ivy League college in the '60s.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Avon Books (Mm)
Date Published: 1983
ISBN-13:9780380014040ISBN:0380014041
Description: Acceptable. MAY HAVE COVER WEAR, SPINE CREASES, HIGHLIGHTING, UNDERLINING & PAGES YELLOWED FROM AGE. FASTER SERVICE FROM US! ! ! read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Alyson Books
Date Published: 1995
ISBN-13:9781555832902ISBN:1555832903
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. (A1_5/9)Book is in good condition. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 256 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Edition: Third Printing
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Alyson Publications, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1995
ISBN-13:9781555832902ISBN:1555832903
Description: Good. Brief summary of content available upon request by e-mail. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Quality Paperback Book Club
Date Published: 2000
Description: Very Good. Text is clean and bright. No creases in cover or spine. Binding is tight and square. No names, no remainder marks, no stickers. Light edge and corner wear. Careful packaging and fast shipping. We recommend EXPEDITED MAIL for even faster delivery! read more
Edition: Sixth Printing By This Publisher.
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Avon Books., New York, NY, USA.
Date Published: 1971
ISBN-13:9780380014040ISBN:0380014041
Description: Painted Cover Art! Good. Mass Market Paperback. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" Tall. 336 pages. "The Lord won't mind is the completely honet an dsensitine story of a young Princeton man named Charlie, and his beautiful friend Peter-their first meeting, their discovery of each other, and their turbulent, and happy, love affair in the dazzling, sophisticated worlds of theatre and publishing in New York. It is one of the most ouspoken, graphis, and extraordinarily romantic novels of gay life written. "; *** ... read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Alyson Books
Date Published: 1995-07-01
ISBN-13:9781555832902ISBN:1555832903
Description: Good. 1995 paperback no marks and is in good condition All of our products are cleaned with an disinfectant for your protection before shipping. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: BERNARD GEIS & ASSOC
Date Published: 1970-01-01
Description: Very Good. Vintage 1970 stated second printing hardcover with cool illustrated dustjacket, which shows edge wear, a tad of tape on bottom of spine area of jacket, book i sin great shape, has former owner name inside cover and a red spot on bottom of that page. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Alyson Books
Date Published: 1995-07-01
ISBN-13:9781555832902ISBN:1555832903
Description: New. Like new paperback. Covers show very minor shelf wear, otherwise an unblemished copy.; 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed! Free Delivery Confirmation! Ships same or next business day! read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Triangle Classics
Date Published: 2000
Description: Fine. No dust jacket as issued. Especially created for Quality Paperback Book Club. 255 & 312 pgs in like new condition; cover fine. Exclusive Triangle Classics edition brings together Merrick's bestselling and much adored erotic gay novels w/Peter and Charlie. read more
"I read this years and years ago in 1980. It was THE BOOK for all gay men to read and had been a steady bestseller since 1970. Think of Judith Krantz gone gay. Steamy hot sex and a story of love and betrayal set in the late 30's early 40's. A love story like no other."
""The Lord Won't Mind" is a peculiar but entertaining novel. Gordon Merrick writes of the all-consuming pre-War love between two young men from respectable families both of whom put Adonis to shame. God's gift to beauty, they even look alike. A possessive, overbearing grandmother introduces the younger Peter to her beloved 23yo grandson Charlie. She has mentoring in mind, but the two men fall instantly in love. But this is the early 1940s, right before World War II, an era in which being openly gay is taboo - unless you're in the big city and into theater or something. Despite their ever-present hardons, Charlie is in denial about his true sexuality. He doesn't consider his love for Peter to be "queer." 19yo Peter, on the other hand, embraces this his first-ever love with complete openness and ardor. That's about the first 100 pages -- one steamy sex scene after another.
Pulp fiction gay romance? That's what I was thinking at this point. But after Charlie and Peter's relationship is indelibly established, the plot thickens. I got hooked. This novel is not only about forbidden love in the 1940s but about ideal beauty, self-awareness, the role of power in a relationship, and who you can trust. It also says a lot about the place of African Americans at the time, peripherally.
As far as his writing, Merrick's use of ellipsis can be a little off-putting at times, i.e. jumping ahead too quickly. He's perfectly comfortable with the usual slang terms relating to sex, like the "f" word. Yet he consistently uses the word "sex" to refer to the penis. I found this somewhat annoying, I'm not sure why. And his writing can be rather stilted and mawkish:
"He felt consumed, absorbed, penetrated, possessed beyond the possibility of his own identity's survival. It was an oblivion he had sought and dreamed of."
"Peter stepped forward and his sex rose to complete its erection."
"His sex reared up and grew under his knowledgeable touch and locked into rigidity."
"Hattie had one reading that made everybody stir slightly with sounds of amusement.""
"This book can be summed up in one word, PHENOMENAL. It is a simple story with undertones similar to the well known film, "Brokeback Mountain." Yet the story is a period piece told from the view of the wealthy elite of our society. The description is so passionately charged it will move you to laugh, cry and turn away from the book (as you would a movie) when it gets too violent. A great read."
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