Latter Days : A Novel

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Summary: A Review of Latter Days the Book and the Movie by Cheri
Review: "Latter Days" the book and the movie

Would you risk being ex-communicated by your church, shunned by your peers, and turned away by your parents, for the one you love? How desperate would you be if you were denied the freedom to love, to be with the person of your dreams? The one person who makes you feel complete. This is portrayed in the all too familiar story of boy meets boy, boy falls in love with boy, and boy has to choose between boy and family. Latter Days the book, written from the screenplay, is a replica of the movie except for a few minor details. C. Jay Cox wrote the screenplay. The book, adapted by T. Fabris, won the Audience Award as the Outstanding First Narrative Feature, Los Angeles Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.

Aaron Davis (Steve Sandvoss), a 19 year-old Morman, has never been away from home. He is called to serve as a missionary for his church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. His assignment is in Hollywood, California where he will spend two years. He makes the pilgrimage from Pocatello, Idaho to California, full of hope and promise that he will make his church and family proud. He studies the Bible and its teachings diligently. He loves the church and the feeling of belonging, but there is one big problem--he is gay. He falls in love with another boy, Christian. His church insists Aaron repent for his sins and forever deny who he is. Living as a homosexual is not an option. The church forces Aaron to choose between Christian and his religion.

Christian Markelli (Wes Ramsey) is a vivacious, gorgeous, party animal. His claim to fame is his ability to get straight boys to have sex with him. He works as a waiter and bus boy at Lila's Restaurant-so does his roommate and best friend, Julie. His other friends are co-workers, Andrew and Traci. When Aaron and three other young Mormons move into Christian and Julie's apartment complex, Andrew, Traci, Julie and Chris make a $50 bet to see if Chris can get one of the missionaries to sleep with him. Chris and Julie bet he could do it; Andrew and Traci bet he could not. Christian had no idea that he was going to fall in love with Aaron, or that Aaron would return his love.

Julie (Rebekah Jordan) is an aspiring singer. Through a connection, she gets Clive Davis to listen to her demo album. Chris and Julie are more than roommates; they support and love one another like family.

Andrew (Khary Payton), the bartender at Lila's, has wisdom beyond his years because he has been HIV positive from a very young age. He convinces Christian to volunteer to help deliver food to housebound AIDS victims. Chris takes him up on his offer after Aaron tells him he is shallow and compares him to a "marshmallow peep"-a perfect analogy. Chris wants to prove to Aaron that he is not just a pretty face who only cares about getting laid.

Traci (Amber Benson) is an aspiring actress whose parents are not too crazy about her career choice.

Lila (Jacqueline Bisset) owns Lila's Restaurant and is the epitome of culture, grace, and poise. She is a mother figure to Christian and Aaron when their own parents are not willing to fulfill their roles. One of her best lines to Aaron is, "Your church doesn't like alcohol or homosexuals. I am definitely not joining." Aaron was there for Lila in her time of need and Lila returns the favor to Aaron. They were each others' angel.

Aaron is kicked out of the missionary program and sent home after getting caught kissing Christian. Christian does not want to let him go that easily and tries to get him back.

The set design is amazing and meaningful, as we see when Aaron returns home. His father is disappointed and his mother is cold. By contrast, the house is colorful and bright; even the kitchen cabinets are cheery. The house was decorated before Aaron shamed his family by admitting he is gay-designed when Aaron showed promise and potential to follow his father's example and become a church leader. The cheerful design makes Aaron's mother seem that much harsher by comparison.

I loved Latter Days, the movie and the book, for many reasons but most of all for the important story it tells and the lesson it teaches. The lesson being that love comes in all forms and no person or church should have the right to condemn love between two people of the same sex. Many tragedies and near disasters could be avoided.

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Summary: As you get older, you realize that most cliches are true...
Review: ...so says Anderson Cooper in his latest article in "Details" magazine. I think he's right.
"Latter Days" was fun and moving. No, it wasn't "A Tale of Two Cities", but who needs soggy literature? Our economy sucks, our soldiers are dying, and I, for one, enjoy some decent but lighter entertainment. "Latter Days" isn't fluff, but it's not going to send you off to cut your wrists, either. We need more books like this (and yes, this adaptation is WAY better than the film). We need hope and humanity in the face of the radical religious right. "Latter Days" gives us that.
So, Janeh, get a life. Stop the hard-fisted book reviews and dust off that unpublished manuscript you're obviously holding against other published authors who are enjoying the success you wish you had. I hate sour grapes. Lighten up, and let the rest of us enjoy "Latter Days".


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Summary: Sweet, sensitive story of self discovery and romance
Review: Christian Markelli is the stereotypical West Hollywood gay "party boy" hunk, with a reputation for seducing even young men who claim to be straight. So it is not so strange when his coworkers at Lillys (a restaurant owned by a former movie star) bet him $50 he can't seduce a young Mormon missionary who recently moved in (along with three other missionaries) into his apartment complex. Along the way, Christian falls in love with the shy, frustrated Aaron Davis, who also finds himself attracted to Christian, in contrary to his strong religious upbringing and beliefs. He also makes Christian realize something about himself, and the story becomes a compelling story of connection and self-discovery as well as romance. It also realistically depicts the plight of gay members of the LDS church, as Aaron is discovered by a roommate and sent home from his mission in disgrace.

The novel is based on a screenplay for the film, which has recently been released in several major US cities, and broke all records for gay movies in its opening weekend. I have not seen the film, so my review is based solely on the book. Nor has the book spoiled me from wanting to see the film, since the story - while somewhat simplistic and predictable in its revelations - is told masterfully and sensitively. I'd rate the book 5 stars out of 5, and look forward to the DVD release of the film.

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Summary: A breath of fresh air in modern gay literature!
Review: First of all, it is so commendable for the writer of Sweet Home Alabama to come out and write this gay film. It must have been a risky career choice, but I hope this movie (book) has proven that it was worth it.

Since the book is an adaption from the movie (i.e. from movie to book), one cannot expect beautiful sentences a la Michael Cunningham's A Home At The End Of The World. Nevertheless, the story is very sweet. It is definitely worth the read for those interested in exploring books in this genre. (For me, I was personally relieved to find a book with gay characters that does not merely involve drugs, clubs, and a plethora of one-night-stands)

My own interpretation of the story is that it is about finding love in the most unexpected situation. The best kind of romantic connection can be found between the most unlikely candidates, which is what made me cheering for Christian and Aaron all the way. If an erstwhile whorish party boy who is jaded about love and a mind-Freaked yet innocent Mormom missionary could find comfort and love in each other's arms, then it is possible for us all.

Without being a plot ruiner, I will just say that as corny as the plot sometimes seems to be, the characters are well developed. Major characters branch out into their own subplots to build more credibilities into the construction of their personalities. I am so glad finally there is a gay love story that has some dramatic substances other than the usual cheating-forgiving that has been made so blase by basically every other gay romantic book I have read.

I believe this book really is 3-star material. However, based on the fact that there rarely are gay books with "actual" characters and "real-life" plots, I am going to give this book a special "affirmative action" rating of a 4-star. (Not to mention the very commendable inclusion of African-American characters in the book, kudos to the writers! We don't live in Scandanavia, for crying out loud; this book shows the reality)

Buy it; support the writers! That is how more quality gay literature and films can come about! Remember what Martina Navartilova says of our dollars being assets in our campaign for equality, freedom, and visibility. Well, supporting well composed gay arts (movies and books) is as good a way to spend our dollars as any. I also recommend A Home At The End Of The World (Cunningham), and Dream Boy (Grimsley) within the genre.

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Summary: stereotyped, and oh-so cliche
Review: From all the recent hype, I checked out Latter Days as soon as I could, read it in one sitting, and absolutely hated it. The scenes, seperate from the book (as seen on in the movie trailer) is actually quite beautiful, but once it's put back into the novel and subjected to pages of plotless, mindless writing that has no moral and no endearing connection to the reader, the scenes lose their value. It's a cheap love story, the main problem being that the book is unable to convince the reader that between Christian and Aaron there is truly a love beyond physical attraction. It's shallow and uses the age-old, used and abused idea of the series of "miraculous incidents" in which, at the very end (and only by chance!) do the two lovebirds come together "as one". The author's stab is humor is pitiful, and the book is so horrific it may be hard to put it down. I highly recommend any book of Jim Grimsley's over Latter Days, which has as much value as a broken penny.

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Summary: A Stretch but Charming !
Review: Hardly completely plausible, this book is nonetheless a charming and whimsical look at star-crossed lovers who meet in the cross-section of religion and the gay fast lane. Rewarding but not necessarily satisfying.

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Summary: An Engaging Story
Review: I have read the book, but not seen the movie. Other reviews have indicated that it's mostly a print version of the movie, which I don't doubt(see below).

It's a compelling story that's pretty well put together. There are some plot developments that are improbable, and in a couple of places the characters behave in ways that aren't readily believable, but are possible. There are some fairly heavy scenes, too; any book that can make me cry has definitely made an emotional impact.

I'm not entirely sure that someone who's straight would react the same way, though... I'm gay, and from a church that basically everyone considers to be fundamentalist (though not the Mormons). So some of the things that I thought were most moving might roll right by someone who doesn't have the same cultural background. I plan to give it to some straight friends (including one or two from church) to test my hypothesis. And, FWIW, I thought that what was in the book about how the Mormons go about setting up their mission teams and evangelizing was very interesting. Given that C. Jay Cox grew up in the church, I assume they're accurate. I'll definitely be more sympathetic the next time I see them out and about somewhere.

If the book itself has a failing, it's that it goes by very fast. There may be more character development than in the movie, but there's room for still more. To some degree, however, that can probably be said of any story. Oh, one other thing: if you haven't seen the movie, the trailer available on the film's Web site has a spoiler or two in it... that's relevant for either the movie or the book.

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Summary: Excellent escape into pure love
Review: I literally finished this book 5 minutes ago, and I had to write this review. I don't want to spoil the story, but this is just an amazingly told story about young love with a lot of religious guilt thrown in for good measure. And the characters just happen to be gay. I could not put the book down because I was immediatly drawn to the characters, their circumstances, and the triumph over internal conflict. A well written book, and I truly look forward to more work from this Author. Thank you for giving me the chance to share in this experience. I loved my escape into these lives...we have all lived.

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Summary: Great Book!
Review: I really enjoyed this book. The tranformations of aaron and christian are amazing and beautifully depicted. Though the story is not a surprising one, the character development is great. I would recommend this book to others & then send them to see this movie. There are some stellar performances!!!

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Summary: Very Good Story, but a bit Stereotypical...
Review: I saw this book/Movie advertised in `The Advocate' and thought it sounded very good. I am a lover of gay fiction about new love and people discovering who they are.

That being said, this is not a bad book. It is based on an adapted screenplay, so you can imagine its depth and breadth of character. Still, it took me a matter of a few hours to read, and parts made me smile, and parts made me a little sad.

Here's the basic set up: Stereotypically gay Christian basically lives for sex, and is shallow and pointless. He and his friends note the arrival of a group of Mormons on their mission across the way, and his friends make him bet he can't bed one of them (and steal the sacred underwear) before thirty days. Money is wagered.

Interesting Aaron - the saving grace of this book - is the Mormon with doubts about his sexuality, and what that means for who he is, a non stereotypically devout believer who can't decide what to do about this confusion in his life. When Christian makes his moves (and, in true Hollywood fashion, learns he is shallow and just, gosh-darn, wants to change to be worthy of Aaron after all), the confusion and misunderstandings abound. Including the typical "I was just a bet!" discussion, the book is still worthy if only for Aaron's journey, who, like I said before, is a rare well-written gay-and-faith character from a religion that decries what he is.

That said, I'm sure the movie is all about smooth chests and washboard abs. Internal dialogue rarely makes it to the big-screen. However, I will still be seeing the movie as the book was really well written.

I do recommend this book as the story of risking removal from your church and faith, and rocking the foundation you have based your entire life on is very powerful.