Rating: 
Summary: Decent plot but a painful read . . .
Review: I picked up this book from the library with a bunch of other gay books (albeit of the trashier variety). Expecting that it would be a nice, "literary" deviation from the trash books, I started my plunge into gay fiction with 'Metes and Bounds.' I wasn't pleased with what I found.The plot in the book was decent, nothing too special. It's basically a coming-of-age novel about a guy, Matt, finding his place in the world as a "queer" guy. (Though, why he didn't use the less-irksome and more PC word "gay" is beyond me.) The real pitfall of the novel is its writing. I absolutely abhorred it. The whole novel is written in an on-again off-again "Southern accent." The narration constantly switches grammatical correctness on and off as if Matt, the narrator, is one moment a college professor with a Ph.D. and the next a high school drop-out. The plot goes back and forth from the present to the past to the more-recent-than-the-past-but-not-quite-present-either. I didn't find it it hard to follow along, but it made me wonder what the point of it was. It seemed that the author was trying to be deep for the sake of being deep as if he were a gay, white, male Toni Morrison. Another part of the writing that I found redundant was the use of vulgarity. I'm not a conservative person when it comes to this sort of thing, which is demonstrated by the fact that the book I'm reading currently is entitled 'Hunk House,' however, I have to wonder if the use of profanity both sexual and otherwise really served any purpose. It wasn't sexy. It was just thrown in there at places where it was just superfluous. It was like the author was just throwing in dirty words every other paragraph to distract the reader so that he might not notice the bad writing. Overall, I found this to be a less-than enjoyable read. I like to vary my literary books and my fluffy reads. This book, however, fits into neither of those categories because it's too poorly written to be literary and too full of itself to be fluff. It is what it is, and what it is is just plain bad. There are plenty of enjoyable, well-written books out there to read. Don't waste your time or money on this one.
Rating: 
Summary: A gorgeous, touching, sweet southern tale
Review: I really enjoyed this understated, romantic, coming of age story. So many gay novels leave me cold, but I found warmth in these characters and their struggles. OK, the shifting back & forth timelines were a wee bit confusing, but it all straightened itself out in the end. I loved how the North Carolina backdrop was so integral to the plot, and even though I've never visited there, I want to now. I will definitely read more books by this author!
Rating:
Summary: BOOK WORTH PICKING UP
Review: i really thought that this book was different from most of the gay fiction that i read. for one dreason it was not obsessed with sex and it was nice to see how another person was able to have something other than sex to enjoy. i live in texas so i have never known a thing about surfing, but through the book you are able to get an understanding of the art and sport of what surfing is. it is also nice to see and encouraging to see a young man be able to comfortably explore the realms of his sexuality and the real world in the comfort of a member of his family. if we could all have parents that were as understanding many of us would be a lot happier. everything about the novel is done very well nad the only reason i did not give it five stars is because there were times when the novel would jump back in time and it would be a little confusing. but overall i felt that his boyfriend in the end is very touching and innocent. to see someone coming to grips with who they truly are is glorious thing to see. and i also want to hand it to jay quinn fro writing real people in the gay world and not just screaming queens because we are not all like that. i really think that this book is awesome and if you want something quick to read then go and get it
Rating:
Summary: As Boring as Bologna on White Bread
Review: I thought this would be an interesting book, I really can't remember why--maybe it was the nice cover...but never judge a book by its cover. I really don't know what to say other than "where is the plot?" There isn't really one. It's about a kid who's father sends him to live with his hunky uncle and his lover near the beach, throw in some flashbacks, some sex scenes, and--voila!--you've got Metes and Bounds. It took me forever to get through the book, and it's not even 200 pages long. NO, I'm not a slow reader, the book was just that boring. There was no "tension" as one reviewer put it. It was plain boring...with the exception of the sex scenes, which bordered on being hot. But there really was no intensity or desire or feeling to the book. I wanted something that seemed more tangible. I wanted stronger characters, heftier plot, realistic relationships. If you want to read something a bit more significant and a book that makes you feel more involved, I'd recommend something more like "Laudanum" by Cray Donnelly or Density of Souls by Chris Rice. Overall...its ok if you have absolutely nothing to do and have no life.
Rating: 
Summary: An Excellent Novel
Review: I won't bore anyone with another recap of the story. There's plenty of that in the other reviews. I'll just give my final impressions.
As a straight female, and as a writer, I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While I came away much more enlightened about a community and way of life I've had only passing contact with, I also found myself satisfied by the sheer excellence of the storytelling. The characters, from Matt to Tillett and even the extended family members, were completely believable and well balanced. The dialogue, the setting and the plot progression were all absolutely first rate. I was very sorry to finish the book, it was just that engrossing! Mr. Quinn has a true gift for writing. I hope to see more from him.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful Pandering
Review: Jay Quinn has a wonderful gift of language, of creative phrases and dead-on dialogue. He creates sympathetic characters and he poses believable turns of plot. With all that going for him, it's a disappointment that he inserts several gratuitous scenes of graphic sexual technique that would be more suitable to what used to be called "one-handed" novels. The plot of "Metes and Bounds" -- thin as it is -- isn't moved forward by these scenes. They are more like parentheses dropped in for the sake of sensationalism. Quinn would be better served filling in the background of his hero's relationship with his parents and siblings (which stirred in me a hunger for more development). The one thing that keeps this book from being only a very generic "coming of age" story is the one thing the author fails to capitalize on: it seems to be an almost incredibly hassle-free, struggle-free, pain-free growing up, especially given the North Carolina setting. Quinn offers no explication of how this could have come about for his teenage hero. (Nor does he make any particular use of the interesting title, which refers to the manner of measuring and staking out ownership of a particular piece of territory. It just sits there, and is ultimately a waste of a pregnant analogy.)
Rating:
Summary: Do your homework, Jay
Review: Jay Quinn should do his homework. He has an AIDS test that comes back very quickly and a doctor handing out AIDS brochures in 1983, two years before the test was approved by the FDA and long before a doctor in a small-town hospital would be knowledgeable about such things. In another scene he has a character play Miles Davis as an incredible example of outstanding jazz: yes, he's got the right artist, but the album mentioned, We Want Miles, did not exist yet, coming soon after his semiretirement from 1986-1991. (Plus it is just about the worst Miles ever recorded.) These two lacunae marred an otherwise entertaining, if only beach-quality, read. In your next book, Jay, abandon the flashback formula. It grates after the second or third time it is used.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome ride, Dude!
Review: Jay Quinn's novel was superb, I could not put it down. Eventhough I have never surfed in my life, I feel that I can catch a "gnarly wave" now. This is a story about a young man named Matt who is adjusting to his life as a gay male. He is very fortunate because he is living with a role model - a "cousin" Tiger and his lover. Quinn uses the beach and surfing as a backdrop to the young man coming to grips with his homosexuality and who is learning to deal with his wants. Quinn does a masterful job in bringing Matt to places he doesn't want to be but must face in order to grow up and become a mature individual. There are plenty of anolgies and metaphors about life in this novel. Everyone who reads this will learn something. Bravo, Mr. Quinn - I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Rating:
Summary: A waste of time
Review: Matt, a character i would've never came up wiuth if i were a writer. Jay Quinn is one of the greatest writers in my history.
Rating:
Summary: Inventive, Amazing, and very unexpected.
Review: Matt, a character i would've never came up wiuth if i were a writer. Jay Quinn is one of the greatest writers in my history.
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