Rating: 
Summary: Uncommonly good.
Review: I have just finished the book last night, and was very sad to say good bye to the characters. (Yes, I know there are sequels). In any case, the book made me really sad at times because Mr. Donaghe really was able to describe so well the friendship between his two main characters. It reminded me so much of my feelings for my best friend when I was 16, except things did not end like the book because we were both afraid to take the next step. The book is a bit of a fantasy, but is one definitely worth reading. I highly recommend it. Another really great book is "At Swim, Two Boys."
Rating:
Summary: Thank You Ron!!
Review: I just finished reading Common Sons, I laughed, I cried, and more importantly I grew. Common Sons is a richly crafted novel. It is a love story, but it is also more than that. I can't wait to read the sequals.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful heart rending story
Review: I kept having to leave the book to go to work and other mundane things. I kept wanting to get back to it. Finally the holidays provided time. It is the most wonderful story of growing up and dealing with life and all of its complications. I laughted at times, i cried a lot. It is a wonderful engrossing story of young and enduring love. Robert is a writer that keeps you on the edge of your chair as you look into the lives of many people who surround thess two young lovers. I am still thinking about their lives as i get on with mine, and will continue to for a long time. Thanks, Robert, for such a poignant warming story.
Rating:
Summary: This book is so awesome, if definitely warrants bonus stars!
Review: I love this book, in fact I just finished reading it like 5 seconds ago and knew I had to share how great it is right away. It's a wonderful love story, with excellent writing, interesting sideline plots and a wonderful cast of characters. You will love Tom and Joel by the end of this book and feel very close to them aswell. Lots has already been said about the books plot so I won't add much more, but yes, I have to say, it does end happily. It's just such a great book, I have to gush about it. You will NOT regret buying this book if you are in fact able to do so. And theres the rub. It's quite hard to find, especially in Canada. But if you can, buy it, cause it's a book you'll want to read over and over and treasure. Read this book! Some how, you will not be sorry you did!
Rating:
Summary: Worth the Read
Review: I picked this book at the library and read it in one sitting. The first few pages were weird to me becaue of the obscurity of the prose, I didn't know where Donaghe was going at first, but read past those first few pages and you just get deeper and deeper. It is interesting to see the depth of honesty and purity in Joel's character and his complete devotion to Tom. I was very happy with the story as Tom and Joel became completely committed to each other. Donaghe dragged out the agony of falling in love just enough to give you that little pain in your heart for Joel, the religious aspects of the novel are interesting as well, but I am a love-story person and Donaghe delivered that...if you are straight and interested in gay fiction, take it from me, don't be afraid, pick up this book, it's worth the read!
Rating: 
Summary: Too Sweet
Review: I was really looking forward to reading this book after reading all the positive reviews posted here. I was disappointed with the outcome. I think I would have enjoyed this book when I was younger or in high school. While very optimistic, it also came off as being too unrealistic. The two boys are very sappy and that started to irritate me towards the end. If you're looking for an easy and sappy read get this book.
Rating:
Summary: Without precedent
Review: I'm not prone to superlative, but I have to agree with all the praise expressed for this novel. I initially read it a few years ago on a flight home & nearly missed my shuttle because I couldn't put it down. (It's a crime this author is not more prolific or well publicized.) The characterizations are so well developed, I considered Joel & Tom good friends. I hated to say goodbye, and in fact, COULD NOT say goodbye. It was the one and only time in my life I immediately went back & re-read a book from start to finish--same sort of impact as the movie "Beautiful Thing." With this degree of character development, I can't help but wonder how much of it is autobiographical.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent...It warms your heart...
Review: If you are gay, you will be warmed by this novel. You will undoubtedly identify one of these two young men, their love for each other and their interactions with their families and the local small town society. Definitely worth your money and time.
Rating:
Summary: Boys in Love
Review: It was the dark night of the nation's soul. Before the AMA removed being gay from their list of mental disorders. It was pre-Stonewall. It was 1964. Common Sons introduces us to two gay teenage boys (Joel Reece, 17, and Tom Allen, 18) from a small New Mexico farm town. Joel is a down-to-earth farmer's son. Tom is a fundamentalist Christian preacher's son. Their love for one another transcends everything we would normally think of in this setting. Despite the torment they receive from their friends, family, and those who are holier-than-thou, this story drives home an important fact. No matter what, love is stronger than what harsh words could attempt to destroy, love is stronger than prejudice, love is stronger than Medieval societal attitudes, love is the core of our being. You will laugh and cry as you watch their drama unfold. Despite the hardships they undergo and the cruelty they suffer, they are the ones who endure. Against the backdrop of Joel's supportive parents, they fashion a new relationship that some might say couldn't have worked at their age, but does. I highly recommend this story for someone you love, or for yourself when you want to read about love at it's purest.
Rating:
Summary: A compelling story of coming out
Review: Ron Donaghe's first installment in the Common Threads in the Life series is a sweet and moving story of two boys coming out in 1960s New Mexico. His descriptions of the New Mexican landscape and lifestyle give the reader an indelible feel of the place in which the story is set, yet don't in any way overshadow the story itself. Out in Common, New Mexico, "the middle of nowhere," Joel and Tom find themselves irresistably drawn to each other, and yet divided by the bigotry and predjudice of the town in which they live. Making it even more difficult, Tom's father is the town's preacher, and his rigid and restrictive religious dogma and his expectations for Tom present a major obstacle, keeping Tom and Joel apart. A more easy-going and self-accepting young man, Joel has no doubts about his love for Tom, yet isn't really sure how to help him, and in so doing, help them both to realize their dream of sharing a life together. Tom himself does his share of soul-searching about the rights and wrongs of being and living a homosexual life. Pulling Tom along and compelling him to search for the answers is his love for Joel, and Joel's for him. Their feelings for one another are a source of inner conflict for Tom but one that will ultimately bring him to the point of choosing; the life his parents want for him or the life he must follow to be true to himself.
Donaghe has written a gripping and absorbing story of love shared by two boys. It's sweet and poingnant, and the reader early on develops a deep affection for them both and a real sense of caring about what becomes of them and the love they share.
This reader highly recommends this book for those looking for a
moving and loving coming out story, one that sets the reader up for the next installment in Donaghe's Common Life in the Thread series, that's continued in his next book, The Blind Season.
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