Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Gay Fiction
Review: I just finished reading Where The Boys Are. First I should say I'm a huge fan of the first book, The Men From The Boys. But this new one moved me even further. It's been a week now since I finished and I can't stop thinking about it's various themes. Especially the character of Anthony. Forgiveness, redemption, unconditional love. It has really caused me to pause and think about the bigger issues not just in our community... but in myself.Mr. Mann's writing has such a poetic flow to it. But at the same time... the sense of mystery is never absent. That's what makes me want to turn the page or say "just one more chapter" at two in the morning. Wish there were more writers in the gay arena that delved as deeply as he does under the surface... getting to the heart of the moment. Creating real characters with real insecurities and real flaws... and allowing the reader to understand and learn to love them despite those "flaws". Stephen McCauley, who wrote the Object Of My Affection, is the only other author that I feel comes close to giving us these kinds of stories.
Rating: 
Summary: What a letdown!
Review: I loved "The Men From the Boys" so I was looking forward to any new book by William J. Mann. I was thrilled when I discovered that on top of everything the new book ("Where the boys are") was going to be a sequel to the one I loved ("The Men..."). What a disappointment! "Where the Boys Are" seems to be written by somebody else. Some of the characters have the same names (Jeff, Lloyd, the ghost of Javitz, and very vague references to Eduardo, Tommy, etc.) but that's about the only thing the two books have in common! (Mis)Using a narrative technique taken from Faulkner's "As I lay dying", we get to see the events from inside three character-narrators (Jeff, Lloyd & Henry) but instead of introspection and personal points of view, we get shallowness and confusion -especially since it changes from one to the other every few pages, before the reader can get a feel for the character. Since there is no introspection, it doesn't make a difference who is narrating, only confusion as to who the "I" on that page refers to! In addition, each of these three character-narrators gets into an irritating 'dialogue' (?!) with the reader, teasing her or him on what they will share or not share with her/him, etc. Paradoxically, this approach of getting inside the characters -to get to know them better- leaves the reader with the impression that there is nothing there making the characters far less likeable than in the previous book.
Rating:
Summary: What a letdown!
Review: I loved "The Men From the Boys" so I was looking forward to any new book by William J. Mann. I was thrilled when I discovered that on top of everything the new book ("Where the boys are") was going to be a sequel to the one I loved ("The Men..."). What a disappointment! "Where the Boys Are" seems to be written by somebody else. Some of the characters have the same names (Jeff, Lloyd, the ghost of Javitz, and very vague references to Eduardo, Tommy, etc.) but that's about the only thing the two books have in common! (Mis)Using a narrative technique taken from Faulkner's "As I lay dying", we get to see the events from inside three character-narrators (Jeff, Lloyd & Henry) but instead of introspection and personal points of view, we get shallowness and confusion -especially since it changes from one to the other every few pages, before the reader can get a feel for the character. Since there is no introspection, it doesn't make a difference who is narrating, only confusion as to who the "I" on that page refers to! In addition, each of these three character-narrators gets into an irritating 'dialogue' (?!) with the reader, teasing her or him on what they will share or not share with her/him, etc. Paradoxically, this approach of getting inside the characters -to get to know them better- leaves the reader with the impression that there is nothing there making the characters far less likeable than in the previous book.
Rating:
Summary: A deeply moving and interesting work
Review: I profoundly enjoyed reading Where the Boys Are. After reading The Men From the Boys a few years ago, I was delighted to come accross this sequel. The characters in the first installment had made a deep impression on me and I thoroughly enjoyed "spending time" with them again. The device of writing in multipe voices amplified my understanding and caring for these people. If you are up for taking a trip for a few days with an intersting assortment of honest (and very human) set of evolving gay men, you should definitely read this work.
Rating:
Summary: Great Read for Summer or Anytime!
Review: I read this book while vacationing in Northern Michigan. Sitting by the lake it was nice to be taken away into Mann's world of Provincetown, the Circuit and Boston. A great Summer read! A great Fall read as well if you haven't picked this one up yet. Don't miss "the Men from the Boys" as well....
Rating: 
Summary: praise for looking at issues of my time.
Review: I really enjoyed the book, particularly as I was reading the book this summer while vacationing in Provincetown. It was a great summer beach book. What I liked most is that I could see people like me, living lives like mine, struggeling with decisions like I do. I felt at home with the characters, and saw myself and my friends in them. Too often I hear people say things like "well that is not how people really live", but they do, and Mann has written a book about those people, my people, for myself and others to get to know better.
Rating:
Summary: I loved this book!
Review: I thought this book was a beautiful portrayal of the gay tribe, with their loves and tribulations, and mysteries. It's core is two gay men, and their circle of friends, and their struggles to find connections through a year of their lives. I won't give the plot away, but I can highly recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: I loved this book!
Review: I thought this book was a beautiful portrayal of the gay tribe, with their loves and tribulations, and mysteries. It's core is two gay men, and their circle of friends, and their struggles to find connections through a year of their lives. I won't give the plot away, but I can highly recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: A Hidden Surprise
Review: I'm an avid reader and I'm always looking for new exciting authors to read. Too often with gay fiction I would find the stories so outlandish. The characters would be dull, boring and/or to stereotypical. After only a few chapters I would place the book down and never pick it up again. I bought "Where The Boys Are" with some hesitation, afraid that I would be as disappointed as before. You couldn't imagine my surpise when I found myself not only enjoying the book but getting hooked on it as well.
This is the first novel that I have read where the characters are real and candid. They seem like people that you could know in your everyday life. The story line has a nice even flow to it that kept me wanting more. So if you want to read a book that will make you laugh, cry, rememeber loved ones, and nights of going out with your friends to clubs, I highly recommend this hidden surprise.
Rating:
Summary: A screenplay for a TV series more than a novel
Review: If you are looking for a real novel with interesting characters, I'd look elsewhere. I found "Where the Boys Are" incredibly predictable and cliche-ridden. The answer to the central mystery is too clearly telegraphed early on in the book, and it just gets worse towards the end. The protagonist must have done a LOT of X and K to not have come to the obvious and clumsy answer before the very end of the novel. If you are looking for a mindless read that you can zip through in one day on the beach, this book is OK. If you want a real novel, try something by Alan Hollinghurst or Mark Merlis. They can write creative fiction that gives you something to chew on... somehting a bit more substantial than the dialog of "Queer as Folk".
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