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Featured Story: Never Too Late


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Please enjoy this review brought to you by the lead of our review team, Timothy M! 

 

Never Too Late

northie

Reviewer: Timothy M.

Status: Complete

Word Count: 42,149

 

November is approaching, a dreary, cold, dark month in the northern hemisphere. The Danish poet Henrik Nordbrandt once wrote: The year has sixteen months: November, December, January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, November, November, November. Read the poem out loud and you’ll get the feeling of how long and boring November is. (Of course, this doesn't apply to the GA story November Falls).

 

Now imagine it’s November and you’re an old, poor and lonely man living in a cold, damp cottage in England. Then you’ll have the setting of northie’s story Never Too Late. It’s a rather unusual tale on a site where most protagonists are teens or adults below age 30, handsome and/or charming, fit and friendly, or at least with some redeeming traits. Maybe the only thing Eric has in common with the normal main characters is being gay. And deeply closeted but opening the door. 

 

The person Eric opens the door to, is Andy, a young charity volunteer who does fulfill the usual character criteria. At first they don’t get along at all, but with nudging from Adam, his clever boyfriend, Andy manages to salvage the initial disaster and gradually win the trust of Eric. He discovers how to help the taciturn, proud oldster who in turn gradually opens up to potential friendships and a glimpse into the unobtainable world of gay romance and relationships. But at least Eric now has a connection to the gay community which Andy wants to broaden by introducing him to computers and the internet. Not an easy task at all. :facepalm:
 

Never Too Late culminates at Christmas and the New Year, two events which can be especially depressing for people without family and friends. So why do I recommend a story which sounds as sad as November? It’s because northie once again has managed to capture my heart with something real; with characters who make mistakes, but strive to improve; with gentle but piercing observations on how society ignores the needs of the poor, the old, and the lonely. Most of all, how the kindness of a few people, who reach out to Eric during the story, makes all the difference in the world to him.

northie’s tale has attracted a small, but devoted group of fans, some of whom shared their personal experiences and perspectives on the topics mentioned above, both via interesting chapter comments and in the discussion forum. Their opinions are perhaps better advertising that anything I could say:

 

@Carlos Hazday : Love your way of writing these stories, sensitive and emotional characters, bordering on pathetic without actually reaching that level.


@drsawzall : well done and vitally important that we see stories in this subject. Life isn't simply led as some of the stories would have you believe. We all struggle with and hide what we don't want others to see.


@dughlas : My heart still aches for Eric. There is much missing from his life. Andy and Adam are bringing new experiences to his life.


@ColumbusGuy : This story is just amazingly warm, especially once Andy got over his 'save the world' complex and saw Eric as a real person.  Do you know how rare that is for elderly or handicapped people?

 

We look forward to the next book (already into chapter 12 according to northie and due to start posting early in 2019), where we hope to see Eric’s life brighten in various ways. Take your time to savor Book One, which may not be full of action and drama, but has plenty of the compassion and understanding to which we as humans should aspire. And if nothing else the story may make you appreciate what you have in your life in terms of comforts, health, friends, and best of all love. As @droughtquake said: I feel so lucky compared with Eric!

 

Category: Fiction   Genres: Drama, Romance  Tags: young adult, senior, gay, europe, coming out, friendship  Rating: Mature

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27 Comments


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Wonderful review, @Timothy M.. I did some beta reading for this story at the beginning, and I loved that @northie was writing a story so real and thought provoking. I knew she had something special in this one. I haven't got back to it since, but it has always been in my plans. Thanks, Tim, for such a wonderful reminder. Maybe after I get back to Soul Music, I will find the time. :)  :worship: 

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28 minutes ago, dughlas said:

This is a wonderful review for a well loved story. 

Thanks, dugh.  :)

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8 minutes ago, Headstall said:

I did some beta reading for this story at the beginning

I appreciated your help very much, Gary. Your technical comments pointed me in the right direction. ;)

If you get back to Soul Music, I'll welcome your comments as always.   :)

 

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5 minutes ago, Valkyrie said:

This reminds me that I need to finish reading this story.  I started, but then life got in the way.  I quite enjoyed what I have read so far.  

Thanks, Val. New / continuing readers are always welcome ...  😛

 

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2 hours ago, dughlas said:

This is a wonderful review for a well loved story. 

 

Thank you, dugh :hug: I hope the review evoked good memories of the story.

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2 hours ago, Headstall said:

Wonderful review, @Timothy M.. I did some beta reading for this story at the beginning, and I loved that @northie was writing a story so real and thought provoking. I knew she had something special in this one. I haven't got back to it since, but it has always been in my plans. Thanks, Tim, for such a wonderful reminder. Maybe after I get back to Soul Music, I will find the time. :)  :worship: 

 

:heart: Thanks, Gary :hug: If my review entices readers (back) to the story, my mission is accomplished. I'm sure you'll enjoy the final parts of the chapters, including Eric's struggles with learning to use a computer.

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I am so glad to see that the story arc will continue, this story touches on many important themes, things we like not to recognize as we all grow older. The gay community isn't solely comprised of horny 16 to 30 year old men.  As I enter those golden years it becomes all too clear that many of us still lead vital lives, do good works and appreciate the larger world around us. Never Too late encapsulates many important themes and it is truly appreciated.

There was a time when I was growing up that it would have been a death sentence to have come out as gay, it would have been considered social suicide and self-immolation. I sympathize with Eric, I appreciate the authors work and so much more needs to be done. Thank you Northie  

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10 minutes ago, drsawzall said:

I sympathize with Eric, I appreciate the authors work and so much more needs to be done.

Thank you for your kind words. Eric's story will continue in the New Year. When I started writing about Eric, I had no idea how unusual an older protagonist was. When I came to post the completed story, I thought it would attract very little interest. How wrong I was. :lol:

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I've been hearing great things about this story for a while, and it's on my to-read list. Now, even more so. 

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9 hours ago, drsawzall said:

I am so glad to see that the story arc will continue, this story touches on many important themes, things we like not to recognize as we all grow older.

 

You're not the only fan looking forward to reading book two about Eric. I agree completely with your points which was why I quoted your comment on the story.

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7 hours ago, MacGreg said:

I've been hearing great things about this story for a while, and it's on my to-read list. Now, even more so. 

 

I'm happy to hear that. The main purpose of blog reviews is to garner new readers for great stories.

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4 hours ago, Parker Owens said:

Thank you, @northie, for writing a story so close to the reality many of us face, or must face one day. Thank you, @Timothy M., for this review, giving an excellent story and writer a better look. 

 

:thankyou:  for leaving a nice comment for both the story and the review. The latter is the reward for writing story reviews for this blog. 

 

BTW If anyone would like to do a blog review, we have a vacant spot in December. Just send me (or Renee) a PM.

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12 hours ago, MacGreg said:

I've been hearing great things about this story for a while, and it's on my to-read list. Now, even more so. 

Thank you! It is quite short ...  ;)

 

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9 hours ago, Parker Owens said:

Thank you, @northie, for writing a story so close to the reality many of us face, or must face one day. Thank you, @Timothy M., for this review, giving an excellent story and writer a better look. 

And thank you, dear friend, for continuing to keep me company as I explore Eric's story. 💓

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I started this story and then managed to fall way behind. This is a good push to get me going again. 

 

Loved the review, Tim.. 

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3 hours ago, Defiance19 said:

I started this story and then managed to fall way behind. This is a good push to get me going again. 

 

Loved the review, Tim.. 

 

Thanks, Def :heart:  I'm glad you're going to return to Eric. His life improves in the latter chapters, except for an annoying neighbor.

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