Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1019293 in Books
• Published on: 1992-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Synopsis
When 17-year-old Stephen Hill joined the cricket club, it was only a matter of time before young schoolmaster Graham Curtis fell head over heels in love. Their passionate affair intensified until they decided to part temporarily. The author also wrote "Unnatural Relations" and "Conduct Unbecoming".

Customer Reviews

A wonderful gay love story
I first read this book several years ago in the early 1990's when it was first published. I utterly adored it, and simply couldnt put it down. It was quite rare to find such a pleasant gay love story, and fondly brought back memories of when I was at school a few years earlier and insanely in love with one of my teachers. Sadly my teacher never knew about my infatuation, but this novel however goes beyond unrequited love and explores what could happen when a male sixth former falls for one of his male teachers...and the interest is returned!

Love it as I do, the book is not without it's flaws. The characters and dialogue are a little too much on the "posh" side for my own tastes (teachers are called "schoolmasters", and most characters come across as far too twee), but then the story's intent is to look at the conflict that takes place when sexuality and "moral family values" clash in conservative Middle England. The cricket scenes can be something of a bore if you're not a cricket fan, and I wish that less emphasis would have been placed on the cricketting backdrop as it really does detract from the narrative. However, this is only a minor concern as the main plot of the book is worth plodding through the dull cricket scenes to get to. The book is generally pretty low key, but there are moments of drama and intrigue that give it a bit of a "kick", and overall I found it greatly entertaining.

Sadly the book was out of print for a few years in the 90's, and then resurfaced with a new cover. I know its only a superficial point, but I preferred the original cover which was an artwork picturisation of the young main character Stephen Hill. The newer cover seems a little less interesting.

In 1999, a sequel "Growing Pains" was published. However, it did not quite hold the same level of interest for me and was not a patch on this original.

A perfect cricket love match
Graham Curtis is handsome, gay, in his late twenties and teaches French at a boys' school; he is a dedicated and popular teacher; he is also a keen and active sportsman and cricketer. Stephen Hill is a seventeen year student preparing for his A level exams, a pleasant, unassuming well brought up good looking lad with shaggy blond hair; he too is a keen sportsman and an able cricketer; he is unsure of his sexual preference. Following a good humoured classroom encounter, student and master engage in conversation during which Graham is impressed by his student's maturity and wit, Stephen with his master's perception and understanding; so the beginnings of friendship are formed, and eventually a deep love affair. They regularly play cricket together for a local club, and it is while on a cricket tour that they consummate their love.
However it is not all plain sailing at a time when the age of sexual consent for homosexuals is twenty one years. Graham, very aware of his responsibilities, wants to play it safe, while Stephen, having discovered the delights of a gay relationship, and with the sexual drive of youth, finds it hard to hold back. During the lovers' period of abstention Stephen also becomes involved with a fellow student, a delightful and happy blond youth with choir boy looks, Richard, with whom he also falls in love.
Graham understandingly accepts Stephen's relationship with Richard, while offering Stephen the promise that they can eventually be together once Stephen finishes his exams. They not only have to suffer this self imposed restriction on their relationship, but also have to contend with a jealous and revengeful jilted former lover of Graham's, and Stephen's staunchly religious and narrow minded parents. The former, in an attempt to win Graham back, resorts to blackmail, the latter to imprisoning Stephen in his room in addition to subjecting him to threats from the local priest.
The lovers manage to overcome the many obstacles they encounter in one way or another, but when matters come to the threat of pubic exposure, Graham escapes to France. Who now of their many friends can they trust? Can the two lovers ever achieve their desire to be together? Will Stephen's growing attachment to the very perceptive and fun loving Richard win out over the older Graham?
This is a very beautiful love story, and that I am not a cricket fan nor understand the game in no way affected my enjoyment, even with the occasional match descriptions. The main characters are thoroughly appealing, and they have some very loyal and understanding friends. I did find the narrative at times a little impersonal, and occasionally the dialogue seemed stilted. By contrast, Bill from the cricket club comes over as larger than life and having a great sense of humour, and many of the conversations between Graham and Stephen are enchanting. While the two lovers do not have an easy time, there is none of the frustrating negativity often encountered in such stories, and the outcome of this very moving illicit tale is heart-warmingly positive.

An enjoyable read
Well I really liked this book. Let me tell you a bit about the story. It revolves around the love affair of school boy, Stephen and his sixth form teacher, Graham. Their mutal interest is the love of cricket, and in my opinion the book details too much about this subject- but you can always hover over these parts if you wish, something which I was forced to do. To tell you the truth I though Graham, the teacher was rather a bland character, but the story also concerns fellow student, Richard, who is a much more intersting and sexier character and is someone whom Stephen also has strongs feeling for. Who will Stephen choose? The enthusiasm to learn the answer had me pacing fast through the book. I would recommend this book to you all. It is so easy to relate to - I mean who has not at sometime in there life not had a crush on their teacher (and never mind the teacher doing anything about it! If you liked this book I would also urge you to read the sequel, "Growing Pains".