Review: Not Bad
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 20, 2014
"Dinner At Home" was, at least for me, almost good.It is the story of gays building a family and, in doing so, overcoming adversity, disappointment, abuse and poverty. It's a sweet story, and that's probably why I wasn't as impressed as I might have been. Sometimes sweet can be cloying, and in this case, it was a bit too much for me.The author writes well enough, and many of his books have received excellent reviews. But where's the originality? Where's the distinction that sets this book apart from the myriad other similar books in this overpopulated genre? Oh yes, it's in the recipes, I suspect. I note that, for many reviewers, the recipes that start each chapter were a highlight of the book. I must be an old curmudgeon, because for me, they felt lilke nothing more than a self-conscious gimmick - and I'm not a big fan of gimmicks. I skipped them.The characters all had pasts, and most of them not pleasant (to say the least) except for Ollie, the main character. But Ollie is all about food. He gets up in the morning and thinks about what he will prepare for breakfast. Even when having sex, the food metaphors abound. Apparently, it shows. He's described as both cute and sexy, but his torso and legs are said to have a heavy pelt of dark hair and a "masculine" little pot-belly. Ummmmm.... I guess if you're into that. It is, if nothing else, realistic. But I don't read M/M Romance for realism, and I didn't find it even a little bit sexy. When Nathan, the other half of this inevitable couple, is described as having a forest of red hair on his "private parts", I admit I began to gag a bit. Now that's just a personal taste thing, but I tend to like a man who sees to his own grooming, especially if he's particularly hairy. I don't mean the men have to be shaved down to the skin, like a porn star, to be appealing, but a little shaping and cleaning is not a bad thing - at least in my book. I know this is a very personal thing, and those who get really turned on by excessively hairy men will love this. But I didn't, and therefore didn't find either man even remotely sexy. I guess it was the hair on the butt that really made me visualize an animal rather than an attractive gay man. But don't let that deter you. That's just my taste, and, to each his (or her) own.One of the food porn issues that also got to me was Ollie's claim to cook only simple, humble fare, and then to go on and describe almost obscenely rich gourmet fare. Apparently, neither one goes to the gym or runs, so I hope Nathan will still love Ollie when he's totally obese!If you like hairy men, recipes and food porn, you will really love this book. Sad for me, it just wasn't my cup of tea.