Product Description

At Conrad's wedding, everything appears perfect as he embarks on a life with the woman of his dreams and a legal career that holds every promise. By contrast, his best man and childhood friend, Marcus, works at a dead-end job parking cars after coming out at home and dropping out of college. Building on his traditional upbringing, Conrad successfully pursues a calculated plan for professional success, while Marcus rejects that life and drifts, drinking with friends and clubbing in San Francisco. But as Conrad locks in his law firm partnership, his marriage suffers. And when a relationship for Marcus finally blossoms, he finds himself unsure. While their choices have predictable results, the old friends are surprised to discover a rekindling of their youthful bond and an unexpected peace as they find their way during unforgiving but changing times. In a love story that reverberates from beliefs that stigmatize and laws that discriminate, these boys quickly becoming men resonate with the power and elegance of the concertos they choose to perform.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #86996 in Books
• Published on: 2008-11-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 212 pages

Customer Reviews

Love Truly is a Many Splendid Thing!!
Many of us, especially those of us who are gay and come out, like to think that the choices we make for ourselves won't affect others; but the choices we make do have an effect on others. Life would be so much simpler if that weren't the case!

As with Marcus and Conrad, good boys and best friends while growing up, they each make choices which have a direct effect on their own lives, on each others life, and on those around them. It began with Marcus' choice of coming out (forced by circumstantial evidence) after his first year in college and Conrad's choice to remain in the closet. Their choices cause the bond they had as teens to crack, but not break. And while their choices don't bring them the joy and fulfillment they had hoped to find, those choices don't break their spirit or the deeply buried love they have for one another. Eventually, they find themselves turning to the other during a tumultuous and emotional decade.

The musical pieces chosen for this novel (especially Prokofiev's Piano Concerto #2) (read Chapter 9 without it, and then with it!), pieces that Marcus and Conrad play in competitions, accentuate the emotional atmosphere to this story, as the two men struggle with the choices they have made in their lives. "A Matter of Choice" is the perfect title for this beautiful and romantic story of love triumphant!

Important Themes Embedded in Very Entertaining Read
The classic themes the author explores through his fiction seem more relevant today than ever: choice, freedom, coming of age, discrimination, love, and equal rights. Themes alone though aren't interesting without engaging characters and plot. I believe the author got the mix right in his first novel and even added a clever narrative twist that had me re-reading pages.

Choosing to be Yourself
This is an excellent first book by G. Carlos Smith. The characters in the book are well developed and very realistic. This book is indeed about "A Matter of Choice". It shows the different paths two friends take from their youth to adulthood and their struggle for self-acceptance and the acceptance of others. As a gay man myself, I could definately relate to the characters. This is a love story between these two friends and oneself. Ultimately, this book is about the decision one makes to live your life being yourself or not and the ramifications of those decisions. For me the best way to honor God is to be who he made you to be. To do otherwise is the real sin. This book was difficult to put down and I wanted it to continue. I am looking forward to future books by this author. Also, congratulations and much happiness to the author and his husband in their new marriage.

Greg