The Phoenix [Paperback]

What a joy to read this book proved to be. From the very first page I was drawn in with the action, was instantly attracted to the characters and was very impressed how with so few strokes of her pen, Sims managed to draw the situation, the era, the environment and the characters. Language is certainly Sims' gift but she doesn't drown you in it. It's an intelligent read, but steers clear of being a morass where the words become more important than the story itself.

Jack Rourke and his sickly twin brother Michael live by the river in London, picking a living any way they can, (which in Jack's case means a bit of stealing) while they wait for sporadic visits by their father, away at sea. As the boys grow they dread his visits more and more, as Rourke is increasingly violent, both to them and to their mother. Matters come to a head with such a violent visit that Jack is forced to flee, and friends he has made in local theatre take him in.

The book is marginally longer than some of the books I've read recently, but there are points (like this early section) where I'd like it be even longer. I felt it - wasn't rushed, exactly - but I'd have like to have seen more of this early life explored in the same lush detail that Sims goes on in other sections of the book. Jack's (soon to renamed Christopher, and then Kit - and yes, this is important) rise from guttersnipe to an heir of a small fortune and a damned good actor could have been padded out and I wouldn't have minded a bit. He had a worrying tendancy to be a little Sue-ish, or tainted with "Woman-of-Substance-itis" but I overlooked that for he does have faults, and these are brought into sharp relief when he meets Nicholas, a dour doctor - brought up in a strict religious environment who has fallen quite in love with Kit without Kit knowing.

It's a lovely seduction and love affair, Kit's licentiousness is contrasted starkly with Nick's puritanical ideals and when the invevitable happens and both behave far too much like themselves for either of them to forgive each other..... Well - I don't want to do too many spoilers, but this is where the book really kicks in.

Characterisation: Is great. I could really get under the skin of both main characters without any problem. Even when she shifted between one and the other, it was so starkly contrasted - the difference in their characters - that you simply thought as one then the other. While Nick's choices made me want to brain him, they made perfect sense in the world he inhabited, and that's the true test of a good homosexual historical for my money. Ruth doesn't stick modern day characters in Victorian clothes, everything they do, even the much more openly shocking Kit - is coloured by what society thought and what society would and could do. It wasn't quite as dangerous for men in 1890 as it was in 1820 - you weren't hanged: but you still risked prison, disgrace and being exiled from polite society - even more rigid than it had been 150 years before. Sims shows the "salons" of the aesthetes - where the only safe place for a gentleman of a certain persuasion to meet others was in the drawing rooms of his friends.

Kit is larger than life throughout, and that's perfectly in character, even when his life spirals out of control, it's in a wonderfully tragedian way with Nick hardly able to keep up.

Period Feel: Wonderfully done, with no Dan Brown tub-thumping explanations of what is going on and the politics of the time. Sims doesn't talk down to her reader. For someone who self-admittedly has rarely ventured from her own corner of the USA, to be able to recreate Victorian slums is pretty impressive.

I only saw one major anachronism which I'd suggest getting edited for the next edition, and that was a mention of O and A levels, which didn't get introduced until after WW2. There was a little incursion of American-isms in the English sections, such as railroad, but they were only there because I was looking for them, didn't spoil it at all.

Sexual Level: Warm and erotic, without being graphic in any way, a true lesson to me in less is more.

Summing Up: Very highly recommended. Certainly the best written gay historical I've read since At Swim Two Boys, and a book that convinces me that I can do better with my own prose. This is not a "romance" btw, chaps - so while I'm giving no clues to the ending, I adored it, because it left me guessing right up until the very last chapter. It's a real keeper.

It's not often that a book can move me with out leaving me slightly heartbroken at the same time. This book is important to me and made me feel glad to know that there are such stories published, it's the kind of book that makes you feel slightly peaceful.
Just my humble opinion.

The Phoenix easily gives Romeo and Juliet a run for it's money! I am a huge fan of Shakespeare, as is the author if her (Kit's!) enthusiasm within the story is any indication. Yet, Sims' forbidden love between two men is more poignant. It resonates through our society, where such love is attacked as strongly now as it was when this story was set.

I will not rehash the plot, as other reviewers have already done so. But, I will say Ruth Sims is an exceptional writer whose work should not be missed. If you are looking for erotica, or M/M romance, this may not be for you. There is sex, but it's not explicit. And, Phoenix does not have the contrived "happily ever after" ending that many romances have (which I also enjoy, and am not knocking here). If you ARE looking for a deeply felt, well-written novel of true love, then buy this book now. Nico and Kit love each other, but their lives, society, and their own insecurities get in the way time and again. Until, finally, they realize that one simply cannot live without the other. While our two heroes do end up together, it is only after much loss and pain, just as in real life. A bittersweet ending, but still sweet.

This novel should be enjoyed by historical fiction fans, as well as M/M fiction fans. Even those who do not agree with the M/M lifestyle can appreciate the magic in the story and Sims' prose. The following quote resonated with me:

Without the sanction of Sociey
Without the sanction of the Church
Without the sanction of God,
Without the sanction even of yourself
I love you.

A well written historical romance. And I love that the cover art isn't cheesy CGI. Stylish and thoughtful, like the novel.