I was a quivering 18 year old looking at the bookrack of my local drug store when I saw this book. I noticed the cover art and the strange title. I read the first three pages and immediatly knew I needed it.

The story of two excessively sexy and talented men who finally find true love in each others arms had me quaking. Sure, this is not great literature. It is, in fact, a bodice-ripper without the bodices. But when you are a young man living in a steel town in southwestern Ohio, you can be blown away by a book where true love between men wins out.

This book has some of the faults of the genre. Everyone is beautiful, sexy and constantly aroused. You can telegraph the ending ten pages into it. The obstacles to getting to the ending can sometimes seem far-fetched. But obviously the most important thing is the underlying romance.

A bit of a period piece now as the action is set in pre-AIDS times. But still worth the price of admission. And if you happen to be reading a used copy with an "M" (for mature) written into the top of the pages, just smile and think of me.

Gordon Merrick was the most popular of pre-AIDS gay authors to write glossy pornagraphy with a mass market spin, and FORTH INTO THE LIGHT--the third and final installment of his "Charlie and Peter" series--is typical of his work: a soap opera plot, an exotic locale, Eurotrash, and as much explicit gay sex as can be crammed into the story.

This particular tale finds lovers Charlie and Peter, who are clearly intended to paragons of the gay jet set, in residence with their former mistress Martha (who has obliging produced a child for each) on an isolated Greek island--where they collide with an uncertain teenage boy whose insecurities do not prevent him from numerous gay escapades. Throw in stolen money, a sultry and rapacious male prostitute, and lots of local color and you have plenty of opportunity for one gay encounter after another.

Merrick's novels were tremendously popular in the emerging gay community of the 1970s, so much so that their success spilled over into the general mass market. Although expertly written, they are essentially 1970s gay popcorn pornagraphy with lots of surface gloss and zero depth, beach books for a way of life that vanished in the wake of AIDS--and indeed they were regarded as pancake-deep even when first published. They are perhaps best approached as cultural artifacts, but if the material appeals to you and you can suspend disbelief with a vengence you'll find them mildly entertaining.

I must admit I thought Lord Won't Mind was to be his crowning achievement, but I feel this book outdid the first in the trilogy. And this time around, even though the characters are once again for the most part Harlequin cardboard cutouts,... I think the emotional tie to Jeff is what makes me hold this one dearest to my heart of all three (well, all two... havent read One for the Gods yet). And check out the passage between Jeff and Mike for one of the most erotic "first timer" encouters written in any manner...gay, straight, and bi authors would have a hard time (no pun intended) topping this one.

It began with Peter. Then there was Charlie. Along came Martha. Now in the final chapter of the monumental love story about two men who could pass for Greek gods, steps Jeff, an exquisite young man who brings searing passion -- and intrigue -- to the lush Greek isle on which they all live.

But it wasn't any kind of literary masterpiece. So many of Mr. Merrick's books are unbelieveable but it almost always doesn't matter. First of all, why did Mark get naked in front of Clare and then jump into bed with her? Another big problem I had was how did Walter fall in love with Tom so fast and decide he wanted to spend the rest of his life with him right off the bat? This never happens in real life! But who cares, it was a great story that I couldn't put down and am looking forward to reading the rest of his books.

Robbins out of Firestein in style, but, once you've picked this one up, just try putting it down. I started reading it just out of curiosity, and found that, whether you're gay or not (I'm not), this is one of the hottest, most sexually-charged show-biz exposes to come out of any era. It's a never-never land where the women are beautiful, insatiable richbitch types, and all the men are handsome and hung (Sort of like "Baywatch" without the beach). But that's part of its charm. Whether you "live the life" or not, you're in for a sexual roller-coaster ride!

I have been told Gordon Merrick is a really good writer. I agree to a certain extent because the author successfully injected sensuality and descriptive scenery into this book.

The pace of the book, on the other hand, was slow and at various times, I lost interest in continue my reading because the plot repeated itself and it therfore became predictable. The pace quickened a bit in the last few chapters and the plot thickened, it was only then readers felt more eager to find out what happened to the son, the mother, the lover and the father. Unfortunately, it's a bit too late to rescue the whole book because readers had been bored to tears before they could read to the end.

Had the author cut out a few chapters and held the storyline tighter, it would have been a perfect read. There was so much potential to this book, I wish it could be better so that I would keep this book for a second read.

This is a great read. Fast paced with lots of the good stuff!

Gordon Merrick has created with his novel "Perfect Freedom" one of the best gay novels to date. It is a wonderfull story about the Cosling family i.c. Stuart, Helene and their son Robbie. Merrick describes their climb and struggle to fortune, their wealthy life-style during the 30's at St-Tropez and the Greek Islands and their downfall at the beginning of WWII. During the reading of the book, the Coslings will become a real family to the reader. You will laugh, cry, party, make love with them and finally participate in the downfall with such an intensity that when you have reached the last page your head is spinning from all the emotions you have endured. At end you will realise that, whatever happens, life will go on! St-Tropez will never look the same the next time you may visit it! Highly recommended.

While growing up in high school I was assigned books to read almost every week. Catcher in the Rye, Ordinary People, To Kill A Mockingbird, Tess just to name a few. In almost every case I rarely made it to page 2 let alone to the very end.

While doing some research, I stumbled upon THE LORD WON'T MIND and began reading the first chapter. Set in a country manner everything that I dreamed of, country clubs, elegant dinners, walks along country roads to a private beach was on the page. More importantly a story book romance between two men.

Charlie and Peter two distant relatives spend a summer together and discover they have more in common than tennis and sailing. The initial romantic overtures are so well written that the beauty and erotica can overwhelm most readers.

The story moves swiftly through a wirlwind summer romance, to a predictable break up and final resolution that will appeal to all romance novel lovers to some serious readers. The novel is an escape into the "fabulous" life that most will envie and enjoy. This is a novel that is not for those who like a good plot, it is a romance, and a accounting of a relationship. It lacks teeth but that is it's appeal.

It does provide a reader who is currently discovering their sexuality a glimmer of hope that the gay lifesyle can be as rich and rewarding as those of straights. This novel could be to blame for the pretention that is abundant in the Gay community. The sexual content makes it not recommended for readers younger than 15.

If you need a little romance, give this novel a chance.

I remember seeing Gordon Merrick's novels in bookstores when I was in my teens. They were softbound with provocative covers of half-naked men. I was instantly drawn. I read The Lord Won't Mind for the first time in the summer of 1991 in my mid-twenties. A man I was "bunking" with for a few days on Nantucket had purchased it (hardcover, no jacket, no images) from the library downtown for $.50. I could hardly put the book down once I started it. The material produces an arousal rather quickly. The description of its leading players, however, namely Charlie, Peter and the ever-whimsical C.B., give the reader the clear impression that there is more to the story at hand than sexual proclivities of the young and well endowed. Charlie Mills is the hero of Gordon Merrick's trilogy of male love (One For The Gods, Forth Into Light), Peter the undeniable ingenue. C.B. plays a rather due role. At the onset of the story, she is the pillar of strength to these young men; in the latter, she becomes more the object of dissention. (But do find out for yourself.) Unfortunately, I never got beyond the first few chapters of the book that summer before my "bunking" arrangement had ended and I had no further access to the book. I hunted it down in Manhattan only to discover that the heiress of its original publisher had put the material deliberately out of print. Several years passed before I read The Lord Won't Mind in its entirety, now re-published by Alyson Books. It is highly recommended reading for anyone who believes in the heart of the young, the steadfastness of true love, or just wants to read a hot novel.

The Lord Wont Mind is a classic gay novel that was all the rage in the seventies. I remember reading this book as I was just starting to come out in 1979.

The book was dog-eared from being passed along from hand to hand. It was a must read amongst a sub-class in my high school. We knew we were different and we knew that we were gay. Eagerly, we read this book, searching for a blueprint, a design for living. In it, we found erotic potential and experienced the bittersweetness of love with a man.

The story seems antiquated now, with the advent of AIDS, yet it still rings true. It centers on how hard it is to be true to who you are and how to accept that. It shows how love is so sweet when found, so sad when lost and triumphant when regained.

The book centers on Charlie and Peter who fall madly in love with each other over a magical summer. Their relationship becomes fraught with difficulty when Charlie wants so to fit in and remain closeted. Peter, who is so achingly in love, wants to revel in this love, no matter what anyone thinks.

I don't want to give away too much here. So, I'll let you find out what happens next.

The story does get bogged down with Meriick's preoccupation with size (he was an old size queen, after all.) And there is a story twist in the end which seems somewhat convoluted and leaves one questioning why it was ever included. That aside, this is the perfect summer book filled with erotic passages featuring the most graphic gay love scenes ever written, tear jerking love scenes and a cast of unforgettable characters.

This was the paramount of gay fiction. Nothing that has ever been written comes as close as this.

A continuation of Robbie's story in Perfect Freedom, it shows the the depths of degradation to which a person can fall if he gives into self-loathing and the belief that gays deserve what they get. Luckily for the hero, he has Robbie to rescue him and show him that being gay is just fine. The sexual scenes are scorching, if somewhat rough and demeaning in places. All in all an very good read.

The first Gordon Merrick book I read in the 80"s. After the experience of this book, I had to have the WHOLE Merrick collection. The story is pure fanasty, but what a fanasty! I always say if you can't live the life, read a Gordon Merrick book about The Life. He lets us into a world that most of us can only dream about. The characters are sometimes shallow, non-feeling subhuman, but then again can not we all be? Gordon Merrick, if nothing else, lets us be free to enjoy the best and worst in life without leaving our couches. But, fear not, no matter how or what choices the characters make, they must pay a price for their choices. No matter how good the ride, it is not free. But, aside form the price of the book, the pleasure we all take from the ride is . And what a pleasure it is.

Believe it or not, the other two books in this trilogy actually have strong supporting plots. This one I found lacking in plot, but you know what? I'm picky. Most people don't read Merrick for the plot. I do because it provides a nice build-up to the [love] scenes, which makes them pay off more. But if you want, skip ahead to the [love] because Merrick is in fine form as usual. Highlights include when Charlie and Peter "switch roles." The plot may be lacking but the [love] souped up so it's still worth the money.

It was a novel that helped me to feel that I might be an ok person, even if I was gay. The thought of someone actually writing a novel on the subject was thrilling. The love scenes gave me a lot to look forward to.

Back in print after years of being unavailable to generations of Merrick fans comes the follow-up to the national best-seller The Lord Won't Mind. The saga concludes with Forth Into Light.

I can't particularly say that I hate this book but neither will I say that I like it, to put it mildly. If ever, I like the characters in the book for their realism especially Manoli and Phil. Sadly, I do know a couple of Dons, Georges, Phils, and even Manolis.

So why I don't especially like this book? Well, it's quite simple, everything about the book is true. There's no are no perfect gay relationships; gay guys are promiscuous; hustlers can do fall in love; straight guy can fall in love with another guy; gay guys are always into anything that's "big"; Falling in love in a foreign country; old gay guys are into hustlers..... I can go on and on about this but would rather not. What really bothered me was the fact that Phil left Manoli when Manoli needs him the most. I think it was an easy way out for Phil. Supposedly Phil was able to mature after his run-in with Manoli, living in Crete and meeting the various colorful people there, but in the long run, what did he actually learn? Nothing. Hell, he could have met more colorful people here in New York. For somebody who's living in New York, Phil's character sure is so not New York except the "sluttiness".

I purchased five more books by this author. I am now praying that these books are not like this one.

What a great book.I really enjoyed the way that the characters portrayed many mixed emotions as well as good helpings of sex - so naturally set in the contrasts of muddled New York and the simplistic sexual and erotic freedom of mid-late 20th century Greece and islands. I just couldn't put this book down. Anyone who reads this book should be able to identify themselves with at least one of the characters!

I've read all of Merrick's works and agree that he is the Harold Robbins of gay literature - that is, he's not going to enter the halls of the monuments of world literature, but they are fun and entertaining. This one has a bit more sex than his other works, but presents an interesting look at the life of a gay man and how he got to the point where he is. He has escaped to a Greek island only to fall in love again - he seems to have a way of doing that. If you enjoy a good story with a fair amount of sex thrown in, you will really like this one.

After reading all of Gordon Merrick's books, I was excited to find something new. The Good Life is a good book and I enjoyed reading it. It's a book about a young man drawn into a life that he thought he wanted but soon learned he was unable to control. Anyone who grew up reading Gordon Merrick will find many familiar themes, but may be disappointed in the details. The heterosexual sex is explored in detail, but the homosexual scenes are relegated to the background and only slightly referred to in single short sentances. It's obvious that Mr. Hulse does not share the same passion and literary style as Gordon Merrick. While this is a good book, it's clear that it is not up to the same standards as all of the other great novels of the late Mr. Merrick.

During the 70s and 80s, Gordon Merrick wrote big, fat gay romance novels along the lines of Rosemary Rogers and Jacqueline Susann. He died in 1988, shortly after his last novel, A MEASURE OF MADNESS, was released. Almost a decade later, we have a brand new Merrick novel (completed by his long time partner and fellow author Charles (TALL COTTON) Hulse) that was started before the prolific author died. Unlike his other novels, this one is actually based on a true incident: a high society murder in Manhattan in 1943. In his foreward, Merrick notes that he knew the bisexual socialite Wayne Lonergan who was charged with murdering his heiress young bride. Merrick has changed his character's name to Perry Langham and all bets are off as to what is fiction and what is fact.At 403 densely-packed pages, this novel is almost too much of a good thing. Everything is so over-the-top (from Perry's massive endowment to the sex scenes that pop up every five pages) that reading THE GOOD LIFE is like eating a box of bon-bons. It's best to try not to eat...er, read, it all in one gulp. Unfortunately, Merrick and Hulse have written one fast read. You can't help but keep reading. Merrick fans will be happy to hear that THE GOOD LIFE is a worthy addition to the late author's canon. And maybe this new title will introduce new readers to the gay novels that broke their way onto the New York Times bestseller list back in the early 70s.