Wary of love in later life?
One author faced the taboos and wrote a critically acclaimed novel, sex and all. Seemingly, just in time…
‘I have been waiting to read this book for a long time… so long that I almost wrote it myself. Thank you Michael Tappenden, for saving me the trouble and thank you ‘A Long Dark Rainbow’ for being a far better read than I could ever have made of it.’
LoveReading review April 2020
Michael Tappenden
Before embarking on his second novel, Michael Tappenden was concerned that in today’s apparent cult of youthfulness, this story – the story of normal mature folk and their relationships – would never be told.
‘I was also very concerned and aware of the problem of writing intimate physical descriptions,’ he says. ‘And that the book wouldn’t work and be true to life, if I dodged that issue.’
The development of the characters, especially the story’s strong female antagonist, were largely dependent on such descriptions. As Michael explains, ‘I needed to show that, just because men and women were no longer in the first flush of youth, that doesn’t mean desire and gratification had simply disappeared.’ Lots of research quickly highlighted the danger of this easily slipping into lazy soft porn, or the trite and obvious, or worse still, being simply distasteful.
‘I could see how some writers had managed it successfully,’ he says. He quotes Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks, and the bawdy Fanny Hill as examples. ‘But,’ he adds, ‘many more had failed.’
‘I needed to formulate an approach whereby the language could be frank, but also described intimate acts in an expressive, at times poetical way. And also, to always be honest and relevant. It would have been all too easy to simply spray four letter words every few pages for no reason. The aim was also to move the language from any gutter level to a point where it became expressive and individually important.’
So far, readers seem to agree.
“The writing is explicit without being gratuitous or offensive and displays a genuine understanding of how important and difficult personal interactions are at any age but that, with advancing years, there are added dimensions that younger people might not appreciate.”
“Readers of a mature age will find much here that will resonate and maybe inspire, whilst younger generations will hopefully see their elders in a different light. An enthralling read, thoroughly recommended.”
LoveReading Review April 2020.
Included in the Indie Books We Love section.
Michael Tappenden’s love of the poetry of the English language, and its ability to express complex thoughts and feelings becomes self-evident. The reviewer at Kirkus, in particular, commented on this.
‘Rich prose (“He had gawped at the huge open studios bathed in northern light, reeking of turpentine and the fat richness of oil paint…) invites the reader into a sensual colorful world… Tappenden writes in a luminous, open prose style that’s suffused with sensuality: “She had certainly watched him stroking many items as if their feel revealed their beauty or history… and she knew that she wanted him to stroke her in the same way, a way beyond mere touching.’’ The result is an absorbing love story that feels a bit like ‘On Golden Pond’ as rewritten by D. H. Lawrence.’
Kirkus Review Sept 2019 / Jan 2021
Michael acknowledges that book reviews are essential for all writers, not only to motivate sales but for feedback.
‘Observations that individual readers can make are often surprising and unexpected,’ he says. ‘The individual reader is important, of course, but so are the ‘big hitters’ like Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, both of whom gave strong reviews. Imagine my delight when the Director of Promotions and Advertising, Kirkus Media contacted me to say that A Long Dark Rainbow had been selected to be featured in Kirkus Review January 15, 2021, something that less than ten per cent of all reviews achieve. Wow!’
And when BookLife Reviews went on to feature it in the June 2021 issue of Publishers Weekly magazine, they said:
“Tappenden crafts a cleareyed exploration of physical love among the aged that’s psychologically nuanced… Readers who enjoy their romances on the quirky side… will find much to relish in this insightful tale… this decidedly British second-chance romance will charm fans of love in later life… Great for fans of Elizabeth Berg’s ‘Never Change,’ Mary Anne Shaffer and Annie Barrows’ ‘The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society; and Helen Simonson’s ‘Major Pettigrew’s last Stand.”
A Long Dark Rainbow (ISBN: 978-0-9930967-4-7) is published by Eden Park Publishing and available in paperback and ebook – free to read on Kindle Unlimited! Find it on Amazon here
Also by Michael Tappenden, Pegasus to Paradise: trauma, survival & the power of love in post-war Britain (also Eden Park Publishing ISBN: 978-0-9930967-3-0)
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