Writing songs for a would-be pop star is painful. When young, gay songwriter Duncan falls in love, he writes a love song. When he gets dumped, he writes a break-up song. Luckily for his songwriting career, his love life is a roller-coaster.When his long-term boyfriend breaks up with him, Duncan finds solace in music. And pancakes, of course. With the help of his sassy diva singer and best friend … best friend Marlene, her ex-boyfriend guitarist, and a local music producer, they form a musical dream team to produce songs to pitch to agents, and for Marlene’s promising singing career.
A new guy here, a new guy there, they are delicious distractions, but this drama fuels new and better songs. And that ex? He just won’t seem to go away. But it all pays off when they have their first number one hit with a teenybopper all-girl band.
Not everything in their favorite hangout-a breakfast restaurant called Pancake Heaven-is rainbows and maple syrup. The all-girl band drops them as songwriters, and they squabble with one another over their musical future. Will they find the success they can be proud of?
Blueberry Pancakes is a contemporary gay drama about falling in and out of love, the price of success, and walking through the world with confidence.
more
Colorful look at life outside the box. There is humor in this one and some sadness, a lot like life. Blueberry pancakes are the go to comfort food for two people trying to make it big. Creativity always seems to be accompanied by a touch of fey. There’s more than a touch in here. Good tale.
Another pancake anyone? Yes please!
This is the first time reading Anton Lee Richards. And boy did deliver. I laughed, along the pancake journey with Duncan and the fabulous Diva Marlene. The life of one person stuck in their roller coaster world from a grey cubicle to the flashing lights and screams of the fans wanting more.
With a great storyline and characters, the deep connection I felt with this contemporary gay drama even brought a tear or two to my eyes and reaching for the tissues.
I recommend this book and the entertaining talented author.
I love the name of this book and the premise – blueberry pancakes are comfort food to me. But Anton Lee Richards’ novel was anything but comforting. Its very real, very vulnerable characters, the representations of wild single and gay lifestyles, its humorous and dark moments, wise and immature revelations, and relatable truths stretched me and made me think and feel very deeply. I was uncomfortable reading its pages at times, yet so caught up with the characters’ lives that I couldn’t stop reading. In the end, I think the friendships, dreams and disappointments celebrated over every kind of pancake offered at Pancake Heaven will make you a fan, too.
I loved the premise of this book, and the author pulls it off beautifully. Throughout the book we follow Duncan’s journey as he struggles to find love. As a gay man in the music industry, things aren’t all blueberry pancakes, especially after his band hits their first real success.
It was very easy to connect to Duncan and his world though at times, his life was a rollercoaster ride. I love that the story doesn’t just focus on romance but also includes the importance of friendship and the drive of success. This is probably the “realist” fiction that I’ve ever picked up. Fantastic story.
Blueberry Pancakes is like All My Children on crack! Yes, please, and thank you! I am all the way here for it. Love, love, love!
Duncan, our narrator, is a songwriter who parades around during the day as an IT professional. He shares an apartment with Marlene. She’s a singer who for the most part comes off as a narcissistic diva who is only interested in Duncan writing her a hit song to drive her singing career. Marlene’s ex is Robin a wickedly talented guitar player, the relationship with these two is complicated, but not lacking in sex. Then there’s Silas, Duncan’s co-worker from his day job as an IT Programmer.
The awesome foursome makes up a group called The Factory, they’ll write, and produce songs, make demo recordings and shop them to the industry, as well as trying to launch Marlene’s career in the process. They have some successes. Ego’s get in the way and get bruised, they get dumped from implied contracts, and things fall apart.
Duncan, who is the book’s main thrust goes through an emotional rollercoaster in his personal life with his wishy-washy boyfriend Jessie, who is an unstable, unreliable, narcissist who continually breaks up with Duncan and then runs back to him. (Side note: It’s interesting to see women aren’t the only ones who go through this foolishness, good grief!) Poor Duncan also goes through a host of guys trying his best to rebound from his heartbreak and its one disaster after another. Then there is one frightening incident that shakes Duncan and the reader to the core.
Through all these ups and downs, Duncan is still trying to create music and find stability in his personal life. It’s like no matter where he goes, Jessie always pops up, like that preverbal “bad penny.” A tragedy finally disbands The Factory for good and Duncan unlock a few mysteries that have been going on throughout the narrative.
We don’t get necessarily a happy ending, but what we do get is some success and recognition for Duncan and Marlene’s musical talents. Also, FINALLY, Duncan refuses to take Jessie back for the millionth time. It feels liberating for the reader and leaves you feeling hopeful for Duncan’s future as long as Duncan can drown his sorrows at his favorite restaurant, Pancake Heaven with a perfect fluffy stack to suit the mood. He’ll come out better for the wear.
Anton Lee Richards, you did that, Sir. To quote Duncan, “Star!”