Simon's Mansion

I cried at times, reading the hard story of this beautiful soul going through the terrible events he did in this book. Thinking about the many others who suffer as they make the same journey.<br />Cocooned in threads of abuse, confusion, mistreatment, this man has emerged from this cocoon of pain into the world, triumphant, successful and hopefully happy.<br /><br />Not an easy novel to read, but a good, honest one. <br />To me, it points out the fact that it all comes back to the family unit somehow. <br />This is another well written book that shows the strength and fight of the human spirit.

Simons Mansion is a terrific story that I enjoyed reading. It tells the familiar tale of drug addiction and how it can affect your life and throw it into disarray even after you have recovered. It was also interesting to read about the conflict between LGBTQ and religion as a struggle within the character. It also sheds some light on the adult film industry and how difficult it is to work and how dangerous it can be.<br /><br />The character of Simon is excellent, and that probably has to do with him being based on the author. I definitely wouldn't mind reading the first two books I didn't know about beforehand, and I'm looking forward to the next one to find out what's behind that ending.

A work of fiction that is created on the framework of the author William Poe’s life, this is the third book in the author’s “Simon” series. The story is of pose struggles with his past in a cult and the follow up from his choices made while struggling with his past cocaine addiction. All this, wrapped around an action story of dealing with Spanish mobsters in the gay porn industry.

Simon Says (ISBN:0615559573), Simple Simon (ISBN: 1477624996), and Simon's Mansion (ISBN:1729078435) are stand-alone novels in an award-winning LGBT literary fiction series. Watch for the next novel in the series, Simon Afterward.

Simon's mansion was a terrific read as it explores not only the sexuality, but also his religion and his addiction. The first few chapters are mainly setting the scene, telling you everything up front so you get a good feel for the journey were about to partake in.

The sands passing through the proverbial hourglass have granted Simon his very own mansion in Sibley, Arkansas, but along with his familiar familial homestead come a slew of problems.<br /><br />The son of staunch racist Lenny and accepting, yet very Christian, Vivian, Simon is raised in a conundrum. He imagines himself as a visitor from another planet, and expresses his intergalactic existence through art. As he grows, he attempts to fit in with the expectations of his family, but his inability to conform to a heterosexual Christian lifestyle leads him through a series of misadventures, including membership in a cult, a move to Hollywood, several elicit homosexual trysts, and an insatiable cocaine addiction. In order to establish some stability in his life, he returns home to the family “mansion” in Sibley, Arkansas, where he and his long time partner Thad spend their days watching soap operas with Simon’s supportive mother, Vivian, rotating Frederick the goat’s grazing area, and attending to the whims of Cicero, the dog.<br /><br />Suddenly, the stability Simon feels has saved him from addiction, extortion, and the borderline criminal life he left behind in Hollywood is shaken to the core in every way possible. Simon must learn to sink or swim. Knowing the ghosts of his addictions, criminal mistakes, and even the spectres of his family members lurk in the shadows, Simon must decide how to proceed in uncharted territory.<br /><br />Author William Poe is fully dedicated to the Southern way of life. The narrative unfolds in the casual tone of local gossip, with no detail spared, and meandering from point to point as if just being reminded of crucial details linking this story to that. The reader feels immediately at home, and within the first chapter, reaches for a cold glass of mint ice tea, settling into the furniture for what will surely be a story just as good- if not better- than the afternoon soaps that Thad and Vivian watch together.<br /><br />There remains some controversy in what type of story this is, however. The local gossip who serves as the narrator is so keen on dispelling every detail of Simon’s comings and goings, thoughts and fears, progressions and regressions, that we often wonder where this is headed. Is this a “whodunit” surrounding Thad’s disappearance and the illegal activity in which Simon was engaged in Hollywood? Is this the story of a man overcoming temptation and weakness to learn who he truly is through his art and education? Is this a tale of religious acceptance, as the Christians and the atheists come to live in peace together? Many times, the plot seems as cluttered as the thoughts that pour through Simon’s head. Frequently, the entire plot seems to stall alongside Simon as his indecisiveness bleeds through the text and into the real world. <br /><br />Though many of the threads that compose the warp and weft of Simon’s life are eventually wrapped into tidy knots, the conclusion of Simon’s Mansion reads as though the book didn’t finish downloading. While allowing the reader to speculate on the following reality is a fine literary concept, in many ways, the reader isn’t entirely sure where to let the mind wander, or where to let the imagination roam. While many great books leave the reader musing about next steps, future plots, and a myriad of “what ifs,” Simon’s Mansion leaves the reader actively worried about all of the alternatively loose and tightly woven characters in the novel, none of whom receive any sort of resolution. With such an intricate tapestry of characters, situations, plot lines, and problems, one is left completely uneasy by this conclusion, and a bit anxious about what’s real, and what is truly fiction.<br />

Simon's Mansion by William Poe is based on a true story that goes through struggles that the author faced in various stages of his life. Coming into the book, I was shocked by it only being 289 pages as I am used to reading more lengthy books (around 500 to 900 pages) and I was worried about how well events would be explained. However, I can say that I was pleasantly surprised!<br />Simon's story is a unique one and there were many pivotal moments. If I were to chart the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution as I was taught in school, I would have to make several diagrams! Every time there was a climax action that I thought would lead to the ending of the book, another conflict would arise! This book kept me on my toes and I was NOT expecting a lot of the twists.<br />This is a non-spoiler review, so I am being as vague as possible, but I can say that the author portrayed emotions extremely well. Through sexual abuse as a child, Simon continued having trauma-related triggers throughout the book, and that was a driver for his actions. Struggling with drug abuse, escaping from a cult, being cheated by friends and supposed allies, learning to love himself and others...this book really had it all. <br />I would have liked a better timeline in Poe's writing because the beginning was extremely confusing. It took me 34 pages to get a description of the main character! There weren't breaks in paragraphs for a time skip, so you really need to pay attention at all times so that you don't mistake flashbacks for present events. There was too much backstory within the first 34 pages and it made it hard to follow. Not to mention, it took that long to get more than a single line of dialogue.<br />This was a confusing but heart-tugging read and I can honestly say that I will be reading Poe's other two books. I think the main takeaway from this read was the emotion that coated every page and the clear understanding of why Simon acted the way he did; there was sufficient information from his childhood, teenage years, and adulthood to supply the reader with character development.<br />You will NOT be expecting a certain twist towards the end of the book and the finale! I was reading with my mouth hanging op!en!<br />GIVE THIS BOOK A CHANCE WITH YOUR UNDIVIDED ATTENTION! I promise it's worth it!

"Simon's Mansion" by William Poe is the third book in a series. Having not read the first two books, I don't think it took away from reading the third. This book follows Simon as he returns to his hometown in Sibley, Arkansas where his past and future collide and he finally figures out who he is and who he wants to be. <br /><br />Simon is gay and it was hard living in his smalltown where religion was a large focal point. He had always tried searching to find himself and thought that being gay was a sin. He ended up joining a cult - The Unification Church - when he was 18 years old to try and fill a void. After leaving the church and moving to Hollywood to start a business in movies, he finds himself turning to drugs for salvation. After his secretary steals the money from a large business deal from a company in Spain, he finds himself running back home and to sobriety.<br /><br />Living back in his family's mansion in smalltown Sibley, Simon begins to rekindle his passion for art and goes back to school. His mother, Vivian, even accepts his boyfriend Thad into their home and her heart. After Thad, Simon's boyfriend goes back to work in Hollywood, he loses touch with Simon, and so begins Simon's spiral to find out what's going on and to save Thad, if he is in trouble, as he fears.<br /><br />There are some religious undertones in this book, especially from Simon's family, but it's not overwhelming. After reading about the author, I learned that Simon's story is Poe's story. The things that happened to Simon, happened to Poe - growing up gay in a small town where you're supposed to hide those feelings, the cult he joined, the drug use, as well as his family trying to get him back to his religious roots. These are things that happened and you can feel them as you read the book. <br /><br />It's a story of struggle, love, self-awareness, and so much more. I really enjoyed reading this book and looking forward to reading more about Simon in the previous books and in any future books.

Finding himself back at the family home, a sprawling jaded mansion that’s seen better days, Simon has managed to escape years in a religious cult followed by battles with drug addiction. However, it seems that Simon’s adventures are only just beginning.<br /><br />Spending precious time with his frail mother and returning to college to follow his passion for art, Simon’s current lifestyle is a far cry from the underworld of pornographic production, hustlers, drugs and dodgy business dealings. But that world is never far away and to deal with it once and for all, Simon realises that he will have to take matters into his own hands. Part heart-warming love story, part thriller, Poe does a fantastic job of keeping us turning the pages while also interweaving religious and philosophical discourse without it ever feeling heavy handed.<br /><br />Being gay in small-town America and the only atheist in his Christian family, Simon’s story gives us a fascinating insight into what it’s like always being the outsider. Poe takes inspiration from his experiences entwined with the Unification Church of Reverend Sun Myung Moon while coming to terms with his own faith and sexuality. This is a gripping read which takes us on a rollercoaster ride - complete with nail biting climax – and forces our hero to face all his demons from the past.<br />

Before I say anything about this book, I have to admit I have yet to read the first two books in this series. With that said, I didn't feel lost at all with any of the characters and I was rooting for Simon, Thad, and the rest of the cast from the beginning.<br /><br />This was a wonderfully written story about growing up gay and finding your own path with the right group of friends and family. I enjoyed my time with the story and will look into the first two books soon.<br /><br />I sometimes felt as though the dialogue wasn't always realistic and didn't flow as well as it could have. Simon especially, when he speaks, tends to use the name a lot of whoever he's speaking to. Especially if the conversation is only between him and one other person, normally you wouldn't constantly say their name with each thing you say to them. <br /><br />The description was nice though I felt the mansion was a small portion of what actually happened in the book. So, the title and cover feel a bit out of place.<br /><br />Overall, this was a good read and I hope Simon's story continues with a fourth book at some point.