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Mark Roeder

A Better Place Paperback – Jan. 31 2011

by Mark A Roeder (Author)

4.3 279 ratings

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A Better Place is the story of two boys from two completely different worlds struggling to find themselves amongst a whirlwind of confusion. Will the strength they find in each other be enough to overcome the hatred and abuse of others? The unlikely pair struggle through friendship and heartbreaks, betrayal and hardships, to find the deepest desire of their hearts. Casper, the poorest boy in school, goes through life as the “invisible boy,” and Brendan, the captain of the high school varsity football team, has it all; muscles, money, fame, and popularity. So, when Brendan takes an interest in Casper, their friendship goes in a direction that no one would have ever guessed. The two boys share nothing on the surface, but underlying each boy’s reputation lies a yearning to be free, a yearning to find a better place. Mark A. Roeder has written and published some two dozen novels in his Gay Youth Chronicles, a continuing series not only for gay youth, but readers of all ages and sexual orientations. Since the age of fifteen, Roeder has been turning out articles, columns, and novels, but for the last several years has dedicated his life to writing heart-warming stories about gay youth. He currently resides in Bloomington, Indiana. Information on his current and upcoming books can be found at markroeder.com.

Print length

362 pages
Language

English
Publication date

Jan. 31 2011
Dimensions

15.19 x 2.06 x 22.91 cm
ISBN-10

145657390X
ISBN-13

978-1456573904
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Mark A Roeder
97
Paperback
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Product description

About the Author

Mark A. Roeder has written and published some two dozen novels in his Gay Youth Chronicles, a continuing series not only for gay youth, but readers of all ages and sexual orientations. Since the age of fifteen, Roeder has been turning out articles, columns, and novels, but for the last several years has dedicated his life to writing heart-warming stories about gay youth. He currently resides in Bloomington, Indiana. Information on his current and upcoming books can be found at markroeder.com.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (Jan. 31 2011)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 362 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 145657390X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1456573904
Item weight ‏ : ‎ 531 g
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.19 x 2.06 x 22.91 cm

Customer Reviews:
4.3 279 ratings

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Mark Roeder

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Mark A. Roeder currently resides in Bloomington, Indiana and is a full-time writer of novels. He has published nearly 100 novels to date that are divided into separate, but related series. You can find out more about his books at markroeder.com, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MarkARoederAuthor/ and on Patreon.com: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=8324548&fan_landing=true&view_as=public

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4.3 out of 5

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Rob

a very good

Reviewed in Canada on April 18, 2015

Verified Purchase

A1, a very good read

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Douglas Kendrick

Romantic Fiction, but EXTREMELY Powerful and Important

Reviewed in Canada on November 17, 2002

We all read novels for different reasons and with different expectations. When I read A Better Place, I was expecting a sort of "Cinderella Story"-poor, downtrodden boy is swept away by the godlike High School super-stud and lives happily ever after. I definitely got my money's worth on that front, but had absolutely no idea I would read anything so incredibly powerful and emotional. I was not at all expecting that I would develop such a love and, yes, deep emotional bond with the characters. I've never experienced anything quite like it.
Casper, the poor boy, is almost the poster child for "whatever possibly can go wrong, has". He's almost a caricature at times-but I SO DEEPLY cared for him and what he felt and experienced and thought. Roeder's writing style-while judged by some in online reviews as "immature"-was done with the purpose of making the reader FEEL what it's like to be 15-year old Casper. I think it was remarkable...
Brendan, the football jock, is similarly almost too perfect to be true-but the things that he goes through, the decisions he makes and the thoughts he has are likewise so powerful. Brendan is like the IDEAL of who we all wish we could be or have as a soul mate. In fact, I'm not too proud to say that I think of the character of Brendan as supremely heroic for who he is. This IS only a romantic fantasy, but I'd be willing to put Brendan up as a young gay role model anywhere, at any time. In fact, through the character of Brendan, Mark Roeder has written what I would consider the MOST POWERFUL, beautiful, thought-provoking and inspiring dialog I've ever read in any gay fiction (the opening paragraph on page 313).
By the time I reached the final page, I'd read something that spoke to me very deeply. I've been accused many times of being a "hopeless romantic"-and will freely admit that I am-but this story meant so much more to me than that. I couldn't recommend it highly enough.
I timidly have to admit, though, that there was many a grammatical, editing or spelling error to be found-a common feature of P.O.D. books-but I'm more than willing to overlook those, given the situation.
While A Better Place is actually the third novel in Roeder's six-volume Gay Youth Chronicles series, it ended up being the one I read first. I actually read it completely, cover-to-cover, TWICE online before buying it and reading it AGAIN in hardcopy. I've never felt so drawn to any work of fiction before and it's because of the power of the story, the love I found I have for the characters and the way the entire novel made me feel.
The complete Gay Youth Chronicles canon (The Soccer Field is Empty, Someone is Watching, A Better Place, Someone is Killing the Gay Boys of Verona, Keeper of Secrets, and Do You Know That I Love You?) has provided the most enjoyable fictional world for me of anything I've ever read-the eternal saga of Verona, Indiana. Each novel has a distinct flavor and deals with some very important topics. I would wholeheartedly suggest you purchase and read ALL of them, and in the above order. While A Better Place can indeed stand alone, I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND reading AT LEAST The Soccer Field is Empty first. A Better Place contains "spoilers" for the earlier story, which-in all honesty-made Soccer Field extremely difficult for me to read (see my review of that incredible book).
PLEASE read and understand this book for what it is-and don't be deterred by petty online reviews by anonymous readers. A Better Place and Mark Roeder deserve so much more than that.

Reviewed in Canada on November 16, 2003

This story is really pretty good, despite all the grammatical errors and typos. I personally thought the level of english was very simple and I was really, really disppointed with that. I have to say that I really expected more, considering all the good and positive reviews here. This is probably a book for young teens.
The storyline is very basic and really unrealistic where it's all cheery and wonderful besides the character's pasts and some 'unfortunate' events that happen. I'd say this is pretty much a feel-good story because nothing bad actually happens to the characters and they never really seem to feel any negative emotions or insecurity throughout the story - which you would really expect from the characters because they had such horrible and trumatic pasts. That, doesn't seem realistic to me.
Also, how all the characters are good when they're 'supposed' to be good, and if they're bad they're bad all the way, bothers me. There aren't any explanations for why they were bad, or how they became bad, or why they think the way they do - they just are. So although I do like the characters, I think they're not really planned out and designed very well. Like I said, this book is for children. It's too simple! People aren't like that in real life.
The fact that this book was written in the first-person narrative means that we should at least get an insight into the character's feelings - regardless of whether they are good or bad. What Roeder has going on is a case of over-fluffing the characters he probably liked personally. Nothing too bad could happen to them and nothing too bad could ever cross their minds. Seems like the 'good' chracters had no flaws whatsoever.
Don't get me wrong, I thought the characters were alright, but there wasn't really much character development on the others besides Casper - and that was really only at the beginning of the book. Casper's father somewhat changed too, but it's very odd that a father who never cared for his son and who was only mentioned several times in the book could come in all of a sudden and make things better for everyone on his expense. It's just too idealistic!
I bought this book because I liked the odd-pairing thing the author decided to do. I thought it would take quite alot for him as a writer to have that work out. In a way, he did a good job in creating this idealistic, dream world where everything is so special and wonderful. Love is wonderful and people don't disagree; when a person is bad, he is downright bad; when someone is stuck in a rut he gets out of it really quickly without much of a problem at all - and other scenarios like that. Things don't usually happen that way. It's not that simple.
The way the story it flows is alright, and I like how it's not so much like the common 'story' structure where it's exposition->complication->climax->resolution. I daresay that it's about a main 'story' followed by a mini 'story' and then another 'story' at the near-end. That is to say that the novel is really like a few stories written seperately and then pieced together. At least the transitions were somewhat smooth.
If you want a simple book with a little bit of suspense and overall sugar-coated romance, get it. It's a pretty good book really. It was just some minor problems with the characters and also the writing style that could have been fixed to make it better. Honestly, I'd recommend it for a read if you have nothing better to do and feel like you'd want to curl up and read something uncomplicated and sweet. This book is really addictive. The only reason why I'm keeping it in my collection of ...-themed books despite it's simplicity, is that it did make me feel good and tingly because of the romance in it as well as the idealism.
Well, that's just my opinion. I probably had too high an expectation for it. Nevertheless, it's a good, simple read for a boring day. Enough said, get it!

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Elisa

Top 100 Gay Novel: A Better Place by Mark A. Roeder

Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2011

Verified Purchase

I went back to read this novel by Mark Roeder since, having read Masked Destiny, I learned some info about one of the character, Brendan Brewer, that let me think it was a nice and sweet love story; in a way it's and there is also a bit of "fairytale" feeling that makes it light, and on the contrary of Masked Destiny, there isn't any paranormal event, making it an ordinary, and in this case ordinary is nice, coming of age story.

Brendan is the most popular kid at high school, quarterback of the football team, handsome and friendly, for a very wealthy family that allow him to have a nice car and all the last fashion available, Brendan is even more fascinating since he seems unaware of his good looks and fortune. Brendan has also a secret, but not really something that is causing him trouble: he is gay, and in his openness and yes, lucky youth, he has already realized it and decided it's fine. Sure, Brendan is aware he cannot come out at school that it's not easy, but more or less, he is fine.

Not the same for Casper; he is the poorest kid at school, and even worst, he is abused at home; his older brother has more than once abused him and he is still doing that. Most night Casper sleeps under the open sky to avoid being alone in the same room with his brother. In his young mind, Casper associates being gay with being abused, and so, when Brendan makes a move with him, Casper is scared to death.

But as I said, Brendan is such a nice boy that Casper in the end is able to trust him; their newfound happiness is destroyed by Brendan's family and but the dramatic decision they take on their son's fate. Again Brendan will prove to be strong and with a self-consciousness that is rare in such a young man; he will maintain the promise he did to Casper to protect him, whatever it will take.

I preferred the first part of the story, until Brendan and Casper are trying to find their path in life alone; I found the last part, when Brendan and Casper go to live with Ethan and Nathan (from Someone Is Watching) a little too similar to what I guess is Ethan and Nathan's own story, almost a repetition. All in all, I think that, even if Casper is cuter and the one who needs more protection, even from the reader point of view, I think the best character was Brendan, I most of all loved how he is so open with his feelings and ready to love despite all the trouble it implies.

One person found this helpful

kwriter07

Characters Searching For A Better Place

Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2013

Verified Purchase

This is the third book from Mark Roeder that I have read, after "The Nudo Twins" and "Disastrous Dates & Dream Boys." Many of Roeder's novels are part of "The Gay Youth Chronicles," so I was already familiar with Brendan and Casper from reading "Disastrous Dates & Dream Boys." Those sections were my least favorite because it felt like the plot was being re-told far too often. Getting to read the actual story helps get more into these characters and their story.

"A Better Place" definitely is dramatic. Various tragedies befall both characters, including rape, "straight therapy," death of a family member, and the deaths of two other boys that plays a part of the story at the end. While some people found this to be too overdramatic and unrealistic, I actually enjoyed watching Casper and Brendan overcome this series of misfortunes. However, the one thing I would have liked to see was more character growth. After going through all these things, I would think Casper and Brendan would change in some way. It felt like Roeder was giving the message that true love can overcome anything, and indeed Casper and Brendan's love is unwavering once they become a couple, but it would have been nice to see them grow as humans over the course of the novel. Another problem I must address was at the beginning of the novel, when Brendan's infatuation for Casper's cuteness suddenly becomes love. The development of feelings felt way too quick, and then because nothing in their relationship ever sours (including a moment of near infidelity late in the book which is squashed WAY too quickly), their relationship doesn't seem to change much either. Essentially, change and growth could have really done these characters well.

One other complaint was that the boys who appear later in the novel, Ethan and Nathan are almost copies of Brendan and Casper, which didn't bother me too much as I read the story, but is just pretty unrealistic in of itself.

Still, I quite like Casper. The beginning scenes with him dealing with his abusive brother and absent father really made me feel for him. Roeder did a great job with his scenes. And as dramatic as some of the scenes were, I responded to the drama in sections like the Cloverdale Center.

After reading two of Roeder's other novels, I found this one didn't have the same focus on love/sex and the push-and-pull of teenage hormones. And the repetitive nature that plagues some of his sections weren't as prevalent here. I definitely felt the drama and extremity of the plot actually helped the writing. So even though I wasn't engaged as much as I was by "The Nudo Twins," I do prefer this novel to "Disastrous Dates & Dream Boys," and in spite of the pretty basic writing style (which I just believe is Roeder's style), "A Better Place" offers more writing strength than his other works I've read thus far.

One person found this helpful

Chris

A wonderful read

Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2001

Verified Purchase

This is the story of Brendan, who has it all; looks, popularity, and money and Clint nicknamed Casper in grade school because he was thin and pale like Casper The Friendly Ghost. Casper is the poorest boy in school and is not in the popular clique, his brother beats him, his father ignores him and his mother passed away a few years before. The first half of this book takes us on the journey of how they come together and begin a relationship. Casper is excited at the attention paid to him by Brendan but the road they travel is not always easy. There are misunderstanding and mixed feeling to deal with along with friendships and betrayals, hardships and heartbreaks. The second half of the book explores just what they have to do for love and to be together. Is it worth it? Can they find their way to a better place? This story was critisized by other reviews for being to juvenile in its writing style and for the characters crying and descriptions of muscles but in my opinion the author hits the nail on the head with these situations. Perhaps others have forgotten what it was like to be a gay teen just coming out. It is not all easy. Crying is par for the course and seeing the muscles in good looking guys along the way is normal. The author switches from the points of view of the main characters so you do get a little overlap of some situations as they are described by each of them but it allows the reader a greater chance to get to know each character more by seeing how they react to the same situations. The boys end up in the town of Verona and meet up with characters from the authors three preious books. This book can be read without having read the others but I recomend the reading of the first three books to get some of the back ground history of the characters. Some authors seem to think that to write a coming out novel it has to be an "event" that the messages have to be grand and larger than life. No so here. Mark Roeder has found the voice of the young gay teen and captures it with depth and compasion without coming off as predictable or shallow. The joy of reading this book is you care for the characters and what happens to them. I can't wait for a sequel or to find out what happens next in Verona.

35 people found this helpful

Mahesvara92

Wow....😭

Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2015

Verified Purchase

That has got to be one of the best stories I've read to date!! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, and I regret nothing!! At first I was thinking this would be really predictable but I was pleasantly wrong. Casper and Brendan, really went through a lot. They kind of reminded me of Jack and Andrew from the A Southern Thing series by Sara York; what they went through would make others cringe but they (Jack and Andrew/Brendan and Casper) endured and the love that resulted was ever the stronger for it! 😤

Kindle Customer

Very good story.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 10, 2022

Verified Purchase

This gives the background to Brendan and in Casper's story. I have read most of Mark's VHS tales and found that this tale fills a few blank
spots in the storyline. I always held a level of sympathy for Devon, given he was, an undeclared, lover of Mark and became jealous of Taylor who swept in. The devil of jealousy causing so much harm.

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A Better Place Paperback – Jan. 31 2011

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