The Clouds Still Hang: The Complete Trilogy - Tapa blanda

A trilogy telling a story of love and loyalty, betrothal and betrayal, triumph and tragedy; a biography that charts one man's attempts to rise above the legacy of a traumatic childhood, as told through the eyes of his avatar Simon. The first book deals with Simon's childhood friendship and eventually love affair with an older boy, the second the trauma of his teenage years and early adulthood, the third his struggle to maintain equilibrium and the consequences of his failure at one point to achieve that. It is a biographical memoir, written because it tells a strong story which raises many issues over six decades, the post war baby boomer generation who in many ways never had it so good. His own experience is probably unique, yet will strike a chord with many others who have been through similar things, as well as those with an interest in such matters, either personal or professional, such as police and probation officers, criminologists with an interest in this field or those interested in LGBT history. It's a varied, exciting, demanding, sometimes terrifying life story. It is not suitable for those under 18 years or who find explicit sexual narrative, including a scene of sexual violence, offensive. The trilogy is also available as an audiobook read by the author and in large print.

Patrick C Notchtree now lives in the north of England with his wife and has his son and granddaughters nearby. Much of his life is reflected in the biographical trilogy "The Clouds Still Hang," so to repeat too many biographical details here would be something of a 'spoiler'!