and "An 'odyssey of artistic, sexual and spiritual discovery... and " ***** (Reader Review)Edmund Payne runs from a job as an art school teacher following suspicions surrounding a relationship with a talented and sensitive schoolboy. As Edmund attempts to reconstruct his journey through the Mediterranean, he recalls friendships, sexual thrills, and lovers along the way. It is primarily a story of a winter's journey into darkness and exile, illuminated only by the Classical landscapes of North Africa, Italy and Greece, until, that is, he finds a new world of light, and love. But, having found a new home, and new love, Edmund must believe in it, and accept it.FULLY REVISED and "The Marble Boy is a novel about infatuation and a sensual, sexual pot-boiler of a man waiting to explode, waiting to find true love, waiting to find who he is. It's a novel brilliantly disguised as a travel book written by a burnt-out middle-aged man, Edmund, with a possibly dodgy past. He writes letters home and we learn there's distance between those in the past, his ex-wife, particularly. We travel with Edmund through the streets, nature and architecture of Greece and the Mediterranean, and read every vivid detail of his 'journal' and act as tourists overseeing, sometimes literally, his drawings, and his infatuations with the young men he encounters. A strong recommendation. and " (Reader Review) and "This aptly titled book successfully portrays the landscapes, art and architecture and compares them to his past. Depiction of Mediterranean architecture and his interpretations are compelling enough to awaken an urge to see it yourself. His humility about his art, confessions of lust and susceptibility to love left me spellbound and yet curious, given that it's semi-autobiographical. Abrupt, and failure to find a closure is struggle sails through and at last accepts for it to be a continuous process. Looking forward to reading other books of his. and " **** (Reader Review) and "A book for every gay man wondering where his life is heading. Its fragile, melancholic mood resonated beautifully with my own middle-age-crisis state of mind. Part travelogue and part psychoanalysis, The Marble Boy skilfully weaves the protagonist's assessment of his mindset with penetrating examination of his past relationships and lyrical exploration of the often less visited Mediterranean landscape he travels through. Introspective and perceptive, but generally not self-indulgent, beautifully written and compelling; I found it uplifting. and " ***** (Reader Review) and "The Marble Boy by Andrew Daws is a very original work. It's a kind of combination gay sex odyssey travel diary. Much of the time the writing is absolutely exquisite. The author has the unique ability to make the reader believe for the moment that he is actually visiting these exotic locations. This is a talent often claimed by writers and publishers but rarely achieved. Along the way Edmund has several sexual encounters with younger men. The description of these scenes is insightful, often beautiful and utterly convincing. and " ***** (Reader Review)