Gulliver Takes Manhattan

By: Justin Luke Zirilli

Narrated by: Cole Ferguson

Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

When Gulliver Leverenz abandons LA to make a fresh start in New York, he leaves behind his family, his friends - and one bastard ex-boyfriend. It’s certainly an impulse move: Gully has no job, no money, and no direction. What he does have is a former fraternity brother with a posh apartment, a crew of incredibly hot friends, and a reputation as a rising star in the gay nightlife scene.

As luck would have it, Gully soon snags a job with a talent agent and even finds himself a new boyfriend. There’s just one catch: Gulliver knows this budding relationship could get him in a lot of trouble. And inevitably, it does just that.

The whole mess blows up in his face, leading to an onslaught of catastrophes that leaves him in a tragic and seemingly hopeless situation beneath the skyscrapers. But Gulliver is tougher than he realizes and is determined to prove, once and for all, that he has what it takes to make it in New York.

By turns exciting, sad, and hysterically funny, Gulliver Takes Manhattan is a candid tale of one man’s adventures in the greatest city in the world.

©2012 Justin Luke Zirilli (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Fabulous!

Gulliver Takes Manhattan was super entertaining and one of those stories that just seems to be enhanced by the narrator (in this case Cole Ferguson).

I listened to this audio book over a week during my daily commute and actually looked forward to getting in my car each morning so that I could listen to the next installment of Gulliver's adventures.

Gulliver is running away from his life in LA,escaping the city where his two-timing, now ex-boyfriend lives. He moves to the other side of the country to share an apartment in New York with his college friend Todd. Todd is a party organiser in the gay nightclub scene with all the right connections and his friendship ensures that Gulliver has access to all the best parties and lots of free drinks!

The story follows Gulliver's party life, his flings, his relationships with Todd's group of friends. There is time spent with Gulliver and his new job and the complexities that result from him falling for one of his clients. There are weekends away, one night stands and fights. Gulliver goes from on top of the world one minutes, to desperately sad and alone the next. He moves from coffee shop employee, to talent scout to a very surprising new occupation! It's certainly not short on action!

According to his bio, Justin Luke Zirilli is Head Promoter of a New York-Based gay nightlife events company, so he must know his stuff and this certainly comes through in the story!

I highly recommend this audio book - great story, wonderful characters and good pace. It ends with a happy-for-now but there is a sequel that I am looking forward to reading.

Gulliiver Takes Manhattan/Manhattan Takes Gulliver

Manhattan Takes Gulliver for a wild ride with naughty and nutty adventures. We must struggle in our hope Gulliver will survive.

We Have Your Drama -- Right Here!!

This book is bursting at the seems with twink drama! If you are a fan of going out, getting drunk, dragging a guy home and having sex with them before you even know their name and then passing out only to wake the next morning with an empty bed and a hangover (or occasional STD), this is your book! If you want to know what it is like to live in the gay clubbing / partying scene in New York (at least, according to the author), this is your book! If you are interested in how to "fall" into the porn industry, this is your book! If you want to know how to seemingly bounce back from betraying your friend after having sex with their ex, this is your book!

There were parts of the book that had such potential to be so much more if only the characters were true to their hearts and allowed others to love them as they are instead of lying even when it wasn't necessary.

I guess, I may be too old to appreciate this book for what it is: the gay Sex In The City... or a modern Tales of The City, at the very least... it just wasn't my thing!

On the plus side, I did listen to the whole book before deciding to write a review.

Gay Sex in the City

Comparisons of this books immediately bring to mind Sex and the City, and Tales of the City. The story is about a cute young guy who flees LA after a painful break up to start over in NYC. Gulliver is innocent, but easily corrupted as he is seduced by the A list gay party life style. I did find the lead character sometimes too selfish, short sighted and judgemental, but I don't see that as a bad thing, I prefer flawed characters over perfect ones.
The action in the book is fast paced, there's always a fabulous party, torrid romance or sleazy fling happening to keep your interest. This isn't high literature, more a gay version of a Jackie Collins book, which in my opinion is a good thing. There are lessons to be learned about honesty, the value of friendship, forgiveness and finding the strength to change your life when you need to.
The narrator Cole Ferguson does a great job of performing the book, Not just a straight read, he brings the lead and his supporting cast to life and injects a lot of enthusism into the story. He sounds like he's really enjoying the book as much as I did.
I particularly liked hunky overgrown frat boy party promoter Todd, who is the lead character's best friend. I immediately went from listening to this to the sequel Gulliver Takes Five, which focuses on the supporting cast, and there is a third book in the works. I'm glad the party isn't over yet.

An unusual New York adventure

Fun, funny and managed to keep me wondering what in the world he was going to get into next. A bit more explicit than I expected but really..young gay man in New York what was I Thinking? Performance was outstanding , book well written. thanks, Justin and Cole!

Dirty delight!

If you could sum up Gulliver Takes Manhattan in three words, what would they be?

Dirty, dirty dirty!

Would you recommend Gulliver Takes Manhattan to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes. The book is really explicit at time, but is very tongue and cheek in a way that keeps you listening.

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene rigt before he gets his internet "job"

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Welll...several. Listen and you will know what I mean.

Any additional comments?

The fraternity brother "Bro" thing was not believable, but the characters became a littl more real by the end of the book. This was a good listen, funny and unexpectedly erotic. DO NOT listen to this at work! Looking forward to the next book.

Soooo fabulous!

If you could sum up Gulliver Takes Manhattan in three words, what would they be?

Hilarious, sad, gripping

What did you like best about this story?

It made me laugh and feel sad. It was very engaging. Loved the characters and their flaws. Loved the narration - Cole really made the book for me.

Which scene was your favorite?

The descriptions of the 'big night' with all the lead up to it and the primping and speculation and then the wonderful details of the sounds and scene and smells - it made me feel like I was there.

If you could rename Gulliver Takes Manhattan, what would you call it?

Gay New York

Form over Function

The narrator really impressed me with his story telling skills. He utilized a full range of voices and tones that really kept the story engaging.
The author has some real talent, that is undeniable. The culmination of events at the end doesn't feel planned but feels more like the author just got tired of writing the book. Still, Gulliver is charming and you root for him no matter what he does.
I look forward to listening to the sequel.

Cole Ferguson is amazing and so is this story

First and foremost I have to say how much I loved the narrator on this one. I literally could not get over how good Cole Ferguson is as a narrator. Like the second I finished this, I immediately looked up what other books he was narrating (which actually led me to The Gilded Razor - review forthcoming) just so I could buy them.

With that out of the way, I love love loved this book. Gully is definitely a character that you love and hate at the same time. There's multiple times I just wanted to shake him and scream "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?" But at the same time, I just couldn't help rooting for him.

One of the biggest things I loved about this book was how long it was. I know that might sound weird, but I just loved that we stay with this character for such a long time and really seeing him dealing with multiple scenarios. Round 1, we see Gully getting acclimated to New York. He's hanging out with his friends and lands a pretty good job that throws him into the arms of Marty, which turns out to be a bad idea. By the end of Round 1, he's looking for a new place to live.

Enter Round 2, where we see him trying to get back on track but of course that can't happen. Through a series of bad decisions we speed right on track to Round 3, where Gully becomes a porn star. Yep, that's right, a porn star. Emphasis on star to be honest. It's all fun and games before he decides he has to make a choice about his life.

Overall, I just loved this. It's funny and heartfelt at the same time. I loved all the characters and how free they all were. I especially loved that there's not really a lot of shame or anything from Gully about being a porn star. He owns it and enjoys it, and that's kind of fresh. His ex is definitely a dick about it and frankly I hated that. But I absolutely recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

My first gay lifestyle listen....

Even though I ended up liking Gulliver, I would not consider this a "Hidden Gem!" I think I will pass on those sales from now on.