Berkshire Fine Arts reviews Roland Colton's "Forever Gentleman"

Roland Colton Brings Us a Piano Music eBook

Mentioned Music Available at a Click as You Read

By: Susan Hall - Feb 04, 2020

Roland Colton

Forever GentlemaneBook 
Available on Amazon
Romance experts report that their readers expect a lot more than romance.  Roland Colton delivers this in his novel Forever Gentleman. 

This engaging novel has several novel twists. It tells the tale of Nathan Sinclair, an architect and sometimes concert pianist of first-rate talents in both disciplines. When we meet him, he has been introduced to a good woman who deeply attracts him.  He vows to settle a debt to a loan broker. He has incurred the debt because a client has been unable to pay up.  One thread in the story is a Dickensian tour of Victorian debtor courts and jail in 1869.  Colton is able to lead us through this tortuous path with vigorous, clear writing. 

The main threads of Forever Gentleman have to do with romance. This comes in two forms.  One of them is an unexpected tale of love of a good woman, who Sinclair prefers to the wealthiest, most beautiful woman in England, who wants him desperately. Winding our way through this part of the story is one cliffhanger that keeps us turning pages.

The other is the introduction of the performance of music which Sinclair is performing. Here is a list of the pieces one can hear during the course of the book by pressing an arrow.

Trio No. 1 G Major, Mozart; Quatrieme Ballade No. 52, Chopin; Impromptu in G-Flat Major, Schubert; Etude Op. 25, No. 4, Chopin; Pastoral Sonata, Op. 29, Beethoven; Mazurka in C Sharp Minor, Op. 50, No. 3, Chopin; Etude in G Flat Major, Op. 10, No. 5, Chopin; Six Pieces for Piano, Ondine; Scherzo in F, Muller; Winter Wind Etude, Chopin; Sonata for C Major, Mozart; Hungarian Rhapsody No 2, Liszt; Italian Symphony, Mendelsohn; Symphony No. 6, Beethoven; Concerto in D Flat, Liszt; Pathetique Sonata, Beethoven; On the Beautiful Danube, Strauss; Symphony No. 1, Beethoven; Symphony No. 9, Beethoven; Concerto in A Minor, Schumann; F Major Nocturne, Bizet; Moonlight Sonata, Beethoven; Piano Trio No. 2, Schubert; Scherzo No. 2, Chopin; Song without Words, Mendelsohn; Tempest Sonata, Beethoven; Symphony No. 7, Beethoven; Surprise Symphony, Haydn; “La Campanella” Etude, Liszt; Wedding March from Midsummer Night’s Dream, Mendelsohn. There are many interesting original excerpts related to the story.  One is Nathan’s Despair.  

At one point, the beautiful pseudo-love interest provides an orchestra to surprise Nathan.  She is giving him every pianist's dream.

Ours might be to sit back and hear the story without resorting to the disruption of YouTube. You click, and listen to the music as you read. The device may prove an inviting addition to books about music in the future.  

Colton’s book belies that notion that all romance begins with a kiss and everything changes thereafter. He is forced to choose between true love and the fulfillment of his wildest dreams.  He backs into the solution. He is less flawed than he is weak. 

Remember too that pianists are often perceived as sex symbols.  Long before Ken Russell produced the film “Lisztomania,” the swaying hips, tossed back head and fingers ripping up and down the keyboard turned listeners on.  Roger Daltry, who played Liszt in the film, was surrounded by hard-to-forget groupies and mistresses. Although Colton does not take the opportunity to describe the sexual elements of pianistic performance, one imagines them reading the text and listening to the musical excerpts.

The story is told from Nathan’s point of view.  It used to be that male romance writers used women’s pseudonyms.  Colton does not.  He provides a truly different perspective on love outcomes in a very-well written tale.  We are catapulted back into the Victorian era not simply as a romantic story, but with well-devised mystery and suspense, sprinkled liberally and surprisingly with Beethoven and Chopin. 

"Forever Gentleman" a novel by Roland Colton with over 10 hours of classical music embedded in the eBook

“Forever Gentleman” includes over 10 hours of classical music relevant to the story, integrated in the eBook

"Forever Gentleman is not a novel to rush, but each page is to be savored… Easily one of the best books I have read so far this year." - Heather Osborne, Reader's Favorite, Goodreads

Author and Orange County attorney Roland Colton has created a unique and novel reading experience with the release of the eBook, “Forever Gentleman”. The central character of this fictional romance set in Victorian London is Nathan Sinclair, a concert pianist. Embedded links to streaming audio of over ten hours of classical music integrated in the eBook immerse the reader into Sinclair’s world of love and intrigue with musical selections by Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven and more.

The music inside the novel includes three original pieces, ostensibly composed by characters in the book. To create this music, Mr. Colton launched an international composition contest, offering cash prizes for the winners. Several hundred entries were received from nearly every country in the world, and the world premiere recordings of the winners’ music is featured in “Forever Gentleman.” Hear these new works and get to know the composers at this link.

The technical aspect of embedding audio files in an eBook is groundbreaking. In fact, Mr. Colton has applied for a patent for this innovation (application number 14/931,542, filed on November 3, 2015).

Contact Gail Wein (ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com) to request a review copy of the eBook and to arrange an interview with the author Roland Colton. Additionally, Mr. Colton has offered to donate copies of his eBook “Forever Gentleman” to use as on-air giveaways and as premiums for public broadcasting pledge drives. Contact Gail Wein for details.

"Intrigue, romantic rivalries, and mistaken identities abound in this Victorian drama… an exciting read, packed with mysteries and unexpected twists… engrossing novel…" - Kirkus Reviews

Trained in his youth as a classical pianist, Roland Colton is a frequent performer at public and private gatherings. Colton was awarded a baseball scholarship to attend the University of Utah and is an avid sports fan.

Roland Colton received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah and a juris doctorate from University of San Diego School of Law, and has had a long career as a litigator and trial attorney.

He is passionate about architecture and the French language, and lives with his family in Southern California and France.

Red Pillows in Conversation with Roland Colton

At the beginning of Forever Gentleman, struggling architect and pianist, Nathan Sinclair, encounters the glamourous and beautiful heiress, Jocelyn Charlesworth. What draws Nathan to Jocelyn, and how does she respond to him when they first meet?

Although he has no expectation of an introduction, Nathan is intrigued enough to see if Ms. Charlesworth’s beauty is as extraordinary as the Sunday Times portrays it. Despite his protestations, the mistress of the estate insists on introducing Nathan to Jocelyn.  Once he observes her beauty firsthand, an intoxication of senses sweeps over him—never before has he seen a woman of such unimaginable beauty. Jocelyn’s reaction to Nathan is one of boredom, having endured countless stares from past star-struck suitors. She toys with him, looking for any opportunity to end the interview. Once she believes him to be a common servant, she rebukes him publicly, appalled that a servant would have the audacity to seek her acquaintance.

Nathan also meets the simple and plain social worker, Regina Lancaster. What’s special about Regina, and why does Nathan feel such a deep connection to her?

Though her outward appearance is ordinary, Nathan initially feels a strong attraction to Regina’s eyes and senses a kindred spirit.  Her dark brown eyes convey a journey through unspeakable tragedy, resulting in a deep appreciation for life and depth of character. Nathan is also attracted to Regina’s modesty, simplicity and inner beauty, qualities he admired in his mother. Once he learns of Regina’s selfless service to London orphans, he wonders if any man could possibly be worthy of her.

Music plays an important role in the story and in Nathan’s life. How do the musical elements in the novel tie together the themes in Forever Gentleman?

Nathan’s life has been steeped in music since his operatic mother gave birth to him. His pianistic bravado opens the door of London Society, and he becomes comfortable in a world far different than his humble abode. The music in Forever Gentleman accompanies the story as a soundtrack does a movie, enhancing both drama and mood. Women are attracted to Nathan’s musical genius, fostering love and romance in the story.

The Victorian Era was a time of contradictory wealth and poverty, along with great change, in England. What drew you to write a story set in this time period in history?

I’ve always been intrigued by a world where great beauty and brilliance could exist in the midst of poverty and misery.  While writing the story, I imagined what it would have been like to have lived in both worlds, as does Nathan in the story.  Also interesting is the sanitation miracle that occurred in the 1860’s, pulling London literally out of the squalor and stench of rotting pipes and sewer overflow into a world free of cholera and other dread diseases. And I wanted the timing of my story to coincide with the advent of the modern piano and creation of some of my favorite compositions.

How would you describe your writing process? And can you tell us about some of the research you did when you were writing Forever Gentleman?

My writing recipe involves equal amounts of struggle and ease. Sometimes the words flow in abundance; other times, I labor over every word in a sentence. I try not to let my writing get in the way of the story, and my goal was to have the reader lose himself or herself in Victorian London.  Many hundreds of hours were spent in research in my attempt to evoke the sights, sounds and smells of that bygone time. I strove for authenticity in events and venues, including authentic references to concerts, plays, performers and other events depicted in the book. I wanted to capture the times as they were, which is no small task when we live in a world far removed from that melancholy era.

Are you working on another novel? If so, what can you tell us about it?

Yes, I’m writing a new novel that highlights another passion of mine—my love for the sport of baseball. The book begins in 1911, highlighting the exploits of the wonder of the baseball world, Ty Cobb. Using newspaper reports from the time, the reader experiences some of the most incredible sports feats ever accomplished, usually thanks to the genius and skill of Mr. Cobb. After the opening chapters, a hit-and-run accident victim is discovered in modern times (with a face damaged beyond recognition), who purports to be Ty Cobb, mysteriously transported into the future. As the plot continues, this mystery man eventually shows exceptional baseball talent and ultimately plays a brand of baseball unlike anything in modern times, turning the sports world on its head. Is it possible that this baseball ace is truly Ty Cobb, or is it some imposter who has taken upon his attributes?  Only time will tell.

5 Stars for Roland Colton's "Forever Gentleman"

Heather Osborne
***** (5/5 Stars)
July 2, 2016

Forever Gentleman by Roland Colton is a historical fiction novel chronicling the fortunes, and misfortunes, of Nathan Sinclair. Nathan is a talented architect, and sometimes musician, living in London in the 1860s. Yet, all is not well for young Mr. Sinclair. He faces a debt thanks to a client who has been unable to pay, leaving him at the mercy of a loan broker. Still, Nathan does not despair, though he desperately seeks to pay off his debt. Then, while giving an impromptu concert at the home of a wealthy aristocrat, Nathan runs into a startlingly beautiful woman. Little does he know, his encounter with Jocelyn Charlesworth will change his life drastically, and force Nathan to choose between true love and the fulfillment of all his wildest dreams. All the while, outside forces and unexpected encounters threaten the life of our main character. Will he manage to come out of it on the side of honor, or greed?

It has been some time since I found myself swept away in a piece of historical fiction. Mr. Colton brings his readers directly into the world of the wealthy and the poor, delineating the distinctions with great dexterity. I loved that the main story was told from Nathan’s perspective, as I could really get into his head. Still, the ending surprised me and deviated from what I usually expect in historical novels of this type. I wasn’t sure if I liked Nathan at times, as he seemed to seek fame more than honor, but this gave him a flaw. I appreciated that he wasn’t perfect, and it made me empathize with his plight. Forever Gentleman by Roland Colton is not a novel to rush, but each page is to be savored as he paints a delicate picture of Nathan’s life, while still keeping the plot balanced. Easily one of the best books I have read so far this year.