Reviews

In this book, James is heading back to a life of riding the rails when his stint of honest work comes to its end, and Timothy jumps on the opportunity to join along and experience the lifestyle for himself. Two is better than one out on the streets, and Tim makes about as good a traveling companion as he can be with his enthusiasm for adventure and how willing he is to keep James company in all the ways that matter. A summer of travel and sightseeing and new experiences shifts into autumn and then into winter, and when funds dry up and the dangerous weather sets in, all James can think of is the perfectly good life Tim left behind and the family who would mourn him if he never made it back safe.

Is it weird how a well-written historical fiction will fill me with such deep nostalgia for a time period I’ll never experience, a social clime I’ll never know, and a situation which, no matter what way you look at it, couldn’t possibly be better than what I have going for myself today? Aster is now two-for-two on immersing me into a beautifully crafted snapshot of someone’s distant reality. The amount of research that goes into her books is highly impressive and even the research notes at the end are just fascinating to see.

All that being said, the romance in this book is not its most shining aspect. I adored these boys and I was riveted to each of their interactions with each other and with the surrounding world, but I did feel like there was room for more development, discussion, and exploration of their relationship to one-another. Their journey was their story, and their relationship helped to inform it, while also paving the way for their future. I’m a little sad we weren’t treated to an epilogue to see how things would pan out for them in later years, but I don’t hold that against the book at all.

This book has representation for gays and bisexuals. At least one character is portrayed as non-white.

The following elaborates on my content warnings. These may be interpreted as spoilers, but I do not go into deep detail.

This book contains:

mentions of punishment and abuses towards a teenager by a caretaker; mentions of drug use; alcohol use; past deaths of parents (war, fatal illnesses); mentions of predatory sexual behaviour; sexual harassment; homophobia and outdated views on sex and sexuality; assault, fighting, bullying; blood, injuries; mention of death; Implication of emotional spousal abuse; police brutality, weapon use (truncheon); vomiting; and, transactional sex that's infidelity-flavoured but also kind of isn't?? Not sure where I stand on assigning that content warning, to be honest.

Content Warnings

spetestar's review

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adventurous challenging emotional informative tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

jedbird's review

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Another deeply researched historical romance from this author. James and Timothy are riding the rails, following revivals and carnivals, and eating in hobo camps. There's an interesting parsing of homosexuality and what various actions mean in terms of masculinity. I've read that disproportionate numbers of gay people became vagabonds because of the relative acceptance of homosexuality on the road, so this matches up. James, who has no home to return to, and is the more experienced vagabond, believes that Timothy will/should leave to return to his family, and Timothy doesn't want to do that. While what happens is predictable, the setting is unique and interesting. I've enjoyed everything I've read by this author.

endemictoearth's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective tense medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

This was a picaresque tale of two young men leaving the Civilian Conservation Corps camp during the Depression and riding the rails together. The amount of research this author puts into their work is always impressive; however, the period typical attitudes about sexuality might be a little tough to read at points. This gives the typical rambling road trip story a bit more shape, and we are left with a solid HFN with the hope of more.

Truthfully, this probably resonated more with me bc I am familiar with some of the settings for this novel, and that made it extra vivid for me. It's very good, but that probably made it feel even more real to me.

jfreud's review

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.25

eicart_reads's review

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

cleo_reads's review

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4.0

B/B+
Immersive story of two young gay men who ride the rails in the Midwest in the late 1930s. I think it works better as a coming of age story than as a genre romance, although there is a central love story with a satisfying HFN ending. It's narrated in the first person by one protagonist and I think that made it more like a coming of age story to me. The use of language is impressive, as is the sense of time and place. Like reading queer, fluffy Steinbeck.

Tramps and Vagabonds is grittier than anything I've read by this author. I liked it more than The Larks Still Bravely Singing but not as much as everything else I've read by her, including my favorite, Honeytrap.

The protagonists are so young (20 or 21) and the situations they encounter while riding the rails are so difficult that I felt more protective of them than invested in their romance. Part of this is because I did a little volunteer work with a queer youth program that serves homeless / housing insecure 18 - 24 year olds. That made reading about these two homeless queer youth stressful for me and it also made it a little uncomfortable for me to get into the romance (like how I couldn't really read NA romance when I worked with students in higher ed).

kiki124's review

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5.0

Heartbreaking. Brilliant.
Freedom’s just another word.
Slow journey to home.

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