by Mike Soper

Mark Harper is a young man doing well in his first year at college, with the option of taking over the family farm ahead of him. He is good at sports, popular with his friends, and heady with the joy of being in love for the first time. But all is not as idyllically straightforward as it seems. His love is for another man - in an age when same-sex relationships are not generally accepted - and life is about to deliver the cruellest of blows. The Heart Entrapped is an enlightening, moving and ultimately inspiring story of a gay man's life in Britain through changing times from the sixties to the present day. Though Mark's sexuality partly shapes his destiny, this is a book not about sex but about the universal themes of love, friendship and family relationships. Written with honesty, compassion and tact, the story has the unmistakable ring of truth on every page - for reasons that will become increasingly apparent as the reader nears its unflinching but uplifting conclusion. Mike Soper lectured in agriculture and directed his university farm for thirty years. Well known in the industry through association with different organisations, he played a leading role in the development of part-time agricultural education. In his private life, he enjoyed a long and happy partnership.