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Old 04-21-2009, 01:38 AM   #12
Seabound
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Originally Posted by Ea View Post
Thought this might be a good place to ask....

I have been looking for novels with lesbian protagonists and it seem there is so little of it. Really, I can't think of anyone but Sarah Waters. At least the kind of books I'm looking for; basically "just" quality entertainment. I can find romance, and what I could call feminist-political fiction, but that's not what I am looking for. Does anyone have suggestions?
Unfortunately, I don't think there are many books out there that match what you are looking for. I consider Sarah Waters's books as falling squarely into the literary fiction bin. (As an aside, all her books except Tipping are included in the Guardian's "1000 novels everyone must read" list, which surprised me and made me glad both. It's one measure of her novels' impact. Both "Fingersmith" and "The Night Watch" were shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the Orange Prize, and Waters has won several awards.) I've tried picking up a couple of Jeanette Winterson's books, but I've never managed to finish them. She can be hard for me to read, but I haven't given up on her yet.

As for recommendations, well, why don't you give "The Night Watch" another go?

There are two books which I've read which I think fit the description of books you're looking for. Their setting is in the US instead of the UK. Both are well written but the styles are very different. Both are unhurried in telling the story, and, through good writing and storytelling, both pull off the seemingly impossible (for love stories) of keeping the reader's attention even without explicit sex between the main characters (i.e. don't expect anything in that department ):

* "Bittersweet" by Nevada Barr. This is historical fiction, set in the 19th century "wild west". It's a tender, slowly evolving love story of two very different women who are forced to try to make it on their own in rough country. There is a tricky plot twist past the halfway point of the story. Like the title suggests, the story is "Bittersweet". I had not heard of Nevada Barr before I read this book, but I soon discovered that she is the prolific author of the popular Anna Pigeon mystery series. But "Bittersweet" is her only gay-themed book. It is quite poignant.

* "The Price of Salt" by Patricia Highsmith. Patricia Highsmith was the author of the popular suspense novels known as the "Ripliad" series, e.g. "The Talented Mr. Ripley." Highsmith herself was gay, but "The Price of Salt" was her only gay-themed book, and the seed for it was based on a personal, fleeting experience that she had. The book was published in 1952 under a pseudonym, and the setting of the story takes place at about the same time. It starts off in New York and then moves cross-country. It's about two (again) very different people who find each other (duh!), become unlikely friends, and struggle with their situation. Highsmith's trademark talent for suspense also manages to come through in this book, and so she manages to play with the reader's emotions. And Highsmith can also be deep. It is mellow and hopeful.

BTW, for those who don't know yet, "The Little Stranger" does not have any gay characters in it, unlike Waters's other novels. I think some of her gay fans are a little disappointed by this, but I'm thrilled about it. I think it's a really good career move for her.


Edited to add: Bittersweet is available as an eBook, The Price of Salt is not.

Last edited by Seabound; 04-21-2009 at 03:15 AM.
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