em23er34's review
5.0
i loved this book it was so goofy and the characters were unlikeable and flawed. but there are some real nuggets of gay wisdom and i felt like the queers of old were speaking to me through the sands of time. the lady who wrote this may have lived a straight public facing life but there’s no way she was straight an absolute 5/5
caedocyon's review against another edition
3.0
I found three of the Bannon novels next to one another on the "new" shelf at the library and snapped them up. Was that unfair? Perhaps, but I'll try to return them quickly.
I wasn't expecting much from Beebo Brinker before I read it, which contributed to how much I enjoyed it. I was trying to keep my expectations low for this as well (because---shockingly---I am totally fascinated with Beebo and I knew she was a more minor character), and was again surprised.
Sam keeps making fun of me for reading pulps, and I keep telling her that she needs to read them so she can at least understand exactly what she's mocking. I don't even know what I like about them, exactly. They make no bones about being trashy; they have an aura of cheapness and they are rushed and convenient and ridiculous in places. And yet I get very involved with the characters and completely wrapped up in their world.
I was kind of surprised by the heavy-duty issues (apart from homosexuality, of course) that got brought up.
The characters' attitude toward sex is surprisingly up to date, but their attitudes toward many other things are not. I think that's another reason I like these books: they remind me how much I don't have to face in my daily life, and how much has changed in such a short time. (Would I work as an elevator operator just to be able to wear pants?) While I am becoming reasonably confident in dressing as I prefer for work, attitudes towards (and protections for) transgender people are still for the most part stuck in the fifties. Things are starting to change, but here's hoping it takes less time.
Ooh, ooh, and now I know why a butchy friend has a dachshund named Nix!!
I wasn't expecting much from Beebo Brinker before I read it, which contributed to how much I enjoyed it. I was trying to keep my expectations low for this as well (because---shockingly---I am totally fascinated with Beebo and I knew she was a more minor character), and was again surprised.
Sam keeps making fun of me for reading pulps, and I keep telling her that she needs to read them so she can at least understand exactly what she's mocking. I don't even know what I like about them, exactly. They make no bones about being trashy; they have an aura of cheapness and they are rushed and convenient and ridiculous in places. And yet I get very involved with the characters and completely wrapped up in their world.
I was kind of surprised by the heavy-duty issues (apart from homosexuality, of course) that got brought up.
The characters' attitude toward sex is surprisingly up to date, but their attitudes toward many other things are not. I think that's another reason I like these books: they remind me how much I don't have to face in my daily life, and how much has changed in such a short time. (Would I work as an elevator operator just to be able to wear pants?) While I am becoming reasonably confident in dressing as I prefer for work, attitudes towards (and protections for) transgender people are still for the most part stuck in the fifties. Things are starting to change, but here's hoping it takes less time.
Ooh, ooh, and now I know why a butchy friend has a dachshund named Nix!!
historiana's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to read some proper 50s lesbian pulp fiction and this turned out to be exactly what I expected, in both good and bad ways
gmba's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
gburleton27's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
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
2.5
emilyofthegreenwood's review against another edition
4.0
This is the fourth lesbian pulp novel I've read, and the best one so far! (Before this, I've read The Price of Salt, Women's Barracks, and the first book in the Beebo Brinker series, Odd Girl Out.)
There were a few moments of the LGBT experience that made me laugh with how true they were:
"They looked at her - her own kind - from the bar and the tables, and didn't recognize her. And Laura looked around at them and thought, I'm one of you. Help me." This is honestly part of my modern-day femme experience, and I'm sure it can apply to other experiences as well.
After Jack and Laura duck out of a double date where they were pretending to be a straight couple: "As soon as they were in the street Jack sighed, 'God. I couldn't have stood another minute of it. Straight people are so depressing.'"
Read this book with the knowledge that some of the social ideas will make the modern mind cringe a little. Despite that, it is entertaining and such a lovely representation of lesbian pulp novels.
There were a few moments of the LGBT experience that made me laugh with how true they were:
"They looked at her - her own kind - from the bar and the tables, and didn't recognize her. And Laura looked around at them and thought, I'm one of you. Help me." This is honestly part of my modern-day femme experience, and I'm sure it can apply to other experiences as well.
After Jack and Laura duck out of a double date where they were pretending to be a straight couple: "As soon as they were in the street Jack sighed, 'God. I couldn't have stood another minute of it. Straight people are so depressing.'"
Read this book with the knowledge that some of the social ideas will make the modern mind cringe a little. Despite that, it is entertaining and such a lovely representation of lesbian pulp novels.
virginiaberg's review against another edition
4.0
this was my first foray into 1950s lesbian pulp and it was not at all what i expected. i…loved it? desperately need to learn more about ann bannon now.
alexxlynette's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75