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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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:
No
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Terrific pulp novel of a small-town girl who goes to the big city to become a "Lesbian career girl." Jolly good fun.
Who would have guessed I'd be so excited to be welcomed to the secret world of lesbian career girls?
The front and back cover of the book tell you all you need to know about Lois Lenz, Lesbian Secretary: "Her soul was pure. Her desires were sinful. Her typing was impeccable." And, "Wild Women! Lurid Adventures! Shocking Desires! And a Lot of Filing!"
The book works because it reads more like an earnest tribute to pulp novels (which I have never read) than a parody. But the pulp genre is kind of a parody of itself, isn't it? Although there are self-aware jokes early on, like Faye's plan to throw a party in Daddy's new fallout shelter, the rest of the book feels like it could have been written in the 1950s.
Lois is an earnest cheerleader who gets a secretarial job in bustling Bay City, a city where her mother fears little naive Lois will be kidnapped by white slavers! Also, Lois's friend Faye is the bossy popular girl, a girl whose popularity comes from being bossy and taking control of Lois's life! Will Lois cave in to the seductive Faye and stay in backwater Walnut Grove, or will she move to Bay City? Faye has Lois's life all planned out for her: they can marry their respective beaus and live next door to one another, continuing their lesbian experimentation when their husbands are away on business. "Lois liked Billy, but she'd rather be kidnapped by white slavers than marry him just yet!"
Of course Lois goes to Bay City where she sleeps in a boarding house full of lesbians at night and works at the ad agency Sather & Stirling during the day. It's interesting that this book was published the same month Mad Men, with its Stirling Cooper ad agency. Lois Lenz Lesbian Secretary is much more fun and intriguing book than your average episode of Mad Men, mainly because there are hardly any men in it. Lois's boyfriend, Billy, is actually using Lois as a beard. He isn't gay, but in an interracial relationship! Scandalous!
Speaking of scandal, Lois's fears of the big city's seedy underbelly of Communists and reefer come true! Not just running gags, these elements eventually factor into the plot, giving it a tight feel. Contributing to the book's fast pace are the ingenious cliffhangers at the end of every chapter. When a chapter ends, "Lois's sigh turned into a gasp when she Mrs. Pierson standing with her hands on her hips, glaring at Lois like a gorgon!" how can you not go on?!
Plus the gags on the front and back about typing and filing are also critical to the plot. Lois finds herself embroiled in the machinations of a lesbian blackmailer! "Today's secretary needs to be a bit of a cryptographer!" Lois marvels, as her filing skills are the key to the mystery. Plus, Lois's lesbian encounters are fun and steamy, especially when her secretarial skills are used as an aphrodisiac. Her power-hungry boss demands a role reversal. "Type!" Lois gasped. "Type an urgent memo as fast you can!" Or when seduced by a copywriter who whispers huskily to Lois, "Tell me about your favorite filing system."
It's a fantasy world, sure, where everyone is a lesbian and nothing bad really happens, but it's fun to engage in, and all the characters have heart. Throughout it all, Lois remains steadfastly naive and demure. When chastised by her boss for being late, Lois almost cries. "She couldn't believe this was happening to her, Lois Lenz, winner of the perfect attendance award three years in a row!"
How will Lois get herself out of this mess? Who has ransacked the filing room? Who attended secret communist meetings? And are those marijuana cigarettes in Lois's desk drawer?! You'll have to read Lois Lenz, Lesbian Secretary to find out.
(P.S. I should start reading Entertainment Weekly book reviews more often. I first saw this book reviewed in the magazine when it came out, in 2007, and I finally read it! It's a weird place for book reviews, but many of the most entertaining books I read (The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise comes to mind) I heard about first in the magazine.)
The front and back cover of the book tell you all you need to know about Lois Lenz, Lesbian Secretary: "Her soul was pure. Her desires were sinful. Her typing was impeccable." And, "Wild Women! Lurid Adventures! Shocking Desires! And a Lot of Filing!"
The book works because it reads more like an earnest tribute to pulp novels (which I have never read) than a parody. But the pulp genre is kind of a parody of itself, isn't it? Although there are self-aware jokes early on, like Faye's plan to throw a party in Daddy's new fallout shelter, the rest of the book feels like it could have been written in the 1950s.
Lois is an earnest cheerleader who gets a secretarial job in bustling Bay City, a city where her mother fears little naive Lois will be kidnapped by white slavers! Also, Lois's friend Faye is the bossy popular girl, a girl whose popularity comes from being bossy and taking control of Lois's life! Will Lois cave in to the seductive Faye and stay in backwater Walnut Grove, or will she move to Bay City? Faye has Lois's life all planned out for her: they can marry their respective beaus and live next door to one another, continuing their lesbian experimentation when their husbands are away on business. "Lois liked Billy, but she'd rather be kidnapped by white slavers than marry him just yet!"
Of course Lois goes to Bay City where she sleeps in a boarding house full of lesbians at night and works at the ad agency Sather & Stirling during the day. It's interesting that this book was published the same month Mad Men, with its Stirling Cooper ad agency. Lois Lenz Lesbian Secretary is much more fun and intriguing book than your average episode of Mad Men, mainly because there are hardly any men in it. Lois's boyfriend, Billy, is actually using Lois as a beard. He isn't gay, but in an interracial relationship! Scandalous!
Speaking of scandal, Lois's fears of the big city's seedy underbelly of Communists and reefer come true! Not just running gags, these elements eventually factor into the plot, giving it a tight feel. Contributing to the book's fast pace are the ingenious cliffhangers at the end of every chapter. When a chapter ends, "Lois's sigh turned into a gasp when she Mrs. Pierson standing with her hands on her hips, glaring at Lois like a gorgon!" how can you not go on?!
Plus the gags on the front and back about typing and filing are also critical to the plot. Lois finds herself embroiled in the machinations of a lesbian blackmailer! "Today's secretary needs to be a bit of a cryptographer!" Lois marvels, as her filing skills are the key to the mystery. Plus, Lois's lesbian encounters are fun and steamy, especially when her secretarial skills are used as an aphrodisiac. Her power-hungry boss demands a role reversal. "Type!" Lois gasped. "Type an urgent memo as fast you can!" Or when seduced by a copywriter who whispers huskily to Lois, "Tell me about your favorite filing system."
It's a fantasy world, sure, where everyone is a lesbian and nothing bad really happens, but it's fun to engage in, and all the characters have heart. Throughout it all, Lois remains steadfastly naive and demure. When chastised by her boss for being late, Lois almost cries. "She couldn't believe this was happening to her, Lois Lenz, winner of the perfect attendance award three years in a row!"
How will Lois get herself out of this mess? Who has ransacked the filing room? Who attended secret communist meetings? And are those marijuana cigarettes in Lois's desk drawer?! You'll have to read Lois Lenz, Lesbian Secretary to find out.
(P.S. I should start reading Entertainment Weekly book reviews more often. I first saw this book reviewed in the magazine when it came out, in 2007, and I finally read it! It's a weird place for book reviews, but many of the most entertaining books I read (The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise comes to mind) I heard about first in the magazine.)
Brilliant! Part Nancy Drew, Part Murder she wrote and part scobby Doo. I loved it.
Wow! I was expecting a smut filled, lesbian raunch fest. Instead I was gifted a romantic mystery with some comedy sprinkled in. I practically tore through this book, the quote on the back describing the book best “Wild women! Lurid Adventures! Shocking desires! And a lot of filing.” While I would rate this book 4.5 ⭐️ I think the wrap up at the end was maybe a bit too quick. I loved living in this world and I am going to look into this author a bit more!
This short spoof is a hoot, and will have you chortling and reading lines out loud to your girlfriend. It’s all about a young innocent from a small town who, in spite of a pleasant life practicing kissing with her best cheerleader pal, decides she wants to go check out the big city, and gasp – have a career! The extremely well-organized (and proud of it) Lois eventually finds out that there are lesbians all around, and there are also a few dastardly schemes afoot. This will take you about as long to read as it took me to write this review.
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-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:
Complicated
I really loved this book. It was sooo nostalgic. It reminded me a bit of the l word, and i loved how lois was soo innocent and naive (like she did not know what was going on). And then the other plotline with the "mystery" was really interesting. And I loveeed how the author put the
exaggerated fear of communism in the book, literally so funny. Sometimes i did not know what was going on (too, literally like lois lol), because there were soo many characters.
exaggerated fear of communism in the book, literally so funny. Sometimes i did not know what was going on (too, literally like lois lol), because there were soo many characters.
I think I read this before-if I did then higher stars. If not, it was ok and amusing in a pulp sort of way.
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Hilarious book about a small town cheer-leader who does to the big city to be a "career girl" despite the threat of communists and white slavers. She falls in with a group of very nice girls who are extremely affectionate and...well you can guess what happens. There was surprisingly little explicit sex so just as well I wasn't reading for that. There was also more plot than I expected- granted it was very silly plot but in a fun way. The communist gets her come-uppance and gets sent off to the loony bin. The plain girl is suddenly a lot sexier after a hair-cut and there is a lot of "practice kissing" in this tongue-in-cheek (but whose cheek?) book.