Scan barcode
chilltash's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
1.0
1/5
Ah man another one I didn’t enjoy. I liked the summary but once I got into the story, the two different characters going back and forth were aggravating, not to mention I lost interest in both of their stories.
Ah man another one I didn’t enjoy. I liked the summary but once I got into the story, the two different characters going back and forth were aggravating, not to mention I lost interest in both of their stories.
lydiastorytime's review against another edition
5.0
This book is fabulous! it give you to beautiful stories intertwined. This book brings us to the truth of life in an often romanticized era. I learned so much about history and the lives of queer women before me. Now I have a whole new list of books to read. It’s exciting to see the changes in our world while knowing more is needed. I absolutely love the way this book showcases love in all its forms. It shows the journey of being swept away when you are young, learning what kinds of love last and the worth of love even when it changes. This was a wonderful and hopeful book I’d like to give to all young queer people.
Also as somone who grew up being told gays were invented in the 90s by sex crazy men, it’s great to see true queer history past on. I wish I had this book when I was younger.
Also as somone who grew up being told gays were invented in the 90s by sex crazy men, it’s great to see true queer history past on. I wish I had this book when I was younger.
sincerelyhadley's review against another edition
4.0
This book has perfectly encapsulated what it's like to come out and what it's like to be lgbt. Even with the different frames of time, some of those reactions are still ones you will get today in present time, sadly. Robin's gift in wrapping this in a neat little 416 page package, is one I can never thank her enough for. What she has done allows so many young (and older) people who have yet to come out to not feel so alone and feel validated. Even those who have come out already, such as myself, are allowed a comfort in knowing they are not alone in their experience.
There was a line in the book that really hit home fore and I think hits home for a lot of queer youth: It was time I put away my foolish past and became what everyone had always told me I was meant to be: some man’s wife.
That was always my biggest fear growing up. My biggest battle. I never thought I would have the pleasure of loving a woman (PS, I have had that pleasure) and I never thought I would get to be happy. Because how could I be happy with a man?
Fictional or not, it's just a reminder that this is something that goes on in the lives of others and together we will all get through it.
Thank you, Robin.
There was a line in the book that really hit home fore and I think hits home for a lot of queer youth: It was time I put away my foolish past and became what everyone had always told me I was meant to be: some man’s wife.
That was always my biggest fear growing up. My biggest battle. I never thought I would have the pleasure of loving a woman (PS, I have had that pleasure) and I never thought I would get to be happy. Because how could I be happy with a man?
Fictional or not, it's just a reminder that this is something that goes on in the lives of others and together we will all get through it.
Thank you, Robin.
aliena_jackson's review against another edition
2.0
This book was told from a dual perspective. Janet, a closeted lesbian who lives in 1950s Washington DC during the time period of the lavender scare, is coming into herself, and realizing her love of women and writing. She begins writing a lesbian pulp novel (hence the title of the book). Abby lives in Washington DC in 2017, and is a senior in high school at the time the novel takes place. She just broke up with her girlfriend and responds by doing something with a pulp novel Janet wrote.
Here's the thing: Janet's parts of the book were really good. They were interesting, and well-written, compelling, etc. Abby's......were not. I found Abby to be one of the most aggravating characters I've ever read. She reads like a 13 year old. She covers her ears and shouts when she doesn't want to listen to what someone has to say, she's whiny and entitled, and her problems are the only issues in the world according to her. On multiple occasions, she responds to conflict by nonconsensually kissing her ex-girlfriend. This happened three times, and I was stunned. At times, she blames her parents for her girlfriend dumping her. Her girlfriend witnessed her parents fighting about grout and apparently that spiraled into a breakup. I just- I really, really, really, really hated Abby. She was so whiny, and entitled. She has a breakdown over her friend saying an author is dead, and acts like a donkey's behind. I actually just skipped Abby's parts because I hated her so much. I just was not invested. Boo, Abby. You suck. Janet though, I mean, she had her issues, but I liked her. So go Janet, I guess.
This has not been my most articulate review, and I will come back later and heavily revise this, probably, so enjoy it while you can. Not this book, just the review. Except for Janet's parts, enjoy those.
Here's the thing: Janet's parts of the book were really good. They were interesting, and well-written, compelling, etc. Abby's......were not. I found Abby to be one of the most aggravating characters I've ever read. She reads like a 13 year old. She covers her ears and shouts when she doesn't want to listen to what someone has to say, she's whiny and entitled, and her problems are the only issues in the world according to her. On multiple occasions, she responds to conflict by nonconsensually kissing her ex-girlfriend. This happened three times, and I was stunned. At times, she blames her parents for her girlfriend dumping her. Her girlfriend witnessed her parents fighting about grout and apparently that spiraled into a breakup. I just- I really, really, really, really hated Abby. She was so whiny, and entitled. She has a breakdown over her friend saying an author is dead, and acts like a donkey's behind. I actually just skipped Abby's parts because I hated her so much. I just was not invested. Boo, Abby. You suck. Janet though, I mean, she had her issues, but I liked her. So go Janet, I guess.
This has not been my most articulate review, and I will come back later and heavily revise this, probably, so enjoy it while you can. Not this book, just the review. Except for Janet's parts, enjoy those.
papertraildiary's review against another edition
3.0
This was such a good idea for a book, but it ended up trying to do way too much. Having two third-person storylines plus the writing from both of those girls got really cluttered at times and confusing. Abby's story could have been a bit less complicated too, I think. I hadn't read a Robin Talley book before, and I'm glad I read this one, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped I would.
ajb24's review against another edition
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this book. The Janet storyline was definitely stronger than Abby's. I was just overall way more interested in the struggles Janet was facing than what Abby was dealing with, which made Janet's chapters more compelling. Although, both girls did have a tendency to be annoyingly dense at times.
In general Abby's chapters were a slog to get through. I didn't find her likable or sympathetic at all. From an abstract level, I can see where someone might relate to Abby's experience of losing herself in fictional worlds to escape a difficult home life. In practice, however, I never got a full sense of why her parents were having such problems. It was established as "a thing," but then she was so bratty and evasive for what seemed like really weak reasons. Even the "big fight" that her parents have that leads to her and Lynne breaking up was so, anticlimactic? Or I just never got the sense of where the tension was...I don't know how to explain because I'm sure that having your parents yell at each other makes things really awkward and tense, but I couldn't find a way to sympathize with how it was presented. It seemed like a huge deal was being made of like, one big fight, but like, why are they fighting?? There was no underlying cause, the parents just suddenly didn't like each other anymore and Abby went around all mopey.
There was also multiple instances where Abby was really obnoxious about how amazing the Marion Love book was and was all "HoW cOulD yOu NOT KnoOoOwwW about this ONE pulp book when it's mildly famous within this ONE genre of novels." Really I was just irritated by how irritated SHE got when talking with the queer historian. Like, queer history is so much broader than your ONE novel, maybe take your superiority complex down a notch??
OH and her college application anxiety was never resolved, and it wasn't really explained what her hesitation was?? I guess she was trying to get her parents' attention by not applying, but her complaints seemed like a deeper "why is this my prescribed future" type of thing. And I think that would've been interesting if she had had an honest conversation with her mom or teacher or someone and actually said "hey, I'm unsure if I even wanna go to college because I'm not ready to make these big decisions in my life." But NO. Instead, she was just really rude to Lynne by being really aggressively against college applications without explaining any underlying issues she was struggling with. THAT leads into my second annoyance with how she treated Lynne. WHY was she SO surprised that Lynne thought Abby wanted to break up and not get back together? GIRL, it's because you don't SAY anything! She's so in her head alllll the time, and then anything she says out loud is like "I'm fine! Don't worry!" or "Leave me alone!" or something else that's unnecessarily confrontational given the conversation, but of course she wouldn't express her feelings or anything like that. No, she just fixates on this one pulp novel for reasons unknowable to her friends, and then she gets MAD at them for bringing up valid questions like "hey! why don't you wanna tour this college?" or "why haven't you started on any homework?"
My 3-star rating is basically only for the Janet chapters lol
In general Abby's chapters were a slog to get through. I didn't find her likable or sympathetic at all. From an abstract level, I can see where someone might relate to Abby's experience of losing herself in fictional worlds to escape a difficult home life. In practice, however, I never got a full sense of why her parents were having such problems. It was established as "a thing," but then she was so bratty and evasive for what seemed like really weak reasons. Even the "big fight" that her parents have that leads to her and Lynne breaking up was so, anticlimactic? Or I just never got the sense of where the tension was...I don't know how to explain because I'm sure that having your parents yell at each other makes things really awkward and tense, but I couldn't find a way to sympathize with how it was presented. It seemed like a huge deal was being made of like, one big fight, but like, why are they fighting?? There was no underlying cause, the parents just suddenly didn't like each other anymore and Abby went around all mopey.
There was also multiple instances where Abby was really obnoxious about how amazing the Marion Love book was and was all "HoW cOulD yOu NOT KnoOoOwwW about this ONE pulp book when it's mildly famous within this ONE genre of novels." Really I was just irritated by how irritated SHE got when talking with the queer historian. Like, queer history is so much broader than your ONE novel, maybe take your superiority complex down a notch??
OH and her college application anxiety was never resolved, and it wasn't really explained what her hesitation was?? I guess she was trying to get her parents' attention by not applying, but her complaints seemed like a deeper "why is this my prescribed future" type of thing. And I think that would've been interesting if she had had an honest conversation with her mom or teacher or someone and actually said "hey, I'm unsure if I even wanna go to college because I'm not ready to make these big decisions in my life." But NO. Instead, she was just really rude to Lynne by being really aggressively against college applications without explaining any underlying issues she was struggling with. THAT leads into my second annoyance with how she treated Lynne. WHY was she SO surprised that Lynne thought Abby wanted to break up and not get back together? GIRL, it's because you don't SAY anything! She's so in her head alllll the time, and then anything she says out loud is like "I'm fine! Don't worry!" or "Leave me alone!" or something else that's unnecessarily confrontational given the conversation, but of course she wouldn't express her feelings or anything like that. No, she just fixates on this one pulp novel for reasons unknowable to her friends, and then she gets MAD at them for bringing up valid questions like "hey! why don't you wanna tour this college?" or "why haven't you started on any homework?"
My 3-star rating is basically only for the Janet chapters lol