Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Rubyfruit Jungle

I felt like the story had a slow start but once it picked up I got really into it. It's a great LGBTQ+ coming of age book with relatable characters and relevance to life now in the LBGTQ+ community. Will be recommending this book.

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citrine's review against another edition

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This book is...fine. I guess. I read it and discussed it for class, and there were some parts that I felt were funny and compelling, but I found it overall just droll and off-kilter. Style is always a matter of taste, bur I really didnt mesh with the narrative style of the book as a whole. My professor (Lesbian Literatures at W&M) said something along the lines of this book being "confused" and I think that hits on it well. RMB is frustratingly inconsistent - decrying societal norms in one breath ( there is are constant references to a "do what you want" kind of attitude), and undermining that ethos in the next. I think there is a decent honesty in the book, and a narrator to whose emotions we have less access than common. Im not an expert in the demographics of NYC queer street life in the period, but the absence of even a passing mention of trans people felt odd to me - the protagonist of the story lives on the streets of the city at one point (an experience RMB had herself) and it strikes me as odd that she wouldnt have encountered any trans swers or anything strikes me as odd. Almost an erasure - but I will need to do more research to say for sure. Lastly, the main character commits what can only be described as sexual assault twice in this book. While the sexual politics and dynamics of conset (especially queer consent, with the often repressed desires of individuals intermingling with contradictory ways of showing interes) have changed a lot, it just feels weird!

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sib_reads's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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mollyv's review against another edition

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hopeful reflective medium-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? It's complicated

3.0

It is hard to rate a book that has such historical significance for queer women - so a neutral rating seems fair.

I can see why it has the praise it does, to read about such a confidently queer female character in a book written in 1973 and set even earlier was really interesting. To see the struggles that came with being queer and working class in the USA at the time was also very illuminating.

However, the stance the book takes on some issues disturbed me. The acceptance of incest was particularly jarring and made me extremely uncomfortable. The several dub-con moments between the main character and others was also difficult to read and never critically discussed. The bandying about of slurs and racist opinions was also something that was not handled as well as I would have liked. There was also very weird adult/minor sexual relationships and moments which were extremely uncomfortable but not called out. Be warned it is also very sexual, this is not a criticism, but it was something I was not expecting to that extent and did find a little difficult at times, especially when the main character was a child.

Overall, as a queer woman I am glad I read it due to its importance to the community but I do not know if I could recommend it to others without a whole slew of warnings attached.

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jenrud31's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Glad I read it for it’s historical significance in lesbian lit but this book is quite dated. I enjoyed the first half more than the second. Molly becomes a bit transphobic and aggressive in her later years.

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