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natgy's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
lezreadalot's review against another edition
4.0
Good save us Nelly Queens.
I was on the edge of tears throughout so much of this book. A deep dive into the queer life of 1950s San Francisco, through the eyes of a young butch, looking for her gay brother, who has recently disappeared. Dark nightclubs, bright lives, dirty cops and blackmail. I didn't realise until about halfway through the book, when I looked up a few things, how deeply rooted in history this book is. A lot of the places are factual, which drove home the fact that this, or something deeply like it, definitely happened back in the day. As a murder mystery it was great, kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat. As history it was tragic, and I cried several times. This one brought me low, and not in the way that usually peeves me, when books do tragedy and queers. It was all so real, and that got to me.
I really liked Josie as a character; tough and smart and absolutely tenacious. And god, sibling relationships get me so good. I especially loved the flashbacks! Her relationships with all the people she met in San Francisco were also all really good, especially Lucille. Lucille was amazing, as was Pearl, and Tiny, and Aaron, and Mr. Dodson, and Lily, and Mr. Garcia, and everyone. I love when books like this have an ensemble cast, and it WORKED. Everyone had a part to play. (I do admit to getting a little confused at times though.)
It took me a while to warm up to Eva Kaminsky's voice, but I gradually grew to love it. Very little about this book didn't satisfy me. I don't LOVE the ending, but I understand it, being as true to reality as it gets. And honestly? I'll take it.
Really great read; this is one I want to come back to.
I was on the edge of tears throughout so much of this book. A deep dive into the queer life of 1950s San Francisco, through the eyes of a young butch, looking for her gay brother, who has recently disappeared. Dark nightclubs, bright lives, dirty cops and blackmail. I didn't realise until about halfway through the book, when I looked up a few things, how deeply rooted in history this book is. A lot of the places are factual, which drove home the fact that this, or something deeply like it, definitely happened back in the day. As a murder mystery it was great, kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat. As history it was tragic, and I cried several times. This one brought me low, and not in the way that usually peeves me, when books do tragedy and queers. It was all so real, and that got to me.
I really liked Josie as a character; tough and smart and absolutely tenacious. And god, sibling relationships get me so good. I especially loved the flashbacks! Her relationships with all the people she met in San Francisco were also all really good, especially Lucille. Lucille was amazing, as was Pearl, and Tiny, and Aaron, and Mr. Dodson, and Lily, and Mr. Garcia, and everyone. I love when books like this have an ensemble cast, and it WORKED. Everyone had a part to play. (I do admit to getting a little confused at times though.)
It took me a while to warm up to Eva Kaminsky's voice, but I gradually grew to love it. Very little about this book didn't satisfy me. I don't LOVE the ending, but I understand it, being as true to reality as it gets. And honestly? I'll take it.
Really great read; this is one I want to come back to.
hedgehogbookreviews's review against another edition
4.0
You can also find this review on Hedgehog Book Reviews!
Josie is on the search for her brother, Jimmy, who recently disappeared. Jimmy is a gay man serving on the San Francisco police force, who frequented local queer bars until the community thought he was ratting them out. As the search goes on, Josie experiments with the way she presents herself to others and becomes closer to people in gay nightlife of San Fran. Josie is determined to clear her brother’s name and get to the bottom of his unsolved missing persons case that has been suspiciously swept under the rug.
My favorite parts of Blackmail, My Love were the queer history lessons it gave. I learned a lot about what it was like to be gay in the 1950’s and I, now, very clearly recognize how lucky we are to live as minorities in the present world. I usually feel satisfied with myself while reading a book that is both educational and interesting, so Blackmail, My Love was a great choice.
This book was raw, it really told the story of 1950 San Francisco in a blunt manner. There were scenes of police officers abusing queer people, suicides committed because of homophobia, and gay hate crimes. For most of the book, Josie presents herself as a man by the name of Joe. (I’m using female pronouns because the back of the book uses them.) In the beginning chapters, Josie is still learning how to shop for and wear men’s clothing. I want to highlight a couple paragraphs in which Josie is looking for a new men’s suit. The employees in this store pretty quickly realize that Josie is not biologically a male and begin harassing her. Actually, it gets to a point when the readers know that Josie will be sexually assaulted if she gets trapped in this situation. The men say,
This line really shook me. This is the moment when the verbal exchange goes from verbally to sexually harassing a transgender person. I remember sticky tabbing this quotation because the turning point in this speaking scene is so blatant and…horrifying. The sticky note was also to signify something in the book that made me extremely sad. This portion of the book, in general, made me sad because I know that there are people who still, today, would say these things to a transgender individual. These types of people are on the news; they’re marching on college campuses and holding rallies in big cities. It’s very depressing.
Blackmail, My Love truly educated me on parts of queer history that I’m not well versed in. For example, I was not very familiar with gay bars paying cops not to raid them. I mean, bar owners really had to hand over envelopes of cash so police officers wouldn’t arrest people for just occupying space in a gay bar. I’m lucky to live in a time and place where people aren’t actively thrown in jails for nothing more than which bars they like to attend. In the 1950’s, people weren’t that lucky.
The actual story of this book wasn’t as interesting as the history lessons it provided. I was really captivated by learning about what life was like as a queer person 60 years ago. The solving of the mystery didn’t stand out very much to me, maybe because I was too engrossed by the other aspects of the novel.
I enjoyed this book a lot. The lessons it gave were crucial to my understanding of the privilege it is to live in a post 2010 United States. I want to thank Cleis Press for my copy of Blackmail, My Love. I’m extremely glad that I stopped by their booth at NYC Pride. If you’re looking for a captivating book to educate you on gay history, this is the one for you!
“No one else can know what is right for you. What’s right for you might seem wrong to someone else, and that’s okay, because maybe it’s wrong for them. But if your heart wants it, God put that desire there, and it is the right desire for you.”
Josie is on the search for her brother, Jimmy, who recently disappeared. Jimmy is a gay man serving on the San Francisco police force, who frequented local queer bars until the community thought he was ratting them out. As the search goes on, Josie experiments with the way she presents herself to others and becomes closer to people in gay nightlife of San Fran. Josie is determined to clear her brother’s name and get to the bottom of his unsolved missing persons case that has been suspiciously swept under the rug.
My favorite parts of Blackmail, My Love were the queer history lessons it gave. I learned a lot about what it was like to be gay in the 1950’s and I, now, very clearly recognize how lucky we are to live as minorities in the present world. I usually feel satisfied with myself while reading a book that is both educational and interesting, so Blackmail, My Love was a great choice.
This book was raw, it really told the story of 1950 San Francisco in a blunt manner. There were scenes of police officers abusing queer people, suicides committed because of homophobia, and gay hate crimes. For most of the book, Josie presents herself as a man by the name of Joe. (I’m using female pronouns because the back of the book uses them.) In the beginning chapters, Josie is still learning how to shop for and wear men’s clothing. I want to highlight a couple paragraphs in which Josie is looking for a new men’s suit. The employees in this store pretty quickly realize that Josie is not biologically a male and begin harassing her. Actually, it gets to a point when the readers know that Josie will be sexually assaulted if she gets trapped in this situation. The men say,
“Is that your big prick? Come on girly, lay it down and take a look at a real one.”
This line really shook me. This is the moment when the verbal exchange goes from verbally to sexually harassing a transgender person. I remember sticky tabbing this quotation because the turning point in this speaking scene is so blatant and…horrifying. The sticky note was also to signify something in the book that made me extremely sad. This portion of the book, in general, made me sad because I know that there are people who still, today, would say these things to a transgender individual. These types of people are on the news; they’re marching on college campuses and holding rallies in big cities. It’s very depressing.
Blackmail, My Love truly educated me on parts of queer history that I’m not well versed in. For example, I was not very familiar with gay bars paying cops not to raid them. I mean, bar owners really had to hand over envelopes of cash so police officers wouldn’t arrest people for just occupying space in a gay bar. I’m lucky to live in a time and place where people aren’t actively thrown in jails for nothing more than which bars they like to attend. In the 1950’s, people weren’t that lucky.
The actual story of this book wasn’t as interesting as the history lessons it provided. I was really captivated by learning about what life was like as a queer person 60 years ago. The solving of the mystery didn’t stand out very much to me, maybe because I was too engrossed by the other aspects of the novel.
I enjoyed this book a lot. The lessons it gave were crucial to my understanding of the privilege it is to live in a post 2010 United States. I want to thank Cleis Press for my copy of Blackmail, My Love. I’m extremely glad that I stopped by their booth at NYC Pride. If you’re looking for a captivating book to educate you on gay history, this is the one for you!
quartofgoats's review against another edition
5.0
The best book I have ever read, gripping and full of strong community.
majkf's review against another edition
4.0
what an absolute joy to read, really made me Feel Things in the best way
yetanothersusan's review against another edition
4.0
Starting off like a gumshoe detective story at the beginning, the book quickly became a fictionalized account of the harrassment of the LGBT community in San Francisco in the late 50s / early 60s.
Josie/Joe has come to town to find out why her brother did not contact her in her birthday. She learns about corruption in the police force and a strong loving community of gays, lesbians, etc.
I enjoyed the story and the writing. I think a bit more knowledge of the gay community would have helped me understand a few things but that didn't ruin the book.
Josie/Joe has come to town to find out why her brother did not contact her in her birthday. She learns about corruption in the police force and a strong loving community of gays, lesbians, etc.
I enjoyed the story and the writing. I think a bit more knowledge of the gay community would have helped me understand a few things but that didn't ruin the book.
telepathicseagull's review against another edition
5.0
While it took a chapter or so to really get into the novel, once I got past the first chapter, I was obsessed. So wonder, very accurate. Makes you laugh, cry, and wish there were more books like it.
kitnotmarlowe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
if i were rating simply the prose, and if every character didn't insist on speaking solely in meandering page-long monologues every single time a piece of I formation needed to be conveyed, i probably would have given this five stars. and if i were rating simply the sections where josie talks about being butch and/or god, then this would be five stars. however a book is more than the best parts of it, and i have to admit that the plot takes a long time to get going and when it was going,it didn't really go anyway. instead it sort of fizzled out without any real tension about who the blackmailer was, aka the thread holding the plot together, until its' rather lackluster reveal. while i enjoyed both the illustrations and the cast of characters, i didn't think the illustrations were completely necessary (though they were lovely) and the characters were so numerous i almost wanted to make a chart like this was a russian novel.
the most absolutely buckwild thing to happen in this book is that there's a shout-out to thee archetypal pulp butch BEEBO BRINKER and i fully left my body laughing
the most absolutely buckwild thing to happen in this book is that there's a shout-out to thee archetypal pulp butch BEEBO BRINKER and i fully left my body laughing
shelley_pearson's review against another edition
5.0
This was really good! I was expecting something a little lighter, because I usually read cozy mysteries, and this was kind of dark. I recommend it highly to queer mystery lovers and queer history lovers. So many memorable characters.