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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
challenging
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
this book had me scaredddddd for what was to come
Content Warnings
suicide, slurs, racism, homophobia, domestic abuse, abuse from cops
On y parle donc de la communauté lesbienne dans ces années là, des cabarets drag, du travestissement, de la fameuse règle des « trois vêtements » (a cette époque et jusque dans les années 70 d’ailleurs, si tu n’avais pas 3 vêtements qui correspondent à ton genre assigné, tu pouvais être arrêté par la police).
On suit en particulier 3 femmes. La première est très âgée et son histoire se passe à notre époque. C’est à travers elle qu’on se souvient du passé et qu’on rencontre les deux amoureuses. Emily, la nouvelle qui se travestit sur scène pour gagner sa vie et Haskel l’artiste peintre. Elles tombent amoureuses et leur histoire va prendre un tournant fantastique
On suit en particulier 3 femmes. La première est très âgée et son histoire se passe à notre époque. C’est à travers elle qu’on se souvient du passé et qu’on rencontre les deux amoureuses. Emily, la nouvelle qui se travestit sur scène pour gagner sa vie et Haskel l’artiste peintre. Elles tombent amoureuses et leur histoire va prendre un tournant fantastique
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
A love story to San Francisco across the decades, and its queer community. I thought this was a lovely piece but it felt a tad disjointed. Nonetheless, well enjoyed.
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've had this on my list for ages and it's a good read. I liked how it focused on the queer past and included some fantasy towards the end. Solid read. I'd revisit it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Car accident
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3.5/5
What a wonderful book to spend time with. It really is a love letter to 40s San Francisco, which to my embarrassment I don't know much about despite having lived in the Bay Area for over half my life.
On one hand, it's so gratifying to read something that sheds light on our rich history as queer women, as artists and lawyers and all these other things women weren't supposed to be.
On the other hand, the author used the San Francisco World's Fair as the backdrop for the main couple's love story without ever really grappling with the Fair's white supremacist, colonialist project. It was just a romantic setting to inspire awe, and the handful of brief nods to the existence of institutionalized racism in the U.S. at the time don't make that any less icky. Some of the biases of the time are accurately reflected in Klages's writing, but I don't think she realizes it because she takes them for granted: the Japanese-descended Helen Young acts mostly as a vehicle for realizing the happiness of the white woman couple. She gets no love story of her own, and we have to watch her be subjected to racist indignities.
What a wonderful book to spend time with. It really is a love letter to 40s San Francisco, which to my embarrassment I don't know much about despite having lived in the Bay Area for over half my life.
On one hand, it's so gratifying to read something that sheds light on our rich history as queer women, as artists and lawyers and all these other things women weren't supposed to be.
On the other hand, the author used the San Francisco World's Fair as the backdrop for the main couple's love story without ever really grappling with the Fair's white supremacist, colonialist project. It was just a romantic setting to inspire awe, and the handful of brief nods to the existence of institutionalized racism in the U.S. at the time don't make that any less icky. Some of the biases of the time are accurately reflected in Klages's writing, but I don't think she realizes it because she takes them for granted: the Japanese-descended Helen Young acts mostly as a vehicle for realizing the happiness of the white woman couple. She gets no love story of her own, and we have to watch her be subjected to racist indignities.