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A review by gillesbianreads
Curious Wine by Katherine V. Forrest
3.0
Curious Wine by Katherine V. Forrest is sexy, sensual, romantic, and fairly uneventful (in the best way): it was an easy and enjoyable read. It is yet another classic lesbian novel that was rare for its time in the way it ended happily for the sapphic couple.
The story takes place at a cabin in the mountains in Nevada, where a handful of women in their 30s and 40s are spending the week skiing, gambling, drinking, and playing games by the fire. Some of the women know each other, but most are merely acquaintances or have never met before. With a trope that I love, Lane and Diana, who did not know each other prior but connected right away, end up sharing a bed. The women connect emotionally over heartbreak, their shared dislike for some of the other women, loss, and they have instant chemistry. Dot, dot, dot.
The most uncomfortable parts were some of the insufferable supporting characters, and there is a rape scene. I was also left a bit unsure as to whether Diana was bisexual or lesbian, but I think that’s indicative of Diana’s confusion herself. And Lane’s doubts of Diana’s sureness of her feelings for women were understandable— as Diana never experienced attraction to women previously, so Lane was worried she could merely be experimenting— but it also felt ignorant to bisexuality. If any bisexuals who have read the book have any thoughts on this aspect, I would love to hear them!
Although most the characters were hard to connect to personally (being cis(het), middle aged, middle-to-upper class white women, with some who were very explicitly racist), I deeply felt the feelings the two sapphic women have for each other through the author’s writing. You can really tell Forrest is a lesbian herself by the way she describes women, writes about their bodies, and how they make love. Let me just sum up how I felt with emojis:
The story takes place at a cabin in the mountains in Nevada, where a handful of women in their 30s and 40s are spending the week skiing, gambling, drinking, and playing games by the fire. Some of the women know each other, but most are merely acquaintances or have never met before. With a trope that I love, Lane and Diana, who did not know each other prior but connected right away, end up sharing a bed. The women connect emotionally over heartbreak, their shared dislike for some of the other women, loss, and they have instant chemistry. Dot, dot, dot.
The most uncomfortable parts were some of the insufferable supporting characters, and there is a rape scene. I was also left a bit unsure as to whether Diana was bisexual or lesbian, but I think that’s indicative of Diana’s confusion herself. And Lane’s doubts of Diana’s sureness of her feelings for women were understandable— as Diana never experienced attraction to women previously, so Lane was worried she could merely be experimenting— but it also felt ignorant to bisexuality. If any bisexuals who have read the book have any thoughts on this aspect, I would love to hear them!
Although most the characters were hard to connect to personally (being cis(het), middle aged, middle-to-upper class white women, with some who were very explicitly racist), I deeply felt the feelings the two sapphic women have for each other through the author’s writing. You can really tell Forrest is a lesbian herself by the way she describes women, writes about their bodies, and how they make love. Let me just sum up how I felt with emojis: