My Top Five All-Time Lesbian Fiction Favorites

oddismycopilot:

I’ve probably read somewhere around 250ish(?) lesfic titles over my lifetime, but there is still a f-ckton I haven’t read! So this is my own limited and idiosyncratic list of favorites. What with so many books and so little time, I hardly ever revisit a book I’ve read, but would (and probably will and in some cases already have) happily reread any of these.

After Mrs. Hamilton by Clare Ashton. Kind of like Dickens for lesbians: Broad time/space scope, Secrets From The Past, seriously intricate plot, strange coincidences, fascinating multidimensional characters. Plus lesbian sex! Some Amazon reviewers seem to think it’s a little dark; however, I see light in it too. Loved it and highly recommend it.

a/k/a by Ruthann Robson. A bit off-beat; the two protagonists are a law student/lesbian escort and a soap opera actress in a relationship with a mentally ill woman who is the biological mother of their son (yeah, it’s all kind of weird, but surprisingly believable). Dark with some real sadness, but laced with humor. Very well done; highly recommended.

Her Name in the Sky by Kelly Quindlen. YA coming of age/coming out in a Catholic school context. Really excellent: Beautiful writing; sensitive and nuanced treatment of issues (religion, coming out, etc.); appealing yet flawed primary characters; great cast of secondary characters; excellent depiction of high school/peer group culture; snappy, realistic, often humorous dialogue. Technically YA, but highly recommended for adults as well.

Pages for You by Sylvia Brownrigg. College freshman Flannery falls for 28-year-old teaching assistant Anne; passionate affair ensues. Excellent writing, characters, settings: Just excellent overall. It’s extremely evocative for me personally, so your mileage may vary, but it has also gotten a lot of praise from “real” critics as well as many other readers. Highly recommended.

The Sea of Light by Jenifer Levin. The story of collegiate swimmers Ellie Marks (dedicated and hard-working team captain, daughter of Holocaust survivors) and Babe Delgado (Cuban-American, former aspiring Olympian, sole survivor of over-ocean airplane crash). Brenna Allen, their coach, is also a lesbian with her own backstory (no boundaries are crossed). Multi-dimensional characters, interesting story, excellent writing. An old favorite of mine; highly recommended.