Customer Reviews

18th & Castro

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

From the seductive tales of myth to the fantastic legends of true life romances, Ms. Karin Kallmaker allows us to peek into the happenings of 18th & Castro on Halloween. Ms. Kallmaker spins the colorful thread of each unique character's fabric of fate to weave a magical tapestry of lust and love. With sensuously skillful caresses of erotic imagery, Ms. Kallmaker reminds us that each of us leaves an impression on those around us, knowingly or not. Once again, Ms. Kallmaker craftily passes on the passionate conviction that all women are sexy, even those covered in maggots. It's Halloween on 18th & Castro. Laugh, shed tears, and be seduced. You won't be disappointed.

After penning more than 20 novels, award-winning author Karin Kallmaker has once again given the reader a fresh look at romance. 18th & Castro is a witty and sexy collection of short stories with a unique, creative, and fun approach.

18th & Castro is a compilation of stories that occur in one apartment building in San Francisco's Castro District on the biggest night of the year, Halloween. They include accounts of couples, singles, women looking for love and those just wanting a one night stand. The individual vignettes embrace threesomes, strangers, friends and lovers. Some are erotic and steamy. Others are loving, sweet and full of yearning. But all of the tales are short, concise and to the point.

Kallmaker has capitalized on her trademark in this book, her versatility as a storyteller and her inclusiveness of her varied audience. While every story is a little different, some overlap with the same apartment dwellers, lending continuity to the collection so it acts like a novel more than an anthology. Kallmaker writes each to fit the individual situations. There is not one size fits all for her. Her characters, their setting and the erotica all match the story told. This author knows the language of love and sex and is not stuck on one style when sharing with her readers.

Kallmaker's strength as an enduring well-liked author has been her understanding that we, the reader, want and need fantasy. She delivers on this every time whether in a short story, anthology or novel. Within this fantasy, she has learned to reach out to the reader with a bit of realism mixed in that does not overwhelm us. Her story "Tick, Tock" does that well in 18th & Castro. It is a pause in the middle of the book that is sobering and heartfelt, but it fits perfectly with the overall theme and advances the book naturally.

This clever and exceptional collection is a must for anyone who enjoys a little diversity in their erotica. You will look at Halloween with new appreciation after reading 18th & Castro.

Terrific anthology - you'll read this more than once

This is one of the few, the very few, anthologies that you will read again and again. With most anthologies there is one or two standout stories that you remember long after you give a book away or put it on a shelf.

The stories in 18th & Castro are all memorable. Passionate, romantic, funny, emotional sweet, sad, and best of all - well written.

They are also hot, really really hot.

This book is filled with stand out stories -

Come Hither, Woman

The Works

Brand New Woman

Nine-Inch Nails

Avast!

From Behind You Looked Like...

Borrowed Plumage

And you not soon forget the poignant `Tick, Tock'

I could list them all because they are each so memorable, Another thing about anthologies, you very rarely remember which story is which until you re-read it again. The Bella Books anthologies standout from other publishers in that respect - each one I have read has been a winner.

This book takes place, with two exceptions, in an apartment building at 18th Street and Castro in San Francisco on Halloween. There are 16 stories held together by the location. Most of the stories are explicit.

It is apparent that each reader will choose which of the stories speaks loudest to her. Two of the stories that are outstanding are the one that deals with the loss of the woman's lover to death and the one that deals with love after a ravaging disease attacks one of the partners.

The concept of the book is creative. The writing is exceptional. The language vivid. And the stories are intense. In short, this is a remarkable book on so many levels.

Kallmaker has also captured the craziness of Halloween in the Castro, which has to be experienced to truly appreciate.

I enjoyed this book because, while it consisted of individual peoples actions in each chapter it read as a full story with linking sections to bring it together. I reread the best chapters every so often. If you enjoy lesbian erotica, this is a great read.

As with many of Kallmaker's books, this one has just enough romance and plenty of heat to keep the pages turning.
Definately one to add to your library.

I wasn't exactly sure what I was getting into when I ordered this book. Some friends said it was great, others said it was terrible. In fact, I didn't even know it was a series of inter-related stories until I started reading. Not generally a fan of anthologies or short stories, I have to admit to thoroughly enjoying this newest offering from Kallmaker.

There is a story in her for everyone to enjoy. There is the jilted former lover who is asked to teach her ex's new lover how to please her in bed. There is the disintegrating lover who is suffering from MS. There are the young lovers who never quite make it to the party. There is the new couple, who don't know they're a couple yet. There is the couple who gets stuck to the bed with handcuffs. There is all that and everything in between.

Kallmaker masterfully transitions from one story to the next by including elements of many of the stories throughout the book. One example, the "mobile" lover from the handcuff story goes next door to get a key from her neighbor. The next story is about the neighbor and her lover trying to have a romantic evening, despite the interruptions.

What a great book! Recommended accompaniments are Witches' Brew and a caramel apple...

Karin Kallmaker's 18TH & CASTRO is a trick-or-treat bag filled with yummy goodies for her readers. This charmingly romantic collection of erotic short stories is set on a Halloween night in the Castro District. It opens with Suze and Amy, two baby dykes in their early 20s, who have found a building rooftop from which to watch the night's festivities. The girls serve as the framework of the book, with their story broken into three parts throughout the night. They have a perfect view of a mythical three-story apartment building across the street. All of its residents are women-loving-women and a whole lot of fun is goin' on! As the two women watch the revelers, 13 stories unfold with most relating to one of the building`s residents or an apartment at 18th & Castro, hence the numbers.

New love, or at least a fine start on healthy lust, unfolds in "Borrowed Plumage 1C" when a femme, Carmen, borrows her best friend's old leathers for a costume and meets a woman who finds those leathers very inspiring. In "Please 2A" "Chosen 1B," and "From Behind you Looked Like 1D" Kallmaker allows the fates (and a few resident matchmakers) to nudge long term friendships toward a path to something more intimate.

Several of the stories include long term couples who are nurturing a romantic sex life in the midst of day-to-day logistics and life pressures. These stories range from the tentatively sweet and hot to the amusing and power charged. In the "Brand New Woman 2C," a couple are alone for the first time since their eldest child was born. Brenda spends time exploring the woman that her partner and co-parent of two children, Nancy, has become in the years they`ve shared.

In "Human Female Pon Farr 3B," Jax is suffering a very bad day of hormones. Her partner, Tate, sets out help scratch that itch, but events take a farcical turn when a handcuff key goes missing. That comic tone carries across the hall to handcuff key provider and artist, Jonny, and her Aria, a highly demanded and overworked surgeon. Aria is in need of some in "Down Time 3A" but the two initially find it difficult to focus with the interruptions.

In "Avast! 3C" readers are treated to a bit of Halloween role playing as Renee and Jane indulge a fantasy on the high seas. The teasing negotiation and the grounding late night snack that open and close this story puts a loving face on a highly charged scene.

Kallmaker provides a touching glimpse at how one couple strives to maintain a mutually satisfying sexual expression of their relationship despite chronic health issues. In "Nine-Inch Nails 3D," the years of communication, caring affection and heated desire between Pete and Keri allow them to cultivate new expressions for their love that are arousing and validating.

In "For the Last Time 2B" Terra and Jeneen invite the latter woman's ex-lover, Claire, over for a little sex demonstration. This bittersweet three-way provides a complex lesson for all involved.

The stories in 18TH & CASTRO interweave as various characters interact with others, several women are going to the party hosted by Neenah and Ace in1A. Some conversations are repeated from different points of view. Others merely pass one another in the hall. All of which gives the reader the impression of a complex set of happenings occurring in a relatively short period of time. All the stories are erotic and include an intensity likely to keep the reader`s interest; however, the details of encounters are as varied as the women who populate the stories. Some are earthy and urgent. Others are sweet and hazy. Many are also touching and romantic.

As already suggested, Kallmaker's signature humor is sprinkled throughout the stories, but it is especially present in the setting. Halloween in the heart of San Francisco has to be one of the country's biggest, gayest party events outside of Pride, and adds outrageous color and humor. Glimpses of the costumed crowd include not only Xenas and Gabs, Vampire Slayers, Pirates, Flappers with Gangsters, and Batmans and Robins but "Diana Ross and the Supremes, the secretary of state, flaky first daughters, Ethel Merman and Sweet Potato Queens --it was all [there] in the Castro"(116). There are impromptu chorus lines of Dorothys kicking up their ruby slippers, a quartet of Veronica Lakes, and Satanic Leprechauns. (This last group is a corps of dark cloaked mysterious figures wearing prominent, green di!dos and marching in cadence.)

Likewise, the characters represent a range of ages, ethnicity and self-awareness from the spectator baby dykes on the roof to the elegant older lesbians of "Please." The preternatural even makes a couple of appearances. Perhaps the collection's most touching story is "Tick Tock 2D" wherein a woman finds solace and protection in her memories of love and perhaps an eerie little something more ...

Readers can depend on Kallmaker for intelligent, witty stories that are well-written and charming, and peopled with interesting characters. She gives us books that are just down-right fun to read. A "Bella After Dark" title 18TH & CASTRO is highly-charged, accessorized erotic fun, in the same vein as her ALL THE WRONG PLACES. A few quirky surprises are there as well as one or two stories that prompted this reviewer to pause and think about the nature of power, sex, and love. In 18TH & CASTRO, readers will find the mass-market candy of their treat bags has been replaced by fine handmade truffles. Pick up a copy of this bag of goodies because there is something "good to eat" here.

It's Halloween night in San Francisco and the Castro area is rocking with celebrations. Outrageous costumes and noisy parties are the themes of the night as Suze and Amy sneak to the top of a building to observe the festivities. These two are used periodically to provide a weak story line that loosely ties the stories together as they peer into the lives of other people. The stories are set up so that each one takes place in each of the different apartments in the building at 18th & Castro. Something in the story from one apartment connects to the story in another apartment. The stories vary in their intensity and quality and not all of them are classically erotic. There are stories of lost love rediscovered, old friends who realize a new relationship, and lust in place of love. The most poignant story is about a woman who kissed her partner good-bye thinking she would see her in the evening, only to have the partner die during the day. This is a pleasant collection. It's perfect for reading at night before you go to bed or when you have a short period before you need to do something, although some of the stories are steamy and you might want to be careful where you read them. You can read a story, put it down and come back later not having to worry about previous plot points. If you're looking for erotica, some of the stories are heavy in it, but not all of them and this provides a good variety. Short story collections are not usually as appealing to this reviewer because it is more difficult to get involved in a story, but this one doesn't fit the usual mold and therefore was better to read. 18th & Castro is recommended for those who like a good blush and some heat to a story.

This analogy was okay. I liked a few of the stories. But it wasn't great. I guess I kept waiting for a slightly longer story or deeper story that allowed me to connect more with the characters. The only one that really did that for me was about the Ex having sex with ex-partner's new lover watching her. I won't spoil the story.

Frankly, I read the exceeding complex reviews of the 5 stars and I wondered if we read the same book. Yes it was neat that all the gals lived or visited the same apt building and all seemed to have sex. But that idea to base a book on just didn't hold it together for me. I have read a lot of erotica and while this was varied it was just okay. Don't believe the hype.