Abby's Passion [Paperback]

Jackie Calhoun (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2005

Abby's love life is suffering. Her career in the mental health field doesn't exactly lend itself to meeting lots of new women. And having a live-in sister that drives away all of Abby's would-be lovers by completely dominating and monopolizing every conversation doesn't help much either.

When given the opportunity to relinquish responsibility for her sister, Abby is more than willing to pursue her own interests.

But when events occur that turn her world upside down, she finds herself facing tough choices as she finally discovers what is really most important in life.

Product Details

• Paperback: 167 pages
• Publisher: Bella Books (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594930147
• ISBN-13: 978-1594930140
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,362,138 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Real Departure From Calhoun's Usual Magic..., November 6, 2005

By 

K. Johnson (Twin Cities, MN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Abby's Passion (Paperback)

I usually enjoy a story by Jackie Calhoun, but this one was more than a little disappointing. If I like a book, I will finish it in one or two evenings. I started this one on Monday and couldn't bring myself to pick it up again until Thursday. It didn't get any better, and I couldn't get motivated to finish it until the next Sunday night.

Abby lives with her manic depressive sister, Mona. Abby has not had a steady girlfriend in years. Everyone she brings home eventually gets turned off because of Mona. After Mona "creatively" paints portions of several rooms (including woodwork) in their home, Abby hires Shirley to clean up the mess. Shirley is on the cusp of having a sex change operation (she was born as Shawn), but falls in love with Mona. Mona is straight, but marries Shirley knowing the operation will still happen. In the meantime, Abby develops a close relationship with Sally -- an old friend of Mona's and Mona's current boss. Sally understands the issues surrounding Mona and helps Abby move past many of them.

Not only is the story not very believable, it's riddled with cliche. With the exception of Sally, all the characters are amazingly naive and have no dimensionality.

Like I said, I really love Calhoun's usual work and hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but this one deserves a pass. Better luck next time.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars lesbian fiction, April 26, 2008

By 

Angie (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Abby's Passion (Paperback)

You don't know what you're missing if you've never read any of Jackie Calhoun's novels. Her universal characterization almost closes the gap between gays and their heterosexual counterparts, i.e., her novels naturally expose how everyone faces trials and tribulations when reaching for a fulfilling life. It just doesn't matter if the protagonist is lesbian or heterosexual. In Ms. Calhoun's novels, the reader can identify with any one of the characters. In "Abby's Passion," Abby's devotion to her bipolar sister hits home for anyone who has been a caregiver and/or has an understanding at all for caregiving. Also, Ms. Calhoun's connection with her climatic surroundings puts the reader right in the moment. The dialogue moves the story along as well. No confusion as to who is speaking and when or why. All in all, Ms. Calhoun's storytelling skills can make up for all those novels that might have wasted your time.