Beebo Brinker [Paperback]

Ann Bannon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1983 | ISBN-10: 0930044878 | ISBN-13: 978-0930044879

Ann Bannon was designated the “Queen of Lesbian Pulp” for authoring several landmark novels in the ’50s. Unlike many writers of the period, however, Bannon broke through the shame and isolation typically portrayed in lesbian pulps, offering instead characters who embraced their sexuality. With Beebo Brinker, Bannon introduces a butch 17-year-old farm girl newly arrived in Beat-era Greenwich Village.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When housewife Ann Bannon brought her first novel to a paperback publisher in the mid-1950s, the publisher skimmed the manuscript and told her to scrap everything but the college love affair between two women. "There's your real story," he said as she blushed, ashamed that her secret obsession had been so obvious to him. The resulting novel was Odd Girl Out, one of the bestselling paperbacks of the period, and perhaps the best (and least depressing) example of lesbian pulp fiction, a genre that flourished from the end of the Second World War until the changing laws on censorship made much seamier material commonplace, and the growing gay rights movement brought the gay life out of the shadows. Although the last of a four-book series, Beebo Brinker introduces Bannon's central character, a young, handsome butch who arrives in New York scared and innocent (and wearing a dress) but soon has the femmes of Greenwich Village in the palm of her hand. Essential reading for anyone interesting in lesbian herstory; a period piece (and a welcome reprint) that has worn remarkably well.--Regina Marler --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From Library Journal

Another gay novel, this is more of the pulp sort. The eponymous protagonist is sent packing from her stodgy Wisconsin home after wearing drag to the state fair. She relocates to Greenwich Village, New York's capital of the avant-garde, where she is free to pursue "love that smolders in the shadows of the twilight world." This is more kitschy now but still fun for its 1950s sensibilities. Note that this is the first of four Bannon novels being reprinted by Cleis.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Naiad Pr (February 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0930044878
• ISBN-13: 978-0930044879
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,148,609 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #55 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Gay & Lesbian > Literature & Fiction > Fiction > Lesbian

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars classic 1950s with a twist, April 17, 2007

By 

Colombian Kitten (Miami, FL, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beebo Brinker (Paperback)

First things first, I'm still in the process of coming out...

Secondly, I have been a bookworm ever since I can remember. I grew up reading the likes of Nancy Drew and Babysitter's Club (Ann M. Martin) and daydreaming about the heroines, wishing they weren't straight.

I am so happy I found this book. I absolutely loved it. It was very descriptive, from the pizza place to her night watching the girls dance.

I could not put it down until there were no more pages left to devour.

The characters were strong & deliciously human.

I wish I knew about this series when I was a teenager; I would have gladly snuck over to whatever side of town just to get to these books, hid them underneath my mattress with my diary...

[...].

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best of the 1950s lesbian pulp fiction novels, May 6, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beebo Brinker (Paperback)

Beebo Brinker is a one of the best of the lesbian pulp fiction novels from the 1950s, and is here reprinted in all its original steamy charm and vivacious energy. Sensual, with a timeless insight into love, lust, and relationship conflicts between women, Beebo Brinker is an enduring title as erotic and compelling today as it was when its was originally published some fifty years ago.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lesbian Pulp Fiction at it's finest!, June 22, 2001

By 

Holly R Eaton (Deer Isle, ME USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beebo Brinker (Paperback)

Although not a very difficult read, this book glimpses into the lives of gays and lesbians during the period before Stonewall, and the sexual revolution. I felt that it was a very interesting way to learn to about the lifestyles of gays and lesbians during that time period, and on top of that it was a great story that makes you want to read it from cover to cover.