The Big Book Of Lesbian Horse Stories [Mass Market Paperback]

Alisa Surkis (Author), Monica Nolan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

These are the tales of the unbridled desires of passion-straved women without men, vulnerable to the temptations of Sappho and crossing over into a world of high withers, rippling hindquarters and glossy coats...Here, readers will meet women like Pauline in "Miss Barnard's Unit" - the country girl who comes of age in World War 1, and comes undone in the arms of a worldly debutante...Terry in "Snake Eyes for Silky", a jockey who falls hard for a whip-wielding gangster's moll, and finds that she must choose between her heart and her horse...Innocents like Lena and Lily in "The Chosen Horse", who bond over the sad fate of a cart horse, and their unspoken need to tread the waters of Lesbos...A world-class jumper like Julie in "Lady Snow", a champion tempted by the irresistible rhythms of the bisexual Euro-beat...A young girl like Oreola in "Pastures of Passion", who follows a lost foal to a curious farm girl - and her own destiny...With an inspired sense of nostalgia, sensation and wry humour, THE BIG BOOK OF LESBIAN HORSE STORIES invites readers back into the curves of third-sex pulp fiction where odd-girls-out now ride as free as a filly - side-saddle be damned. And from coy flirtation to requited lust, there's nary a man in sight to set them on the straight-and-narrow.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alisa Surkis lives in New York City and Monica Nolan lives in San Francisco. They are both debut authors.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Kensington (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758202547
• ISBN-13: 978-0758202543
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #825,669 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Definitely not what I was expecting, February 25, 2010

By 

Graham Jenkins "Past performance does not gua... (Boston) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Big Book Of Lesbian Horse Stories (Mass Market Paperback)

So I'm a big opponent of all things heteronormative, and so it was nice to finally find some literature that featured horses partaking in a different lifestyle (not that it's a choice, mind you, I just liked that they admitted some lady horses probably liked other lady horses). Except that this book was not at all about homosexual mares.

Rather, it was about these great busty lesbians who seemed to have very little in the way of steady work. Their days consist mostly of sleeping, some horseback riding (but only little walks of twenty minutes through the garden, a loop around the veranda, and then back again), and then stories by a campfire at night (a campfire at a country estate? With no butlers or Indians? What?!?). Inexplicably the ladies' steeds are present at these storytelling sessions as friends and partners, though lacking even the rudimentary body language reading capabilities of Clever Hans it escapes me how they ever thought they might seduce the ladies. Short answer: they don't.

The series of campfire stories are utterly predictable, ranging from the oppressive, homophobic patriarchy to the repressive, bigoted anti-matriarchal forces. Naturally I loved them, but come on, ladies! Alisa and Monica, I know you can do better. Maybe just Monica, actually. Alisa, this was a good effort, but it remains your only book and I worry you may have hit a protracted case of writer's block. Take a cue from Monica, who had some great sequels like "Lois Lenz, Lesbian Secretary," and "Bobby Blanchard, Lesbian Gym Teacher," and who could forget "Program Evaluation Procedure for Leisure Service Agencies?" A distinct lack of equine-related subplots, but then again, so was this, and I presume that it's a mistake you'll soon rectify in "Emily Earheardt, Lesbian Horse."

My main complaint though is that try as one might, it's really hard to suspend disbelief and pretend for even a moment that the horses might be lesbians (and believe me, I tried) when you let it slip that they're actually guy horses. Disgusting.

20 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Funny/Very Entertaining, October 14, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Big Book Of Lesbian Horse Stories (Mass Market Paperback)

This collection of short stories is a great read. All the stories are very funny and very entertaining and each one plays off of key bits of lesbian history and culture in clever but appreciative ways. The stories are nicely over the top and campy, making me laugh out loud multiple times, but you also end up actually caring about the characters and what happens to them (both the girls and the horses!). Going along for the ride (sorry) and reimagining a world where girls can keep their horses AND get the girl was loads of fun. The cover is excellent also!

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting!, March 29, 2010

By 

Gregory S. Brown (Richardson, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Big Book Of Lesbian Horse Stories (Mass Market Paperback)

As a young filly I found this tome to be soul-satifying. I did not realize I could have passionate realtionships with anything other than the barn cat (her name is Willow, sigh. . . . . ). It has opened my horizons which I expect to fill with exciting new friends and partners. Thank you The Big Book of Lesbian Horse Stories!