Customer Reviews

In Every Port

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Some books set in the past read like history lessons and are just about as dry and dull, too. But not this one. Instead of lots of emphasis on events and who did what, this novel is like a history lesson in the emotions of a burgeoning lesbian-feminist. I take for granted a lot not just how far we've come as lesbians, but also as women. Jessica is the kind of woman who thought of stuff to teach women about work and success that we all take for granted now.

But that's all secondary to a nice, romantic plot about two women who fall in love and have to figure out how to show it. It's 1978, you're in love with another woman -- do you propose? There's no gay marriage, there aren't even commitment ceremonies. I liked reading about women who had to think about that stuff because nobody had been doing what they wanted to do, which is start a life obviously together.

I had never read this early book of Kallmaker's because it was set in the past, but after reading the short story based on these characters in Frosting on the Cake I started to look for it and it was out of print. Now it's back in print and I'm glad! Every gay person should know who Harvey Milk was. Not as a name on a page but how this book let me see him: as a dream of what our future could be, and the hope that he gave two women (and the rest of us) that there would be a better future for gay people.

Considering all that this little romance accomplishes, it's no surprise to me that Kallmaker many years later wrote Substitute for Love, which looks again at the political reality of many gay people. I swear, if the L-Word had this woman writing for them I might start believing their plots!

I've read all the books by Kallmaker. This one is were you should start off if you ever plan on reading everything she's written. This is TRUE romance, the characters, the plot, but most importanly, the way she takes you there, ever so gently, slowly, smoothly ... this book is REALLY a page turner.

If you are that romantic person that never quite found out what romance was all about, geez, don't lose any time and read this book. Then read the rest. And then come back and read this one again. And if you ever forget what Kallmaker is all about, read it again.

This book is what made her the Queen of Romance...she only got to be a better Queen with the others. And she's a better writter nowadays too.

I loved this book. It is the first of Kallmaker's books and althought I love all her books, I have to say this was my favorite. Given the way the book flowed much of the time, the ending was a bit jarring. If Kallmaker wanted to make a statement, perhaps she should have done it in another book. Jessica is a free-lance assertiveness training speaker and has finally put together enough money to buy a condo in the high interest rate atmosphere of late 1970's San Francisco. Jessica has only had affairs with women but is sure that when she is ready, she will settle down with a man. The internal dialogue between Jessica and Herself are hysterical. You should buy the book just for that. Jessica's neighbor on the 3rd floor of the condo she just bought is Cat Merrill. Jessica is captivated by Cat and she and Cat become good friends. However, Jessica discovers to her dismay that she is very attracted to Cat and has to finally admit to herself that she is a lesbian. Her trip to Texas to visit her friend/lover Marilyn is hysterical. She buys her first lesbian books at a women's bookstore and feels self-conscious. There are many great parts but I think the fact that the ending takes place with the deaths of Mayor Mascone and gay activist Harvey Milk detract from the book. As I said before, Kallmaker should have put it in a different book, if she wanted to write about the deaths of those two men. Still, buy the book. You'll love it and Jessica (Herself) and Cat.

I just re-read In Every Port, using my Kindle for the first time, and figured I'd slap up a review while I'm thinking about it. This was Kallmaker's first novel and I read it the first time when it was originally published in 1989. It remains one of my favorite lesbian romances, and reading it is like putting on comfy old slippers and snuggling in for a visit with an old friend.

Re-reading it again now I can see that Kallmaker has definitely grown as a writer, but In Every Port is pretty solid. There are a few things here and there that betray that she was a new writer at the time she wrote it, but it's much more polished than a lot of first novels, especially in this genre. It certainly demonstrates why Kallmaker went on to become the Queen of Lesbian Romance.

What I like most about the novel is that the romance is organic and believable. Nothing feels forced or fake. Jessica and Cat start out as new neighbors and become friends before feelings deepen. Jessica goes through a long transition, first admitting who she really is, coming to terms with that, and then deciding how it will affect her future and what she wants out of life.

One of the things that I really enjoy is that the story is set in San Francisco in 1978, the era of Harvey Milk, the Briggs Initiative, and women's libbers. These things don't have primary importance in the plot, this is strictly a romance, but they do provide an interesting and textured backdrop. Readers who only enjoy very contemporary settings may not like that aspect, but I think the romance will appeal enough to overcome reservations.

KINDLE NOTE: I purchased the .mobi edition directly from the Bella Books site. It is simply formatted, but no errors or problems that I can recall.

I am so very glad to have found this authors work

This novel has all the elements that make this author's work the wonderfully fulfilling experience it is - humor, passion, sincerity, great writing, interesting plot and strong characters. The book flows and you find yourself putting it down when you start racing to see what happens next.

I adore the hilarious conversations that Jessica has with herself. She is so interesting to watch come to terms with who she has grown to be, embrace it and reach out for personal fulfillment after obtaining the professional fulfillment she worked hard to achieve. I especially like that the author gave both Jessica and her neighbor Cat (who, lucky for Jessica, is smart, attractive and sweet) rich and fulfilling lives before they met - it wasn't a book where love dramatically saved them all. Instead they were interesting people that deserved to find someone.

Another aspect of the book is the author firmly places the reader in the character's milieu San Francisco 1978 - after reading the book I really had a feel for a time and place that I had no personal connection with.

Don't miss the warm and witty short story in the author's anthology 'Frosting on the Cake' where you get to see the women years later - you won't stop smiling.

If you liked this you will also want to read the author's other novels -

All the Wrong Places
Embrace in Motion
Painted Moon
Just Like That
Unforgettable
One Degree of Separation

Jessica has worked hard to grow her management consultant business. When she has achieved her goals, she looks around and understands that her life has been empty. Then she meets Cat, her straight neighbor.

In this first effort by prolific author Kallmaker, you get a glimpse of the writer she will become. One of the most interesting things about this book is that she captures some of the tension within the gay community in that pivotal year of 1978. The Briggs Initiative brought lesbians and gay men together to work for a common goal for the first time. Harvey Milk, the first openly gay politician was assasinated by a man who used the "Twinkie Defense" - another first.

While you should not judge Kallmaker's other works by this book, it is, nevertheless, an interesting read and allows you to experience first hand how a writer improves with each book she writes.

I have read almost all of Karin's books - with only 2 waiting to be read - and they have all been great romance, love stories... exactly what I needed to read! In Every Port is great, very well written - not just sex, it has real characters and a real story - just like all the rest that followed, thanks again Karin.

This is Karin Kallmaker's first published novel and for a first, it's very good. All the humor and sincerity that will become the most enjoyable features of all of her romance books abound in this early effort. The plot is solid, the characters the kind of women who could live next door. It's set in 1978, in the year when the gay rights movement was galvanized by the murder of San Francisco's Harvey Milk. Both women are coming out during this difficult time and I liked the historical context of what coming out then was like ... it was a different world and the times were riskier. So much has changed, and so much hasn't.

This early effort lacks the richness of language that flowers later in Kallmaker's work. But the story spins out quickly and gathers the reader closely. Her fans won't want to miss it. Compare it to her Unforgettable and see how good she already was, and then how much her talent has grown.

I freely admit to being a Kallmaker fan, so I'm already a little biased. I read this book last year and just read it again this week. It's one of those you can't put down and that sticks with you.

Jessica seems to have a woman in every port. While traveling on business, she meets available and willing women to visit when in town. That is, until she meets and falls for Cat -- her new neighbor. However, Cat isn't interested in more than friendship.

This is her first novel, so it doesn't have the maturity of some of her later books. And, once again, this book is pure formula. However, Kallmaker's delivery is so artful it is a real pleasure to read.

Start your Kallmaker collection off right and put this book on your reading list.

Having only lately discovered Karin Kallmaker, it is somewhat jarring to read this early first book and run across the occasional minor flaw and bland sentence that is completely absent from her later work. A couple of times I reminded myself this was a first novel.

However, that did not detract in the least from a wonderful, engaging, romantic plot. Jessica is used to playing the field, making her own way and coping with whatever gets in her path. She's strong-minded and independent. And then she realizes she is slowly falling in love with her next-door neighbor. She doesn't want to, but she can't help it when Cat is so kind, smart, fun ... what's a modern woman to do?

A variety of plausible, real-life experiences bring the two women together again and again and Jessica is lost. The conclusion is incredibly sweet and romantic! The sex is hot and realistic. The erotic/romantic link between Jessica and Cat left me sighing (as usual) in envy.

This novel is set in 1978 and written about 10 years after that. Though the final scene of the tumultuous events of November 1978 (Jonestown, then the Moscone/Milk murders) isn't what one finds in a typical romance, it set Jessica and Cat firmly in the world they live in - on the edge of hope for better lives as lesbians. It left me reflecting on where our community has been these past 25 years.

It also gave rise to a wonderful collection of short stories in Kallmaker's "Frosting on the Cake" where we meet Jessica and Cat again, and see what they've been up to in all the intervening years. For those of you, like me, who are discovering these classic Kallmaker books more than a decade after they were written, Frosting on the Cake is pure fun and I recommend having it on hand to read the followup story when you finish this book.