Licking Our Wounds [Paperback]

Elise D'haene (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 30, 1998

Licking Our Wounds, Elise DHaenes acclaimed debut novel, is the story of Maria, a young woman coming to terms with the complexities of life in the age of AIDS. Abandoned by her lover and faced with the deaths of her friends, Maria seeks help through Peter, HIV-positive and deeply conflicted about the choices facing him, and Christie, a woman full of her own ideas about truth and the meaning of life. REVIEW: A fresh, engagingly sarcastic and determinedly bawdy voice. DHaene is blessed with a savvy, iconoclastic view of the world that is mordant but never mean. (Publishers Weekly)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Timothy Leary extolled this first novel as "poignant and hilarious . . . rowdy sexual expression rarely seen in literary works by women." Maria finds herself surrounded by departures, but she's going nowhere herself. Her lesbian lover has deserted her, her friends are dying, and neurosis strangles what used to be a workable lifestyle. Yet Maria finally learns the route to real love and her own redemption from two male friends. Author Elise D'Haene's prose is stunning, showing off her talent with imagery that also has made her a fine screenwriter. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Drumbeats of fear, disease, and death punctuate this book, getting louder and closer together as Maria's friends Matthew and Peter sicken and die from AIDS. Maria wants to turn back the clock to a time when her friends were still robust, when she and the girlfriend who has left her (readers only learn why at the end of the book) were finding new places to explore and new heights to ascend. In visions and flashbacks, Maria replays scenes of her childhood, by turns awkward, terrifying, heartbreaking, and comical. She recalls her close bond with her brother Joseph, who never returned from Vietnam, and her sexual initiation the night of her Catholic high school reunion by the guidance counselor, Miss Cook. She loses Miss Cook just as she loses nearly everyone else, but Maria maintains a deliciously wry humor, which keeps hurt and despair at bay. First novelist D'Haene is something of a cross between Anais Nin and JoAnn Loulan and, as such, is very graphic in depicting sexual acts. A raw, blunt novel with a lot of sting.?Lisa S. Nussbaum, Euclid P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 332 pages
• Publisher: Hard Candy (March 30, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563336057
• ISBN-13: 978-1563336058
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,572,893 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Book, April 2, 2002

By 

"mobame22" (MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Licking Our Wounds (Paperback)

It's realy hard to find lesbian fiction that is well written and entertaining, but D'Haene accomplishes both of these tasks. I really enjoyed reading this book, and have read it several times since my first reading, and it's still just as good as the first time. The story is a moving and emotional one, sprinkled with humor. I HIGHLY recommend it. If you love Jeannette Winterson, you'll love Elise D'Haene.

2.0 out of 5 stars I could not finish this book, August 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Licking Our Wounds (Paperback)

I found the book to be too fragmented, scattered. It was hard to pay attention to. I really did try to keep reading it, I got about 1/3 of the way through it and just gave up. It did have humor but would have been much better if written in a more flowing style instead of choppy, which it was.

5.0 out of 5 stars Licking Our Wounds is One of My Favorite Books!, December 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Licking Our Wounds (Paperback)

Licking Our Wounds is a provactive, soul-wrenching novel that tells the story of Maria as she is faced with loss on innumerable levels - loss of love, friendship, life, past, and center. It is compelling, not simply because of D'Haene's magical gift for expression, but because it tells the story of the human collective. Everyone can identify with Maria and feel her hurt, remorse, emptiness, and ultimately triumph. If you're looking for a very well-written, meaningful story, Licking Our Wounds is the way to go.