Customer Reviews

To Love and To Cherish: an anthology of lesbian love and marriage (print)

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With the subject of same-sex marriages still likely to remain timely for the foreseeable future, this diverse anthology of lesbian love stories - all centered around the decision, reality or aftermath of such commitments, to the extent permitted under local laws - presents a beautiful look at what this seemingly-political concept is really about. And, as a gay man, I could relate to many of the feelings expressed by the women depicted in the fourteen stories told by various lesbian authors.

My personal favorite of the stories was "The Anti-Proposal" by Stephanie Rose, which is a hysterically funny retelling of how the "perfect night" (to ask her partner to marry her) became anything but that. Also liked "My Big Fat Greek Pagan Lesbian Wedding" by Adrianne Brennan, which deals mostly with reactions by family members to the upcoming "nontraditional" nuptials, and "Together Forever" by by Beth Wylde, about an ill-timed proposal that coincides with California passing Proposition 8, ending same-sex marriages in that state.

While the politics of such marriages aren't the focal point of the stories, the publishers recognize the importance of equal rights, and are donating 100% of the proceeds of the print book to Marriage Equality USA. Bravo on that action, as well as for an engaging (pardon the pun) read. Five stars out of five.

- Bob Lind, Echo Magazine

This is as exuberant a statement on the beauty of woman to woman love as one is likely to find. There are fourteen heartfelt stories included in the anthology, too many for me to attempt to review them individually. They represent fourteen different points of view and are of varying degrees of erotic intensity. Setting the parameters, as it were, are two unique stories: Allison Wonderland pens a charming tale, The Felicity of Domesticity, of two little girls who knew already as children that they were destined to be wed. And in This Magic, Meg Leigh gives us a haunting and all too rare glimpse from an older sister's point of view, as she looks back through the mists of time at the love she knew. But I don't mean to suggest that anything in between those two extremes is at all inferior. The characters here are a wonderfully divergent bunch of women, struggling to define their relationships, to come to terms with themselves and with family, and to explore their unique sexuality. The stories are charming, sad, sexy, slapstick funny. There's hardly a taste in reading or a style in writing that isn't well represented here and I can confidently assure the reader who invests in a copy that she or he will close this book knowing that the money was well spent. Plus, all the proceeds from the book go to Marriage Equality USA.

An excellent tribute to a genre, a gender, a lifestyle, and a welcome addition to the literature of love. Well done, all.

Gay love has often been labeled as sodomy, an act of pure lust. But for many women, there is much more than lust involved. "To Love and To Cherish" is a collection of stories, lesbian erotica of sorts, with a focus of relationships that are much more than just the sex in the equation. Marriage is a common element, making this collection unique with an overlying message. "To Love and to Cherish" is a fine collection and a solidly recommended read.

This anthology was created to raise money for the Marriage Equality movement for gays and lesbians. All of the profits go to that movement instead of to the authors or publisher.

The book includes submissions from a number of familiar authors: Jean Roberta, Allison Wonderland, Lara Zielinsky, Stephanie Rose, Jolene Hui, Kissa Starling, Adrianne Brennan, Moondancer Drake, Ann Cory, Jessie Taylor Quinn, Meg Leigh, Dalia Craig, Adrianna Kraft and Beth Wylde. The stories are divided into three sections called On Bended Knee, With This Ring and Lives and Wives. Those make up the three books of the eBook versions.

As with most anthologies, the quality of the stories varies among the selections and they cover a number of topics based around gay marriage. There are the inevitable stories about prejudice, family conflict and wedding preparations and healthy doses of erotic fantasy and reality. Some of the stories are real jewels. The Art of Communication by Jean Roberta deals with that careful dance in a relationship when one partner has more wealth than the other one and the less wealthy partner is conscious of it. It will be impossible for anyone to read Stephanie Rose's The Anti-Proposal and not collapse in laughter as her main character tries to pull off the perfect event only to have everything possible go wrong. Just a hint, both women end up in hospital beds, but still very much in love. Adrianne Brennan deals with combining cultures and the importance of communication in My Big Fat Greek Pagan Lesbian Wedding. This Magic by Meg Leigh reveals the love that lasts forever and transcends death. This story also demonstrates that it doesn't take a lot of words to express something beautiful.

Most people will probably buy this book in order to contribute to the movement. The fact that they will receive several hours of enjoyable reading will be the bonus.