Love and Other Ruins [Paperback]

Karen X. Tulchinsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2003

From award-winning author Karen Tulchinsky comes a comic story of negotiating long-distance romance and a meddling family in contemporary lesbian life. Jewish lesbian Nomi Rabinovitch heads the lovable cast of characters in this rollicking tale of hopes, dreams, and the obstacles that conspire to confound them. Also in the mix is Nomi's AIDS activist cousin Henry, her wise guy Uncle Solly, and her hilarious mother who learned everything she knows about lesbians from Phil Donahue. Switching between Nomi's home in San Francisco and Toronto, where Henry and Nomi's new girlfriend Julie live, this novel poignantly portrays the fin de siecle struggles of its characters, including the personal, the political, and the unexpected.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

At last! The sequel to Love Ruins Everything (1998), Tulchinsky's laugh-out-loud novel of Jewish Canadians. Ditzy lesbian Nomi, mourning the loss of the girlfriend who dumped her, is front and center again, along with HIV-positive cousin Henry and beautiful Julie, Nomi's new love interest, unfortunately many miles away, now that Nomi is back in San Francisco. Nomi's affair is experiencing the comic and awful bumps (and, via phone sex, grinds) of long-distance relationships. Henry's health has diminished, and his Jewish Mafia dad, Solly, who has taken up with Henry's mom again, has moved in with Henry and his lover, Roger. Oh, yes, and the story of the century--that the U.S. government developed and disseminated HIV--is about to break with the new millennium. Tulchinsky opts less for guffaws than poignant sighs this time, preferring to focus on character development--and what characters, given Nomi's extended family--and leaving her audience eager for more of Nomi, Henry, and the story of the century. Whitney Scott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Raincoast Books, Polestar (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551925540
• ISBN-13: 978-1551925547
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,993,078 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Karen X. Tulchinsky is an award winning author and screenwriter. Her first book, IN HER NATURE won the VanCity Book Prize, BC's largest literary award. Her most recent novel, THE FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES LAPINSKY was a Toronto Book Award Finalist and winner of the ONE BOOK ONE VANCOUVER PRIZE. She has edited ten literary anthologies including Queer View Mirror, the Hot and Bothered series and To Be Continued. She has had six screenplays in development. Her screenplay I SHOT THE SHERIFF a western set in 1860 is being produced this summer. She has also written for Television series, including Robson Arms, The Guard, Glutton for Punishment and Kink.

Her directorial debut, MS THING has screened in over a dozen film festivals internationally and won AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD at Queer Fruits Film Festival, Australia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Sequel, December 22, 2003

By 

Sabien "sabien" (8602 BX Sneek Netherlands) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Love and Other Ruins (Paperback)

This is the great sequel to the first Nomi Rabinovitch story: "Love Ruins Everything". The same characters: Nomi of course, her best friend Betty, her boss Patty, her long-distance-girlfriend Julie, her cousin Henry and the rest of her family [including her grandmother Bubbe who passes away, or doesn't she?].
The story picks up where the first book ended and it is as funny, as readable, as great in character-developing as the first book was.
If you loved the first book you will love this one as much.
If you haven't read the first one: buy it, read it and then start on this one.