Customer Reviews

Loving Her

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

 

 

For the time it was published (1974) Loving her was well ahead of its time. The book is as all encompassing as it could be. While not a sexually explicit or edgy book, it is pretty racy. The author explores the interracial relationship between Renay and Terri. Loving Her also explores the coming out of a black lesbian in the 1960's. Moreover, Renay was a black mother taking her child to live with her white lover. Pretty controversial stuff. As another reviewer mentioned to have a black protagonist, a lesbian one at that, was ground breaking. To this day, there are very few (if any) other bw/ww lesbian romance novels or lesbian novels that feature a black female lead. In that respect Loving Her is an extremely valuable piece of literature for the LGBT community.

Although far from perfect, "Loving Her," is indeed a ground-breaking novel...something the other reviewer doesn't seem to grasp. First published in 1974, "Loving Her" is one of the first novels to feature a black lesbian as its primary character. Shockley captures the cruelly mundane, and completely pedestrian reality of american gender politics of 50's and 60's. Given all the Shockley undertook in this novel, I think she can be forgiven for not doing ground-breaking work on inter-racial lesbian relationships.
Not the greatest piece of literature ever written, but a classic, indeed.

I wish there was more to read by this author as I enjoyed this novel tremendously. The realistic prose is perfect for the story and one paragraph flowed into another. I didn't want the story to end. I'd like to call this a romance because it is romantic but it is so much more.

The main character, Renay, is so strong when it is so easy to be weak, she has my total admiration. She finds a chance at changing her life for the better and grabs at it. The characters are truly likable and human. They make mistakes and feel pain. They find happiness and you feel their joy. I loved watching the relationship between Renay who is black and Terry who is white develop, grow and change.

Just like any relationship the reader could not predict how they would develop. The dialogue is wonderfully written and left me racing from page to page. It didn't put it down until I finished it.

I would love to have more books exploring the dynamics of a mixed couple romance.

Don't miss this book!

I think it speaks volumes that NONE of this author's works are available in Kindle format. Shockley has firmly placed herself in a rare place; namely African American lesbian literature. I too wish there were more works by this author.

We had a little problem with the book, but I would use the company again, because of the excellent way they handled it.

Enter into a world where women are men's objects for sexual desire and exploitation. Renay, a gifted and artistic woman decides to leave this world of abuse. Leaving with her young daughter she goes into the sanctuary of her lover for safety and wholeness.

The trials and tribulations that she endures is the essence of this novel coupled with her own unique background. For you see, Renay is Black and a lesbian. Her lover, Terry is white. Two lesbians of different backgrounds and races defy the sexual and racial mores of their time. What a wonderful tale full of possibilities.

Those possibilities never blossom. All of the characters are predictable in their dialogue and come across as one dimensional. Renay's spurned husband is the stereotypical misoganist with a deep hatred for lesbians. Renay come across as a passive woman needing to find salvation in her white lover's sanctum. Even Terry's love making with Renay comes across as a mechanical exercise in exploring new sexual techniques.

This novel had the seeds within it to explore the relationships of interracial lesbian couples. Instead, it comes across as a boring tome guarenteed to put anyone to sleep. It is a failed classic that could have offered so much more.