Women on Women: An Anthology of American Lesbian Short Fiction (No. 1) [Paperback]

Various (Author), Joan Nestle (Editor), Naomi Holoch (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Women on Women | Publication Date: May 30, 1990

This groundbreaking collection brings together 28 stunning stories by literary talents never before assembled in a single volume. With contributions from both established and bright new voices in lesbian fiction, "Women on Women" ranges from the subtlety and restraint of Willa Cather's "Tommy, the Unsentimental" to Sapphire's daring and highly erotic "Eat" and Valerie Miner's suspenseful "Trespassing." Some of the stories are universal in theme - the joy and excitement of new romance, the ageless problems of family life, and the pain of lost love and of death. And many are written by or about members of racial, ethnic, and other minorities within the gay community. These are stories that offer stirring, eloquent, often passionate insights into the lesbian experience in a long-overdue collection that represents the best of lesbian short fiction from past to present.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Nestle ( A Restricted Country ) and Holoch ( Offseason ) assemble 28 short stories and novel excerpts, some appearing in print for the first time here. Although uneven in scope and quality, these pieces feature a surprising range of lesbian women, from a Jewish grandmother to a 21-year-old self-described bulldyke. Several selections grapple with personal solutions to common problems, such as surviving the loss of a lover, addressed by both Teya Schaffer in "With Love, Lena" and Becky Birtha's "In the Life." In "When It Changed," a separatist fantasy from Joanna Russ, men reclaim a planet that women have quite contentedly inhabited alone for 600 years. Jess Wells's "Aqua" is a woman who, 16 years after her mother's suicide, still fights to come to terms with that death and her own life. In "A Letter to Harvey Milk" Leslea Newman draws parallels between the Holocaust and the assassination of Milk, a gay San Francisco politician. The open eroticism of a few stories and a conspicuous shortage of likable male characters may diminish the collection's mainstream appeal.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Plume; 3rd edition (May 30, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452263883
• ISBN-13: 978-0452263888
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,551,041 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Offers passionate insights into the lesbian experience ..., March 28, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Women on Women: An Anthology of American Lesbian Short Fiction (No. 1) (Paperback)

28 stunning stories by some of America's best-known Lesbian writers and new voices in lesbian fiction. Not all of these stories are about sex, but all explore relationships and are seen from a point of view not heard from often enough. "... to live, to observe, to write as a lesbian is to live, observe, and write from a position of difference." Stories range from slow and sensual to hot and hard, and appeal to a wide variety of readers, including heterosexuals and couples. Featured writers include: Willa Cather, Sapphire, and Jewelle L. Gomez. In their introduction, the editors say: "Irreverence and exuberance are perhaps at last becoming integrated into the lesbian experience in a manner that will help give still more varied forms to lesbian lives and literature." To find more books of lesbian fiction, along with erotica and sexuality, please visit my Amazon.com Associate Bookstore: http://www.accelnet.com/victoria/bookshelf.html

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent assortment of authors, September 17, 2006

By 

E. B. MULLIGAN "Bronwyn" (Tampa, Florida) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Women on Women: An Anthology of American Lesbian Short Fiction (No. 1) (Paperback)

Some of the best fiction from the past thru 1990. I can't say who I enjoyed more, although I did buy it initially when I saw that one of the short stories was from the terrific author Lee Lynch.

This is a Keeper!

28 fabulous stories, including titles from the outstanding authors -

Willa Cather;
Joan Nestle;
Jewelle L. Gomez
Jess Wells;
Judith McDaniel
Valerie Miner;
Leslea Newman;
Ida Swearingen
Lee Lynch;
Sarah Schulman;
Dorothy Allison;

Also there are Author Biographies at the end.

From the web - The 28 stories in the volume range from the daring and erotic "Eat" by Sapphire to Dorothy Allison's energetic Southern tale "A Lesbian Appetite" to Valerie Miner's suspenseful "Trespassing". Whether it's the joy or loss of love, the difficulty of family relations, or the pain of death, these stories bring to life the unique lesbian experience.