Women in the Shadows (Lesbian Pulp Fiction) [Paperback]

Ann Bannon (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: NY (1980)
• ASIN: B000MU4KW2
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Groundbreaking for what it is, January 24, 2003

By 

Red Bikini (Hialeah, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Women in the Shadows (Lesbian Pulp Fiction) (Paperback)

.... I was initially offended by the violent overtones of the relationship between Laura and Beebo. However, reading the author's afterword opens some light into the nature of the darkness in this novel. Her preceding two novels in the series, Odd Girl Out, and Beebo Brinker, take an idealized and fantasized view of lesbian relationships. This novel attempts a more realistic approach to the real problems that plague relationships, including lesbian ones. The setting in which the book was written greatly affected the author, as homosexuality was indeed considered an unnatural, unhealthy affliction for the time period of the 1950s. While the characters display a desire to be 'normal' the author is unwavering in that they are, at the heart, gay, and no amount of wishing or trying can change that. While the female protaganist does indeed marry the gay male protaganist, she does NOT become romantically involved with him and maintains her defiant lesbianism throughout. This book explores themes no lesbian comtemporary author was doing at the time: interracial relationships, artificial insemination, domestic abuse, even femme-femme (as opposed to the proverbial butch-femme) attraction. ....

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pulp Fiction, November 20, 2000

By 

Erica (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Women in the Shadows (Paperback)

This novel has important historical significance. Originally published in 1959, this novel broke from the formula of 1950's lesbian pulp fiction. It dealt with real issues in lesbian relationships like domestic violence, racism, and internalized homophobia. Other lesbian pulp fiction novels of the time were simply voyeuristic looks at lesbians and fostered the image that lesbians were predatory monsters. The women in this novel were tied to 1950's conventions, but they were still ahead of their time. The plot leaves much to be desired; it is very depressing. However, this book should not be brushed aside because it is outdated. In its proper historical context, this novel is a masterpiece.

23 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Biggest piece of crap I've read, June 7, 2000

By 

Candice L. Bosely (Shepherdstown, WV) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Women in the Shadows (Paperback)

Ann Bannon's novel "Women in the Shadows" is one of the worst works of "lesbian fiction" I've ever seen.

The book center on two characters: First there's Laura. She's a young feminine woman who has come to believe, through a series of affairs with women, that she is a lesbian. The book chronicles her on-again, off-again affair with the book's other character, Beebo. While the novel, published about four decades ago, starts off decent, it slowly spirals into a self-hating depiction of lesbianism as an afflication that can be shrugged off with help from a man. In the end of the book, Laura, married (and pregnant) to a "gay" man, finally feels the contentment that only normal, happy straight people know. But don't take my word for it. Here's the last sentence of the book: "And they (Laura and Jack) fell asleep together with the sigh of relief and hope that only the lost, who have found themselves, can feel."

Inspirational.

Then there's Beebo, a slack-wearing, whiskey-drinking butch. The back cover of the book says she is the "impulsive, passionate, and sometimes impossible Midwestern girl who swiftly captures reader's hearts." Somebody should've captured this fictionl character and carted her to the nearest mental institute. To prove her undying devotion to Laura, Beebo slaughters a dog. And she beats Laura's head against the floor, chokes her and threatens to murder her. But the worst part? After hearing Beebo killed the dog, Laura (who had left her and married Jack) realizes that she loves Beebo more than ever. She returns to the nut, then realizes she doesn't love her (again) and goes to the contentment that resides only in the arms of a man. I couldn't sleep after I read this crap.

As a lesbian, I am offended this is considered a gay novel. I paid $3 for it in a book warehouse bargain bin and feel I spent too much.

Don't waste your money.