Terminal Velocity (Paperback)

~ Blanche Mccrary Boyd (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This novel follows the adventures of Ellen, the narrator of Blanche McCrary Boyd's previous, Lambda Literary Award-winning novel, The Revolution of Little Girls. In this fast-paced romp, Ellen leaves her husband, changes her name (to Rain), takes drugs, and lives in a radical lesbian commune. Boyd's wry take on the 1970s feminist movement will be a fun read for people who didn't live through those years and wonder what they were like. There's a lot of snappy dialogue, and Boyd has fun playing with clichés about the women's liberation movement. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

... the unlikely Ellen Burns (is) seemingly a happily married heterosexual, who will soon take a new lover and a new name. As it crisscrosses the country, Boyd's story moves from comic high jinks through seduction, betrayal and finally violence with a speed that at times feels dizzying. Indeed, before Ellen's reinvention is over, she will have lived the life of a fugitive on the run, witnessed a suicide attempt, received electroshock therapy in a mental ward, tried her hand at skydiving, attended Alcoholics Anonymous and worked on a late-night soap opera about "a Gone With the Wind-type family and their friendly, happy slaves." -- The New York Times Book Review, Andrea Barnet --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; 1st Vintage Contemporaries Ed edition (May 26, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679750320
• ISBN-13: 978-0679750321
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,407,930 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Makes Thelma&Louise look like Charlie's Angels, October 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Terminal Velocity (Hardcover)

As far as I can see, this is the by far best novella about feminism/lesbianism/roughing it that I have ever had the pleasure to read. I stumbled across it in a bookstore (no, really, I tripped and fell on it) and started reading that very moment. I had the paperback, which, in my opinion, had a better cover than that of the hadcover. It took me all of an hour to finish Terminal Velocity. Ms. Boyd was really on to something when she wrote this novella. My favorite scene was the Tree of Life on the hotel floor. If I may be so proud, I'd say to any and all (lest the faint-of-heart swoon dead away) Read This Book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and Plot-Driven, but a Little Cheesy, December 3, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Terminal Velocity (Hardcover)

I liked the idea and energy of this book. It never bored me, but I do feel the author fell prey to an easy, pat, aging-A.A. ending to write her way out of this book. I also think she romantically overstated the revolutionary power of sex and didn't explore in depth enough the many, many other reasons why women make the choices they do. That said, the characters were lively and intriguing, if one dimensional in motivation at times.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional, June 13, 1999

By A Customer

"Terminal Velocity" is a brilliant mix...hysterical lines, precocious characters, soul wrenching emotions. I've read it at least 5 times, and I have never had a book affect me so deeply. The truth in the plot and experiences becomes evident through eloquent writing, unbelievable experiences, and almost tangible characters. And beyond all that, the book has the capability to make one feel as if the author is actually intending to bring out your deepest desires and strongest fears! Unforgettable book, to say the least.