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Publication
Description
Fiction. Literature. HTML:The classic 1950s novel from the Queen of Lesbian Pulp. "For contemporary readers the books offer a valuable record of gay and lesbian life in the 1950s. Most are set in Greenwich Village, and Ms. Bannonâ??s descriptions of bars, clubs and apartment parties vividly evoke a vanished community. Her characters also have historical value. Whereas most lesbians in pulp are stereotypes who get punished for their desires, Beebo and her friends are accessibly human. Their struggles with love and relationships are engrossing today, and half a century ago they were revolutionary." â??New York Times "Sex. Sleeze. Depravity. Oh, the twisted passions of the twilight world of lesbian pulp fiction." â??Chicago Free Press "Little did Bannon know that her stories would become legends, inspiring countless fledgling dykes to flock to the Village, dog-eared copies of her books in hand, to find their own Beebos and Lauras and others who shared the love they dared not name." â??San Francisco Bay Guardian "Ann Bannon is a pioneer of dyke drama." â??On Our Backs "When I was young, Bannon's books let me imagine myself into her New York City neighborhoods of short-haired, dark-eyed butch women and stubborn, tight-lipped secretaries with hearts ready to be broken. I would have dated Beebo, no question." â??Dorothy Allison "Bannon's books grab you and don't let go." â??… (more)
User reviews
Sweet young lesbian Laura Landon has run away from an overbearing father and is trying to make it on her own in
Poor Laura whines a lot and she makes some bad choices. Sometimes you feel like slapping her until you remember that she's just twenty and from the Midwest and it's 1959: she's never listened to Lady Gaga or heard of Ellen or seen a "It Get's Better" video on YouTube.
There are some large discrepancies between the first book in the series (Odd Girl Out) and this book. In Odd Girl Out, Laura's mother is still alive, and her parents have just gone through an emotionally draining divorce. In I Am a Woman, Laura's mother drowned when she was five (along with Laura's brother), and Laura's father blames Laura for their deaths. In Odd Girl Out, Laura's father is portrayed as more calculating and wanting his daughter to make good connections while in college, while in I Am a Woman, he is portrayed as a very cold, abusive man. I'm not sure why the author changed so many details; it was quite disconcerting.
Still, I found this book to be interesting. I especially liked the character of Jack Mann, who is gay himself and sniffs Laura's secret out pretty quickly. The character of Marcie is aggravating, but Beebo is intriguing. For being written in the fifties, the series is still entertaining, even though some of the stereotypes are nauseating.
I wasn't expecting much from Beebo Brinker before I read it, which contributed to how much I enjoyed it. I was trying to keep
Sam keeps making fun of me for reading pulps, and I keep telling her that she needs to read them so she can at least understand exactly what she's mocking. I don't even know what I like about them, exactly. They make no bones about being trashy; they have an aura of cheapness and they are rushed and convenient and ridiculous in places. And yet I get very involved with the characters and completely wrapped up in their world.
I was kind of surprised by the heavy-duty issues (apart from homosexuality, of course) that got brought up.
The characters' attitude toward sex is surprisingly up to date, but their attitudes toward many other things are not. I think that's another reason I like these books: they remind me how much I don't have to face in my daily life, and how much has changed in such a short time. (Would I work as an elevator operator just to be able to wear pants?) While I am becoming reasonably confident in dressing as I prefer for work, attitudes towards (and protections for) transgender people are still for the most part stuck in the fifties. Things are starting to change, but here's hoping it takes less time.
Ooh, ooh, and now I know why a butchy friend has a dachshund named Nix!!