Car Pool

This is one of the last of Karin Kallmaker's early books that I've been longing to read, and finally it has been reprinted. I never thought I would find a story set in part on an oil refinery in any way absorbing, but as usual I went along for the ride in Car Pool and the journey was well worth all the shifts in speed along the way. Anthea is wealthy but still working. Shay, on the other hand, like most of us, must work. She needs two jobs just to keep it together. Each of them treats the other like a stereotype, but that car pool means they slowly have to get to know more than what they see on the surface. That they are both lesbians comes as a surprise to each woman, because of the stereotypes they have been entertaining. Once Anthea sees outside the closet, and once Shay gets over some of the bitterness of her father's death, they find life a whole lot easier, and enjoying each other's company more and more. Their two gay male friends provide a wonderful counterpoint to the slow pace Anthea and Shay take. There is a mystery on the oil refinery - a setting that is wonderfully conveyed. I never want to see one for myself now! I like how the women work together to try to get all the dirt they can and how Shay is finally able to prove wrongdoing. The final work scene with Anthea and her racist, homophobic boss is incredibly SATISFYING. Readers who are just now discovering this early work should treat themselves to the follow up story in Frosting on the Cake about Anthea and Shay, Harold and Adrian, trying to become a very modern 21st century family. It's hilarious *and* heartwarming. My only regret in devouring this book the moment it arrived is that I am now have so few Karin Kallmaker books left to read!

It seems like some people's problems with this book is that the author choose -- in their opinion -- the wrong minority when developing this interracial romance. How about reading what is actually written rather than injecting some sort of political correctness? Like others have said, these two women could live next door. If they did you'd want to know them, you'd want to learn from them how to talk about tough issues and still laugh like children. The love scenes are steamy and the light mystery behind the story quite engrossing. I for one like detail when people have careers I know nothing about. There's an oil refinery not far from where I live and now I know lots more about it than I did before. A great read!

I read the author's Frosting on the Cake and found that a character in this book was an Asian American lesbian. It is so rare that I had to read the novel that inspired that short story. This was a great read and I think thatthe author, who I assume is white, did a good job portraying the struggles of an Asian American lesbian. I would love to meet this character sometime! But based on the short story it seems she's in a happy relationship. (grin) Some people might wish that the character was not Asian but I for one am glad that the author choose to do it.

I think I can count on one hand the number of lesbian romances that deal with an interracial relationship, and this is one of them. I think the writer should be congratulated for an excellent depiction of the casual racism that Asians receive. Shay, who was born in the US, is told her English is excellent, for example. I have always thought that when reviewing a book, it's best to review the book you read, not the book you wished the author had written, and to rank that book for itself. I loved this book for what it delivered: a solid, intriguing romance between a closeted white accountant and a Japanese-American environmental biologist.Even rarer, this book deals with class differences. Shay is near penniless, though well-educated, and digs sampling wells on an oil refinery. Anthea is rolling in dough she inherited from distant parents. Each woman has real issues about money and it's dealt with in a complex way -- no easy fixes here.Last, I'd add that anyone wanting to see the totality of Kallmaker's ethnic diversity needs to read *all* of her books, including those written as Laura Adams. Night Vision and The Dawning have both black and native American characters who contribute vitally to the action. The Dawning's immersion in the Navajo culture was illuminating.

I do wonder why people read books by writers they don't like. I enjoy all of Ms. Kallmaker's books. They are heartfelt romance novels, not Lesbian American studies. Car Pool was first and foremost a romance with a closeup focus on racism that one woman experiences on the job. They also have class differences. There's a little mystery thrown in and as always in a Kallmaker book, great sex. I was pulling for Shay and Anthea every step of the way, and for their gay male friends, Adrian and Harold. The scene in the bar where "the difference between gay men and lesbians" is discussed had me howling with laughter.