The Mammoth Book of Lesbian Short Stories

I bought this book because one of the stories was written by the outstanding Jane Rule. I ended up benefiting by reading 29 stories from a satisfying assortment of authors including the terrific - Emma Donoghue Anne Cameron Elise D'Haene Rebecca Brown Dorothy Allison Anna Livia Marion Douglas Ali Smith Also includes excellent author biographies and a brief introduction. This is a Keeper! From the back of the book - tales of fumbling twelve-year olds and dying women, lifelong lovers and Don Juans in gold trousers... from an Irish rural pub to the Indian sweet-shops of Vancouver ... from amedieval witch-burning to a future in which same-sex partnership is the new `normality'.

First off, Emma she's an amazing writer, I actually borrowed the book from the Library, once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down, it was that good. Some of the stories I could identify with and it also helped me with some problems I was going through, this book is a definite plus in my book, if you haven't gotten it or read it you should, go for it! .

The variety of stories in this book is wonderful; some are risque, some are tragic, some are terribly romantic... sexy, sad, nostalgic, and funny. Most times I couldn't put it down. My favorite story has to be "The Lobster Queen" because it reminds me so much of my first romantic... episode with a woman. It's positively heart-wrenching. Other excellent stories include "The Woman Who Loved the Moon," "The Dark House," "The Burning Times," and "The Catherine Trilogy." (That was devestating. I cried myself to sleep after reading that.) One the whole, this book is great. I would recommend it to anyone, straight or not so straight, because it offers so many honest and varied views on lesbians and lesbianism. It's compassionate. It's tender. It will win your heart.

This book is structured very differently. Its 30+ stories are divided under 5 sub-headings, each characterizing different tastes and temptations. These include stories of times gone by, futuristic stories, and phase of life (and womanhood) stories, including tales of open lesbian love affairs, forbidden passions, life-long lovers, and stories about identity confusions--basically, very similar to real life. Any one section is bound to hold a gem of a tale. I just picked this book up, so I haven't read that many stories, but the one I like so far is "Free Love" by Ali Smith, which is about a young girl's first love-making experience, and the first time she falls in love with another woman. Very touching. If you're in the mood to read a short and tender, romantic lesbian love story, minus nasty sex scenes that often demean the female body, then this book is for you. It's great...very enjoyable!