Book Review - The Lindsay Gordon Series (Val McDermid)

"The Lesbian Anti-Hero; My hero"

I am two thirds through reading this series and had to take a pause and share the wonderful experience reading these books with you.

Starting with Report for Murder (1987) the book which introduces us to our heroine with attitude,  Glaswegian journalist Lindsay Gordon, we are thrown into a series that would have been fairly unusual for its time. Very openly lesbian themed, packed with lesbian characters and unashamedly bringing lesbian culture to the fore (think about how it felt watching those characters discussing all things lesbian in the L Word series).The only thing really missing are gratuitous sex scenes that I imagine would not have been palatable to late 1980s publishers. 

Gordon is instantly shown to us to be the rebellious, cheeky, authority challenging feisty hero we all love to read about. She's the kind of character many readers would fantasise about being, smart, attractive, confident of herself and standing up for her beliefs, incredibly loyal and determined. She's not all bows and bells though. She does things the hard way and her inner journalist instinct comes through at sometimes inappropriate moments. She even cheats on a girlfriend (but that later turns out to be vindicated). Later in the series she is complemented nicely by new girlfriend Sophie, who offers a good balance. 

The Lindsay Gordon series is deliberately not as hard hitting as the Tony Hill/Carol Jordan series. It is not as gritty nor disturbingly psychological. That does mean the books aren't dark in their own right. The muderous storylines have their darksides, and Lindsay herself goes through some traumatic experiences in her quest to solve her cases. However, they also incorporate humour, a lighter touch and fun. The relationship developments and non-murder stories are as interesting as the mysteries. 

What makes these stories particularly readable is that each book is very different from the last, and they take differening direction, both plot wise and geographically. Each novel is adventurous and unpredictable, taking us on an unexpected journey. Ultimately they are thoroughly enjoyable stories that do cover some serious issues, and take on the establishment through the direction of the stories (I won't post any spoliers here).

By Katie

  

Book review: Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage - Stephanie Coontz

There are two arguments for and against gay marriage today.  The For argument is generally, ‘Love is a human right’ and the Against tends to be for ‘Protecting the Sanctity of Traditional Marriage’.  This book examines why both views were largely irrelevant for most of human history.  Not only was love not a human right, until recently love wasn’t even a consideration when planning a marriage.  Both men and women were discouraged from too much affection for their spouse, in case it undermined their loyalty for their family, their community, or God.  As for the sanctity of marriage, the ‘’traditional” 1950’s marriage deemed worthy of God’s love, was in fact a very unusual event in Western history, an event which lasted less than 20 years.  Prior to last century, marriages were more like business mergers or investment partnerships and the married couple almost always shared their home with others of their family or community.

Stephanie Coontz studies family history and was inspired to write this book after being repeatedly asked if the institution of marriage was falling apart.  While it is true that marriage is more fragile today than the days when the church held firm against divorce, she also shows that marriage has not always been the formal institution it is now, and that the church’s own position on marriage has changed many times.  Even same-sex marriage has been previously permitted in places, provided both partners were able to commit to gender roles as firmly as any heterosexual couple.  In Rome, where male-male marriages were derided, it wasn’t two men in love which was scandalous, but the idea of a man demeaning himself by doing ‘women’s work’.

This book is not about gay marriage; instead this is a book about the changing nature of marriage itself.  Stephanie shows us that it is not gay equality that is threatening the Sanctity of Traditional Marriage, rather it was heterosexuals themselves who forever altered the institution - the growing popularity of ‘love’ matches, the desire to choose their own spouse, the breakdown of gender roles, the rise of feminism, and the acceptance of divorce and cohabitating partners - all opened the door to the inevitability of same-sex marriage.

This is a brilliant book, particularly in her comparisons to marriage myths as opposed to measurable marriage trends.  It’s also an important read during this time when marriage is going through yet another upheaval.

Review by Ida Raine

 

Book review: A Hole in the World – Sophie Robbins

Princess Alexandra of Calpaea has been kidnapped by an evil enchantress and is now trapped in a cave, guarded over by trolls.  When she is finally rescued it wasn’t the prince charming she was expecting, but a 16 year old English teenager named Bianca.

Bianca was four when she first discovers the hole in the wall near the centre of her town, yet eleven years later it still shows up in her dreams.  Sent home in disgrace from boarding school, she is still picking up the pieces of her life when the urge to explore the hole overtakes her.  Unbeknownst to her, the hole in the wall is really a hole between worlds and inside is a princess waiting to be saved.

The book is a modern day fairy tale with a twist. Bianca and her friends are imminently likeable and faced with the prospect of a princesses death, are more than willing to go into battle.  Weighed down with backpacks and smoke bombs, the four teenagers battle flying reptiles, rats, trolls and tentacles to save a kingdom.   I suspect this book was written for teenagers, but I, as an adult, thoroughly enjoyed it.

Review by Ida Raine

Book review: The Girl Back Home – R.E. Bradshaw

Jamie had it all, a stunning wife, a lucrative job and a luxurious mansion - only to lose it all after an affair with a younger woman.  Thrown out of her home and abandoned by her friends, she packed up everything she owned and moved back to the small country town where she grew up.  Once there she has her best friend Beth for support, as well as reconnecting with her first ever crush from her youth, a woman she hasn’t seen for 25 years.

Sandy was twenty years old and married with a small child when she met sixteen year old Jamie.  Now twenty five years later Jamie is back and this time Sandy can admit to herself that she wants more than friendship.  Unfortunately Sandy still has a husband, Jamie is still in love with her ex-wife and Beth is getting suspicious.

This is an interesting book of love between women at the prime of their lives.  At seventeen and twenty one, their lives were too far apart to ever contemplate a relationship.  Now at forty two and forty six the differences don’t seem as insurmountable.  Before that can happen however, Sandy has to sort through her feelings about her marriage and Jamie has to recognise the issues in her past relationship which drove her to the affair.  Of course, being a book about the rocky road to love there has to be a lot of drama along the way, yet the characters remain realistic throughout.  This book can be long-winded at times but otherwise it’s a good read.

Review by Ida Raine

Book review: Girl Meets Boy – Ali Smith

This book is an easy read.  By easy I mean there is no drama, no soul-searching, no difficult conversations with mothers or other relatives, no meddling ex-girlfriends and no heartbreak.  It’s practically a gay fairy tale, only with less of a storyline.

Andrea is twenty one and has just moved in with her older sister Imogen.  Imogen has a nice house, a well-paid job and a lean physique due to daily exercise.  The only thing rebellious about Imogen is her motorbike named Rebel.  Andrea knows that Imogen wants her to live an equally sensible life but she can’t.  Instead she goes shopping instead of going to work, only to quit work altogether when she meets Robin.

Robin went to school with Imogen, but where Imogen became sensible, Robin became an activist.  Robin and Andrea fall in love forcing Imogen to change her view of the world.  How this occurs I can only imagine.  The chapter between Imogen the bigot and Imogen the broadminded appears to have been missed.   What wasn’t missed are the fascinating details the author puts into this book, from Ovid’s story of Iphis and Ianthe, to the statistics spray-painted onto Marks & Spencers.  This is a beautifully written book and, like all fairy tales, ends happily ever after.

Review by Ida Raine
 

Book Review: Trumpet – Jackie Kay

Millie had a fantastic life and the perfect marriage, at least that’s how she remembers it now. Her famous husband Joss has just died and the secret they’d been hiding for over 40 years is out. Joss Moody, the male jazz musician, had been born a woman. Now Millie is all alone and in hiding, with even her adopted son Colman refusing to take her calls.

When the author, Jackie Kay, heard the story of Billy Tipton, she was inspired to turn his story into a book. Billy was a talented jazz musician from the 1920’s who enjoyed his life as a man, only to have his female gender discovered as he lay dying on the floor. Indeed history is littered with women who successfully changed their sex, but whether these women were gay or transgender has been lost to time. Jackie Kay sidesteps this discussion entirely by beginning her story two days after Joss Moody’s funeral.

Trumpet is a beautiful and descriptive novel, which despite its examination of grief, is really a book about love; the unconditional love of Millie for her husband, the love of a son for his father, and the love of a man for the music. If this book has anything to say, it is that love is ultimately more important than gender.

Review by Ida Raine

Book Review: What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality – Daniel A Helminiak

Author Daniel Helminiak is both a Catholic priest and a Theologian, who believes that no one group has the right to impose an injustice on society. Concerned that a lack of personal acceptance is holding people back from spirituality, he has written a number of books on religion. His book, ‘What the Bible Really Says’ is solely concerned with the treatment of homosexuality in the bible. Not surprisingly it’s not a long book.

He starts by explaining the difficulties in interpreting the bible. It was a long time ago and both language and social norms were very different. Life was tough, many died young, women were the property of men, adultery was theft, slavery was acceptable, and while same-sex genital activity was known to occur, homosexual relationships were not. The Hebrews didn't even have a word for male-male homosexual behaviour, while lesbians failed to get a mention at all.

If your knowledge of the bible is weak, this book could be a good place to start. Mostly it is easy to read, though some of his explanations can be hard to follow at times. Still, by the end of you should have learned something about history, whether you are interested in religion or not. After all, this was a world where Jesus healed the same-sex lover of a Centurion without a thought, while educated men despaired over angel-human sex. Ultimately, Daniel Helminiak wants to spread the word that an ancient Christian God preached love, and question why the modern day Church doesn’t teach the same.

Review by Ida Raine

Book Review: Sexual Fluidity - Lisa M Diamond

In 1995, 100 women were recruited for a ten year project, in order to study how female sexuality changed over time. 43 of the women were lesbian, 11 were heterosexual and the rest were bisexual or non-heterosexual. Rather than settling into their chosen labels as expected, two thirds of the women relabelled themselves at least once, with 1/3 changing their identity twice or more. In fact the most consistently used label by 2005 wasn’t a label at all, but ‘unlabelled’ or the rejection of the need for a label. 

When Lisa Diamond, the woman behind this project, began her research on variations in female sexuality, she already thought she knew what she was going to find. Ten years later she realised she was wrong. Rather than sexual identities and behaviour greatly differing from woman to woman, instead she found it could also vary wildly in the same woman, sometimes repeatedly. Straight women could date women, bisexuals could swing from gay to straight and lesbians could drop labels altogether. Historically such women were considered confused, unstable or immature, a view Lisa Diamond no longer agrees with. In Sexual Fluidity she uses her own research along with the research of others to make the case for female sexual fluidity.

This is not to say that Lisa Diamond believes that sexual orientation can be changed, rather this fluidity allows some women greater flexibility with their sexuality than their orientation would suggest. Nor does Lisa consider her research a criticism of the gay identity, pointing out that female fluidity is not an unknown concept in the lesbian community, but one that has been neglected by mainstream media and scientists. 

If you’ve ever wondered about female sexuality or felt you were the only one to feel a certain way about your own sexuality, this is the book for you. It’s well researched, well written and a fantastic read for gay and straight alike.

Review by Ida Raine

Book Review: I Can't Think Straight - Shamim Sarif

After 3 failed engagements, Tala has finally found the perfect husband. During preparations for her rapidly approaching wedding, Tala meets Leyla and suddenly starts to doubt her love for her fourth fiancé.

I Can’t Think Straight is both a movie and a novel. Set in Jordan and England, the story centres around the lives of two Middle Eastern women trying to do the right thing by their families. In some ways Tala and Leyla's lives seem to overlap; they both come from highly religious and wealthy families, they are both beautiful and well-educated, and they both have a younger and rebellious sister. But Tala is an outgoing and vibrant Catholic from Jordan, while Leyla is shy, Muslim and living in London where most of this story takes place. While British born Leyla has secretly imagined loving and being loved by another woman, Tala cannot. Tala knows that such a relationship is an impossibility in her world, so is ready to walk down the aisle with the man who adores her and has made her mother proud.

Despite the cheesy title and inelegant writing, the book is great! The families of both Tala and Leyla make this book shine, and the author manages to convey human relationships, both family and romantic, in a realistic and recognisable way. This isn’t a book where the main characters are tortured by their sexuality only to die in the end. Rather their lives are moving along smoothly, with neither girl fully aware that anything is amiss, until the day they fall in love. From that initial contact, they soon find themselves in a race against time to reconcile their new feelings, against their respective cultures, before Tala gets married. Their families pitch into the drama as families do, some well-meaning, some supportive, and some downright conniving. Ultimately the book has the ending you expect, but it’s well worth a read.

Review by Ida Raine