The GLBTRT has been reviewing books and movies in its newsletter since the early 1990s. Trace the evolution of queer publishing through these historic reviews. This review was originally published in Vol. 3, No 4, Winter 1991.

Harrington, Gilda. Sudden Summer. Banned Books. Paper. $8.95. (ISBN 0-934411-39-5)

This is a short lesbian coming-out novel. The style is fast-paced and the book is a quick read. The setting at a lesbian music festival adds humor as the author does a good job of portraying the realities and contradictions of festival culture.

Themes of sexual abuse, rape, alcohol/drug abuse, celibacy, couple vs. non-couple society, fat women, and political correctness are all briefly covered in descriptions of workshops and conversations that will sound familiar to anyone who has attended a festival.

Rosie and Dawn are long-time friends who don’t really know each other. Dawn tells Rosie she is a lesbian and invites Rosie to the festival. Rosie attends, meets Calypso and immediately begins lusting, all the while protesting her heterosexuality. Dawn and her old love rekindle both the love and hate which shaped their previous life together. In addition, Dawn and Rosie have a fling. By the end of the book, Rosie, whose character at the beginning claimed to have never thought about lesbians, is an enthusiastic partner in hot lesbian sex. Her homophobia is not very strong and to be an accurate portrayal I believe it should have been discussed at greater length.

The book makes a strongly positive portrayal of coming out while briefly discussing some of society’s homophobia. It is recommended for public libraries with a strong fiction collection. A good book for young women who are questioning their feelings about being lesbian.

Reviewed by Pauline Klein
Atlanta, Georgia