- Paperback: 284 pages
- Publisher: New Victoria Publishers (October 1997)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0934678855
- ISBN-13: 978-0934678858
- Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 12.7 x 2.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 272 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,921,694 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Library Journal
At 25, Shelby Camden seems to have it all: the "right" background, a good education, a challenging job in publishing, and a fiance who makes her the envy of the other "girls" at the office. Nevertheless, Shelby is dissatisfied with her relationships, plagued by crippling headaches, and contemplating suicide. Contemporary readers will be puzzled by Shelby's lack of self-awareness, but this is Boston in the years before the cultural revolutions of the 1960s; women still wear underwear that leaves marks on their skin and are expected to give up their jobs upon marrying. Shelby is largely alone and feels it. Her story gets off to a sluggish start, with oppressive, self-conscious period detail, but Dreher, a prize-winning playwright and the author of six mysteries featuring lesbian sleuth Stoner McTavish, knows how to build tension and gradually draws the reader into this coming-out tale. At a time when actors come out on prime-time TV, Dreher helpfully reminds us that the days when gay people could be summarily fired, evicted, and committed to mental institutions are less than a generation away. Satisfying reading with a happy ending; recommended for large fiction collections.?Ina Rimpau, Newark P.L., N.J.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An insightful character study illuminating darker times.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Solitaire and Brahms (Paperback)
Sarah Dreher, best known as the author of the seven volume Stoner McTavish mystery series, has broadened her horizons with Solitaire and Brahms,an insightful and tender novel about a woman recognizing the freedoms and fears associated with self-discovery. Dreher's main character, Shelby Camden, is a complex, witty, kind career woman who maintains the strong facade of happiness in spite of her nagging depression, migraine-like headaches, and an unfullfilling engagement to the man of her mother's dreams. Set in the sixties during the dawn of the sexual revolution and women's movement, this work portrays the pre-Stonewall mentality of the country, a time when being lesbian meant certain ostracism, self-hatred, and often psychiatric intervention. Camden is a young woman, not terribly brave, caught between her desire for a conventional life and her deeper yearnings for a career as a magazine editor and a blossoming friendship with a warm easy-going, but rather secretive woman we discover is lesbian. "The Childrens Hour" is playing it's first run at the local theater and as readers we are immersed in the thinking that prevailed at the time when loving another woman meant very unhappy endings. Dreher's prose is engaging, never overwritten, often humorous. Her work as a clinical psychologist comes in handy, as well as her playwriting skills. The dialogue is fast paced, never trite, and captures the heart. Highly recommended reading for all who love a good character study, a brilliant depiction of a time in our history, and simply a beautifully composed story. She takes us on a journey through darker days but remembers to leave a light on at the end of the tunnel.
5.0 out of 5 stars
cake to go with coffee,
By A Customer
This review is from: Solitaire and Brahms (Paperback)
When I first started reading lesbian fiction this was one of the first books I read. It was sweet and had an "innocent" view of how some people find out who they are. The harsh realities of the time period were initially shocking to me, helped me understand alot about history that isn't in books. Suicide attempts are often part of anybody who isn't "normal" and parents need to realize that especially. The fear of rejection is very real especially when you decide to date or try to find somebody to date.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent portrayal of pre-Stonewall coming out,
By Alma (Texas) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Solitaire and Brahms (Paperback)
Having only read Deher's Stoner McTavish Series, which I enjyoyed immensely, I thoroughly enjoyed the poignant story of Shelby and Fran. Not having experienced lesbian life before Stonewall, I found it a valuable slice of history as well as a really good story. I look forward to more of Deher's work.
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