#lesbian pulp
Lesbian Pulp Novels with Happy Endings, Part Two
It’s a myth that all lesbian pulp novels ended tragically, with one of the women dying or going mad and the other marrying a man. Happy endings (where two women end up together) were uncommon, but appeared in books throughout the pulp era.
Here are seven from the last decade of pulp. Free links to the texts have been provided where available.
See part one here.
1.These Curious Pleasures by Sloane Britain, 1961.
“Sloane works as a secretary to a New York television producer. She lives in the Village and enjoys cruising the bars at night for one-night stands with women she doesn’t know. She has a few part-time lovers, but hasn’t found the woman who would steal her heart … until she meets Allison, a young actress.” [link]
2.The Jealous and the Free by March Hastings, 1961.
This novel follows Michele, an inexperienced lesbian, and her budding relationship with her roommate Leda, and her difficulties in finding her way as a butch lesbian. [link]
3.The Sex Between by Randy Salem, 1962.
“Lee is a butch woman with many conquests under her belt. She pursues other women with abandon and has lesbian lovers all over town. Her only problem? No matter who she is with, she can’t stop thinking of Maggie. Maggie is sweet on Lee, too, but the matriarch of her family, Kate, has decided Maggie must marry in order to produce an heir to the family fortune. Lee knows she has fallen in love with Maggie, but the thought of giving up her freewheeling ways frightens her. Will Lee admit her feelings for Maggie in time to stop the wedding? Will Maggie defy her grandmother and give up a fortune for a chance at love and happiness with Lee?” [link]
4.Forbidden Sex by Joan Ellis, 1963.
Jean is a secretary in the film industry who supports her lying and philandering husband full time. She’s tired of her unhappy marriage. When she meets an actress called Lee sparks fly, but Lee’s feelings are more than friendly. How will Jean react when Lee reveals her true feelings, and can Lee put love ahead of her career? [link]
5.Return to Lesbos by Valerie Taylor, 1963.
This steamy sequel to Stranger on Lesbos finds Frances, the heroine, stuck in an abusive marriage. She has given up on love when she meets Erika in a bookstore. Both have been damaged by life - can they find the strength to love again? [link]
6.Unlike Others by Valerie Taylor, 1963.
Jo has just ended a relationship with another woman, and decided she is going to focus on her career and stay away from women. Then she meets Betsy at work and all her resolutions go out the window. But Betsy is dating their boss, Stan … [link]
7.Journey to Fulfillmentby Valerie Taylor, 1963.
Erika, a Jewish survivor of a Nazi concentration camp, is adopted into a U.S. family. In the United States she is free to meet women and to explore her butch identity. A prequel to the Erika Frohmann series (Stranger on Lesbos,Return to LesbosandA World Without Men). [link]
(Please note: These books were written at a time when lesbian relationships were taboo in the United States and may reflect prejudices of the era. They may also contain confronting themes like violence against women).
Source:The Lesbian Pulp Fiction Project
Post link
