Rubyfruit Jungle

"I randomly picked up this book earlier this month and had no concept of what I was going to be reading. It definitely brings up some taboo subjects. For example: the main character believes that incest is okay… The writing itself is mediocre and dry. The plot of the book was all over the place. I wouldn’t recommend especially if this would be your first lesbian book. "

"I can see how this was groundbreaking when it was released. This usually isn’t the type of book I go for, but it was ok..? Still, couldn’t sit with the incest ****. All I really gotta say to this is that it has not aged well. "

"A short novel that deserves at least one read in a lifetime. Absolutely loved it!"

"This was great to read from the perspective of a historical perspective. It is a coming of age story of a brilliant girl who was a bastard and she is treated like **** by her adoptive mother and it feels like the only person in her favor is Carl, her father. She figures out that she’s queer in grammar school and makes it out of coffee hollow and moves with her weird family to Fort Lauderdale, FL. She makes it through high school and she is not particularly liked because of her queerness. I’m not sure if this book has aged well. It is an important piece of literature to read but not my favorite one. "

"This book has a hold on me. Beautiful, emotional, sarcastic, and way before its time. "

"It was the worst book I have EVER read."

"Is this book messy as hell? Yes, absolutely, but I still love it. <br/><br/>Also, how am I just now realizing this Rita Mae Brown is the same as the cat-themed mysteries that old ladies can't get enough of?"

"I read somewhere that this was THE lesbian book when it first came out, and at first, I thought that that was a good thing, but now I'm finished I can totally see how this would ultimately disrupt the queer community, especially in a time as tumultuous as the 70s.<br/><br/>The thing is, this book is super problematic, and if it were written today I know good and damn well that it would be absolutely trashed. There are tons of hot takes in here that should have stayed in the oven. For example: the overall praised idea that if a closeted lesbian isn't coming to terms with her queerness naturally, she should be forced to have sexual relations. Also, the very undiscussed idea that incest is okay, a belief held by the main character. I don't even know why I didn't rate this book one star because in most cases this would cause for a one-star rating. <br/><br/>I guess the reason I'm conflicted is that I read Molly Bolt as a character you were supposed to witness from afar, a bad person who was very interesting, but not to be praised for her actions or thoughts. My problem is, I'm sure that a lot of baby sapphics in a time where there was little to no media about what they were experiencing did not have the same thought process as me, especially considering that this book isn't <I> marketed </i> to be about a bad character doing questionable and bad things. There are also ideas regarding queerness that through me for a loop. <br/><br/>1. I did not see any mention of bisexuality. There was a very sharp cut-off between your either all the way, not at all, or all the way and lying to yourself. And I think it really takes the beauty away from being a part of the LGBTQ+ community. Lines regarding sexuality can be blurred, but that definitely wasn't shown in this novel. 2. The whole idea that butch lesbians are pretty much worthless. I get that this was a thing in the 70s, the whole butch vs. femme thing, but damn did it pain me to read. As somebody who can be either depending on the day, I felt like I was just standing in the corner like an NPC. <br/><br/>Now, if you've got this far into the review, your probably wondering why the hell this is a two-star and not a one.<br/><br/>You see, there's a rawness in older novels that I feel is kind of hard to get with nowadays books, and while this book is stale and emotionless in some (a lot of) places, there were some moments where I genuinely felt for the characters. I still think that this book should have been a deep dive into Molly's relationship with her mom because those last few pages where Carrie talks about her past really added depth to her character that really should have been sprinkled throughout the story to build it over time. <br/><br/>Also, the writing was mediocre at best. I don't want to get into it right now but as I said before it was sort of stale and the main character went on weird tangents a lot that took my mind off of the main storyline and when I was suddenly thrust back into the plot, I got whiplash. The character jumps from place to place without experiencing any extreme emotions and it's often implied that her lack of empathy makes her better than all the other characters. Which, again, could have been an interesting look at narcissism but never got explored more than a few one-off sentences. <br/><br/>If you are already a bit educated about queerness and understand that the community is not black and white, then go ahead and read this book. I think it's a very interesting look at history. But if not, then maybe stay away from this book for a little while."

"Loved this book."

"BUY THIS, READ IT, HOLD IT CLOSE"