book was so wonderful! Honestly very didactic, but sometimes you can enjoy didacticismand this being a groundbreaking novel about an interracial lesbian relationship, the didacticism is almost necessary.
It has lots of thoughts on many subjects: lesbianism, racial politics, malefemale relations within black communities of the time, Some of even the subtler points of the novel made me go "damn, you see that all the time", such as all the times when Renay will make a statement about racism and Terry and Vance will take a moment to say that as lesbians they know All About prejudice and the human capacity for hate, and Renay both agrees and disagrees.
Sure, targets of different kinds of prejudice have things in common, but being gay still doesn't mean you understand being black! And yet Renay finds she can fit in with Terry and her white gay community more or less.
Overall it's an optimistic book that believes love can hold out against all the challenges of both society and life, and I love that.
Also I just love Terry and Renay's charactersRenay's love of music, Terry the sophisticated writer, the ways they understand each other, There's a lot going on with them, interesting plot
I found the book to have a well developed plot, I kept wanting to know what would happen next, I would like to see a sequel that continues to develop the characters, Offhand I probably would not have bought the book, But I was able to get free, so I did Again, I'd probably give it closer to a,but it must be said: From a literary perspective, this book is almost meritless, It's horribly written. The good things about it are its interesting plot and its importance as one of the first books of its kind, etc, Still, I can't fault anyone who reads a couple of pages and is deterred by the horrifying prose, Brave writing for its time, and for that I overlook its faults, It's an easy read that doesn't demand much of the reader, This book took me longer to read due to life events, but that's not to say that I was being purposely slow in reading it.
Far from it!
Quick note: At the beginning of my version, there was a critique a discussion of the Loving Her's groundbreaking nature.
In the middle of this reading, I decided to ditch it and read it after I had finished the book, If you have not read the book before, I strongly recommend you read this part after the book, There are spoilers in the section that give away bits which was the reason I stopped reading it, Again, normally, I skip those parts, but this one was especially interesting and read very quickly,
One more thing: in my version, some times, in the writing/formatting, there was no real separation from one event to the next.
First we were one place, and then, seeming in the next breath, we were an afternoon, evening, even next day ahead in time, A simple fix would have been to break the paragraphs with extra spaces, or place dashes , or between these parts, As it was, it was a little confusing at times,
Now, on with the review, I am not an AfricanAmerican woman, I do not pretend to understand the issues facing AfricanAmerican women, yesterday and today though, sadly yesterday still feels like today in many ways.
However, I have experienced some mean and dangerous derogatory slurs against me, and for that I can empathize with those racial issues, And that is the crux of the plot in this story, The protagonist is looking at herself, her brothers and sisters and how they judge her for what is natural to her, and how they react to something that is uncomfortable for them, and outside their realm of understanding, made worse by the fact that she is a lesbian.
I loved this book, This is the kind of book that feels timeless to me, I disregarded some of the issues that the reviewer spoke about archaic word and phrase selections, and just enjoyed the book for what it is.
I am so glad that I am a vicarious and voracious reader, I am so glad that this book was on sale for me to buy, I am sad because it took me so long to read it, But I am glad because it opened me up to this wonderful writer and I have actually purchased her collection of short stories because of this book since reading this one.
Part of the timelessness that I mentioned: as I read this book, I was trying to figure out what year it was written.
I knew it was after the sixties, from clues that were given I also knew that it wasn't later than the eighties, At the end of the book, the copyright was, I guess what I am saying here is that it is as relevant today as it was then, The extras are stripped away in the book, leaving the barebones and a wonderful story,
The plot progresses as you expect it would, but it does in such away that it's not until the end where I look back and say: did that just happen A book where things right itself in the end Where one lesbian in the coupling doesn't run off and marry a man or commits suicide or leaves the reader depressed beyond belief
Because as groundbreaking as this delightful book is about interracial lesbian relationships, for me, it is groundbreaking in that it is uplifting as well.
It may be hard for some to look past certain aspects of this book, but for me, it left me happy, I loved these characters: for all their warts, dreams, failures, and hopes, I wish more literary lesbian books reached this same conclusion, “Perhaps its because youre both oppressed members of our society, and as such, you experience many of the same ostracisms, hurts and pains which make you compassionate toward each other.
But one day, since neither life nor love is forever idyllic, she may become angry at you for something trivial, or at the whole white race for something done to the blacks.
You too could become angry and, as the angry do, want to strike back, Ugly racial slurs could be wildly exchangedniggerhonky, These words would mean more than mere flashes of temper in a homogeneous interracial marriage, ” Great piece for early's I needed more, Although politically valuable, this novel is an awful piece of storytelling, A Forest In The Heart
Renay and Terrys story was among the most beautiful, most tragic, most harrowing, most enduring Ive read this year.
The exploration of “unconventional” love, of interracial love, of racial prejudice, of just prejudice, of living in a world where you can be beaten, spat, and trodden upon for being “different” and deviating from the norm.
Renay was all that, she experienced all that, And she survived. Her endurance, her perseverance, her sunshine, her strength gives me hope, too, That is does.stars. Well, that was certainly something, The writing was interesting to say the least and I never got used to it, It was choppy and full of stereotypes and cliches, The racial things in this were hella uncomfortable and I didnt like the romance between Renay and Terry, Renay is trying to get out of a hellish marriage with an abusive husband but yet Terry was all possessive and weird about Renay and again with all of the racial things it just made me feel icky.
I didnt like anything about it and Terry displayed way too many red flags her damn self and I felt awful Renay and her little girl.
Renay was not a bad character, I definitely empathized with her but I wanted more for her in the relationship department and it certainly wasnt with Terry in my opinion.
Im so conflicted about this book, It wouldve been better off not being a romance and me saying that says a lot cause I love romance but Renay needed time to herself with her daughter to heal.
This was kind of a mess but I also didnt hate it completely Hell, I dont know, This review is also a mess because I honestly cant articulate how it made me feel, As stated earlier it was certainlysomething, Really poorly written, I'm sad to say, not necessarily a book i enjoyed, however the discussions it brought were great, also i am glad to have read it as to experience it as a book and not just an object of historical significance Loving Her
An important book by one hell of a writer, Loving Her is an incredible read chocked full of witicisms and plagiarisms.
It is just plain incredibleas good a read for anyone as it was for me!! I appreciate what the author was trying to do.
Especially at the time she wrote it, There's also a number of ideas that needed and still need telling as pertaining to race and misogyny,
But this is not a good book, On technique, the writing is tedious, the dialogue unrealistic, the characters onedimensional, On content, all the characters are stereotypes, and there is not one relationship depicted that is not unhealthy in some way, mostly possessiveness and toxic control, all of which is completely condoned by the book.
I am also more than peeved that the book depicts and condones the white main character as colorblind for the most part, Not to mention that she says and does a number of really possessive shit, that reeked of racism as in, her, white and wealthy, owning a poor black body, and definitely not in a way that is meant to be a commentary on subtle manifestations of her racist upbringing.
In summary, this reads as a book written by an author with a few good critical thoughts on the experiences of black lesbians in the US, but zero ability to write fictional characters.
I AM CURRENTLY READING THIS AT THE MOMENT i feel like i had to dance my attention v lightly over the surface of this one, because as a piece of writing i did find it hard to enjoy lots of clunky and overburdened sentences, too many onthenose conversations and emotionally rushed scenes, a general sense of stylistic immaturity amp structural underdevelopedness but i also think this has a lot of Intention amp Feeling amp Desire behind it, things it wants to say about racialised masculinity and violence and what it means, for shockley, to be a black woman that loves women and what that love feels like.
it's hard not to be moved by how important it feels for her to have said it here, and for other black lesbians and other writers to have responded, to continue responding.
so, am glad that black feminist thought nudged me to finally read it amp think it's a valuable piece of a wider conversation, but can't recommend it as a Book.
Loving Her might have been a better story if it was written better, I enjoyed the story. This book was written back inwhich was ahead of its time, If this book was rewritten it would be a far better and more enjoyable book to read, Great book This is a classic novel from the's and is most known for its portrayal of an interracial lesbian couple, The writing isn't fantastic, and it certainly is depressing is spots, but is worth the read as a trail blazer, This is one of my favorite books I've ever read,
Let me start by saying that the foreword probably should not actually be read before reading the book itself, given that it spoils the entire plot and is more of an analysis of it lmao.
It also reminded me that I should not trust other's opinions on art before making my own because I starkly disagree with the way it downplays the novel in several ways.
This novel invoked so many emotions in me, Of course, I was aware of its historical significance and the foreword led me to believe that's all there is to it, but no.
In my eyes, it was written beautifully, The love between these two women warmed my heart in ways I didn't expect or imagine, I devoured a lot of the book but had to stop myself because I loved it so much I didn't want it to end.
While many parts were also hard to read, given Renay's circumstances, it was the love her and Terry had for each other that healed your soul.
I wanted to stay with them in their love forever,
I am certain I will reread it and I hope to find a physical copy of it someday to hold and cherish forever.
This book is one of these small things that invoke queer joy in me, I love this novel because it tells of life in the now with no holds barred, how a woman embarks down the road of marriage to a man who repeatedly rapes her , is abusive and afteryears of going through the motions realizes she is a lesbian.
I loved the book, it a first African novel with a lesbian theme, found it most enjoyable, I liked it at first the charming mundane domesticity but the ENDING WHAT was that, Too much happened too quickly after chapters of basically nothing, Did appreciate the Uhaul representation but overall the approach to race was heavy on color blindness and seemed overly idealized An interesting look into the dynamics of interracial and homosexual relationships.
Uses a lot of stereotypes but still an interesting and poetic read, A groundbreaking novel of two very different women, one black and one white, and a remarkable love threatened by prejudice, rage, and violence
A struggling African American musician, Renay married Jerome Lee when she discovered she was pregnant with his child.
Yet even before their daughter, Denise, was born, Renay realized what a terrible mistake she had made, tying herself to a violent, abusive alcoholic.
Then, while performing at an upscale supper club, Renay met Terry Bluvard, Beautiful, wealthy, and white, Terry awakened feelings that the talented black pianist had never realized she possessedand before long, Renay was leaving the nightmare of Jerome Lee behind and moving with little Denise into Terrys world of luxury and privilege.
Now, in this strange and exciting new place, Renay can experience for the first time what it is to have everything she needs for herself and her little
girl.
The rules here are differentoften confusing and sometimes troublingbut in Terrys home, and in Terrys arms, Renay can be who she truly is, . . and be loved with caring tenderness and respect, Yet the storm clouds of her previous life still threaten, and Terrys love alone may not be enough to protect Renay and her little girl from the tragedy that looms on the horizon.
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