Miss Venezuela

by Barbara Sjoholm, Barbara Wilson

Twenty-two stories tell of a beauty queen, a homesick maid, a foreign student, a brother and sister, television, friends, and lovers.

Genres: Fiction

Paperback

First published March 1, 1988

About the author

I’m a writer of nonfiction, including memoirs (Blue Windows) and travel books (The Pirate Queen). As Barbara Sjoholm I have published essays and travel articles in The New York Times, Smithsonian, Slate, and American Scholar, as well as many other publications. My focus as a nonfiction writer has been on Scandinavia and the Indigenous Sami people of the Nordic countries (Black Fox, Palace of the Snow Queen). I also translate from Danish (By the Fire: Sami Folktales) and Norwegian (Clearing Out by Helene Uri).

As Barbara Wilson I have a long career as a mystery writer, with two series featuring lesbian sleuths, Pam Nilsen, a printer in Seattle, and the globe-trotting translator Cassandra Reilly. Gaudi Afternoon, with Cassandra, and set in Barcelona, was awarded a Lambda and a British Crime Writers Award and made into a film with Judy Davis and Marcia Gay Harden. After a bit of a hiatus, I've resumed writing mysteries with Cassandra Reilly. The latest is Not the Real Jupiter, with more to follow.

Reviews

[Victoria B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this might be one of the most remarkable books I’ve ever read. I had never heard of a book focused on lesbian +women fiction that was written in the 1980’s, I just had to read it when I found it. This was done SO well. I normally never read short stories but this one had me on the edge of my seat. My favorite was the story at the end, I even teared up which I rarely do for books. What a find. Id recommend this book to anyone.

[dianne b. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite spotty, as short story collections can be. i liked the title story, "Miss Venezuela" and enjoyed "Il Circo Delle Donne" but found "Looking for the Golden Gate" irritating. And some, i thought were just dull. Thus, 2 stars.