Both Sides

by Saxon Bennett

Fresh out of college, wild and girl-crazy Jane Graves is a flame-throwing member of the in-your-face direct action group, the Dyke Defenders. As inwardly controlled as she is outwardly outrageous, Jane would never admit that she falls into bed with scores of women to avoid falling in love with one.

The polar opposite of her sister- except that they're both gay- athletic, well-mannered Fiona Graves keeps her life as organized as her day-timer. In fact, Fiona always seems so together that no one suspects how hard she is struggling to keep both her relationship and her writing career from falling apart.

With Jane back in town, the two unlikely sisters and the many women in their lives cautiously cross paths, unaware that profound changes are about to take place as each learns to take a deeper look at both sides... of love, life and each other.

A hot, humorous look at lesbian politics, family ties, and a community of women falling in and out of love.

Genres: Lesbian, Lesbian Fiction

184 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1999

About the author

Saxon Bennett is an admitted bibliophile and has the bookcases to prove it. Her favorite book is Harriet the Spy. She grew up among the pine trees of Washington where she learned to be a Keeper of Odd Knowledge with a special liking for new words - the queerer the better. She has a penchant for inspirational quotes - the more motivational the better. A serious aficionado of pie, she also drinks a lot of coffee and tea - especially when she’s writing, which she does every day. Saxon is a parent and a wife—two things she never thought she’d be - and she writes blogs about her family in the style of Erma Bombeck. In her next life she wants to be a professional snowboarder. She likes to grow flowers and tend to her pond. Jelly beans, gummy bears and licorice are her favorite candies. An avid walker with a goal to walk every street in her small town, she hits the pavement each morning. To keep herself limber, she does beginner yoga. She’d like to learn to meditate but her mind is as restless as a squirrel trapped in a box. As an amateur seamstress, she is endlessly trying to create the perfect butch purse. Her favorite quote is “Man plans, God laughs.” Saxon is the author of fifteen novels. Her book Family Affair won the Goldie for General Fiction in 2009. She won the Alice B. Reader Award for her body of work in 2012. Her second book in the Family Affair trilogy entitled Marching to a Different Accordion won a Golden Crown Literary Award for general fiction in 2012. Her book In the Unlikely Event is the final book in the Family Affair trilogy. All her books are available at Amazon and Bella Books in both print and electronic format. She has also written two books with her partner Layce Gardner and they are More than a Kiss and Crazy Little thing. Check them out on Amazon.

Reviews

[Susana · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my second book by Saxon Bennett. I had read “Old Ties” and I liked it, and so I was prepared to like “Both Sides”. Unfortunately, this book was a big disappointment. Saxon Bennett describes a group of friends, mostly involved in lesbian activism, while they have sex, betray and fall in and out of love with each other. Bennett tries to be witty by making her characters stereotypical, by questioning their interest in activism - they confess they’ve become activists because it is much easier to get laid than going to bars – and by questioning the monogamic vs non-monogamic nature of their relationships. However, the result is rather poor. To tell the story, Bennett uses multiple point of views and is always changing the POV, even in the middle of scenes. Besides becoming confusing, this also adds to the distance between characters and reader. She ends the book with clichés regarding relationships and how to make them work.

[Naiya Vasquez-Castaneda · Rating 3 out of 5]

So drama so delish like reading reality tv

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed it overall.

Main exception: I was disappointed to watch a non-monogamous woman become monogamous in a way that made it seem like her previous way of living was just a lead-up to the eventual end of monogamy. I was surprised that a queer book from Naiad Press would go this route. In fairness, it was potentially plausable that this would happen to this character. What I didn't like was how the language portrayed this transition, as if it was so clearly the expected and logical thing to do.

[Steve Going · Rating 1 out of 5]

If zero were an option then that'd be the grade

Unfortunately, one star us the lowest I could give. Hated the story, the characters, the relationships, the ending and anything else about this sorry book.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seemed a little flighty at times, and I agree with the reviewer who mentioned it was a disappointing view on non monogamy.