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Benediction
Grace is a junior at Immaculate Blessing Academy for Girls in Queens, New York. She deeply admires young, devout Sister Mary Alice. Her best friend is Anne, whose central topic of conversation is how far she will go with her boyfriend. Grace is relieved to be dating unaggressive Glen, who is thinking of becoming a priest.
Grace looks up to the swaggering, self-assured Linda Amato, star center of the champion basketball team. Then she accidentally discovers an electrifying secret about Linda.
When Grace meets rebellious, sensuous Meg, her entire life becomes a cauldron of powerful emotion and chaotic desire. To be close to her, Grace defies her mother. And risks her friendship with Anne. Glen makes new demands and Sister Mary Alice issues a troubling moral challenge.
And Meg - what is Grace to make of Meg's ardent yet contradictory behavior? Can the intimidating, intriguing Linda Amato help to lead Grace out of this morass? And will Grace have the courage to break all conventions and claim the love, and the life, she comes to see is her true nature and destiny?
Grace looks up to the swaggering, self-assured Linda Amato, star center of the champion basketball team. Then she accidentally discovers an electrifying secret about Linda.
When Grace meets rebellious, sensuous Meg, her entire life becomes a cauldron of powerful emotion and chaotic desire. To be close to her, Grace defies her mother. And risks her friendship with Anne. Glen makes new demands and Sister Mary Alice issues a troubling moral challenge.
And Meg - what is Grace to make of Meg's ardent yet contradictory behavior? Can the intimidating, intriguing Linda Amato help to lead Grace out of this morass? And will Grace have the courage to break all conventions and claim the love, and the life, she comes to see is her true nature and destiny?
260 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
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97 people want to read
About the author
Diane Salvatore
17 books8 followersDiane Salvatore is the author of four novels, Benediction, which was a Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award; Love, Zena Beth; Paxton Court; One of Our Own; and a story collection, Not Telling Mother. During her nearly 30 years as a senior-level editor and editor in chief at several of America's national women's magazines, she served on the board of the American Society of Magazine Editors and appeared frequently on the Today Show and Good Morning America. Today she is publisher of Broadway Books. Diane and her partner live in New Jersey.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 7, 2018
I usually don't pick too many young adult novels. Reading about kids easily 30 and in this case 40 years younger than me in a romantic setting makes me feel somewhat pervy, but sometimes I come across one that begs to be read and Benediction appealed to me.
So yes, the main characters are 15 and they go through all the things teenagers suffer through. First love, bff's, first lust, unwelcome advances from boys, keeping secrets from the rents, feeling like nobody understands you. The story is set in Queens, New York with a strict Catholic school as the backdrop and a time period that is undefined (the book was published in 1991 but there is a certain naivety about the characters that gives it a late-50ies feel).
I think Diane Salvatore did a splendid job getting into the mind of young Grace as she discovers and explores her feelings for her best friend Meg. Homosexuality is pretty much a demon for all involved in this story and it made me realise that kids these days are much more knowledgeable about their sexuality than our main characters are.
Benediction is a well written, honest and sweet coming of age and coming out story that even little-old-me could still relate to ;-)
f/f explicit
Themes: young love, oh those raging hormones and not knowing what to do with it yet.
5 stars
So yes, the main characters are 15 and they go through all the things teenagers suffer through. First love, bff's, first lust, unwelcome advances from boys, keeping secrets from the rents, feeling like nobody understands you. The story is set in Queens, New York with a strict Catholic school as the backdrop and a time period that is undefined (the book was published in 1991 but there is a certain naivety about the characters that gives it a late-50ies feel).
I think Diane Salvatore did a splendid job getting into the mind of young Grace as she discovers and explores her feelings for her best friend Meg. Homosexuality is pretty much a demon for all involved in this story and it made me realise that kids these days are much more knowledgeable about their sexuality than our main characters are.
Benediction is a well written, honest and sweet coming of age and coming out story that even little-old-me could still relate to ;-)
f/f explicit
Themes: young love, oh those raging hormones and not knowing what to do with it yet.
5 stars
May 8, 2012
Interesting read! I was very skeptical that I could like this as it looked like one of those really cheesy, cheap books that get published just because the specialised LGBT publishers will publish anything they can get their hands on regardless of quality. But for once the bad title and cover graphics did not match what was inside.
It's a coming of age novel about Grace, aged fifteen, who goes to an extremely religious school and is surrounded by nuns and the typical hypocrisy of Catholicism. It has some very common elements to this type of lesbian novels, for example, Grace's best friend is just discovering boys and sex and is extremely excited about it, and Grace just doesn't get it, and fools herself that it could be because she has "the calling" or isn't with the right person.
In fact, when Grace begins a secret relationship with school mate Meg, she realises that she can in fact be very sexual and even ends up losing her virginity before her best friend who is described as more liberated and sexually positive.
One thing that I thought was problematic with this book was that it was occasionally too descriptive and I found myself skimming some bits that were not terribly necessary to the plot. The final resolution felt a bit rushed and left me wanting more. Especially I would have liked to know what happened to Meg.
Overall considering when this book was written, it must have been pretty groundbreaking at the time, and funnily enough one of the things that really struck me is the mail-order information at the end for similar titles. I can't imagine a time when books like these were not readily available and I'm sure that despite the very trite - and slightly annoying - "I love you but I'm not a lesbian" undertones, it must have been very comforting to a lot of people in its time. However I don't think I understood if it was mostly aimed at young adults or grownups, because for a mostly YA book I thought the sex scenes were a little too graphic.
One last note -
It's a coming of age novel about Grace, aged fifteen, who goes to an extremely religious school and is surrounded by nuns and the typical hypocrisy of Catholicism. It has some very common elements to this type of lesbian novels, for example, Grace's best friend is just discovering boys and sex and is extremely excited about it, and Grace just doesn't get it, and fools herself that it could be because she has "the calling" or isn't with the right person.
In fact, when Grace begins a secret relationship with school mate Meg, she realises that she can in fact be very sexual and even ends up losing her virginity before her best friend who is described as more liberated and sexually positive.
One thing that I thought was problematic with this book was that it was occasionally too descriptive and I found myself skimming some bits that were not terribly necessary to the plot. The final resolution felt a bit rushed and left me wanting more. Especially I would have liked to know what happened to Meg.
Overall considering when this book was written, it must have been pretty groundbreaking at the time, and funnily enough one of the things that really struck me is the mail-order information at the end for similar titles. I can't imagine a time when books like these were not readily available and I'm sure that despite the very trite - and slightly annoying - "I love you but I'm not a lesbian" undertones, it must have been very comforting to a lot of people in its time. However I don't think I understood if it was mostly aimed at young adults or grownups, because for a mostly YA book I thought the sex scenes were a little too graphic.
One last note -
April 4, 2013
Meh, this book didn't cover any new ground or take the cliched schoolgirl lesbian story in a new direction. A few times I thought it might be edging towards Heavenly Creatures territory. Boring, predictable, maudlin, and old fashioned read.
February 16, 2021
An intriguing and very different read for me.
I liked the simple ness of the writing and ease of reading .
Grace was such a nice character. Divided between her love for meg. Her catholic faith and the pressure from her mom.
I liked the background of the catholic school and Sister Mary Alice . Grace grew such strength during reading the book , funding her own character and standing up for what she believed in .
I liked the simple ness of the writing and ease of reading .
Grace was such a nice character. Divided between her love for meg. Her catholic faith and the pressure from her mom.
I liked the background of the catholic school and Sister Mary Alice . Grace grew such strength during reading the book , funding her own character and standing up for what she believed in .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2024
This well written story delivers all the feelings of a teenage girl whose lingering childhood innocence and dreams are suddenly crashed into by her unexpected sexual awakening.
It evokes the rush of passion of first love and rising sexual desire, as well as the anxiety and isolation of feeling righteous while being condemned by her entire world.
It evokes the rush of passion of first love and rising sexual desire, as well as the anxiety and isolation of feeling righteous while being condemned by her entire world.
December 21, 2024
Despite published 1991 and set in the beginning of the 1970s, this book feels nothing like dated. It is so much "I told you so--good luck, babe!" that it could be right out of a current pop song. Oh, the lesbian heartbreak!
April 22, 2011
OMG YES! Now this is what I'm talking 'bout. Absolutely fantastic book that I am so glad I finally read. Not going to lie, when I received it and saw it was published by Naiad I was a bit wary, simply because the past couple of books I've read from them haven't been that amazing. It was starting to feel like they'd just publish anything that was gay enough, and as much as I want to read as many gay books as I can find, I won't just read anything because there are certain things that I don't like, and even if the main girl likes another girl, that still sometimes isn't enough to save the book for me.
But Benediction wasn't like that at all, it was good. The characters were good, the story was good, the writing was good! The relationship was very well written and properly developed, as opposed to, for example, the one in Broken Wings that just wasn't as believable. I loved Grace and Meg, and could really believe in them and their progression. I love that it wasn't rushed, they didn't just hop into bed together straight away - and when they did get that far, it was very well done. No crude language, no pages and pages of gratuitous descriptions, nothing at all to cheapen it. I appreciate mature, elegant language when it comes to sex, and I also appreciate an author who knows when to fade to black.
Well done, Diane Salvatore; you well and truly rocked my socks! And I have faith in Naiad again. ;)
I really, really loved Grace, and I loved her journey through the book - from catching out two seniors, Joan and Linda, to the end where she befriends Linda because this is the only other gay chick she possibly knows, and Linda ends up taking her to a gay bar and helping Grace see that she isn't alone, and she isn't bad - no matter what all those stupid priests and nuns say! They irritated the heck out of me, but then I guess they were supposed to. ;) Just so, so foolish though - and they were shown as such, totally contradicting themselves; like how love is such a godly thing and to love is the most wonderful thing ever... but oh wait you can't love that person! Ugh. They fail. I loved when Grace stood up to Sister Mary Alice too, about what content was to go in the school magazine.
I loved Meg as well, and was so sad that it couldn't end happily ever after for them. I was disappointed that Meg ended up being a coward, although I wasn't left annoyed at the end of the book because the close, with Grace and Linda and Adele, was truly awesome. Also, Anne rocked! I love how supportive and okay with it all she was. That's a true friend, that this type of book doesn't always provide for the heroine. :)
I wanted to slap Grace's mother, but then who wouldn't? Aw, I was so upset when she was prepared to just up and move to Long Island, and so happy when they decided to stay until Grace was finished school!
Oh, and I kind of want a sequel now too. Seriously, when it comes to gay heroines, Grace is totally up there. Also, you know how Annie on My Mind is like, the classic? Forget it, that title should go to Benediction. This is a book that every gay girl needs to read and enjoy.
But Benediction wasn't like that at all, it was good. The characters were good, the story was good, the writing was good! The relationship was very well written and properly developed, as opposed to, for example, the one in Broken Wings that just wasn't as believable. I loved Grace and Meg, and could really believe in them and their progression. I love that it wasn't rushed, they didn't just hop into bed together straight away - and when they did get that far, it was very well done. No crude language, no pages and pages of gratuitous descriptions, nothing at all to cheapen it. I appreciate mature, elegant language when it comes to sex, and I also appreciate an author who knows when to fade to black.
Well done, Diane Salvatore; you well and truly rocked my socks! And I have faith in Naiad again. ;)
I really, really loved Grace, and I loved her journey through the book - from catching out two seniors, Joan and Linda, to the end where she befriends Linda because this is the only other gay chick she possibly knows, and Linda ends up taking her to a gay bar and helping Grace see that she isn't alone, and she isn't bad - no matter what all those stupid priests and nuns say! They irritated the heck out of me, but then I guess they were supposed to. ;) Just so, so foolish though - and they were shown as such, totally contradicting themselves; like how love is such a godly thing and to love is the most wonderful thing ever... but oh wait you can't love that person! Ugh. They fail. I loved when Grace stood up to Sister Mary Alice too, about what content was to go in the school magazine.
I loved Meg as well, and was so sad that it couldn't end happily ever after for them. I was disappointed that Meg ended up being a coward, although I wasn't left annoyed at the end of the book because the close, with Grace and Linda and Adele, was truly awesome. Also, Anne rocked! I love how supportive and okay with it all she was. That's a true friend, that this type of book doesn't always provide for the heroine. :)
I wanted to slap Grace's mother, but then who wouldn't? Aw, I was so upset when she was prepared to just up and move to Long Island, and so happy when they decided to stay until Grace was finished school!
Oh, and I kind of want a sequel now too. Seriously, when it comes to gay heroines, Grace is totally up there. Also, you know how Annie on My Mind is like, the classic? Forget it, that title should go to Benediction. This is a book that every gay girl needs to read and enjoy.
July 7, 2025
Good luck babe!
May 10, 2016
Another from the Herstory Archives booksale.
Rounded up to a four, as it is decent or better YA from when there was a lot less of it. Several characters who we get to know well feel very real. A couple peripheral folks have a nuanced moment or two. Others are pretty much there to be obstacles, but they do their job. It's a fast and enjoyable read overall. And sweet. A not super surprising but well done coming of age arc.
One odd thing...I had some trouble identifying the time period. And double checking that it was printed in 1991 didn't end my wondering. It is possible that because this was set in a seemingly more residential part of Queens and largely in a Catholic high school that the sense of time/place fits, but at more than once I wondered if this was maybe written at an earlier time and published later.
Rounded up to a four, as it is decent or better YA from when there was a lot less of it. Several characters who we get to know well feel very real. A couple peripheral folks have a nuanced moment or two. Others are pretty much there to be obstacles, but they do their job. It's a fast and enjoyable read overall. And sweet. A not super surprising but well done coming of age arc.
One odd thing...I had some trouble identifying the time period. And double checking that it was printed in 1991 didn't end my wondering. It is possible that because this was set in a seemingly more residential part of Queens and largely in a Catholic high school that the sense of time/place fits, but at more than once I wondered if this was maybe written at an earlier time and published later.
April 29, 2015
This book was incredibly homosexual. And also incredibly dated. But the sex scenes were nice.
May 4, 2014
Very good book. Sad in parts and so powerful in others.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews