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Beebo Brinker #1
Odd Girl Out
2016 Reprint of 1957 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software.
Bannon is one of only a very few women who have written about being lesbian during the 1950s and 1960s. Her novels, all issued as paperbacks with ongoing characters, reflect the repressiveness of those decades and reveal how much needed to change. Bannon presents all the constraints that gays endured in the 1950's; the fear of sharing one's personal life one's coworkers, friends or even family because if could mean losing everything; and if the police were called, there was always the risk of jail.
Laura Landon is a sheltered freshman at a fictional university in a Midwestern town. Intensely shy and introverted, she is drawn to the president of the Student Union, Beth Cullison.
Beth is outgoing and friendly, experienced socially (with men, particularly) but feels a void in her life. She doesn't understand how the other girls are so fulfilled by the men in their lives, despite having tried. Every time she allows herself to be intimate with one, she breaks it off out of disappointment.
Bannon is one of only a very few women who have written about being lesbian during the 1950s and 1960s. Her novels, all issued as paperbacks with ongoing characters, reflect the repressiveness of those decades and reveal how much needed to change. Bannon presents all the constraints that gays endured in the 1950's; the fear of sharing one's personal life one's coworkers, friends or even family because if could mean losing everything; and if the police were called, there was always the risk of jail.
Laura Landon is a sheltered freshman at a fictional university in a Midwestern town. Intensely shy and introverted, she is drawn to the president of the Student Union, Beth Cullison.
Beth is outgoing and friendly, experienced socially (with men, particularly) but feels a void in her life. She doesn't understand how the other girls are so fulfilled by the men in their lives, despite having tried. Every time she allows herself to be intimate with one, she breaks it off out of disappointment.
192 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1957
107 people are currently reading
4029 people want to read
About the author
Ann Bannon
22 books166 followersAnn Bannon (pseudonym of Ann Weldy) is an American author and academic. She is known for her lesbian pulp novels, which comprise The Beebo Brinker Chronicles and earned her the title "Queen of Lesbian Pulp Fiction."
Bannon was featured in the documentaries Before Stonewall (1984) and Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives (1992)
Bannon was featured in the documentaries Before Stonewall (1984) and Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives (1992)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 243 reviews
July 24, 2016
I love this book. Even though it was published before even my mother was born, this book impacted my life in a way that I can't put into words adequately. I was seventeen years old, queer and miserable and living in an extremely rural and insular area, and I felt that I was the only girl in the world who was attracted to other girls. This was pre-internet, of course. I knew that there were men who were attracted to men (my best friend was one of them), but I had never (knowingly) met a woman attracted to another woman.
I was on vacation in Maine, and I found a little used bookstore. I started looking through the titles, and for some reason "Odd Girl Out" caught my eye. And then...the cover. Oh man, the cover. It was the Naiad Press version, the one with two girls kissing in silhouette, and my heart literally felt as if it came to a stop. I had to buy this book. It took me almost a half hour to gather up the courage to take it up to the counter, and the entire time I was afraid that my family would come find me and I'd have to put the book down and leave it behind. I remember reading that book that night, in the dark, the pages illuminated by a flashlight. I was terrified of being caught, but I HAD to read this in one sitting. And I did.
And even though it's not a particularly happy ending, Laura resonated with me. I was Laura. There were other Lauras out there; I only had to find them. And a year later, I discovered the internet and chat rooms and my life was irrevocably changed for the better, but this book validated me. This book told me that I wasn't alone. I still have the Naiad Press version, tattered and creased and well-loved and -read, sitting beside the newer Cleis Press version. If I had to pick one book that impacted my life above all others, this is probably the one that I'd choose.
I was on vacation in Maine, and I found a little used bookstore. I started looking through the titles, and for some reason "Odd Girl Out" caught my eye. And then...the cover. Oh man, the cover. It was the Naiad Press version, the one with two girls kissing in silhouette, and my heart literally felt as if it came to a stop. I had to buy this book. It took me almost a half hour to gather up the courage to take it up to the counter, and the entire time I was afraid that my family would come find me and I'd have to put the book down and leave it behind. I remember reading that book that night, in the dark, the pages illuminated by a flashlight. I was terrified of being caught, but I HAD to read this in one sitting. And I did.
And even though it's not a particularly happy ending, Laura resonated with me. I was Laura. There were other Lauras out there; I only had to find them. And a year later, I discovered the internet and chat rooms and my life was irrevocably changed for the better, but this book validated me. This book told me that I wasn't alone. I still have the Naiad Press version, tattered and creased and well-loved and -read, sitting beside the newer Cleis Press version. If I had to pick one book that impacted my life above all others, this is probably the one that I'd choose.
November 7, 2011
This review was written for The Lesbrary.
Laura goes off to college and meets Beth. Beth inspires in her a frenzied, frightening passion, which she can barely contain. Beth, in her loneliness, is drawn to Laura’s worship of her. They start an affair. Until Beth meets Charlie, and finally falls in love.
This is basically the plot of Ann Bannon’s Odd Girl Out and on this cursory, superficial level, I sort of enjoyed it. It’s not the best written story I have ever read, and in particular, I found the narrative head hopping from one character to the next jarring. However, as a pulp novel, it satisfies. There are a lot of trembling arms and heaving sighs, a lot of exclamatory statements and women on the brink of overwhelming desires.
As a modern day reader, I didn’t much like it. Laura, for being the star of the scandalous lesbian plot, fairly disappears from the book for the last half. When she is present, her character is presented as an underwhelming girl-child, always crying or about to cry. Beth’s motivations for wandering in and out of a lesbian romance are explained in the most facile psych 101 terms (she wasn’t loved enough as a child!). Charlie is an odd combination of tender and caveman, having his way in the name of Good & Manly Decision-making whenever the plot requires it.
As a modern day lesbian, I liked it even less. I will say, that for something produced in pulp literature world of the late 1950s, Odd Girl Out is less judgemental and less condemning than I expected. There is no happy queer ending, but on the other hand, Laura is able to achieve a sort of self-acceptance that is presented in an admirable light. Beth and Charlie definitely win the narrative race to heteronormative success, but Bannon carves out a small space for Laura too, and I appreciated that.
Laura goes off to college and meets Beth. Beth inspires in her a frenzied, frightening passion, which she can barely contain. Beth, in her loneliness, is drawn to Laura’s worship of her. They start an affair. Until Beth meets Charlie, and finally falls in love.
This is basically the plot of Ann Bannon’s Odd Girl Out and on this cursory, superficial level, I sort of enjoyed it. It’s not the best written story I have ever read, and in particular, I found the narrative head hopping from one character to the next jarring. However, as a pulp novel, it satisfies. There are a lot of trembling arms and heaving sighs, a lot of exclamatory statements and women on the brink of overwhelming desires.
As a modern day reader, I didn’t much like it. Laura, for being the star of the scandalous lesbian plot, fairly disappears from the book for the last half. When she is present, her character is presented as an underwhelming girl-child, always crying or about to cry. Beth’s motivations for wandering in and out of a lesbian romance are explained in the most facile psych 101 terms (she wasn’t loved enough as a child!). Charlie is an odd combination of tender and caveman, having his way in the name of Good & Manly Decision-making whenever the plot requires it.
As a modern day lesbian, I liked it even less. I will say, that for something produced in pulp literature world of the late 1950s, Odd Girl Out is less judgemental and less condemning than I expected. There is no happy queer ending, but on the other hand, Laura is able to achieve a sort of self-acceptance that is presented in an admirable light. Beth and Charlie definitely win the narrative race to heteronormative success, but Bannon carves out a small space for Laura too, and I appreciated that.
August 20, 2019
Fabulous, vivid read that had me rapt. If you're interested in the roots of lesfic, you absolutely must read this book, because this is where it started. There's a clear line to be drawn from this book to Curious Wine to Karin Kallmaker, Georgia Beers, etc.
Also, for anyone curious, I was expecting a terrible ending, and while it may not have bee a happily ever after for Laura and Beth, it was optimistic in its own way. I'm so glad I read it.
Also, for anyone curious, I was expecting a terrible ending, and while it may not have bee a happily ever after for Laura and Beth, it was optimistic in its own way. I'm so glad I read it.
September 5, 2021
3.5
I don’t know how to really rate this, based on enjoyment or objectively ? the fact that it is written in the 50’s doesn’t make it that fair to judge it objectively in my opinion.
Anyway, based on enjoyment. I kind of liked it, before anyone points out that it’s toxic i literally found it in a “Toxic Lesbian Relationships” list. It’s fun, it’s confusing, there’s a lot of tension between the girls and honestly gives a better understanding on how it was for lesbians in the 50’s. I would like a different ending but there’s more to the series, so maybe it makes sense. Beth was really toxic in the process of trying to keep peace but so was Laura, being possessive and acting in a certain way to get what she wants.
Objectively it’s not that impressive, the writing style is confusing — we know stuff because we’re literally told, some things should be shown better through what’s happening (and some left for us to put two and two together). So yeah, there were no interesting writing techniques, really plain and simple but again, 50’s, but there are also old books that kind of got the writing right. Anyway, 50’s lesbian book, yay.
To conclude i don’t know how to rate this, It’s good but not incredible but it also got my attention, and honestly, it’s fun to read mediocre gay books, you just read and don’t have to think much.
I don’t know how to really rate this, based on enjoyment or objectively ? the fact that it is written in the 50’s doesn’t make it that fair to judge it objectively in my opinion.
Anyway, based on enjoyment. I kind of liked it, before anyone points out that it’s toxic i literally found it in a “Toxic Lesbian Relationships” list. It’s fun, it’s confusing, there’s a lot of tension between the girls and honestly gives a better understanding on how it was for lesbians in the 50’s. I would like a different ending but there’s more to the series, so maybe it makes sense. Beth was really toxic in the process of trying to keep peace but so was Laura, being possessive and acting in a certain way to get what she wants.
Objectively it’s not that impressive, the writing style is confusing — we know stuff because we’re literally told, some things should be shown better through what’s happening (and some left for us to put two and two together). So yeah, there were no interesting writing techniques, really plain and simple but again, 50’s, but there are also old books that kind of got the writing right. Anyway, 50’s lesbian book, yay.
To conclude i don’t know how to rate this, It’s good but not incredible but it also got my attention, and honestly, it’s fun to read mediocre gay books, you just read and don’t have to think much.
February 18, 2008
Read. This. Book.
Bannon was a young housewife who was left alone by her traveling salesman husband in 1955. She witnessed one of her sorority sisters fall in love with another while in college. It was unrequited, but it was intense enough to spark something in Bannon that made her question her sexuality, but dropped the seed of this book into her mind.
Laura Landon's realization of her love for her sorority sister is so intense, and described in such vivid detail that I could hardly breathe while reading it. In 2003. I can only imagine reading this kind of passion in 1957 when it was first published - and I don't mean passion in a fully sexual way. It is clear in bright vivid light shining from Bannon's words that she loved these characters desperately. She loved their lives and what they did and said. They were her life. They lived in the pages of her books and in her head. They were her outlet because even though she realized that she was also attracted to women, she also knew she was unable to live the life necessary to love women freely in the 1950s and 1960s.
The disappointing ending isn't so simple. Don't read it at formulaic. Read it as Bannon's life and experiences to that time. She was 22 when she wrote this book. I am loathe to list the 22-year-olds I've known in my life who had the powers of observation Bannon had in describing the nuances of hidden motivations and desires. In these powers of observation, it follows only that it is tied to a preternatural wisdom. Read the story also as historical text. For this kind of desire to surface and be realized and cherished in 1957 is courage in itself.
See also the story of Bannon's life as parallels to her books: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Bannon (I wrote that, and oh hell yes I'm a fan.)
Bannon was a young housewife who was left alone by her traveling salesman husband in 1955. She witnessed one of her sorority sisters fall in love with another while in college. It was unrequited, but it was intense enough to spark something in Bannon that made her question her sexuality, but dropped the seed of this book into her mind.
Laura Landon's realization of her love for her sorority sister is so intense, and described in such vivid detail that I could hardly breathe while reading it. In 2003. I can only imagine reading this kind of passion in 1957 when it was first published - and I don't mean passion in a fully sexual way. It is clear in bright vivid light shining from Bannon's words that she loved these characters desperately. She loved their lives and what they did and said. They were her life. They lived in the pages of her books and in her head. They were her outlet because even though she realized that she was also attracted to women, she also knew she was unable to live the life necessary to love women freely in the 1950s and 1960s.
The disappointing ending isn't so simple. Don't read it at formulaic. Read it as Bannon's life and experiences to that time. She was 22 when she wrote this book. I am loathe to list the 22-year-olds I've known in my life who had the powers of observation Bannon had in describing the nuances of hidden motivations and desires. In these powers of observation, it follows only that it is tied to a preternatural wisdom. Read the story also as historical text. For this kind of desire to surface and be realized and cherished in 1957 is courage in itself.
See also the story of Bannon's life as parallels to her books: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Bannon (I wrote that, and oh hell yes I'm a fan.)
May 20, 2021
I liked the premise narrated by Ann Bannon herself in which she shed more light on the world of the late 1950s. But as a modern day lesbian I found the book to be too melodramatic and the characters too childish and shallow for my taste.
Still, this being a historically significant book you might want to pick it up if you’re interested in the lesbian pulp fiction genre and what lesbians in the past went through in order to find any representation in literature.
Still, this being a historically significant book you might want to pick it up if you’re interested in the lesbian pulp fiction genre and what lesbians in the past went through in order to find any representation in literature.
June 1, 2017
H κεντρική χαρακτήρας εξαφανίζεται μετα απο κάποια στιγμή απο το προσκήνιο και ασχολούμαστε με τους υπόλοιπους βαρεμένους της παρέας (που δεν μας νοιάζουν κιόλας) με την Μπέθ να είναι και επισήμως η πιο ΚΑΡΧΙΑ αφου δεν ξέρει τι θέλει και τους χορεύει στο ταψί με απαράδεκτες δικαιολογίες και ολίγον τι συντηρητισμό αλλα σε αναμενόμενα πλαίσια για την περίοδο που διαδραματίζεται. Ενδιαφέρουσα ματιά στις ζωές των ομοφυλόφιλων γυναικών του 1950. Το μονο καλό είναι οτι έρχεται η συνειδητοποίηση για την Λώρα την οποία ακολουθούμε και στις υπόλοιπες ιστορίες της σειράς.
April 13, 2021
This was disappointing as I expected more from the author who 'launched lesbian pulp fiction' in the 1950's. The theme here was mostly jealousy of Laura regarding Beth and horrible men.
November 8, 2007
While this book is historically significant as one of the pulp novels of the 1950's and is interesting from that perspective, that doesn't necessarily make it a great read. The characters are kind of shallow and caricaturish but I guess that's representative of the genre.
I wouldn't recommend it for someone looking strictly for good entertainment, but if you want to get some insight to what lesbians in the 1950's went through to find any representations of themselves in literature, then take a look. Bannon's novels are supposed to have the most friendly portrayals of the period.
I wouldn't recommend it for someone looking strictly for good entertainment, but if you want to get some insight to what lesbians in the 1950's went through to find any representations of themselves in literature, then take a look. Bannon's novels are supposed to have the most friendly portrayals of the period.
May 26, 2020
My first foray into the world of lesbian pulp fiction is an interesting and unexpected experience. With expectations set aside for the sake of amusement alone, it's a surprise to find something insightful and satisfying in Odd Girl Out's pages. How the first words that often trail the phrase "pulp fiction" are "perverse" and "smut" make most people stay away from the genre. But the only perversity found in Odd Girl Out is the insistence of men almost without consent (a hand creeping up your thighs with no warning) and the consistent disregard of a character towards another's feelings. Set and published in the 1950s, this is a piece of lesbian history in its own right; lesbianism is believed to be a mental illness by some of the characters if not an ordinary fad most women should grow out of.
Odd Girl Out is the story of college freshie Laura Landon who is instantly enamoured by a senior in her sorority. What is initially and supposedly just a strong girl crush develops into an intense infatuation. But no affection is strengthened without being fed of its hunger. And so ensue the maddening push-and-pull of such forbidden and confusing feelings on both sides. Certainty can't blend with ambivalence; and when commitment is a game for one but a future for another, it obviously spells heartbreak. Yet no character here is completely vilified and there is more or less a reason, be it personal trauma or upbringing (this doesn’t necessarily excuse anyone but rather a chance for understanding their actions), for their motivations; for their selfishness and anger. And whilst the struggle with sexual orientation and first love against someone's experimentation is delineated in a grey area and not in black-and-whites—what a relief that is—it's quite an observation to read the descriptive sexual parts between men and women compared to the restrained and even enigmatic parts between two women. Perhaps this is a cautious reflection of the author's experience in itself who wrote this whilst she was still married, raising two children, and was questioning her own sexuality. She isn't called the "Queen of Lesbian Pulp Fiction" for nothing.
This novel is not written for pleasures of men nor for tragedies, it presents homosexuality in a positive light hence defying the common lesbian tropes and beliefs at the time. And what makes it an absolute outlier is its non-tragic ending (see also: Highsmith's classic The Price of Salt). Bannon's prose is straightforward and simple but she does a fine job of communicating her characters’ emotions if not for some dangling, sudden subplots and awkwardly worded phrases here and there. A necessary read for those interested with the history of lesbianism in literature.
Odd Girl Out is the story of college freshie Laura Landon who is instantly enamoured by a senior in her sorority. What is initially and supposedly just a strong girl crush develops into an intense infatuation. But no affection is strengthened without being fed of its hunger. And so ensue the maddening push-and-pull of such forbidden and confusing feelings on both sides. Certainty can't blend with ambivalence; and when commitment is a game for one but a future for another, it obviously spells heartbreak. Yet no character here is completely vilified and there is more or less a reason, be it personal trauma or upbringing (this doesn’t necessarily excuse anyone but rather a chance for understanding their actions), for their motivations; for their selfishness and anger. And whilst the struggle with sexual orientation and first love against someone's experimentation is delineated in a grey area and not in black-and-whites—what a relief that is—it's quite an observation to read the descriptive sexual parts between men and women compared to the restrained and even enigmatic parts between two women. Perhaps this is a cautious reflection of the author's experience in itself who wrote this whilst she was still married, raising two children, and was questioning her own sexuality. She isn't called the "Queen of Lesbian Pulp Fiction" for nothing.
This novel is not written for pleasures of men nor for tragedies, it presents homosexuality in a positive light hence defying the common lesbian tropes and beliefs at the time. And what makes it an absolute outlier is its non-tragic ending (see also: Highsmith's classic The Price of Salt). Bannon's prose is straightforward and simple but she does a fine job of communicating her characters’ emotions if not for some dangling, sudden subplots and awkwardly worded phrases here and there. A necessary read for those interested with the history of lesbianism in literature.
July 7, 2025
I first read this lesbian pulp classic for a queer studies class in college. I'm so old that taking a queer studies class was pretty revolutionary in itself. I was just coming to terms with my own sexual identity, so this book hit home at the time... two roommates falling in love with one another; one with divorced parents. It felt meant to be!
I also understand the significance of the pulp novel genre (wish I could read my old paper, ha). This is one of--if not the first--books known to deal "sympathetically" with a lesbian relationship. And it features the hallmarks of a pulp novel, with a breathy, needy relationship. In theory, it's not just a tragic tale like so many other lesbian stories.
All that being said, in the modern era, it's hard to enjoy this book. It's not overly well-written and the narrative jumps awkwardly between the two characters. Laura and Beth are stock characters, and a huge part of the plot focuses on Beth's love and adoration of... a man. Gay people are turned into villains, while women are only there to serve the male interest.
Still, I appreciate this story for its cultural significance, its focus on discovering self-identity, and the memories it brought back.
I also understand the significance of the pulp novel genre (wish I could read my old paper, ha). This is one of--if not the first--books known to deal "sympathetically" with a lesbian relationship. And it features the hallmarks of a pulp novel, with a breathy, needy relationship. In theory, it's not just a tragic tale like so many other lesbian stories.
All that being said, in the modern era, it's hard to enjoy this book. It's not overly well-written and the narrative jumps awkwardly between the two characters. Laura and Beth are stock characters, and a huge part of the plot focuses on Beth's love and adoration of... a man. Gay people are turned into villains, while women are only there to serve the male interest.
Still, I appreciate this story for its cultural significance, its focus on discovering self-identity, and the memories it brought back.
July 16, 2009
My coverage of seminal trashy lesbian pulp fiction is woefully lacking. I realized that when I was researching the etymology of "butch," wondering if it could possibly have come from the character "Butch" in the classic board game "Go to the Head of the Class," because, if so, wouldn't that be the greatest thing ever? In my research, next thing I knew, I was reading the Wikipedia biography of Ann Bannon, who wrote some of the best seminal trashy lesbian pulp fiction of all time in her series of books now known as the "Beebo Brinker Chronicles."
"Oh my God!" I thought. "I've been a faker all these years! I pretend to be well-read, but my coverage of seminal trashy lesbian pulp fiction is woefully lacking! In fact, I've never read any seminal trashy lesbian pulp fiction!"
OK, maybe "seminal" was a poor word choice.
Anyway, the thing delivers the goods, baby. It's trashy, it's lesbian, it's pulp fiction, but it's also more. I mean, there's more going on. Imagine reading a Hardy Boys - where you're expecting vocabulary-building ham-handed sleuthery - and getting it - but also seeing metaphor and rhyming characters and hypocrisy and symbolism. Weird, right?
That's like here. It's hard to believe it was written in the 1950's. She's able to present a lesbian college relationship without a) judging it or b) writing with an obvious agenda where the heterosexuals are straw-man hypocrites. Characters aren't good or evil. They're confused, manipulative, understanding, bitter, loving, hypocritical, empathizable. They mean well. The most sacrificial character is a heterosexual girl; the most manipulative, selfish character is a lesbian. At the same time, none of the major characters are unlikable.
It's always a pleasant surprise when a work of art transcends the form: "Blade Runner," "Saturday Night Fever," "The Gold Rush." I've just never been caught so offguard. My expectations haven't been this upended in a novel since "Frankenstein" opened with the monster running a dogsled in the Arctic Circle.
Five stars all the way.
...
...Um, and "Butch" does not derive from the character in "Go to the Head of the Class." Its meaning in lesbian slang predates the game. Maybe the character in the game was named by a board-game loving lesbian. Anybody know?
"Oh my God!" I thought. "I've been a faker all these years! I pretend to be well-read, but my coverage of seminal trashy lesbian pulp fiction is woefully lacking! In fact, I've never read any seminal trashy lesbian pulp fiction!"
OK, maybe "seminal" was a poor word choice.
Anyway, the thing delivers the goods, baby. It's trashy, it's lesbian, it's pulp fiction, but it's also more. I mean, there's more going on. Imagine reading a Hardy Boys - where you're expecting vocabulary-building ham-handed sleuthery - and getting it - but also seeing metaphor and rhyming characters and hypocrisy and symbolism. Weird, right?
That's like here. It's hard to believe it was written in the 1950's. She's able to present a lesbian college relationship without a) judging it or b) writing with an obvious agenda where the heterosexuals are straw-man hypocrites. Characters aren't good or evil. They're confused, manipulative, understanding, bitter, loving, hypocritical, empathizable. They mean well. The most sacrificial character is a heterosexual girl; the most manipulative, selfish character is a lesbian. At the same time, none of the major characters are unlikable.
It's always a pleasant surprise when a work of art transcends the form: "Blade Runner," "Saturday Night Fever," "The Gold Rush." I've just never been caught so offguard. My expectations haven't been this upended in a novel since "Frankenstein" opened with the monster running a dogsled in the Arctic Circle.
Five stars all the way.
...
...Um, and "Butch" does not derive from the character in "Go to the Head of the Class." Its meaning in lesbian slang predates the game. Maybe the character in the game was named by a board-game loving lesbian. Anybody know?
September 19, 2019
!!!!! I was melting the whole time. I don't even know what to say. I have never read a book quite like this. I can't imagine what it must have been like buying this from a drugstore in the fifties or sixties. I would have been so scared (I'm basically imagining myself as a cisgender femme lesbian, some day I'll unpack that, hmm???).
I'm really glad to say that (also I have never read anything like this before like a romance) there was not really any sex. It was yes definitely some cuddling descriptions but nothing graphic, which I really really appreciated (I am maybe demi??? something else to figure out). It was mostly very very very emotional. I am very very very emotional. I'm 100% going to read more Ann Bannon and also some Vin Packer and Valerie Taylor.
I just. I can't recommend this enough. I especially love the aspects where... hmm... I just started noticing elements that reminded me of Brokeback Mountain, in terms of the orientation of different characters. Also, this book predates popular US feminist movements, but there is some dialogue and inner thoughts of characters that feel very very lesbian feminist separatist / radical feminist, and I am so here for that.
I'm sharing this to my FB. I want everyone to know how much I love this.
I'm really glad to say that (also I have never read anything like this before like a romance) there was not really any sex. It was yes definitely some cuddling descriptions but nothing graphic, which I really really appreciated (I am maybe demi??? something else to figure out). It was mostly very very very emotional. I am very very very emotional. I'm 100% going to read more Ann Bannon and also some Vin Packer and Valerie Taylor.
I just. I can't recommend this enough. I especially love the aspects where... hmm... I just started noticing elements that reminded me of Brokeback Mountain, in terms of the orientation of different characters. Also, this book predates popular US feminist movements, but there is some dialogue and inner thoughts of characters that feel very very lesbian feminist separatist / radical feminist, and I am so here for that.
I'm sharing this to my FB. I want everyone to know how much I love this.
August 1, 2019
This was very much written and set in the 50’s. Focused a lot on straight nonsense for a lesbian novel. Very odd representation of a bisexual (?) character? Wish it was steamier! Didn’t love it, but I have to find out what happens to Laura when she moves to NYC and meets a beautiful butch so I guess I will be reading the next book at some point!
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January 13, 2025Baby’s first lesbian pulp novel! I don’t exactly know how I feel about it. I know there were certain concessions that had to be made to even get queer stories published but there way too many men sorry. A penalty for that in the very least. I also started to roll my eyes at the end of the story but in a way the ending was sort of refreshing! Don’t get me wrong, it was full of cliches in one sense, but even just one character fully accepting her queerness and abandoning convention in the 50s was unexpected.
The introduction is what hit me the hardest though. Thinking of the women reading these novels and seeing themselves for the first time means so much to me. And to think that they got a character who embraced her queerness in the end (and embraced it despite not fitting the “stereotypes”) and that these books were an outlet for Bannon herself is very moving.
I don’t know how to give it a star rating because how I feel about the story itself and how I feel about what this book meant and represented are two very different things.
The introduction is what hit me the hardest though. Thinking of the women reading these novels and seeing themselves for the first time means so much to me. And to think that they got a character who embraced her queerness in the end (and embraced it despite not fitting the “stereotypes”) and that these books were an outlet for Bannon herself is very moving.
I don’t know how to give it a star rating because how I feel about the story itself and how I feel about what this book meant and represented are two very different things.
May 10, 2025
Getwijfeld tussen 1 ster en 5 sterren, maar uit respect voor de moed van de schrijfster toch voor 5 gegaan. Bedankt Ann Bannon voor deze prachtige pulp.
May 22, 2023
2.5 stars. i'm not sure how to rate this book.
i really did not like the ending on principal when beth chooses to stay with THE MAN instead of going with laura. for the first "lesbian pulp fiction"....like gah. i did not think the book would be able to redeem itself at the end if beth ended up leaving, but the whole "laura now knows who she is" slightly worked. the introspection into how beth treated laura as a child, and the entire time laura had been growing up, but really she had grown so much more than beth did while beth was just. GAH. i didn't like the schtik of how mitch was like "oh beth is just going through a phase. she needs real love" and then beth stayed with mitch and HE TURNED OUT TO BE RIGHT.
never a fan of infidelity. although beth was never exclusive with either of them, not the best taste in my mouth.
i was endeared by being able to witness the scenes between beth and laura that are so forever. like every wlw ever and ever wlw in the future. when they wake up together and laura admires her, when laura has the searing jealousy, and the distinct contempt laura held for mitch and everyone else. they didn't understand her love with beth. wanting to run away, wanting to keep the world for you and your lover.
laura's homophobia was interesting. she saw straight sex as "dirty" and her and beth's "love-making" as clean. she saw lesbians as people who wore different clothes and she thought she would be able to tell from their clothes. coupled with the funky leaning into "beth actually being straight and it's just a phase" plot this book kind of felt like it saw lesbians as taboo, a little adventure that would eventually be straightened out by the presence of a man. esp bc laura ceases to be the centre of the ending of the book...is focussed on beth and emmy and bud's scandal. it switches more to the m/w r/ss and meh.
on the men in the story, they harassed the women. like all their dialogue was "where are you...i will get you...now get drunk." and the girls were secretly happy and thrilled at this. maybe that was dating culture of the time, and in 2023 i don't like it, but yeah...not great.
this book felt like the narrator had a complicated r/s with men and their own liking of women. not necessarily the author, but perhaps. they wrote this at 22. there was interesting profiling of male and female roles in a r/s and how beth and laura fit that. as well as how mitch compared to laura.
i wish there was less of laura just being jealous. like...cmon...give me shunning beth, or spending time with mary lou and emmy instead, or changing the dynamic in between laura and beth. it felt like there were maybe two settings: deeply in love and then deeply unsettled and angry. but the second could always become the first if they said "i love you" and hugged. there was soooo much to explore and i'm unsatisfied that the author didn't.
some desc was good. some thoughts struck me, simply bc it meant other writers and lovers had had them one upon a time. another review said some of the characters are caricaturesque, but for the genre, and i agree. campus life was portrayed not unwell, likely bc the author was on campus at that point in her life, but more could have been done. we only get to know three sorority sisters. there's barely anything about their classes and degrees. in fact, laura ends up leaving her education behind, which is fine, it's just...setting feels taken advantage of rather than acknowledged.
i really did not like the ending on principal when beth chooses to stay with THE MAN instead of going with laura. for the first "lesbian pulp fiction"....like gah. i did not think the book would be able to redeem itself at the end if beth ended up leaving, but the whole "laura now knows who she is" slightly worked. the introspection into how beth treated laura as a child, and the entire time laura had been growing up, but really she had grown so much more than beth did while beth was just. GAH. i didn't like the schtik of how mitch was like "oh beth is just going through a phase. she needs real love" and then beth stayed with mitch and HE TURNED OUT TO BE RIGHT.
never a fan of infidelity. although beth was never exclusive with either of them, not the best taste in my mouth.
i was endeared by being able to witness the scenes between beth and laura that are so forever. like every wlw ever and ever wlw in the future. when they wake up together and laura admires her, when laura has the searing jealousy, and the distinct contempt laura held for mitch and everyone else. they didn't understand her love with beth. wanting to run away, wanting to keep the world for you and your lover.
laura's homophobia was interesting. she saw straight sex as "dirty" and her and beth's "love-making" as clean. she saw lesbians as people who wore different clothes and she thought she would be able to tell from their clothes. coupled with the funky leaning into "beth actually being straight and it's just a phase" plot this book kind of felt like it saw lesbians as taboo, a little adventure that would eventually be straightened out by the presence of a man. esp bc laura ceases to be the centre of the ending of the book...is focussed on beth and emmy and bud's scandal. it switches more to the m/w r/ss and meh.
on the men in the story, they harassed the women. like all their dialogue was "where are you...i will get you...now get drunk." and the girls were secretly happy and thrilled at this. maybe that was dating culture of the time, and in 2023 i don't like it, but yeah...not great.
this book felt like the narrator had a complicated r/s with men and their own liking of women. not necessarily the author, but perhaps. they wrote this at 22. there was interesting profiling of male and female roles in a r/s and how beth and laura fit that. as well as how mitch compared to laura.
i wish there was less of laura just being jealous. like...cmon...give me shunning beth, or spending time with mary lou and emmy instead, or changing the dynamic in between laura and beth. it felt like there were maybe two settings: deeply in love and then deeply unsettled and angry. but the second could always become the first if they said "i love you" and hugged. there was soooo much to explore and i'm unsatisfied that the author didn't.
some desc was good. some thoughts struck me, simply bc it meant other writers and lovers had had them one upon a time. another review said some of the characters are caricaturesque, but for the genre, and i agree. campus life was portrayed not unwell, likely bc the author was on campus at that point in her life, but more could have been done. we only get to know three sorority sisters. there's barely anything about their classes and degrees. in fact, laura ends up leaving her education behind, which is fine, it's just...setting feels taken advantage of rather than acknowledged.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 29, 2021
For something written to be disposable & "trashy" this sure has a lot of heart, truthful emotions, & more than a bit of stylistic panache. Maybe not great Art, but a terrific pop culture text. Its reputation now as a lesbian classic is well earned.
Read #15 of "2021: My Year of (Mostly) Midcentury Women Writers"]
Read #15 of "2021: My Year of (Mostly) Midcentury Women Writers"]
September 28, 2021
#leyendofuerte el primer libro de la saga ~The Beebo Brinker Cronichles~, escrita por Ann Bannon (el pseudónimo usado por Ann Weldy para poder escribir este tipo de literatura en su época). Estos cuatro libros, siguen las historias de un grupo de mujeres lesbianas/bisexuales en la sociedad estadounidense de finales de los 50’s y principios de los 60’s pre-stonewall.
Al principio pensaba que iba a tener que volver a leer “el precio de la sal” para recuperarme emocionalmente si la historia acababa mal. Pero no, mucha tensión queer, y con final prometedor.
Le doy: ¡todos los arcoíris! 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈
Al principio pensaba que iba a tener que volver a leer “el precio de la sal” para recuperarme emocionalmente si la historia acababa mal. Pero no, mucha tensión queer, y con final prometedor.
Le doy: ¡todos los arcoíris! 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈
November 8, 2017
It must have taken incredible courage to write books like this in the 50s and even more courage to try and make your way knowing who you are and how you feel. I'm so relieved I don't have to feel like this any more. I hoped I would enjoy this and that it would be light but it has leave me feeling desolate and heavy. I think I'll stick to contemporary lesbian romance and fold this t-shirt and put it back into the cupboard.
February 7, 2023
this shit had me so stressed out
the last half did the biggest 180 i didnt come for this hetero shit!!🙄🙄 laura deserves better
the last half did the biggest 180 i didnt come for this hetero shit!!🙄🙄 laura deserves better
August 10, 2024
Det här är en bit av queerhistoria! Hade aldrig hört talas om eller författaren tidigare men så glad att jag läst denna och ser fram emot att läsa resterande böcker i serien! Den här boken är en lesbisk kiosk litteratur utgiven 1957. Då var Ann Bannon 22 år gammal och hade precis gått klart collage och ville skriva något om det som hon sett och upplevt när hon bodde i sin sorority.
År 2001 skrev hon en reflektion om boken, som nu ligger som förord. Om boken (seriens) liv sedan den gavs ut 57 och det som färgade henne under den tiden. Hon ber även om ursäkt för de stereotyper och försommar som hennes karaktärer uppfyller men jag tycker inte hon har så mycket att be om ursäkt för faktiskt. Vill minnas att serien innehåller 6 böcker och även kallad Beebo Brinker-serien, även om karaktären Beebo ännu inte gjort entré.
Lättläst och funkar bra som strandläsning och andra chill dagar.
År 2001 skrev hon en reflektion om boken, som nu ligger som förord. Om boken (seriens) liv sedan den gavs ut 57 och det som färgade henne under den tiden. Hon ber även om ursäkt för de stereotyper och försommar som hennes karaktärer uppfyller men jag tycker inte hon har så mycket att be om ursäkt för faktiskt. Vill minnas att serien innehåller 6 böcker och även kallad Beebo Brinker-serien, även om karaktären Beebo ännu inte gjort entré.
Lättläst och funkar bra som strandläsning och andra chill dagar.
January 15, 2024
i suppose i was more interested in this book in the historical sense because i wanted to learn a bit about the lesbian pulp genre, but it was just so boring. not for me i guess. ending wasn't a total downer like some lesbian pulp at least. just a mild downer
January 5, 2019
I get that Odd Girl Out was a ground-breaking book in that it was one of the first in the lesbian pulp fiction genre, and Ann Bannon became one of the most famous authors in that genre. I respect that; it's why I was interested in reading the book. But it's just.....not good. Literally nothing happens in this book. There's a few parties, a few "sex" scenes (I put that in quotes because in the 1950's version of a sex scene they basically leave out the sex) and a few of the ladies get into tiffs with each other. But the thing that really bothered me about this book is the relationship between Beth and Laura. It's just awkward. Laura acts like a child all the time, always crying and acting all shy and needy, and Beth responds by babying her all the time, almost like she's Laura's mother. It just seems like an awkward way for two people who are having sex together to behave and it goes on for basically the entire book (until, I grant you, Laura does grow up in the last few pages.) While I didn't care for the plot, I do appreciate Odd Girl Out for giving us a glimpse into 1950's views on morality/normalcy, and I think it's great that Ann Bannon did the best she could to make a lesbian love story work in that era.
Read
October 28, 2020This was my first foray into lesbian pulp novels, and certainly won't be my last. The forward, written by the author, gave so much insight into what it was like to be queer in the McCarthy Era and about the early queer pulp scene. For example: did you know early queer pulp writers had no control over their book covers or titles? That's right, while this book cover shows one fully nude woman and another woman's face (also presumably nude), the most graphic mention of sex between any two people is limited to "making love." Not exactly the lewd stuff you would imagine from a cover like that, but that's because covers and titles often had very little to do with the content of their novels. Title and cover decisions were left to publishers (straight men) who hoped to appeal not only to lesbians but to men as well (good to know that straight men have always thought wlw sex was somehow for their enjoyment I guess *eyeroll*). I think mostly this is a true product of its time, and while it isn't exactly a happy ending it's hardly as bad as the usual "bury your gays" of today. Really worth a read if you are interested in queer culture/lit/history.
March 3, 2018
Me when I first pick up this book:
And me as I finish it:
What else can I say except that I was expecting pulp trash and got a beautiful and heartbreaking coming of age story that I loved more than I ever thought I would. I immediately picked up all of the other volumes of this series and I regret nothing.
P.S.: I think I hate Charley more than almost any other character in literature. He keeps saying "hey, I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to" as he simultaneously grabs people's arms, physically pushes them where he wants them to go, and takes their things away unless they do what he wants. What a prick.
And me as I finish it:
What else can I say except that I was expecting pulp trash and got a beautiful and heartbreaking coming of age story that I loved more than I ever thought I would. I immediately picked up all of the other volumes of this series and I regret nothing.
P.S.: I think I hate Charley more than almost any other character in literature. He keeps saying "hey, I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to" as he simultaneously grabs people's arms, physically pushes them where he wants them to go, and takes their things away unless they do what he wants. What a prick.
May 6, 2021
This book was pretty interesting, to get a 1950s view of lesbian relationships.
Things I liked:
-the bisexual character, Beth, was portrayed in a very realistic but sympathetic way. I overall just liked her character.
-I liked that the ending left room for Laura's happiness. Much media about queer women ends tragically, and in a time when, to be published, lesbian fiction had to feature a tragic end, this was pretty hopeful.
Things I didn't like:
-Laura sucks, I didn't care about her basically at all
-for a short book, it feels long. the plot is kind of drawn out.
-everyone calling each other "honey"--I know this is a 50s affectation but it grated on me
Things I liked:
-the bisexual character, Beth, was portrayed in a very realistic but sympathetic way. I overall just liked her character.
-I liked that the ending left room for Laura's happiness. Much media about queer women ends tragically, and in a time when, to be published, lesbian fiction had to feature a tragic end, this was pretty hopeful.
Things I didn't like:
-Laura sucks, I didn't care about her basically at all
-for a short book, it feels long. the plot is kind of drawn out.
-everyone calling each other "honey"--I know this is a 50s affectation but it grated on me
December 23, 2012
What can I add to what has been said before. These are seminal books, that while slightly dated compared to today's reality, speak with quiet passion and dignity about the struggles and consequences of following your heart, wherever that might lead you.
The over riding message that I have always taken from these books is to be true to yourself.
A must read.
The over riding message that I have always taken from these books is to be true to yourself.
A must read.
November 12, 2024
Total classic. Quick and entertaining read.
August 12, 2021
i loved laura but all the charlie drama wore on me 😔 too much charlie not enough sapphism
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