Erotic Interludes

by Lonnie Garfield Barbach

With her groundbreaking works of erotica, Lonnie Barbach has given women a forum to express their most passionate and imaginative fantasies about sex and sexual encounters. These graphic stories, filled with the unexpected and the forbidden, brilliantly capture the myriad layers, colors, and visions of every woman's sexuality. A book that can be read as a starting point for shared intimacies or as a pleasure experienced in solitude, EROTIC INTERLUDES stimulates the mind as well as the body. These twenty-one stories by and about women--yound and old, married and single, heterosexual and lesbian--bring a feminine point of view to such subjects as mysterious partners, racy games, and risque encounters. But most important, EROTIC INTERLUDES is fun, celebrating a woman's sensualtiy and reaffirming her right to the positive pleasures and adventure of sex. The result is a classic work of explicit passion, ready to be thoroughly enjoyed.

Genres: Erotica, Fiction, Short Stories, Literature

289 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Reflection · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five totally glowing stars for my most frequent read: 'The House of the Twin Jewels' by Gayle Feyrer

I realised today that although I have read and reread this story at least a hundred times the anthology does not have a mention in my bookshelves.

I am really glad that 2016 is a much more enlightened world around equality issues (although it still has some very dark places) than thirty years ago when I first opened the pages of what I felt was a radical and progressive concept, erotica written by and for women.

When I discovered this collection of short stories I was enchanted by the risque nature of book and a concept that seemed hugely new and exciting. I read all of the stories with delight, liking some more than others, but the one that stands out by far, and the short story I return to again and again (and now where my ancient hard back copy falls naturally open) is:

'The House of the Twin Jewels'

Gayle Feyrer paints a gloriously dark and intense alternative universe / SF depiction of lust and beauty as the protagonist an alien woman falls for a human male pleasure-slave.

Each time I read it, I set myself the target of not crying and it gets me every time. Tears are shed both in sorrow and happiness.

I don't think there's a single element of the story that I do not love. I want desperately to know what happened to protagonists before they met and afterwards. What comes next after the week long snapshot of their encounter? It has captured my imagination for thirty years now.

I don't think this story has aged, it still feels fresh and vibrant. Perhaps some of the other stories have fared less well (I confess I haven't read them more than once or twice). I just stick with my guilty pleasure and thought it time to pay it tribute.

Gayle Feyrer uses other nom de plumes to write historical fiction including Taylor Chase and as I discovered today, Yves Fey plus a whole new full length story I didn't know about and has now shot to the top of my TBR pile: Floats the Dark Shadow. Woo hoo.

[penelopewanders]

anthology, seem to recall there were some overlaps with another anthology.

[Elizabeth]

trade paper first paperback edition 1987
several copies

[Carolee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twenty-one erotic tales by women - for women; edited by Lonnie Barbach - my 1986 copy cites her as a Ph. D.

[Caleb Mar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good on those parts that explained the theme, though a vast majority of the stories were not for me. Some of them were really, really good. If you want to find some erotica authors and don't know where to go; or you're interested in the components that make erotica, this is a solid read.