A Jingle Jangle Song

by Mariana Villa-Gilbert

Late 60s London, folk star Sarah Kumar arrives to give a concert. She is hot stuff and a hot mess - androgynous, awkward and alluring. Kumar attends hip parties, sings to adoring fans and passes out wasted. She is a picture of consummate coolness, hid nervously behind huge sunglasses. Kumar's world is turned upside when she meets an older woman, the intoxicating Mrs Stankovich.
Buried in the archives for far too long, A Jingle Jangle Song is the lost queer novel of the late 1960s. Eccentric and atmospheric, sweet and satirical, the novel celebrates how queer desire erupts in unexpected – and unignorable – ways.

Genres: LGBT, Fiction

165 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1968

Reviews

[Kobe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gorgeous little story...loved it!

[Hannah Wilkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this expecting a novel about music and fame in 60s London, what surprised me was how quietly intimate it turned out to be.

The story follows Sarah Kumar, a rising folk star reminiscent of Joan Baez. She arrives in London to give a concert, hiding behind enormous sunglasses and effortlessly cool she has a persona that feels carefully constructed but fragile. She sings to adoring crowds, drifts through cool parties, drinks too much, passes out, wakes up, does it all again. Outside she’s the image of success, but inside, she’s nervous and unsure of who she is. Her fame never feels glamorous in a glossy way, it feels exhausting, and there was a palpable tension between her public image and interior self.

Everything shifts when she meets Mrs Stankovich, an older woman who is intoxicating in a completely different way. Confident and educated, their connection feels electric with equal parts curiosity and unease, and this is where the book really came to life for me. Watching Sarah navigate that relationship, especially given the imbalance of age, experience and power, is both compelling and a bit uncomfortable. The attraction between them carries a real sense of risk, not just emotional but social and existential. For a novel first published in 1968, it feels quietly radical.

When this was first published, its content was controversial enough to limit its reach, and it has been described as ‘the lost queer novel of the 1960s’. It isn’t just a story about a woman discovering desire. It shows us how constrained and risky that discovery once was.

The writing has a dreamy, slightly disjointed quality that took a little time to settle into, but it suits the story perfectly. I could maybe have taken a little more of the setting, but that’s just personal preference, I love that late-60s era and I wanted ALL the details. That being said, the music, the parties and the cultural shifts of the time are still present, but this is definitely more about the characters and their connection.

It is sensual, uneasy, and quietly sad… a novel about fame, desire, and the cost of being seen before you fully understand yourself.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah Kumar, folk singer, is only twenty-two but already burnt out by the demands and loneliness of her fame. When she is shown a rare kindness by an older, married woman, Jane Stankovich, the two are magnetically drawn together.

I really enjoyed this short, raw novel set over just a few days in 1960s London. I appreciated that the narrative perspective shifts between the two women, giving insight into the more composed, self-contained Mrs Stankovich (even Sarah can't think of her by her first name), while Sarah spills herself, bleeding and vomiting, across the pages. Sarah is half English, half Indian, raised in the US, and there's a lot here about how she's percieved - as an enigma, someone who is masculine and feminine, beautiful and ugly, sincere and manufactured - and in turn objectified and exoticised. The story gripped me as it slowly built up and then hurtled towards its bitter end. Reccomended if you like Sad Girl lit, Inside Llewyn Davis and Carol / The Price of Salt.

[Rosamund Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 1968, and reprinted in 2025, a Jingle Jangle Song is a novella about the music industry, through the experience of Sarah Kumar, a queer woman of Indian descent, who is a popular folk singer. At a party in London, she meets Jane, an older, married woman, who helps Sarah when she is sick from drinking too much. In an industry that does not value her as a person, Sarah finds solace in a friendship with Jane, which rapidly becomes a romantic relationship. This is a fascinating insight into relationships of the time -- Jane and Sarah scarcely know how to label their relationship, yet understand how much they need one another. This is also the oldest book I can think of that deals with an inter-racial lesbian relationship. It is well-written, vivid, compelling, although let down by some bumpy dialogue. It's a pity it's only a novella: there is enough in here for a longer book.

[Elisha Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly loved this and cannot thank Lurid Editions enough for reaching out to send me a copy of this novel.

A Jingle Jangle Song was originally published in the 1960’s but went out of print for a variety of reasons. This book truly shocked me as for it’s time it is such a progressive book and has characters that were truly ahead of their time. Whilst we now live in a world where people within the LGBT+ community are far more accepted, back in the 60’s this wasn’t the case, it was extremely frowned upon.

It’s a novel that carries a sense of proudness with it due to the messages that it carries. I think it’s absolutely spectacular that this is being brought back to life.

You can get your copy when it it republishes in January 2026!

4.5⭐️(rounded up on goodreads rating)

[Livy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Jingle Jangle Song follows along as two women, from different worlds, meet by chance and fall head over heels in 60s London.

Sarah is an American folksinger who has come to London on a whirlwind trip, wrapped up in politics and drugs and alcohol and fame. Jane is an older woman who, along with falling for Sarah, takes her under her wing on her stay. A chance encounter leads to a problematic, twisted and very codependent relationship against dreary London.

A queer classic that should be more well known than it is.

Thank you so much to Lurid editions for sending me a copy of this book ahead of its rerelease.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

i’m going to write a full review when the reprint gets released, but all i need to say is: sapphics & DRAMAAA