Some Girls

by Kristin McCloy

Claire moves from New Mexico to New York City hoping to find independence and some direction for her life. It's not until she meets her next door neighbor, the dazzling Jade, and begins to follow Jade's lifestyle that she feels connected to the city. As she continually needs to tweak herself to keep up with Jade, Claire is forced to make decisions and determinations as to who she is and how she wants to live her life

Genres: Fiction, LGBT, Queer, Romance, New York, Lesbian, Coming Of Age

263 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1994

Reviews

[Evan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I dreamed so intensely after I read this. It's about a young woman (23) from New Mexico named Claire who wants more for her life than she can get from her hometown so she leaves everything behind and she bravely moves to New York. She meets people who open up her world and reveal the small treasures of New York, clubs, deli's, out of the way intimate inexpensive restaurants. One of the people who opens up her world is her neighbor Jade (29/30) who is mysterious, enchanting, beautiful, mesmerizing. They form a quick, intense, emotionally naked relationship that has it's rewards and drawbacks. The book is not just about them. They each have significant male lovers who bring a different energy and tone whenever they are on the page. It also delves into Claire's family life, her work life, and her new social life and towards the end we get to see into Jade's work situation. Some people Claire meets become dear friends. Other's not so much. The book is written in a way that totally draws you in. A rich world that is inescapable and alive. The writing and characters are very authentic. No false notes. The ending of the book is very satisfying because it's organic. I want to re-read this book very soon.

[Karyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reread after thirty years and I enjoyed revisiting a novel from my youth. Not without flaws yet I found myself compelled to the end.

[Noelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dykey pulp fiction.

[Candice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book kept my interest, and it was well written. However, I did not feel very engaged or particularly sympathetic with the characters although I have not analyzed why.

[Hailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

all the reviews are complaining about the two-dimensional male characters but I think the real issue is the racism ??? just a thought ??

[Lilianna Maluck · Rating 3 out of 5]

some parts were rlly captivating and others were just utterly offensive lol

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I started "Some Girls", it was with definite excitement. I got the impression straight away that this was going to be one of the few fictions I've read that deals with the idea of bisexuality as a reality (as opposed to the "bi now, gay later" mentality which seems to happen everywhere, including the otherwise wonderful book "Lost Language of Cranes.")
As I read further, I had more and more problems with the book. Men seemed altogether villainous, not because of their personalities, but because of the fact that they were men. Same thing seemed to be happening with men of non-white backgrounds. Men/boys with Latino names seemed to be completely void of anything but cliches.
This book is about a 20-something year old woman who moves to New York to make her way in the world and get away from small town life. You would think that in a city like NY there would be plenty of people of color who exist in more than cliche.
Even the lesbians in this book are cliches.

Maybe one day I'll find this book again and realize I judged it too quickly/was ultra sensitive to the seeming potential of racism underlying the text and its other issues. But at the moment, I'm so unimpressed with the entire thing that I gave up reading entirely. There are better books out there, and if it comes to a point (like it has) where I am not enjoying the material I'm reading to the point of dreading reading, I will not continue.

[Jacq Jardin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This turned out to be a real fast read, but not half as interesting as i thought it would be.
It's about a girl who moves from her small town to the big city and meets a coupel of enteresting people, one girl in particular with whom she later goes into a lesbian affair. The book has a wonderful goal, that is, to talk about human potential for self-definition. However, i feel like the writing lacks the strength and sophistication to effectively send across what it wants to.

[Lisa Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

i read this book shortly after it was published in 1984, loved it and it illustrated my romantic view of New York. I didn't find the characters wooden or stale and it explores the one subject no one really wants to address; bisexuality. It'a beautifully written book about exploring the power of who you are and who you may yet be. You maybe able to find it at a discount store or through a used book dealer.

[Shana Scudder]

This is my absolute favorite book of all time. I have lately been going back and re-reading some of my favorites from my teenage years and most of them are crap. This one isn't. It was really fascinating to read this book, almost 20 years later, and see how much my life actually turned out like the protagonist's. I really wish Kristin McCloy would write more.

[SmarterLilac · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is great writing, but it made me (seriously) reconsider my then-long standing dream to live in NYC (which I haven't yet). McCloy's graphic depiction of the city's late-'80s loneliness and grime paint it in a not-so-pretty light.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

more later...

[Shauna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite book.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cleanly written. Reminds me of plainsong. Very good book

[Philippa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review published in the Otago Gaily Times circa December 1995.

Covers again! The simple but sophisticated cover of Some Girls caught my eye in the Porirua Library (which incidentally has a great selection of lesbian novels). The blurb didn't mention the L-word, but it did describe an intense relationship between two women.
Claire, a naive but plucky young woman from New Mexico moves to New York for a change and to find herself. She soon makes friends with her worldly, enigmatic neighbour Jade. The two of them develop a rapport which challenges their relationships with men. They have their share of disappointments (all too real!) and they both have to question their values and lifestyle.
It's an old story: young ingenue (thanks, kd) meets older sopisticate, but Kristin McCloy's characters are fresh and vivid. The strength of her writing is it's poetic clarity, its understatement. Much goes on between the lines, giving the reader room for imagination and interpretation, although at times I wanted more explanation of the events and characters' behaviour.
The plot hangs on a series of revelatory turning points. Claire undergoes a gradual process of change, becoming more resilient as the story unfolds. Jade changes only near the end, after her dark secret is revealed and she reevaluates what is most important to her. The author explores the characters' flirt or flight responses to their relationship.
The cast of supporting characters is also well drawn and, along with the backdrops of New York, New Mexico and Mexico, provide varying contexts for the two main characters. Even the details are important in this book: the writing is pared down to the bare essentials - not a word is wasted.
Some Girls is quite simply the best novel I've read all year.

[Jaylynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claire, a 23 year old woman, moves from New Mexico to New York City to experience a change. She quickly meets Jade and falls into Jade's MPDG world. She juggles her boyfriend who is still in NM, Tommy, and finding stable employment. She has a one-night stand with a guy who she finds out has a girlfriend. She eventually finds a job as a secretary and enjoys her work and her boss, Sam, who is friendly and invites her over for Thanksgiving with his wife and other friends. Through Jade, Claire meets Such, a flamboyant gay man and becomes close friends with him. Tommy visits Claire and becomes jealous of her and Jade, and thinks she's changed. Claire and Jade celebrate Jade's 30th birthday and they sleep together, but in the morning Claire goes through denial and pushes Jade away. Later when Claire returns to NM for Christmas she realizes she wants her relationship with Tommy back, and they sleep together (although she tells him to stop mid-way but he ignores her), but the relationship doesn't really work out. Claire deals with daddy issues and her older sister Paula getting married soon, and her slightly unstable mother. During all this Jade has gotten a boyfriend, Luke, and is distant from Claire. Luke and Jade go to east Europe and see the Berlin Wall fall. Claire becomes jealous. Later Claire goes to a party and finds out Jade is a stripper/dancer, which slightly sours her impression of Jade; Jade gets angry and wants to leave because she believes Claire will never see her properly again; they make up and go out together. At dinner Jade teasingly asks the waiter if he wants to marry them, to which he misunderstands and marries Jade and Claire. They go on a honeymoon to Mexico spontaneously. During the last day Claire meets some Mexican boys and has some boating adventures without Jade, kisses one of them, and when she returns to Jade, they plan to go back to NYC together.

I liked this book. I liked the style—no quotation marks for a flowy, ever-continuous reading experience with wonderfully written prose. The perfect balance of dialogue and beautiful descriptions. The whole novel is written in some sort of dream state, especially since Jade's character is so MPDG, so I was just waiting for the reveal to be that Jade didn't exist and Claire was dreaming everything, Fight Club style. Of course the story itself is unrealistic and fantastical. Sometimes we have to indulge in fantasy to get the beautiful, twisted, yearning sapphic fiction that we all deserve. I felt at many times that I was playing whack-a-mole with the boyfriends—pleading Claire to discard Tommy, then for Jade to discard Luke, and then please find each other again and have wonderful New York City adventures for our reading pleasure—and ugh, the ending is not wholly satisfactory but what can you do. I think Claire is still young (as said by Jade many times) and still in the state of mind where you can have everyone you want and be this exploratory bisexual girl and have a job but fly to wherever you want. I mean, in the grand scheme of things, will Jade and Claire last forever? I don't think so, but I kind of wanted the ending to tell me so. I feel like the realization that Claire had when she believed that she really would be content with a domestic life with Tommy with kids was real. She needs to live life in NYC with Jade for a while, but in reality, I can't see her having such a whirlwind lifestyle without someone like Jade to encourage her. That doesn't mean I think it's a bad thing, just because she wouldn't have done it on her own, but definitely that in the future, she will probably find some average guy like Tommy and settle down in New Mexico. Because bisexual heartbreak.
Also, I can't believe I came across this book because Claire and Jade are two of my favorite names ever, and the fact this was a sapphic love story (kind of?) without me even knowing because there is no book summary on the back. Lol. Sometimes you do find gems at the library.

[Bri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm really torn about this book. It's one of the earliest wlw books I ever read, and for that and the underlining/notes I left myself in the margins, I feel a certain connection and soft spot for it. The love story and resulting internal struggle for Claire and Jade is well done, and it's rare that a story about women falling in love (especially in the 80s/90s) ends as well as this did. It didn't subliminally preach that "gay is bad" or ruins your life, and it didn't make weird judgments about bisexuality, either.

That being said, this book is very problematic. It's treatment of PoC, immigrants, and the homeless is highly problematic. At first I thought it was going to show progress of a small-town character releasing prejudices as she sees more of the world, but as it continued throughout I realized it was just the prejudices of an author. For that, I really couldn't lift this rating higher. I'm disappointed in McCloy for ruining what could have been a great book (with some pretty beautiful descriptions and scenes) with ignorance. This was written in the 90s, not the 40s or 50s. She should have done better.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

The thing is, well MY thing was, to read this back to back and Barbenheimer* it with one of its contemporaries: _Rocket City_ by Cathyrn Alpert. That novel also opens on a twentysomething young female protagonist, but fleeing TO rather than FROM Alamogordo, New Mexico.

Now, neither of these authors went on to win the Pulitzer as did a third one of their peers, Jennifer Egan, who at the time only had _Emerald City and Other Stories_ with its own headliner's take on young adult(s) conquering, or being conquered by, NYC. Not to mention Jay McInerney's _Bright Lights_ slightly earlier (were there really this many failing corn-fed models flocking to New York in the late 80s/early 90s? I don't know), or even the thoroughly modern _Catcher in the Rye_ as early as 1951...
"Plu ca change", if you'll pardon my french... yet each acquits itself well.

Recommended.



*if this ephemera lasts well beyond July 2023, know that at the time two films _Oppenheimer_ and_Barbie_ both premiered on the same opening weekend, beckoning an intrepid double feature

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

3* but went down to a 2.5* after they rush to Mexico and far-fetched things start to happen.

An ending that also makes me think the author was trying to channel D.H. Lawrence. Feeling one with the sun and earth and having a transformative experience at the temple of a “blood-thirsty race.”

Main character Claire is a little too naive and borderline racist (views minorities and other cultures as primitive but adds color and excitement to life). Claire’s neighbor Jade is ethereal and beautiful but volatile and is the object of Claire’s fascination. They have a push and pull relationship throughout.

It was a fast-paced read. A lot happens and it was interesting how the events of 1989 were incorporated (fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union). As the front cover blurb says “McCloy’s sense of place is fantastically vivid.”

I like how the book explores Claire’s relationship with Tommy and by extension her ties to Alamogordo vs. New York. She struggles to decide between the comfort of home with it’s laid-out future or the uncertainty that comes with new-found independence.

[Alex Black · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't get the appeal of this at all. It had very little to offer. The characters were annoying and one dimensional, the plot was generic (small town girl moves to big city and meets ~interesting~ people), and the writing added nothing. Reading it was drag and I found myself eye rolling every other page. Maybe there was some deeper meaning that went over my head, but I was thoroughly unimpressed.

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this at a lesbian book sale. It is basically a book about compulsive heterosexuality in the late 80s/early 90s. Well written, entertaining. But there are racist parts like the depiction of a bodega owner which I didn’t like. In one scene the mid-twenty year old white protagonist kisses a 11-12 year old Mexican boy? WTF?

Apart from that, good book.

[Catina Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a hard to put down book for sure.

[Dori · Rating 3 out of 5]

just what I wanted it to be—fast, sleek, sexy, tropey, lesbian pulp fiction

[naomi cubillas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lesbians in New York ! How fun. I liked this it was entertaining just not the best book I have ever read. I can't wait to live in New York

[spike · Rating 2 out of 5]

not sure if kristin mccloy has ever been to New York or mexico, and if she has, i’ll drop my rating to 1 star. and where were the Dykes????

[Vanessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok some scenes are masterfully written and I loved the way she described her infatuation with Jade… but when I pick up a book and the blurb describes the relationship between two women as “something far more intimate” than friendship, why was 2/3 of the book just the protagonist chasing after her boyfriend???? I also get that this book was a love letter to New York but it dwelled on some images and irrelevant characters for longer than necessary. Plus there’s the weird scene at the end when she kisses a twelve year old boy for some reason, that is cloaked under a “metaphor” about sexuality that I don’t care enough to delve into.

I struggled to get attached to any of the characters but each time the author really indulged Jade and Claire’s relationship was like a (rare) treat for me and then we were back to side plots and Claire self-loathing for like three days straight. Anyway they married each other as soon as it was legalized and Claire’s boyfriend only exists in that one scene where he gets beat up in a dive bar <3

P.S. Jade is the super graphic ultra modern girl that Chappell Roan was talking about

[Christie (The Ludic Reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some Girls is the story of twenty-three-year-old Claire Stearn who flees Alamogordo, New Mexico for the bright lights of NYC circa 1989. She leaves behind her divorced and bitter mother, Ginny, her older sister, Paula, and her boyfriend, a rancher called Tommy. In many ways, Claire isn’t different from any other young person who, desperate to escape the confines of their lives, makes their way to a big city. Claire is “aware of her spine, the strength of her pelvic bones, the arches of her feet. It was all she needed to support her.” She’s ready to become herself.

New York City is very much a character in Some Girls. The 1989 version depicted in the novel isn’t the NYC of 2015. As Claire rides into the city from the airport she describes it as “a terror, glossy buildings rising out of a slum, a place of anarchy, crooked and lawless, impenetrable.” I remember that New York because I spent some time in the city in the 1980s. It was a little rough around the edges, but for a small-town girl like me still spectacular.

For that reason, I related to Claire’s assimilation. Those first few days, when Claire had “nothing but the speed with which she walked and her sunglasses to protect her” reminded me of me. I was so desperate to blend in, to not look like I knew nothing. I’m sure, in the early days, you could smell my terror from twenty paces. And like, Claire, I was constantly pinching myself and thinking “I’m here, I’m in New York City, a shock each time.”

McCloy captures the frenetic energy, the heat and the smells, the blast of icy cold, the patchwork quilt of humanity that is New York City and I liked revisiting the city through her lens very much.

Claire meets Jade the day she moves into her little downtown apartment. (I sort of imagine it in the area of Soho, but I wasn’t familiar with White Street so I had to look it up on the map.) Jade is, to Claire’s innocent eyes, “a woman of the city.” When they finally spend a little time together Claire feels “the crushing sense of anonymity that had dogged her ever since she had arrived suddenly turned to reveal its other face.” There is erotic tension between the two women from the start.

This relationship was a little harder for me to relate to than Ellie’s relationship with Jesse in Velocity, McCloy's first novel. I am worldly enough now to know that sexuality is vastly more fluid than I might have viewed it when I was Claire’s age. I think my unease has more to do with the fact that I didn’t particularly care for Jade. She seemed self-centered and reckless and I never felt as though I knew her well enough to understand Claire’s attraction to her. She was startlingly beautiful, but surely there was more to it than that? That said, I felt as though Claire’s feelings – about Jade, about her life, about what she was leaving behind when she said good-bye to Tommy – were authentic. Complicated and messy, but certainly true.

Some Girls does a fine job of capturing a young adult on the precipice of figuring her life out, making choices that are both difficult and blindingly simple. While I may not have been able to relate to Claire’s relationship with Jade, I did love her journey and ultimately, isn’t that the point?

I also loved the writing in this novel. It was different from Velocity, which demonstrates the depth of McCloy’s talents, but still a pleasure to read.

[Vera · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think the ending where Claire randomly kisses a minor, a minor minor, out of nowhere on the 2nd to last page was kind of a throw off.

Apart from that, the book (in my opinion) is best described as; a mix between the worst parts of Murakami and a bit of Sally Rooneys writing style.

Pros about this book? Uhm, there’s lgbtq representation?

Cons? From the terrible plot, to the weird, really weird vibes that honestly make me never ever want to visit New York ever, to Claire (the mc) cheating on her Boyfriend twice????

Id describe this as a fever dream. But I think I’d rather get a night full of the most fucked up dreams then read this book again.

[Beth Braun · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's the age old tale of a small town girl gone to the big bad city of New York. She discovers that she has a beautiful next door neighbor, but she has a boyfriend back home and feels torn. This tale goes on to follow the main character, Claire, and her neighbor, Jade in there roller coaster of a relationship. Claire struggles to deal with the feelings she has for Jade, which is only made worse when she discovers the secret Jade has been hiding. Overall a quick read, but lack luster and predictable plot. This novel deals with one woman having feelings for another woman for the first time. It is. great premise, but I feel it was poorly executed. The author goes on for what seems like pages describing how Claire sees Jade. A magnificent, glorious, rare, elegant beauty. I understand the whole idea of always seeing someone like it's the first time, but this was well over done. She takes so much time describing her features, the way she walks, the way her dress clings to her, or the way she laughs; but saves none of that for any intimate moments between the girls (which just seems strange). I cannot stress how frustrating it was to go page by page just reading how graceful and beautiful Jade was. This was a 50 cent Goodwill purchase, so not too shabby all things considered but I would not recommend to a friend.

[jimtown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a rather unusual book for me to read, since I usually prefer to read stories set in rural settings. I'd read McCloy's previous novel, Velocity long ago and loved the title of it and the story was just as full of sparks. McCloy is a gorgeous woman as seen in her author photo. In Some Girls, we find Claire moving away from the desert and her boyfriend Tommy, a handsome and successful rancher, to New York City. We follow Claire's first uncertain steps as she takes in the city and tries to find her way.

One of the first people she sees is her neighbor in the apartment building, a stunning woman. Claire is fascinated by her and although they don't speak until after the night Claire comes to her rescue by opening the door just in the nick of time, Claire has been noticing Jade.

NYC is full of the unexpected and Claire is caught off guard on Halloween when she and Jade go a little too far, a little too fast. She runs to Tommy at Christmas but life moves on and Claire seems to know ranch life is not going to hold her even though there are times when the thought of that security comforts her.

She returns to New York and learns the truth about Jade. Will it change her mind for good?