LGBTQIA: Lesbian Fiction & Literature

Victorian England is the setting for this tale of pickpockets, orphaned girls, and depraved morality. A prince-and-the-pauper sort of spin backed by meticulous historical research makes this love story compelling, gritty and full of surprises.

A struggling department store salesgirl becomes enamored with a wealthy suburban sophisticate in 1950s New York City. Stylish Carol and ingénue Therese make a thrilling (yet dysfunctional) twosome in this lesbian take on a classic romance.

Molly is a poor, southern tomboy who has to fight for everything, and she does so with humor and self-confidence, even when she discovers she prefers women to men. One of the foremost coming-of-age stories for American lesbians, this book blew the lid off the women's movement when it was published in the early 70s and still has touching moments (especially the first half of the book).

Celie is a poor, black woman in 1930s American south whose relentless abuse by the men in her life threaten to make this story a tragedy. But tenacity, a momentous character evolution, and the kindness (and love) of women transform her into one of the greatest female characters in literature.

Idgy and Ruth open a restaurant in early-1900s southern America and, although they deal with conflicts ranging from the Ku Klux Klan to spousal abuse, their life is a love story accepted unquestionably by their community. The friends-turned-lovers element is more explicitly defined in the book than it was in the movie, and this is a sweet story about coming-of-age and a meeting of soul mates.

Nancy Garden's groundbreaking story of two high school girls falling in love and dealing with the reactions of their parents and community by holding tighter to each other.

Jeanette humorously recalls her childhood in northern England with an evangelical Christian adoptive family. As Jeanette becomes an adolescent and comes to terms with her attraction to women, the precarious balance that held the family together begins to wobble.

Hurtling through San Francisco on a bicycle, Jim is torn between speed (both on her bike and in her veins) and her sexy stripper girlfriend. When Ally gets tired of endlessly losing the battle, Jim hits the road and rock bottom as a roadie for her all-girl punk band. Breedlove, lead singer of the lesbian punk band Tribe 8, evokes the drug-lust of Irvine Welsh, the wacky wanderlust of Hunter S. Thompson, bound together by Charles Bukowski's endless obsession with women.

Feinberg's semi-autobiographical novel about growing up butch and Jewish in working-class Buffalo, New York during the 1950s paints a portrait of a time in America when coming out was a crime the police were intent to enforce. Rejected by her family as a child for presenting masculine traits, Jess survives by passing as a man and navigating the pre-Stonewall NYC underground bar scene in search of a chosen family.

This mystery series brings together a cast of young eccentrics at the height of the sexual revolution of the 1970s. When Maryann Singleton visits San Francisco for the first time, she instantly knows she can never go back to Cleveland. When she rents an apartment at 28 Barbary Lane, the perks are endless:  from the "welcome" joint neatly taped to her door by the landlady, to the friends and loves that will last a lifetime. The landlady, Anna Madrigal, keeps her tenants as close as family, but none of them realizes just how close they really are until her secret is revealed.

Nancy Astley fancies herself an ordinary oyster girl, working for her family's fishmonger business in a British seaside village. When eighteen-year-old Nan sees the stunning Kitty Butler performing as a man in a local music hall, she is instantly captivated. When Nan finally gets Kitty's attention, she follows her on an epic passionate journey.

In a collection of stories that was to become the basis for Bastard out of Carolina, Allison examines the myriad of emotions evoked by her mother's illness and ongoing commitment to Allison's stepfather, who physically and sexually abused them both. Brimming with love, Allison recounts the haunting memories of her past while fearlessly moving forward with her life and her love of women.

Miaojin Qiu was a noteworthy experimental Taiwanese writer. The intense love affair and breakup of two young women is told through a series of letters, which the author said can be read in random order.

A daring, satirical take on gay/lesbian/queer theory/shapeshifting, gender-bending during the 1990s—maybe for all time. Andrea Lawlor will leave readers breathless, laughing, confused and thoughtful.

In a desperate move, Adda and Iridian hijack a colony ship and head for Barbary Station in the hopes of joining an infamous crew of pirates. When they arrive, they find the pirates are hiding from the station’s AI, which is attempting to exterminate everyone living on the station and destroy any ships attempting to leave. Adda believes she can crack the AI’s programming and disable it. If she’s right, she and Iridian can join the pirate crew. If she’s wrong, everyone on Barbary Station will die.

Considered to be an experimental novel, Garréta draws upon her past writing, and her desire for another woman and the other woman's desire for Garréta. A provocative examination of desire and lust.

Folklore, myth, family traditions, fantastic realism combine in this powerful story about three generations of Taiwanese American women. There are hidden secrets about queer desires, violence and motivations. A finalist for Lambda's 2021 award.

A family tragedy pervades the lives of a Nigerian mother and her twin daughters. The unexpressed misfortune causes more distress and is manifested in strong desires for food, in queer love, seeking friendships, and a search for home and family. A finalist for Lambda's 2021 award.

A Jewish family gathers with numerous relatives and friends at their residence in New York’s Hudson Valley for the wedding of daughter Clem to her college girlfriend, Diggs. The event is viewed from the perspectives of dozens of wedding guests, who have wildly varying opinions about the ceremony and about many other issues, including the recent influx of ultra-Orthodox Jews in the small town.