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cw: rape, era consistent casual homophobia

When I first read this lesfic classic, the only other two “lesbian” books I was aware of were Rubyfruit Jungle and Annie On My Mind, but neither of those books stirred my babygay FEELINGS like Curious Wine did at that time.

Back then, Diana and Lane’s story was a true romance on paper when I had never seen anything like it modeled for me in life or in fiction before. I was totally enraptured and perceived no flaws.

Reading it again in 2022 was like reading a different story from what lingered in my rosy nostalgic memories. The romance seemed natural enough but the dialogue structure gave the whole story a stilted cadence that made it incredibly difficult to read aloud (my partner had never read it so we decided to read it together). And the use of rape as a character motivation was absolutely intolerable to me as a present-day reader.

This book will still hold a place of importance for me, historically, but I will likely not read it again. I believe there are other “lesfic classics” that have better stood up to the test of time.

This plot was SO gripping. I read this with a friend on a road trip and we were always pausing to talk about various possibilities we thought might pan out a particular way. I enjoyed the uniqueness of the story, how brazenly misandrist and bisexual everyone was, and how the ending left me with a few questions about Michaela.

Sometimes certain writing choices and repeated character interactions/concepts bothered me, so I didn’t mind taking breaks, but the level of suspense and steady pace kept us eager to start reading again when we could. The ending was well done, and I loved how the third character got involved.

This was also the first audiobook I’ve ever read with two narrators and I worried I wouldn’t like two different interpretations of a single story, but I think it worked nicely with how the dual narratives ended up coming together in this particular book. 4.25 stars

An Unlit Candle was my first read from this author, and I picked it up without having read the synopsis. It may be a confluence of events or coincidence but sometimes a story like this will enter our lives at the precise moment when we are able to receive it and FEEL it. Wonderfully, this was one of those times for me.

The author’s skill with storytelling was evident in the way they delicately unraveled the plot as time (in both main timelines) progressed, with details being slowly revealed to tie the two timelines together. The main characters were beautifully and fully developed, and the primary side characters were nicely developed and served to move the main plots forward.

Pip’s storyline was haunting and, though I doubt I’ll ever be able to understand her character’s choices on a personal level, the way this author penned Pip’s life and her struggles deeply endeared me to her as I read. I wouldn’t label this story a “romance,” despite the romantic elements. It felt more like a contemplation of humanity, responsibility, and an exploration of the existence of love and destiny.

I found myself slightly distracted by details of minor side characters at times (mainly Alice and the very numerous Sisters). And, I didn’t feel too invested in any of the characters outside of St. Bridget’s, but I was VERY pleased overall by this author’s writing and look forward to reading more of their work - 4.5 stars

I’m not usually one to take issue with this, but… not a single character in this story was likable, and it made it so I couldn’t appreciate anything about the story itself, though the writing was technically good.

Brenda, is confronted with her complicity in her fiancée’s trauma (related to racist police violence), and she chooses to remain obstinate, doing something just to appease her partner and skirt around the issue of racism instead. Liz is repeatedly informed that her attitudes are harmful and her treatment of women is unacceptable and gross, but she makes excuses and eventually sexually assaults someone. Olivia is shown vilifying her son’s former wife for choosing to leave Olivia’s son when he was accused of sexually abusing his own children.

As I read how these issues were wrapped up, I was left wondering if the author meant for the victims to be seen as the ones who were actually in the wrong. The problematic characters don’t self-reflect, they get defensive and shrug it off, then the topic disappears, and the problematic themes are glossed over. Status quo.

I desperately wanted somebody to learn from the mistakes they were making, or for the sensitive issues to move the plot forward somehow, or to at least make space for character and relationship growth, but the but the book ends and nobody has made efforts to internalize critical feedback, let alone change their behavior.

cw: racism, classism, rape, attempted rape, religion based homophobia