Lynn Kanter

I love this story, which is a slice of lesbian-feminist life from the mid-70s. Coincidentally it was also the time when I was waking up from childhood, so it's an incredibly evocative and resonant book for me. The protagonist, Margaret, is 24 and so politically correct that it hurts to read her story sometimes. She's sincere and committed and angry and vulnerable. Then she gets a job in a bookstore, falls in love with a straight woman, and finds herself living an entirely different life. The writing is gently wry, and if you happen to have lived through any of the times described herein, nostalgic and hilarious. There are also bittersweet notes from the future Margaret scattered throughout, which help to explain what happened after.

This time through there were a few things which struck me as anachronisms and sent me scurrying to Wikipedia- but I'm happy to say that Kanter was right and I was wrong.

This book captures, for me, this point in time with a poignant and pitch-perfect tone. Recommended.

And here's a quote I can't resist sharing, from one of the notes from the future Margaret:

"In those days, her feminist commitment was like a sleek, powerful dog that stalked beside her on a leash, barely under her control. Now the dog lives in her house and sleeps on her kitchen floor..."
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