Good Fiction Guide, Ed. Jane Rogers 2nd ed.
Oxford University Press, 2005
Booklist: Sexual Politics by Maureen Freely
Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina (1873-7)
Kate Chopin’s The Awakening (1899)
Radclyffe Hall’s The Well of Loneliness (1928)
Virginia Woolf’s Orlando (1928)
Madeleine Bourdouxhe’s Marie (1943; 1997 English translation)
Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita (1955)
James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room (1956)
E.M. Forster’s Maurice (1914; published 1971)
Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale (1985)
Jeanette Winterson’s Oranges are Not the Only Fruit (1985)
Joseph Olshan’s Night Swimmer (1994)
Michele Roberts’ Flesh and Blood (1994)
Eight of twelve: the only other list in the Good Fiction Guide of which I’ve read so many titles was the Canadian Fiction list. “I read a lot of Canlit”: yah, I say that a lot. But I don’t think I’ve ever caught myself saying: “yah, I read a lot of books about sexual politics”. But evidently I do.
I’m not surprised by the inclusion of these three, as I’ve read other works of theirs (Radclyffe Hall’s The Well of Loneliness, James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room, and Michele Roberts’ Flesh and Blood) but I’ve never heard of Joseph Olshan’s Night Swimmer. I am instantly intrigued.
Which of these have you read/enjoyed? Which are already on (or being added to) your TBR list now?
PS Have you already heard me gushing about the number of lines this guide added to my TBR list? ::insert echoed gushing:: Great fun!
I’ve read 6, and would put 2 of them in top ten of all time: Winterson and Woolf. 🙂 Of the ones I haven’t read Anna Karenina is a shameful omission – I must, must read that – and I’ve never even heard of Marie. *scurries off to update her wishlist*
I’ve only read 3 1/2 (I’ve failed every time I attempt AK – I’m too impatient and/or it’s just too long) but I have a couple of these on my tbr and am hoping to get to Orlanda this year yet.
I’ve read about half of those and enjoyed them all, so it sounds like I should read the other half! lol
My library has the earlier edition of this–I really need to go take a peek at it (can’t check it out as it is in reference). I think I’ve read The Handmaid’s Tale at least three times, love The Awakening (despite it’s rather depressing ending), am reading Anna K (well, should be reading…), and have Orlando and Maurice on my TBR piles. A few of these are new to me, so I must check them out. And I love lists so a book like this seems right up my alley.
Thanks for the comments. Nice to know we’re in agreement: there are some great books on this list for sure! And I love books with book lists in them. I’m really glad that the library has copies of this one in reference AND for circulation: sooo much more fun. But I really must just buy a copy as I’ve borrowed this one more than once now.