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Latecomer
NOW AVAILABLE! This is the 35th Anniversary edition of the first book ever published by Naiad Press. This book was released in 1974 - and was one of, if not the first lesbian novel to have a happy ending and promise of a viable future for the two protagonists. In this edition, there are comments from contemporaries of author Sarah Aldridge (Anyda Marchant) like Katharine Forrest, Holly Near, Ann Bannon, Jinx Beers, Cris Williamson and more, plus later novelists and activists weighing in on the history of lesbian publishing and a glimpse of what these first, hopeful books meant to these readers and writers. They include Radclyffe, Ellen Hart, JM Redmann, KG MacGregor, Kate Clinton and many more. This book also includes photographs of the author from that time period and a call to writers and readers to contribute to the lesbian/feminist publishing legacy. The Latecomer tells of Philippa, returning by ship from Europe, who finds her life unexpectedly changed by the woman who shares her cabin -an entertainer whose career contrasts vividly with Philippa's own existence. From Washington DC and its political intrigue to New York City, the women keep encountering one another until they recognize what their love means to them and their future.
137 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1974
6 people are currently reading
163 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Aldridge
15 books10 followersSarah Aldridge was the pen name of Anyda Marchant, attorney, publisher and novelist. Marchant was born Anne Nelson Yarborough De Armond Marchant in Rio de Janeiro and moved with her family to Washington at 6. She called herself Anyda, using the initials from her long name. She graduated and received a law degree in 1936 from the old National University law school, now part of George Washington University. She spent almost forty years of her working life in New York City and Washington, D.C. as a lawyer in both public and private practice.
Upon retiring in 1972, she began a career as a writer and publisher. She originated the Naiad Press and was co-founder (along with Barbara Grier, Donna McBride and Muriel Crawford) when it was incorporated in 1974. In 1995 she and her lifelong companion Muriel Crawford withdrew as co-owners of the Naiad Press and founded a new publishing venture, A&M Books. Naiad published the first eleven Sarah Aldridge novels and A&M Books published the last three. Her final novel, Oh Mistress Mine was released when the author was 92. In January 2006, Anyda Marchant passed away, two weeks shy of her 95th birthday. Her life partner of 57 years, Muriel Crawford, followed her in death only four months later.
A literary icon in the world of lesbian/feminist publishing, Anyda Marchant as Sarah Aldridge provided some of the first novels to have both lesbian protagonists and happy endings. All of her fourteen classic novels are still in print and available for purchase. As a lasting tribute to her vast and varied contributions to lesbian literature and publishing, Sarah Aldridge was awarded the Golden Crown Literary Society Trailblazer Award posthumously in June 2007.
Upon retiring in 1972, she began a career as a writer and publisher. She originated the Naiad Press and was co-founder (along with Barbara Grier, Donna McBride and Muriel Crawford) when it was incorporated in 1974. In 1995 she and her lifelong companion Muriel Crawford withdrew as co-owners of the Naiad Press and founded a new publishing venture, A&M Books. Naiad published the first eleven Sarah Aldridge novels and A&M Books published the last three. Her final novel, Oh Mistress Mine was released when the author was 92. In January 2006, Anyda Marchant passed away, two weeks shy of her 95th birthday. Her life partner of 57 years, Muriel Crawford, followed her in death only four months later.
A literary icon in the world of lesbian/feminist publishing, Anyda Marchant as Sarah Aldridge provided some of the first novels to have both lesbian protagonists and happy endings. All of her fourteen classic novels are still in print and available for purchase. As a lasting tribute to her vast and varied contributions to lesbian literature and publishing, Sarah Aldridge was awarded the Golden Crown Literary Society Trailblazer Award posthumously in June 2007.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 21, 2022
A classic. Literally. It was written back in 1974!
June 17, 2024
A booklovers delight: Our Herstory
Bywater Books is to be highly commended to re-publish The Latecomer on its 50th anniversary. This book and its author Anyda Marchant under her pen name Sarah Aldridge were the starting point of modern lesbian books with a happy end and the revered Naiad Press - our only reliable source of lesbian books back when it all started.
I am in awe of this trailblazer and her vision, her wife and all those brave women who dared to tell and publish our stories, who dared to let us have happy endings.
The book itself is a child of its time: the queer emancipation which started with Stonewall (1969) was still young. The book is very well written, both main characters Philippa, the college professor, and Kay working in the film-industry have very distinct voices. They struggle with their place in a patriarchal society: Philippa is considered an old spinster who needs encouragement to get finally a man, Kay is in the eyes of society promiscuous and has an affair with a married man - a scandal is afoot. Tentatively those very different characters get to know and appreciate each other. The happy end is only sketched out, but nevertheless clear.
This book is vastly different from today‘s bold, out and proud lesbian fiction and it lets us experience first hand how far we (at least in the Western World) have come.
Kudos to Bywater, to Salem West and to Fay Jacobs who lovingly explained before and after the story the history and the impact of this book such enshrining the story behind the story for future generations.
I received an ARC from Bywater Books. The review is left voluntarily.
Bywater Books is to be highly commended to re-publish The Latecomer on its 50th anniversary. This book and its author Anyda Marchant under her pen name Sarah Aldridge were the starting point of modern lesbian books with a happy end and the revered Naiad Press - our only reliable source of lesbian books back when it all started.
I am in awe of this trailblazer and her vision, her wife and all those brave women who dared to tell and publish our stories, who dared to let us have happy endings.
The book itself is a child of its time: the queer emancipation which started with Stonewall (1969) was still young. The book is very well written, both main characters Philippa, the college professor, and Kay working in the film-industry have very distinct voices. They struggle with their place in a patriarchal society: Philippa is considered an old spinster who needs encouragement to get finally a man, Kay is in the eyes of society promiscuous and has an affair with a married man - a scandal is afoot. Tentatively those very different characters get to know and appreciate each other. The happy end is only sketched out, but nevertheless clear.
This book is vastly different from today‘s bold, out and proud lesbian fiction and it lets us experience first hand how far we (at least in the Western World) have come.
Kudos to Bywater, to Salem West and to Fay Jacobs who lovingly explained before and after the story the history and the impact of this book such enshrining the story behind the story for future generations.
I received an ARC from Bywater Books. The review is left voluntarily.
November 26, 2024
Refreshing. There are no sex scenes, just subtle emotional connections in this book.
March 18, 2017
This was one of the first lesbian books I ever picked up. It has a special place in my heart because of it.
December 28, 2020
Short and sweet. I have the legacy version so it was nice to have a discussion about how people had been affected by this book.
July 27, 2025
— "She realized that she no longer inhabited the same world she had known before. She thought suddenly of a lighted tank of an aquarium, where the underwater plants wavered and trembled in the motion of a hidden current and an occasionally sightless fish flirted past to be lost again in the darker corners. In that world she had been a spectator. Its sounds and motions have been outside of herself, observed, recorded in impersonal terms. I've learned a particular kind of self-courage, she thought, a particular kind of self-respect, that I did not know existed. I'm alive. I'm a whole human being. And it is Kay who has done this."
The Latecomer is a wonderful little novel about a lesbian, Philippa, who is nearly forty and realises that she's in love with Kay, a woman with whom she shared a stateroom with for five days. I think it is best read as a character study of one woman coming to terms with herself rather than a lesbian romance - there is frankly not much of that. I appreciated the book for this specific introspective quality. Philippa is a reputable academic, and is perfectly fine with her solitary life. But she does wonder, more than she likes to admit, why it is that she is alone, and is acutely aware that she is different from everyone in her life. But she is unable to name this loneliness, and receives (misogynistic) accusations of being cold and unsuited for love. She believes these accusations.
Aldridge explores this emptiness with immense compassion, and the climactic moment of the novel isn't that Philippa ends up with Kay (this is left open-ended) but that she realises that she is capable of love, the deep kind that has eluded her for so long. In this realisation she is free. Perhaps we might expect Alridge to explicitly name the existence of homophobia, but she doesn't, at least not in the melanholic and sadistic manner that queer novels of this time period tend to. Philippa is relatively privileged, earns her own keep, and occupies circles where being an umarried woman of her age is more a topic of gossip than anything too terrible. But everywhere she goes, she is asked when she will find a man, and it is here we see that Philippa's insecurity with her ability to love stems with her (deeply supressed) knowledge that she isn't attracted to them. The intrusiveness of patriarchal expectations in relation to Philippa's character is subtly handled, and I enjoyed reading about it without anything too violent or depressing heading my way.
The Latecomer is a wonderful little novel about a lesbian, Philippa, who is nearly forty and realises that she's in love with Kay, a woman with whom she shared a stateroom with for five days. I think it is best read as a character study of one woman coming to terms with herself rather than a lesbian romance - there is frankly not much of that. I appreciated the book for this specific introspective quality. Philippa is a reputable academic, and is perfectly fine with her solitary life. But she does wonder, more than she likes to admit, why it is that she is alone, and is acutely aware that she is different from everyone in her life. But she is unable to name this loneliness, and receives (misogynistic) accusations of being cold and unsuited for love. She believes these accusations.
Aldridge explores this emptiness with immense compassion, and the climactic moment of the novel isn't that Philippa ends up with Kay (this is left open-ended) but that she realises that she is capable of love, the deep kind that has eluded her for so long. In this realisation she is free. Perhaps we might expect Alridge to explicitly name the existence of homophobia, but she doesn't, at least not in the melanholic and sadistic manner that queer novels of this time period tend to. Philippa is relatively privileged, earns her own keep, and occupies circles where being an umarried woman of her age is more a topic of gossip than anything too terrible. But everywhere she goes, she is asked when she will find a man, and it is here we see that Philippa's insecurity with her ability to love stems with her (deeply supressed) knowledge that she isn't attracted to them. The intrusiveness of patriarchal expectations in relation to Philippa's character is subtly handled, and I enjoyed reading about it without anything too violent or depressing heading my way.
December 20, 2023
4.5/5 This was a great short story. I was worried when I saw the length that it wasn’t going to be fleshed out enough, but it was detailed and got all the nitty gritty info across! It was a really enjoyable read and a good example of historical lesbian fiction that captures the yearning, happiness and light confusion of realising you’re in love with a woman.
Phillipa is an amazing protagonist. Her journey was really enjoyable to follow. She’s a deeply likeable character even with all of her flaws. She is at times a bit too non confrontational, but a character without flaws is just bad writing.
Kay is one I had more trouble with. I know she’s a modern woman with modern proclivities, but she’s a mess. I’d like to say that Pippa and Kit Kat are living happily in their cottage, thriving, but that would be a lie. The way I imagine them proceeding with their relationship is that at every turn Phillipa has to help Kay get herself together. Cleaning up after her, likely helping her get sober because she’s a hard as wood alcoholic throughout this book.
I can just see Phillipa withering away caring for this flouncy creative who wants to roam free. It seemed to me Kay didn’t have much of an interest in Phillipa but just liked how in love Phillipa was with her. She admits it herself that she just wants to be someone’s number 1, maybe I’m being cynical but I don’t have high hopes for this couple.
I think it’s wonderful Phillipa got to have this experience and her happy ending but I hope in the world of fiction that either Kay really sorts herself out and becomes an equal partner to Pippa or Pippa finds her lifelong happiness elsewhere.
There I go getting too invested in characters, but for a 107 page book that shows how well it was written! Good twists and turns, engaging at every moment, with just enough yearning and sexy talk that keeps you wanting more!!
Phillipa is an amazing protagonist. Her journey was really enjoyable to follow. She’s a deeply likeable character even with all of her flaws. She is at times a bit too non confrontational, but a character without flaws is just bad writing.
Kay is one I had more trouble with. I know she’s a modern woman with modern proclivities, but she’s a mess. I’d like to say that Pippa and Kit Kat are living happily in their cottage, thriving, but that would be a lie. The way I imagine them proceeding with their relationship is that at every turn Phillipa has to help Kay get herself together. Cleaning up after her, likely helping her get sober because she’s a hard as wood alcoholic throughout this book.
I can just see Phillipa withering away caring for this flouncy creative who wants to roam free. It seemed to me Kay didn’t have much of an interest in Phillipa but just liked how in love Phillipa was with her. She admits it herself that she just wants to be someone’s number 1, maybe I’m being cynical but I don’t have high hopes for this couple.
I think it’s wonderful Phillipa got to have this experience and her happy ending but I hope in the world of fiction that either Kay really sorts herself out and becomes an equal partner to Pippa or Pippa finds her lifelong happiness elsewhere.
There I go getting too invested in characters, but for a 107 page book that shows how well it was written! Good twists and turns, engaging at every moment, with just enough yearning and sexy talk that keeps you wanting more!!
August 1, 2021
A good, simple read exploring the depth and love that two women can show for each other
September 17, 2024
The ending made my gay little heart swell 💓
May 23, 2024
Essential for your lesfic library (with bonus content!)
As the first story published by Naiad Press fifty years ago, The Latecomer is an important work in the history of lesbian fiction. This edition marks the anniversary with bonus material in addition to the story itself; photos, blurbs by other notable lesfic authors and other pieces of historic value make this an essential volume for your bookshelf as a keepsake or reminder of those who blazed a new trail in the publishing world for others to follow and help deepen the track further over the decades for lesbian and other queer literature. In modern day there are numerous publishers of lesfic to choose from and a plethora of their stories on the market, so it's vital to remember that this was not always the case.
In all my years of reading lesfic I somehow missed The Latecomer and its author Sarah Aldridge. Thanks to anniversary editions like this, a whole new audience can read it and see how far the storytelling has come in that time. Some readers may find the main characters and some secondaries at times either needy or caving easily to the demands of others, or find the longing that permeates the story a bit much, but the story is of its time, a reflection of current day back then; bear that in mind while reading if you've only ever read modern day lesfic. I found the characters easy to imagine but often hard to relate to although I did catch myself wanting to pep talk some of them given that they are not the strong female characters written to today's standards and expectations. The ending is hopeful although not what I was expecting, again due to modern day expectations.
I am glad I read it however, if only to add it to the timeline of lesfic books I've read to date, and to appreciate its place in that timeline. I recommend reading it without any expectations other than to peek into the past and learn from it, so all additional pleasure gleaned in the reading is a bonus.
As the first story published by Naiad Press fifty years ago, The Latecomer is an important work in the history of lesbian fiction. This edition marks the anniversary with bonus material in addition to the story itself; photos, blurbs by other notable lesfic authors and other pieces of historic value make this an essential volume for your bookshelf as a keepsake or reminder of those who blazed a new trail in the publishing world for others to follow and help deepen the track further over the decades for lesbian and other queer literature. In modern day there are numerous publishers of lesfic to choose from and a plethora of their stories on the market, so it's vital to remember that this was not always the case.
In all my years of reading lesfic I somehow missed The Latecomer and its author Sarah Aldridge. Thanks to anniversary editions like this, a whole new audience can read it and see how far the storytelling has come in that time. Some readers may find the main characters and some secondaries at times either needy or caving easily to the demands of others, or find the longing that permeates the story a bit much, but the story is of its time, a reflection of current day back then; bear that in mind while reading if you've only ever read modern day lesfic. I found the characters easy to imagine but often hard to relate to although I did catch myself wanting to pep talk some of them given that they are not the strong female characters written to today's standards and expectations. The ending is hopeful although not what I was expecting, again due to modern day expectations.
I am glad I read it however, if only to add it to the timeline of lesfic books I've read to date, and to appreciate its place in that timeline. I recommend reading it without any expectations other than to peek into the past and learn from it, so all additional pleasure gleaned in the reading is a bonus.
June 24, 2024
A Joyfully Jay review.
3.5 stars
The Latecomer was first published in 1974 by Anyda Marchant under the pseudonym Sarah Aldridge. This is the 50th anniversary edition of one of the first published novels that ends happily for the lesbian couple. They are together, they are in love, and they are happy. However, keep in mind that this was written in the early 1970s, and there are some things here that, to modern eyes, might deserve a very strong side-eye.
The story reads a little distant, owing both to the style of writing and to the primary POV character, Philippa, being more restrained. The story shows Kay mostly through Philippa’s eyes as a bright, brilliant creature of motion and passion; the few times the book slides into Kay’s perspective, she comes across more helpless, more a leaf caught in the wind, doing its best to enjoy the ride. Kay is impulsive, needing to be the center of attention anywhere and everywhere, and delights in Philippa’s honest, open gaze.
If you’re interested in classic sapphic fiction, this might be right up your alley. If you’re looking for a historical romance, or something that is more romance forward, I’m afraid you might be let down.
Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.
3.5 stars
The Latecomer was first published in 1974 by Anyda Marchant under the pseudonym Sarah Aldridge. This is the 50th anniversary edition of one of the first published novels that ends happily for the lesbian couple. They are together, they are in love, and they are happy. However, keep in mind that this was written in the early 1970s, and there are some things here that, to modern eyes, might deserve a very strong side-eye.
The story reads a little distant, owing both to the style of writing and to the primary POV character, Philippa, being more restrained. The story shows Kay mostly through Philippa’s eyes as a bright, brilliant creature of motion and passion; the few times the book slides into Kay’s perspective, she comes across more helpless, more a leaf caught in the wind, doing its best to enjoy the ride. Kay is impulsive, needing to be the center of attention anywhere and everywhere, and delights in Philippa’s honest, open gaze.
If you’re interested in classic sapphic fiction, this might be right up your alley. If you’re looking for a historical romance, or something that is more romance forward, I’m afraid you might be let down.
Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews