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Lesbian Travels: A Literary Companion
"Egypt, West Africa, Granada, Kathmandu, Russia, Greece, Chile, and many other exotic points on the globe form the backdrop to a rich variety of stories by some of the best contemporary women writers." -- reverse cover.
256 pages, Paperback
First published August 31, 1998
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About the author
Lucy Jane Bledsoe
87 books131 followersPreorder Lucy's new novel, TELL THE REST, about love, rage, and redemption, at https://amzn.to/3QRyHXD. The New York Times says Lucy Jane Bledsoe's novel, A THIN BRIGHT LINE, "triumphs." Ms. Magazine calls her novel, THE EVOLUTION OF LOVE, "fabulous feminist fiction." Her 2018 collection of stories, LAVA FALLS, won the Devil's Kitchen Fiction Award. Bledsoe played basketball in both high school and college. As a social justice activist, she's passionate about working for voting rights.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 16, 2025
I liked this book quite a bit. There was a mix of chapters that I really loved and some that missed the mark a bit, but I enjoyed the explorations of intimacy, travel, and identity from all the included authors.
In my opinion, this compilation of non-fiction travel stories from lesbian various authors tackled many interesting and difficult topics - navigating a relationship where one partner is out and the other is accustomed to hiding, solidarity between gay men and lesbians, how lesbian women navigate familial relationships, and how unacknowledged racism can impact a couple.
Some chapters were a bit meh, but there were some really good ones in there as well.
Some specific standouts for me were Audre Lorde's "Zami," Judith Barrington's "Beds," Susan Fox Rogers' "Travelling with Desire and Father," Terri de la Peña's "Beyond El Camino Real," and Mariana Romo-Carmona's "Between the Andes and the Sea."
In my opinion, this compilation of non-fiction travel stories from lesbian various authors tackled many interesting and difficult topics - navigating a relationship where one partner is out and the other is accustomed to hiding, solidarity between gay men and lesbians, how lesbian women navigate familial relationships, and how unacknowledged racism can impact a couple.
Some chapters were a bit meh, but there were some really good ones in there as well.
Some specific standouts for me were Audre Lorde's "Zami," Judith Barrington's "Beds," Susan Fox Rogers' "Travelling with Desire and Father," Terri de la Peña's "Beyond El Camino Real," and Mariana Romo-Carmona's "Between the Andes and the Sea."
July 4, 2008
I dunno - some of these stories really blew. There are 2 that stick out in my mind as being extraordinary - one in a bad way, one in a good way.
Let's start with the bad: it was written by a woman going back to a small island off of Africa to study African dance with her dance teacher she's been working with for years in NYC, and a group of other experienced African dance students from Detroit. So, a bunch of middle aged women of color from large cities in the US going back to their roots (although none of them were from anywhere near this remote island). It was a lot of complaining about the third world country-ness of it all, and the author was a stuck up vegan who couldn't get along with the other people on her trip, or even the natives. And she made it seem like she was the victim, that she couldn't understand why no one liked her, and that she was better off without those dumbasses for friends anyway. It was just too many stereotypes in one story, with poor writing, poorer dialogue, and a completely unlikeable author.
The other extraordinary story was just really pretty. It took place entirely in a cafe near Nice in the south of France (and from my several experiences in Nice, it must have been a MUCH nicer town than any of those I visited). It was a woman thinking about the soon-to-be permanent reunion with her long time partner, while watching the French go about living their lives with their children, their coffee, their pastries, their books...lots of really amazing imagery, spatterings of gorgeous French phrases, and a surprise ending that was pretty impressive.
But, overall the book was a bunch of lesbians moaning and droning on about how they were always marginalized, in American and abroad, how they were never happy, how their partnerships were always stifling, annoying, binding. How much it sucked to be a lesbian, and sometimes even how much it sucked to be a person of color (not even mentioning a person of color who likes OTHER WOMEN) outside of California - actually, that was the premise for one entire story in this collection. No one in this book was happy with who they were or how they were EVER treated by ANYONE, and I couldn't identify with even one of the authors in this book of like..20 authors. Not really recommended, unless you're a die hard fan of lesbian fiction (which I apparently AM NOT cuz they're a bunch of whiners - except of course for Sarah Waters...).
Let's start with the bad: it was written by a woman going back to a small island off of Africa to study African dance with her dance teacher she's been working with for years in NYC, and a group of other experienced African dance students from Detroit. So, a bunch of middle aged women of color from large cities in the US going back to their roots (although none of them were from anywhere near this remote island). It was a lot of complaining about the third world country-ness of it all, and the author was a stuck up vegan who couldn't get along with the other people on her trip, or even the natives. And she made it seem like she was the victim, that she couldn't understand why no one liked her, and that she was better off without those dumbasses for friends anyway. It was just too many stereotypes in one story, with poor writing, poorer dialogue, and a completely unlikeable author.
The other extraordinary story was just really pretty. It took place entirely in a cafe near Nice in the south of France (and from my several experiences in Nice, it must have been a MUCH nicer town than any of those I visited). It was a woman thinking about the soon-to-be permanent reunion with her long time partner, while watching the French go about living their lives with their children, their coffee, their pastries, their books...lots of really amazing imagery, spatterings of gorgeous French phrases, and a surprise ending that was pretty impressive.
But, overall the book was a bunch of lesbians moaning and droning on about how they were always marginalized, in American and abroad, how they were never happy, how their partnerships were always stifling, annoying, binding. How much it sucked to be a lesbian, and sometimes even how much it sucked to be a person of color (not even mentioning a person of color who likes OTHER WOMEN) outside of California - actually, that was the premise for one entire story in this collection. No one in this book was happy with who they were or how they were EVER treated by ANYONE, and I couldn't identify with even one of the authors in this book of like..20 authors. Not really recommended, unless you're a die hard fan of lesbian fiction (which I apparently AM NOT cuz they're a bunch of whiners - except of course for Sarah Waters...).
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews