By Flesh Alone

by March Hastings

Lila's husband could not satisfy her so she rejected him - not for another man, but for a woman.

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Deep within every woman lies the seed of Lesbianism. In most woman it has withered and died, but in more than one would suspect the Lesbian potential lies dormant, waiting to be stimulated.

This is the story of Lila, whose seed of Lesbianism is brought to life even though she has been married for some years. In frustration she leaves her husband to seek fulfillment in the rarified world of Lesbos. What Lila finds and the eventual outcome make a gripping story and give an intimate look into what makes a woman tick.

Midwood F208

Paperback

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Writing in New York City in the 1950s and 60s, March Hastings, a pseudonym of Sally Singer, was one of the most prolific authors of the lesbian pulp era. She now lives in Florida.

Reviews

[Edwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early lesbian pulp novels were often written by men, not the case here since this one was written in 1962 by Sally Singer using the pseudonym March Hastings. Singer wrote over 120 novels, plenty of them lesbian themed. Openly gay (bold for the times) she gives her novels some serious authenticity. Here she tells the story of Lila, a young woman bored with a dull marriage, who ditches her husband for a life as a Bohemian in early 1960s Greenwich Village. The Village was an epicenter for the Beat Generation at that time populated by artists and musicians, most of them flat broke and living in splendid squallor. The book is very well written, I don’t know how I’ve never heard of Singer before - she can really write, and serves as an interesting snapshot of life in the Village with adventure, romance, jealousy, and some fairly torrid lesbian sex.

[OhKay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book kind of hilariously has “Midwood Award for Literary Excellence” emblazoned across the cover. Midwood was the sleaze pulp publishing company that released this book. Somehow I don’t think it compares with a Pulitzer or Nobel! That said, March Hastings IS a good writer- one of the very best lesbian pulp writers, & easily better than most of the other Midwood sleaze writers.

There’s a somewhat frequent lesbian pulp plot line here- “Dissatisfied wife leaves sexually inferior or neglecting husband & becomes involved with a woman. Will she stay with her new lady or return to her husband?” Most of these end upholding the heterosexual ideal, & this one comes out as no ringing endorsement of lesbianism. At the same time, it isn’t really judgmental either.

Lila leaves her absent husband & goes to stay with a lesbian friend. We discover that Lila has a lesbian past. In short order she meets Waldo, a swaggering Greenwich Village lesbian painter. (I know, I know, Waldo is a hard name to swallow! It does, however lead to several funny moments where a character says “Where’s Waldo?” Twenty-odd years before the cartoon books!) Lila falls head over heels for Waldo, & a lusty affair begins. March Hastings is one of the best sex scene writers in lesbian pulp. They illustrate perfectly the difference between an actual woman writing versus a man. Her scenes are steamy with a detailed mix of both physical & emotional detail.

Unfortunately for our heroine, Waldo soon becomes quite the moocher. But she isn’t a cardboard bad character- she is fairly complex. What will Lila do in the end? Continue her passionate yet somewhat screwed-up affair with Waldo, or return to her sexually distant husband who still loves her? Hmmm...