Dusty's Queen Of Hearts Diner

Morton River Valley #1

by Lee Lynch

Dusty Reilly fled life on shore for the safety of a Naval career, but there was no escape from women who wanted her - and who made a peacetime military as dangerous as any war. She goes back home to her little factory town and there starts the saga of the diner. Dusty and Elly, both characters from Lynch's novel Toothpick House, along with their blind friend Grace, the fiery old lesbians Gussie and Nan, lively gay Jake and their non-gay co-workers wage the battle of their lives to keep the dream of Dusty's Queen of Hearts Diner thriving in the face of powerful bigotry.

Erotic, dramatic and very real, this is the celebrated first book of The Morton River Valley Trilogy.

Genres: Fiction, Queer, LGBT, Lesbian Fiction, Lesbian

Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Lee Lynch published her first lesbian fiction in “The Ladder” in the 1960s. Naiad Press issued Toothpick House, Old Dyke Tales, and more. Her novel The Swashbuckler was presented in NYC as a play scripted by Sarah Schulman. New Victoria Publishers brought out Rafferty Street, the last book of Lynch’s Morton River Valley Trilogy. Her backlist is becoming available in electronic format from Bold Strokes Books. Her newest novels are Beggar of Love and The Raid from Bold Strokes. Her recent short stories can be found in Romantic Interludes (Bold Strokes Books), Women In Uniform (Regal Crest) and at www.readtheselips.com. Her reviews and feature articles have appeared in such publications as “The San Francisco Chronicle,” “The Advocate” and “The Lambda Book Report.” Lynch’s syndicated column, “The Amazon Trail,” runs in venues such as boldstrokesbooks.com, justaboutwrite.com, “Letters From Camp Rehoboth,” and “On Top Magazine.”

Lee Lynch was honored by the Golden Crown Literary Society (GCLS) as the first recipient (for The Swashbuckler) and namesake of The Lee Lynch Classics Award, which will honor outstanding works in Lesbian Fiction published before awards and honors were given. She also is a recipient of the Alice B. Reader Award for Lesbian Fiction, the James Duggins Mid-Career Author Award, which honors LGBT mid-career novelists of extraordinary talent and service to the LGBT community, and was inducted into the Saints and Sinners Literary Hall of Fame. In 2010 Beggar of Love received the GCLS Ann Bannon Readers’ Choice Award and the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Bronze Award in Gay/Lesbian Fiction. She has twice been nominated for Lambda Literary Awards and her novel Sweet Creek (Bold Strokes Books) was a GCLS award finalist.

She lives in rural Florida with her wife.

Reviews

[Elizabeth Trites · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Lee Lynch can write a book with EIGHT named lesbian characters in 1987 (including several sapphic smut scenes), then authors today have no excuses for not doing the same. 🩷🤍🧡 In all seriousness, this was a comforting gem of a novel that brought to life a cozy diner, its lesbian owners, and their band of friends supporting them through thick and thin. Dusty, Elly, and Grace were all beautifully written characters, full of complexities and each traveling a difficult emotional journey. Reading the author’s portrayal of homophobic events and the self-hate they produce almost 40 years after they were written and over 50 years after the novel’s setting really showed me how far we have come in recent decades—and how far there is still to go.

[Daphne Zanni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cozy read.

*pride month pick

[Alexis Amenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was thoroughly a delight from start to finish, even when it got a little dark in the middle. I loved how it portrayed the burch/femme dynamic; when so many other depictions are based in boring heteronormativity, this couple was a beautiful Dyke couple that leaned on each other in beautiful ways.

I also appreciated there was no overly graphic violence. Of course there’s homophobia, but queer books don’t always have to include graphic sexual assault & anti-gay beat downs. Maybe it’s optimistic of me, but I don’t think our existence should be defined by those who hate us.

Some very hot sex scenes.

Also I just love when a queer book has a happy ending. Some happy endings fall flat, and feel forced or too tidy, but this one just felt so satisfying and wholesome. Who doesn’t love to see two lesbians changing the outlook of an entire town, loving each other and running a successful business???

Can’t wait to read more by Lee Lynch!!!

[Lily Mason · Rating 3 out of 5]

From a historical perspective, this is an interesting read. It is both sobering and joyous -- how far the plight of the modern queer woman has come! I enjoyed the character development and quaint, easy-to-picture blue-collar setting.

The depth and maturity of the relationships was lacking, and I found it hard to root for the main couple, who seemed like two petty teenagers in their 30s and 40s. I also could have done without the constant switch of POV and the many printing errors. But it was an enjoyable read nonetheless, and a good reminder to be grateful for the many long strides made in the last 45 years.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great depiction of lesbian relationships in the early 1970s and one woman's struggle with identifying and working through her internalized homophobia (without therapy!).

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book of all time.

[Jerry-Mac · Rating 3 out of 5]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14095010