And Playing the Role of Herself in Mostly Sapphic

Nov 28, 2018 Angie rated it really liked it

Shelves: sapphic-romance, tv-or-film-in-books, read-more-than-once, ebooks, queer-ladies, california, lgbtq

Goodreads just ate my review. Ugh. I had it all typed out, too.

I just finished my 3rd read of this novel and have yet to review it. So here goes...

And Playing the Role of Herself was one of the first adult sapphic romances I ever read. It's highly ranked on Goodreads Lesbian lists--deservingly so. The biggest tragedy of this novel, after its horrific title, is the fact that K.E. Lane never wrote another novel. At least not that we're aware of. And that's a shame because I would read another nov Goodreads just ate my review. Ugh. I had it all typed out, too.

I just finished my 3rd read of this novel and have yet to review it. So here goes...

And Playing the Role of Herself was one of the first adult sapphic romances I ever read. It's highly ranked on Goodreads Lesbian lists--deservingly so. The biggest tragedy of this novel, after its horrific title, is the fact that K.E. Lane never wrote another novel. At least not that we're aware of. And that's a shame because I would read another novel by her.

I recently had a discussion with my wife and a friend of ours (Hi, Toastie!) about what 10 novels we'd suggest to a reader just starting out in sapphic romance and my friend included And Playing the Role of Herself one on her list. And I said: "I always forget about that one, but I might list it as an honourable mention." But since it had been a while since I'd read this (2020, apparently), I thought I'd read it again, only listening this time to the famed Lisa Cordileone audiobook performance, which also seems to have disappeared(?!?). (Thanks again, Toastie). As much as I love this novel--I've read it 3 times now--it doesn't quite breach the best of the best of sapphic romance for me, but it's close.

And Playing the Role of Herself feels like a first/debut novel. And for all we know it is. That isn't bad. As I mention above, I would read another K.E. Lane novel today if it existed, but being a first novel, it feels like it could have used an editor, or at least, a better editor. It gets a bit caught up in details that stifle my imagination from taking over. For example, Lane wants us to know exactly how tall Caid and Robyn are. And I don't really know why. Why can't they simply be tall and let my imagination figure out what that means? I've read Pride and Prejudice at least 20 times and I still don't know what Mr Darcy looks like, only that he's tall, handsome but not the handsomest, broody, and has dark hair. And it's fine. It means I can figure out what that means in my own head. And, no, it's not Colin Firth or Matthew Macfadyen, as much as I love them both as Mr Darcy. Lane isn't unique in this. A lot of romance writers will spend way too many words to describe a character's fancy outfit, e.g., and it's often to the detriment of my enjoyment, mostly because what I find attractive isn't what that author does, you know?

At the heart of this story is the romance, which I love, even if it does feel like a case of instant love. I have to keep reminding myself that Caid and Robyn have known each other for a while before the novel begins, which is convenient but true, even if they haven't had any meaningful moments together prior to the start of the novel. But because they do know each other, it feels more genuine. What Lane never quite gets right is how Caid continues to put up with Robyn's hot and cold routine, but we are seeing this only from Caid's perspective. If we had Robyn's we'd likely get annoyed with Caid's insecurity or temper. But watching Caid go through such big mental and physical hardships is rough. The hiking plot is genius, though.

I guess what all this is trying to convey is that I really like this novel. A lot. I've read it multiple times and will likely read it again. Considering this came out in 2007, when the genre was in a very different place, it's pretty remarkable how well this still holds up, despite its clunky moments and truly awful title. It's just not quite 5 stars territory for me.

Random kudos for featuring my hometown, which is something I always forget when I read this novel. ...more

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Nov 06, 2017 Cheri rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, reread, romance, humor, lgbtq

I’m so sad to be done listening to this book. I want more. Sigh.

Highly recommended for lovers of romance and audiobooks. The production is great, as is the narrator.

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May 12, 2017 Jess rated it really liked it

Shelves: kindle, romance, lesbian, acting, regal-crest

This book was an instant breath of fresh air in a long line of dull and/or distressing LGBT books I've been reading. It's such a smooth and flowing read that gets us invested right away and makes it impossible to put down.

The characters feel unique and vulnerable from the first chapter on. Even the minor characters, like Liz and Josh, are so fun to read (and Liz would absolutely need to be played by Lucy Lawless, hands down). I especially like how the "front relationship" trope is switched arou This book was an instant breath of fresh air in a long line of dull and/or distressing LGBT books I've been reading. It's such a smooth and flowing read that gets us invested right away and makes it impossible to put down.

The characters feel unique and vulnerable from the first chapter on. Even the minor characters, like Liz and Josh, are so fun to read (and Liz would absolutely need to be played by Lucy Lawless, hands down). I especially like how the "front relationship" trope is switched around a little bit, making Josh not a villain but a good friend to both Robyn and Caid. In a less fleshed-out story, the characters would be hard to pull off. Caid would come off as needy and Robyn as callous. But Lane is good at making us sympathize with both these women and what they are going through, and even when they make bad decisions, we're right by their sides.

The romance and love scenes are beautiful. Robyn calling Caid "baby," them waking up next to each other, them barely able to keep their hands off each other in public...so completely slow and scorching and sensual. The entire book feels specifically and lovingly designed for lesbian readers (right down to the erotic descriptions of hands). This is definitely a mature romance for readers who want sophisticated ladies who go about getting what they want. And Lane knows how to bring the drama--(view spoiler).

Even though Caid and Robyn are perfect for each other, this isn't quite a perfect book. By the time it reaches about 75%, their constant back and forth starts to wear. It makes storytelling sense, but it also falls into the fan fiction trap, as this story was originally Xena uberfic. With fan fiction, writers don't have deadlines or contracts. They have unlimited time and freedom with their writing, meaning that they can keep writing until they feel they're finished. Loyal readers will eat up their chapters, even if it is just a couple thousand words of repetitious dialogue. There isn't such a luxury with original fiction. I think this book could've been edited down by a good 5,000 words or so--just removing some of the less integral arguments and long paragraphs of pining.

All in all, I'd recommend this as a staple lesbian romance to anyone. There's nothing terribly out-there or daring about it (two well-off, successful, thin, beautiful women falling in love), but it is a slow and believable romance that jumps right off the page. ...more

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