'LOVE, ZENA BETH' - Softcover

Redbook editor Salvatore's ( Benediction ) bold account of a lesbian relationship eloquently conveys the anticipation, passion and doubt within any love affair, straight or gay. New York City journalist Joyce Ecco, 22, idolizes feminist playwright Zena Beth Frazier, 39. Joyce is petrified, if delighted, at the chance to interview the "gay goddess, a radical prophet pinup in some circles," but Zena Beth proves more than receptive to her professional questions and her tremulous request for a date. Before long, Joyce betrays her longtime lover for trysts with her irresistible new companion. As her fantasies become stunningly real, however, her insecurities grow. She wonders if she has really won "the Lesbian Lotto," as one envious friend insists, or if she has forsaken true love for an affair with a woman who can express only lust--and who constantly waxes nostalgic over a famous ex. Soulful, candid and refreshing, this erotic novel challenges the perception of homosexuals (and women) as "others," and explores love's impact on friendships and careers. This edition is Naiad's third cloth publication in its 20-year history. 10,000 first printing; BOMC and QPB selection.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This second novel by the author of Benediction (Naiad Pr., 1991) unsparingly portrays a woman in the throes of an obsessive love affair. Young reporter Joyce Ecco interviews author/celebrity Zena Beth Frazer and finds herself overwhelmed by the older woman's irreverence and verve. When Zena Beth calls several weeks later, Joyce is swept into an intense affair that both exhilarates and terrifies her. Is it lust? love? heroine worship? Joyce careens out of control, hurting those closest to her, especially her lover, Elaine. Direct, economical prose and explicit, steamy sex scenes vividly convey the confused reporter's sense of compulsion. But the weak characterizations of everyone other than Joyce and Zena Beth diminishes reader interest, and many will not care who ends up with whom. Not a necessary purchase, although collections lacking fiction dealing with the lesbian experience may want to consider.
- Beth Ann Mills, New Rochelle P.L., N.Y.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.