holdquitestill
I’ve been a quiet supporter of C.C. for quite some time now and have been doing my bit to raise awareness of her work, in Brisbane at least, through my position as Gay & Lesbian Section Manager at McGills Books. Lately I’ve been reviewing some of her titles for the local queer street press, QP, and thought it might be of interest to you to have a read and maybe share your thoughts. I’ll post any more I write in the appropriate threads on this forum so have a look around if you like. And don’t forget C.C. will be again showing her lovely face in Brisbane at McGills Books on the 9th of April 2005 at 2pm North & Left From Here (Take II) (Originally published in QP: March 2005) This is the pacier, racier version of C.C.’s debut novel which earned her the well-deserved tagline of ‘the thinking woman’s lesbian romance novelist’. Although I’m about as far removed from the world of Alex and her friends & lovers as one can be I couldn’t help being drawn into the web of memory and introspection that is woven so skilfully by C.C.. While initially seeming a little too thoughtful and Alex’s personal musings almost make you want to shake her, this device works a treat to provide continuity and consistency as we are drawn back and forth in time to discover the various encounters that informed the woman Alex has become. Her emotional and sexual interactions with beautiful and fascinating women pepper the book and engender a multitude of different emotional landscapes that the main storyline couldn’t handle alone; personally I was absolutely riveted to the tale of the athletic Tashinka in Algiers and am secretly hoping for a spin-off. I’ve always despaired at the dearth of quality, literary lesbian fiction so was gratified to discover another fine author in C.C. Saint-Clair and to have something to recommend to the women who’ve tired of the plethora of light detective fiction.
Rhonda
Originally posted by caramia on March 10, 2005: I’m with Drift – that ‘shadow’ scene on the beach (North & left from here by C C Saint-Clair) is my all-time favourite … well, my all-time favourite in North that is, as I have many other all-time favourites in each of C C Saint-Clair’s seven novels. Any more novels on the way, C C? Better still, how about a filmscript of one of your novels? the goddess knows we need some good lesbian films. I think Far from Maddy would translate well into a film, as would Morgan in the Mirror. I think a film about Morgan would spread your compassionate perspective on transgender FTMs to a wider audience, for sure – would be a challenge, though, me thinks.
Rhonda
Originally posted by DRIFT on Feb 25, 2005: Senji, baby – that story of yours is just too good. I can just see it. What I can’t quite imagine is C.C. Saint-Clair as MY neighbour. Woohoo! You seem to be a Jagged Dreams fan, but my special bits are in NOrth and Left [take II]. Particularly the sections with Diana and Tash – separately. How about this one – Alex is at the beach, in some NOrth African. She’s about 22 in this flashback and she’s got the hots for Tash, straight wife and mother of 2 little boys who, so far has not showed any signs of sexual attraction towards Alex. “Then, on a particular afternoon, as I lay perfecting the pose of a sand lizard busy absorbing the sun’s warmth, a shadow darkened the light beyond my eyes and hovered. Puzzled, my eyelids fluttered. Raising myself on one elbow and squinting into slanted sun, I was surprised to see Tash moving towards me, a finger across her lips to keep her little sons at bay till her bare feet were planted on either side of mine. Breath caught inside my throat. Tash’s elongated shadow was weightless across my legs, my stomach, my breasts. She smiled at me, allowing her shadow to lie over my body a moment longer before kneeling down, her knees on either side of mine. Time suspended. I couldn’t hear the surf, I couldn’t hear the birds that lived in the scrubby dunes nearby. I couldn’t hear the boys play. Then with a twist of the hips, Tash flopped at my side and pulled a bright Aegean-blue beach towel out of her backpack. Sound returned to my ears. The boys already at play in the water. Only a tiny handful of seconds had been lost, but they were never to be found. I returned my attention to Tash who, by then, was staring out to sea, further away than where her boys were chasing each other with sprays of golden light. The corners of her eyes were crinkled against the glare. I dropped back against the sand, trapping the fiery orange glow of sunlight under my eyelids. A tap on my shoulder. The pungent smell of blue cheese under my nose, cool and firm brushing against my lips. I sat up. My lips closed around the little morsel and the tips of Tash’s fingers. Heart pounding, eyes widened, a sudden shimmer of desire ripped through me. Tash held my gaze for a very brief moment before returning her attention, first to her boys, and then to the spreading of cheese on fluffy white bread. The moment passed unacknowledged by words.” I assume it’s ok to borrow a few of C.C. lines for the purpose of this forum, but I’d better add that the extract is copyright by c.c. Saint-Clair 20003. If I’ve toyed too close to copyright infringement, maybe your neighbour will give me a call Wink _________________ one doesn’t discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time. andre gide
stargayzer
Vita-Sackville West said, “I believe that then the psychology of people like myself will be a matter of interest, and I believe it will be recognized that many more people of my type do exist ….” and, me, I thinK that C.C. Saint-Clair’s tack to her writing is about the same thing. North and Left [TakeII] was somewhat autobiographic (I suspect Benchmarks might have been too) and her books remind us that people like Alex do exist and people like Morgan and Jo do exist as well. OK, so none of Saint-Clair’s characters are either smooth and glossy. They all have bumps and flaws. And yet, we get them because they ring true – warts and all. And they remind us of a private aspect of ourselves or of an ex we’ve had or of someone else we’ve known and loved. S’gayzer _________________ Star gazing: great for the soul. Work hard – play hard – love hard: all great for the body.
Trinity
In reply to Editorial by Admin, All Things Lesbian. Trinity Site Admin Joined: 19 Jan 2005 Posts: 129 Location: Ohio Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2005 6:34 am Post subject: the tootsieroll pop Freefall, The tootsieroll pop was very popular in the US (i am not sure of any other countries) There used to be a commercial on tv with an owl saying “how many licks does it take to get to the center of the tootsieroll pop?” Then he would lick it and count 1…2…3 and then you would hear a big crunch from him biting down on the lolly pop because he couldn’t wait to get to the center. It is one of my favorite commercials from when i was young. It was on a lot in the 80’s Trinity
stargayzer
In reply to Editorial by Admin, All Things Lesbian. Joined: 21 Feb 2005 Posts: 6 Location: Sydney, Australia Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2005 12:01 am Post subject: cc’s silent goodbyes I totally agree with your post Admin. I read Silent Goodbyes while doing the daily commutes to work and back [45 mins each way by train]. Just didn’t see time go by. i was on that sailboat. I was stargayzing onboard Emilie’s yacht – Stargayzer I thought Solange was quite a pain in the …. but I had a gf who was just as erratic as her – so I totally understood what Emilie was going through. But then again, I just loved the way Em fell in love with Roberta and their tender connection. So real to life, I couldn’t help sighing because … i’ve been there myself. Who hasn’t?That’s the strength of CC’s writing, I think, that ability to write ficition that’s so real and … involving of the senses. So … yeah Admin, I agree with you,Silent goodbyes is a great book S’gayzer _________________ Star gazing: great for the soul. Work hard – play hard – love hard: all great for the body.