"A landmark work of lesbian fiction" and the basis for the acclaimed film Desert Hearts ( The New York Times ).Against the backdrop of Reno, Nevada, in the late 1950s, award-winning author Jane Rule chronicles a love affair between two women.When Desert of the Heart opens, Evelyn Hall is on a plane that will take her from her old life in Oakland, California, to ...

An estranged brother and sister reconnect in this moving novel from "perhaps the most significant lesbian fiction writer of the 20th century" (Katherine V. Forrest, author of Curious Wine).When the novel opens, Diana's twin brother, David, a widower in his mid-sixties, is looking back on his life. As memories swamp him, he decides to take a critical step: to beg for his sister's forgiveness.Diana has never met David's two daughters. She has no idea...

Jane Rule's second novel follows a group of friends through New York and abroad as they explore the freedoms—and limitations—of sexuality in a time of stifling social conventionKatherine George—Kate to her intimates—is captain of her high school debating and swimming teams. But beneath her high-achieving exterior is a young woman on a quest for meaning and fulfilling relationships.Through her decades-long correspondence with Esther, the woman with whom she f...

Five women at critical crossroads in their lives come together in this gem of a novel set on an island off the coast of VancouverAfter the Fire introduces a quintet of very different women as they struggle with abandonment, loss, and new beginnings—both together and alone.There is Karen Tasuki, who recently separated from her partner and wonders if she'll ever get used to being alone . . . until she befriends Red, who cleans houses for the island's...

Told as a series of interconnected stories, Jane Rule's fifth novel—offering six characters' shifting perspectives—takes us to a place where feminism, creativity, and sexual politics collideContract with the World follows a group of friends, artists, and lovers as they negotiate the shifting terrain of the 1970s—a time when gay and lesbian politics were just emerging.Divided into six parts, the novel enters a world marked by desire, ambition, jealo...

An award-winning novel of lesbian identity and camaraderie amid violence and warRuth Wheeler is the one-armed caretaker of a motley crew of boarders living in her rooming house in Vancouver, British Columbia. The miscreants and outcasts in residence include a sexually confused academic, a one-time-dope-addict-turned-law-student, a high-minded deserter of the Vietnam War, a socially conscious female radical, and a gay man on the run from the cops. Despite personal di...

The essays in this inspiring collection analyze the craft of writing and the art of living and lovingJane Rule shares her insights into the creative process, sexual fidelity, feminist politics, and the transformative power of love.Part I—"On Writing"—dispenses advice (writing is "a craft that has to be practiced"); offers observations ("The creative process in any art takes time"); and dissects the writer-publisher relationship, both feminist and traditiona...

A decades-spanning novel of sisterhood and family secrets from an "extraordinary writer" (Katherine V. Forrest).Born lame, Amelia Larson lives in the house that has been in her family for generations. Now she has a decision to make: Should she honor the dying wish of her sister, Beatrice, to burn her diaries? There are sixty-nine in all: one journal for each year of Beatrice's life since the age of six.Beginning in 1913 and traversing World War I and beyond...

The stories in this remarkable collection by Jane Rule explore the relationships among men and women, women and women, and families—both conventional and unconventionalFrom traditional families to relationships that break new ground, this anthology runs the gamut of human emotions.The eponymous heroine "Dulce" is a self-proclaimed muse, witch, whore, "preying lesbian," and "devouring mother" who has a profound effect on the lives of the women and men around...

Three beautiful novels from the groundbreaking, award-winning author—including "a landmark work of lesbian fiction" and basis for the film Desert Hearts ( The New York Times).First published in 1964, Desert of the Heart broke ground with its realistic and complex portrayal of love between two women, and immediately established Jane Rule's reputation as an "extraordinary writer—perhaps the most significant lesbian fiction writer of the twe...

Jane Rule's fourth book explores lesbianism as portrayed by authors from Gertrude Stein to Colette, from Vita Sackville-West to May Sarton and Willa CatherLesbian Images opens with a disclaimer from the author: "This book is not intended to be a comprehensive literary or cultural history of lesbians." Rather, as Jane Rule goes on to tell us, her goal is to present her own attitudes and measure them against the images of lesbianism as depicted by other fema...

Fiction and nonfiction form compelling counterpoints in this powerful look at love and lesbianismThe stories and essays in this anthology depict homosexuality in all its variegated forms.In "Home Movie," Alysoun Carr, a clarinetist with the San Francisco Symphony, learns about overcoming fear from a woman named Constantina. "In the Attic of the House" depicts sixty-five-year-old Alice, who rents rooms to younger gay women who have no inkling of Alice's tragi...