This is a list of books portraying sexual relations between women, works of fiction with characters who may be lesbians, bisexuals or straight-identified women who have sex with women. It includes a list of characters that make recurring appearances in fiction series.
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Fiction and Drama (2nd century)
Fiction and Drama (18th century)
Fiction and Drama (19th century)
Fiction and Drama (20th century)
- Sind es Frauen? Roman über das dritte Geschlecht., Minna Wettstein-Adelt (1901)
- Thirty-Three Abominations, Lydia Zinovieva-Annibal (1907)
- The Rainbow, D. H. Lawrence (1915)
- The scorpion, Anna Elisabet Weirauch (1919) (1930) (1931) [4]
- The Bachelor Girl, Victor Margueritte (1922)
- God of Vengeance (play), Sholem Asch (1923) – Girl has lesbian relationship with a prostitute
- Freundinnen, Maximiliane Ackers (1923) [5]
- The Captive (play), Edouard Bourdet (1926) – Tragedy of a young woman who falls into a twisted relationship with another woman
- The Well of Loneliness, Radclyffe Hall (1928) – subject of an obscenity trial that banned the book in the United Kingdom until 1949,[6] though "there are no descriptions of sex in it, no rude words, and the lesbian lovers do not live happily ever after"[7]
- Ladies Almanack, Djuna Barnes (1928)
- Orlando: A Biography, Virginia Woolf (1928)
- Extraordinary Women, Compton Mackenzie (1928)
- The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, Gertrude Stein (1933) – one of Stein's more accessible works. Others, whose lesbian content may not be apparent to the uninformed reader, include As a Wife Has a Cow: A Love Story, Lifting Belly, and Miss Furr and Miss Skeene.
- The Child Manuela, Christa Winsloe (1933) [8]
- The Children's Hour (play), Lillian Hellman (1934)
- Nightwood, Djuna Barnes (1936)
- Lulu, Alban Berg (1937)
- Torchlight to Valhalla, Gale Wilhelm (1938)
- No Exit, Jean-Paul Sartre (1944) – Inès Serrano, a lesbian, is sent to hell for murder
- Spring Fire, Marijane Meaker (as Vin Packer) (1952)
- Le Rempart des Béguines, Françoise Mallet-Joris (1952) – Helene, a 15-year-old schoolgirl, is seduced by her father's mistress, Tamara
- The Price of Salt, Patricia Highsmith (under pseudonym "Claire Morgan" before 1990) (1952) – Considered the first lesbian novel with a 'happy ending'. Basis for the 2015 film Carol.
- Chocolates for Breakfast, Pamela Moore (1956) – portrays the bond between the protagonist Courtney Farrell and her boarding school teacher Miss Rosen, and the backlash against them from other teachers and students[9]
- Odd Girl Out, I Am a Woman, Women in the Shadows, Journey to a Woman, and Beebo Brinker (aka the Beebo Brinker Chronicles), Ann Bannon (1957–1962)
- The Group, Mary McCarthy (1962)
- The Killing of Sister George, Frank Marcus (1963)
- Desert of the Heart, Jane Rule (1964) – basis for the 1985 film Desert Hearts
- A Compass Error, Sybille Bedford (1968)
- Patience and Sarah, Isabel Miller (1969)
- Rubyfruit Jungle, (1973), Rita Mae Brown
- Lover (1976), Bertha Harris
- The Color Purple (1982), Alice Walker
- Toothpick House (1983), Lee Lynch
- Mousson de femmes (Monsoon of women) (1985), Elula Perrin
- The Swashbuckler (1985), Lee Lynch
- Lesbian Body (1986), Monique Wittig
- Say Jesus and Come to Me (1986), Ann Allen Shockley
- Memory Board (1987), Jane Rule
- Send My Roots Rain (1991), Ibis Gómez-Vega
- Six of One (1991), Rita Mae Brown
- Aquamarine (1993), Carol Anshaw
- Bastard Out of Carolina (1993), Dorothy Allison[citation needed]
- Stone Butch Blues (1993), Leslie Feinberg
- Chelsea Girls (1994), Eileen Myles
- Empire of Dreams (1994), Giannina Braschi
- Written on the Body (1994), Jeanette Winterson
- Flashpoint (1995), Katherine V. Forrest
- Along the Journey River (1996), Carole LaFavor
- Fall on Your Knees (1996), Ann-Marie MacDonald
- Memory Mambo (1996), Achy Obejas
- Living at Night (1997), Mariana Romo-Carmona
- Sweet Bitter Love (1997), Rita Schiano
- Loving Her (1997), Ann Allen Shockley
- Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (1985), Jeanette Winterson
- The Passion (1997), Jeanette Winterson
- Working Parts (1997), Lucy Jane Bledsoe
- Yo-Yo Boing! (1998), Giannina Braschi
- Hood (1998), Emma Donoghue
- Coachella (1998), Sheila Ortiz Taylor
- Like (1998), Ali Smith
- Kissing the Witch (1999), Emma Donoghue
Fiction and Drama (21st century)
- High Art (2000) Tanya Dolan
- Stirfry (2000), Emma Donoghue
- Tipping the Velvet (2000), Sarah Waters
- Gun Shy (2001), Lori L. Lake
- Fingersmith (2002), Sarah Waters
- Affinity (2002), Sarah Waters
- Hotel World (2002), Ali Smith
- Love Ruins Everything (2002), Karen X. Tulchinsky
- The Wanderground (2002), Sally Miller Gearhart
- Garis Tepi Seorang Lesbian (2003), Herlinatiens
- Love and Other Ruins (2003), Karen X. Tulchinsky
- Maybe Next Time (2003), Karin Kallmaker
- Southland (2003), Nina Revoyr
- Crybaby Butch (2004), Judith Frank
- Love's Masquerade (2004), Radclyffe
- Under the Witness Tree (2004), Marianne K. Martin
- Desert Blood (2005), Alicia Gaspar de Alba
- Bliss (2005), Fiona Zedde
- The Five Books of Moses Lapinsky (2005), Karen X. Tulchinsky
- Life Mask (2005), Emma Donoghue
- Back Talk (2006), Saxon Bennett
- French Postcards (2006), Jane Merchant
- Fresh Tracks (2006), Georgia Beers
- Idaho Code (2006), Joan Opyr
- Of Drag Kings and the Wheel of Fate (2006), Susan "Smitty" Smith
- Punk Like Me (2006), JD Glass
- The Night Watch (2006), Sarah Waters
- A Taste of Sin (2006), Fiona Zedde
- Every Dark Desire (2007), Fiona Zedde
- Flight Risk (2007), Kim Baldwin
- A Girl Named Charlie Lester (2007), Carissa Halston
- Such A Pretty Face (2007), Gabrielle Goldsby
- The Teahouse Fire (2007), Ellis Avery
- Among Other Things, I've Taken Up Smoking (2008), Aoibheann Sweeney
- Beyond the Pale (2008), Elana Dykewomon
- Hungry for It (2008), Fiona Zedde
- Landing (2008), Emma Donoghue
- Relief (2008), L.E. Butler
- Your Sad Eyes and Unforgettable Mouth (2008), Edeet Ravel
- Cat Rising (2009), Cynn Chadwick
- Girl Meets Boy (2009), Ali Smith
- Lesbians Roaring Like A Tsunami[10] (2010), by Mikhail Volokhov
- Un Soir du Paris (2010), short-story collection
- Broken Ladder", (2010), J. Monique Gambles
- July Nights and Other Stories", (1991), J. A. Hamilton
- Body Rain, poetry", (1992), J. A. Hamilton
- Steam-Cleaning Love, poetry", (1993), J. A Hamilton
- Hunger, stories", (2002), Jane Eaton Hamilton
- Cinnamon, (2012), Samar Yazbek
- Like Dark Minds, (2013), Christy Summerland
- Ghostwriter, (2012), Terry Birchwood
- Tipping Over, (2013), Terry Birchwood
Mystery Series, by lead character
- Alison Kaine, a lesbian Denver, Colorado police officer in mysteries by Kate Allan
- Allison O'Neill, a lesbian in mysteries by Lauren Wright Douglas
- Amanda Valentine, a lesbian detective inspector in Wellington, New Zealand by Rose Beecham
- Wilhelmina "Bil" Hardy, an amateur lesbian detective in Idaho Code and From Hell to Breakfast by Joan Opyr
- Brenda Strange, a private investigator of the weird in Tampa, Florida by Patty Henderson
- Brett Higgins, a gangster/private investigator in Detroit, Michigan by Therese Szymanski
- Caitlin Reece, a lesbian in mysteries by Lauren Wright Douglas
- Carmen Ramirez, a 24-year-old Irish-Puerto Rican lesbian copy editor at her hometown newspaper in Frontier City, Oklahoma by Lisa Haddock
- Carol Ashton, a lesbian detective inspector in Sydney, Australia in mysteries by Claire McNab
- Cassandra Reilly, a widely traveled lesbian translator in mysteries by Barbara Wilson
- Cassidy James, a lesbian private investigator based in Portland, Oregon in mysteries by Kate Calloway
- Colleen Fitzgerald, a lesbian insurance investigator in mysteries by Barbara Johnson
- Danielle Renaud, a lesbian French-Canadian RCMP officer in mysteries by Nadine LaPierre
- Desiree "Dez" Reilly, a lesbian policewoman in St. Paul, Minnesota in mysteries by Lori L. Lake[11]
- Emma Victor, a lesbian private investigator in San Francisco in mysteries by Mary Wings
- Gianna Maglione, lesbian police lieutenant in Washington, D.C. in mysteries by Penny Mickelbury
- Hilary Tamar (?), an androgynous lawyer in mysteries by Sarah Caudwell. In fact, Caudwell never specified Tamar's sex.
- Hyacinth Dickinson a lesbian gynaecologist and diamond smuggler in Newcastle upon Tyne by Ellen Dean
- Jane Lawless, a lesbian restaurant owner and private investigator in Minneapolis in mysteries by Ellen Hart
- Jet Butler, a lesbian college professor in mysteries by B. Reese Johnson
- Jo Jacuzzo, a charismatic lesbian in Buffalo, New York in mysteries by Anne Seale
- Jude Devine, a lesbian sheriff's detective in Montezuma County, Colorado in mysteries by Rose Beecham
- Kate Delafield, a lesbian LAPD homicide detective and former Marine in mysteries by Katherine V. Forrest
- Kate Martinelli, a lesbian San Francisco homicide detective in mysteries by Laurie R. King
- Kristin Ashe, a lesbian private investigator in mysteries by Jennifer L. Jordan
- Kellen Stewart, a therapist and a lesbian in Great Britain by Manda Scott
- Kylie Kendall, the lesbian manager of a pub in tiny Wollegudgerie, Australia who inherits 51% of her father's private detective agency in Los Angeles, California in mysteries by Claire McNab
- Lauren Laurano, a lesbian private investigator in Manhattan, in mysteries by Sandra Scoppettone
- Lexy Hyatt, a lesbian crime reporter in Florida in mysteries by Carlene Miller
- Lindsay Gordon, a lesbian journalist & socialist in Glasgow, Scotland in mysteries by Val McDermid
- Maggie Garrett, a young, lesbian private investigator in San Francisco, California in mysteries by Jean Taylor
- Maris Middleton, a lesbian chemist with a specialization in forensics in mysteries by Kaye Davis
- Meg Lacey, a lesbian private investigator based in Canada in mysteries by Elizabeth Bowers
- Rainey Blue Bell, an FBI agent on medical leave and a bail bonds business owner, meets her first lesbian lover in Rainey Days, the first novel in the Rainey Bell mystery series by R.E. Bradshaw
- Micky Knight, a lesbian New Orleans private investigator in mysteries by J.M. Redmann
- Monette O'Reilley, towering lesbian and star player of the Leaping Lesbians of Park Slope soccer team and graphic artist in New York in mysteries by David Stukas
- Nea Fox, a lesbian private investigator in London, England in mysteries by Amelia Ellis
- Nickel (Nicole) Smith, a lesbian small-town newspaper editor in Runnymeade by Rita Mae Brown
- Pam Nilsen, lesbian printing company owner in Seattle, Washington by Barbara Wilson
- Saz Martin, a lesbian private investigator in London by Stella Duffy
- Shay O'Hanlon, a lesbian coffee store owner in the humorous caper/mysteries by Jessie Chandler
- Stoner McTavish, a lesbian travel agent in Boston, Massachusetts by Sarah Dreher
- Sydney Sloan, a lesbian private investigator in New York, New York, in the Stonewall Inn mysteries by Randye Lordon
- Toni Barston, a lesbian district attorney specializing in borderline personalities in mysteries by Terri Breneman
- Tru North, a lesbian police detective in Kansas City, Missouri in mysteries by Janet McClellan
- Virginia Kelly, a lesbian investment advisor in mysteries by Nikki Baker
Romance Novels
- The Interpretation of Love and the Truth – Barbara Winkes[12]
- It's Complicated:Misconceptions - Erika Renee Land
- Owning Regina – Lorelei Elstrom[13]
- Curious Wine, Emergence of Green – Katherine V. Forrest
- All True Lovers, Cytherea's Breath, Amantha – Sarah Aldridge
- Legacy of Love, Love in the Balance, Dawn of the Dance, Never Ending, Mirrors, Under the Witness Tree, Dance in the Key of Love – Marianne K. Martin
- Mulligan, House on Sandstone, Just this Once, Secrets So Deep, Out of Love – KG MacGregor[14]
- Sunset Island, Awaiting My Assignment, The Interim, Anything Your Heart Desires - AJ Adaire[15]
- Beyond Midnight, Beautiful Strangers (Hyacinth Dickinson Series) - Ellen Dean[16]
- Honor Series, Justice Series, Provincetown series – Radclyffe
- All the Wrong Places, Car Pool, Embrace in Motion, Finders Keepers, In Every Port, Just LIke That, The Kiss that Counted, One Degree of Separation, Painted Moon, Sugar, Unforgettable, Making Up For Lost Time, Substitute for Love, Touchwood, Wild Things, Watermark (sequel to Touchwood) – Karin Kallmaker
- Course of Action, Coffee Sonata, Sheridan's Fate, September canvass – Gun Brooke[17]
- Define Destiny JM Dragon[18]
- First Instinct, Forever Found, Rising Storm, Hotel Liaison – J. Lee Meyer[19]
- More Than Paradise, the Moon Island Series: Passion Bay, Saving Grace, The Sacred Shore, A Guarded Heart, and the Dark Vista series: Dark Dreamer, Dark Valentine – Jennifer Fulton
- I Found My Heart In San Francisco Series, Arbor Vitae – SX Meagher[20]
- Sweet Bitter Love – Rita Schiano
- Sierra City, Gulf Breeze, Hunter's Way, Behind the Pine Curtain, Coyote Sky, Dawn of Change, The Rainbow Cedar, One Summer Night – Gerri Hill[21]
- The Light Fantastic – L A Tucker
- Never Say Never, Class Reunion – Linda Hill
- None So Blind, Prairie Fire, Tumbleweed Fever – LJ Maas
- Galveston 1900: Swept Away, The Bluest Eyes in Texas, and Borderline – Linda Crist
- The Price of Fame, The Cost of Commitment, The Value of Valor – Lynn Ames[22]
- The Price of Salt – Patricia Highsmith (originally under pseudonym "Claire Morgan")
- Infinite Loop – Meghan O'Brien[23]
- Innocent Hearts, Love's Melody Lost, Love's Tender Warriors, Tomorrow's Promise, Passion's Bright Fury, Love's Masquerade – Radclyffe
- Hunter's Pursuit, Force of Nature, Whitewater Rendezvous, Focus of Desire – Kim Baldwin[24]
- A Gift of Time, Gloria's Inn – Robin Alexander[25]
- Private Dancer – TJ Vertigo[26]
- 96 Hours, Turning the Page, Thy Neighbor's Wife, Too Close to Touch, Fresh Tracks, Mine, Starting from Scratch --- Georgia Beers[27]
- Turning Point – Lara Zielinsky[28]
- Such A Pretty Face – Gabrielle Goldsby
- Trails Merge, Learning Curve – Rachel Spangler[29]
- On the Air - Geonn Cannon[30]
- Gemini - Geonn Cannon[31]
- Out on the Sound, The Girl Back Home, Sweet Carolina Girls - R.E. Bradshaw[32]
- Zen and Tonic (novel), Kris Howard (author)(2011)
- Like Lovers Do, Different Dress, Ricochet in Time - Lori L. Lake
- As You Were[33], - Kelli Jae Baeli[34]
- Broken Star – Joann Lee[35]
- Aspen's Stunt – Melissa Grace[36]
- "Double Shot, Mile High Club, Switching Teams, Girlfriends With Benefits, Sugar in the Morning, Velvet Canyon, Care by Kera, Broken Wing, Commando Jane" - Ella Wrylee
- Heart of the Hurricane, Woodworth, May 1920's female bisexual couple Eliza & Joanna survive the August Gales of Nova Scotia and find love
Historical Novels
Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
These science fiction works frequently address the issue of feminist/lesbian separatist communities. See Lesbian science fiction for a more detailed review.
- Joanna Russ's The Female Man
- Marion Zimmer Bradley's Renunciate series
- Jane Fletcher's Celaeno series
- Katherine V. Forrest's Daughters of a Coral Dawn, Daughters of an Amber Noon, Daughters of an Emerald Dusk, Dreams and Swords anthology with novella O Captain, My Captain
- Jewelle Gomez's The Gilda Stories, Don't Explain
- Nicola Griffith's Ammonite, Slow River
- Patrick Califia's Doc and Fluff
- Therese Szymanski's Call of the Dark anthology
- Karin Kallmaker, Barbara Johnson, Julia Watts and Therese Szymanski's New Exploits books, including Once Upon a Dyke, Bell, Book & Dyke, Stake Through the Heart, and Tall in the Saddle
- Diana River's Hadra series
- Laurie J. Marks's Dancing Jack, Elemental series (Fire Logic, Earth Logic, Water Logic)
- Meghan O'Brien's The Three and Wild
- Pam Keesey's Daughters of Darkness and Dark Angels
- Gun Brooke's Supreme Constellations series
- Moondancer Drake's Ancestral Magic
- Justine Saracen's The 100th Generation and Vulture's Kiss
- Libba Bray's characters Felicity Worthington and Pippa Cross in her Gemma Doyle trilogy (A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, and The Sweet Far Thing) are at first thought to be very close friends, almost sisters, until it is revealed they are harbouring a secret love for one another.
- Catherine M. Wilson's "When Women were Warriors series" book 1: The Warriors Path, 2: A Journey of the Heart, and 3: A Hero's Tale
- Malinda Lo "Ash" and "Huntress"
- "Women on the Edge of Space," a space-opera anthology published by Circlet Press
- Gay male author Geoff Ryman's Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning The Child Garden features a lesbian protagonist.
- Sarah Diemer "The Dark Wife"
- Raven c.s. McCracken's It's Always Spring Break Somewhere in the Galaxy
- J.A. Pitts's Black Blade Blues, Honeyed Words, and Forged in Fire.
- L.J. Baker's Broken Wings, Promises, Promises, and Adijan and the Genie
- Gill McKnight's Garoul series: Goldenseal,Ambereye, and Indigo Moon
- Merry Shannon's Sword of the Guardian
- Allison Moon's "Tales of the Pack" series of novels including Lunatic Fringe and Hungry Ghost
- Melissa Grace's Tainted Elite
Young Adult Fiction
- Ruby (1976), Rosa Guy
- Happy Endings Are All Alike (1978), Sandra Scoppettone
- The Last of Eden (1980), Stephanie Tolan
- Crush (1981), Jane Futcher
- Annie on My Mind (1982), Nancy Garden
- Good Moon Rising (1996), Nancy Garden
- The House You Pass on the Way (1997), Jacqueline Woodson
- The Year of Freaking Out (1997), Sarah Walker
- Dare Truth or Promise (1997), Paula Boock
- Allison (1998), Tatiana Strelkoff
- Girl Walking Backwards (1998), Bett Williams
- Summer Sisters (1998), Judy Blume
- Tomorrow Wendy (1998), Shelley Stoehr
- Out of the Shadows (2000), Sue Hines
- A Year of Full Moons (2000), Madelyn Arnold
- Empress of the World (2001), Sara Ryan
- Finding H.F. (2001), Julia Watts
- Gravel Queen (2003), Tea Benduhn
- I've Known Since I Was Eight (2003), Sophie Glasser
- Keeping You a Secret (2003), Julie Anne Peters
- Kissing Kate (2003), Lauren Myracle
- The Bermudez Triangle (2004), Maureen Johnson
- Good Girls Don't (2004), Claire Hennessy
- Heart (2004), Lexi Harris
- Orphea Proud (2004), Sharon Dennis Wyeth
- Rosemary and Juliet (2004), Judy MacLean
- Sugar Rush (2004), Julie Burchill
- Far from Xanadu (2005), Julie Anne Peters
- The Will of the Empress (2005), Tamora Pierce
- grl2grl (2007), Julie Anne Peters
- The Rules for Hearts (2007), Sara Ryan
- Split Screen (2007), Brent Hartinger
- Alix & Valérie (2008), Íngrid Díaz
- Down to the Bone (2008), Mayra Lazara Dole
- M+O 4Ever (2008), Tonya Cherie Hegamin
- My Tiki Girl (2008), Jennifer McMahon
- Pretty Little Liars (2008–present), Sara Shepard
- The Girl from Mars (Marsmädchen) (2008), Tamara Bach
- The Questions Within (2008), Teresa Shaeffer
- Rage: A Love Story (2009), Julie Anne Peters
- Ash (2009), Malinda Lo
- I Kiss Girls (2007), Gina Harris
- Torn (2009), Amber Lehman
- The Dark Wife (2011), Sarah Diemer
- The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2012), Emily Danforth
- Candlelight (2013), Sara C. Roethle
- Afterworlds (2014), Scott Westerfield
- Unspeakable (2015), Abbie Rushton
Fan Fiction
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Fanfiction writers have produced many works in which female characters from fictional sources (such as television shows, movies, video games, anime, manga or comic books) are paired in romantic, spiritual, or sexual relationships. The genre is known by a variety of terms, including femslash, saffic, yuri and f/f slash. Lesbian content in fanfiction dates at least to 1977, but has become more popular during the 1990s and 2000s.
Lesbian & Feminist Publishing Houses
Further reading
- The Lesbian in Literature by Gene Damon (Barbara Grier). Bibliography of any title with lesbian content through 1969.
- Chloe plus Olivia – An Anthology of Lesbian Literature from the Seventeenth Century to the Present, ed. Lillian Faderman, Penguin Books 1995
See also
References
- Potter, Clare. The Lesbian Periodical Index, Naiad Press, 1986 ISBN 978-0-930044-74-9
- Gay detectives listed by Stop, You're Killing Me!, a resource for mysteries
- Gay & Lesbian detectives listed by Martin Kich
- Lesbian (Feminist) Los Angeles, 1970–1990: An Exploratory Ethnohistory, Yolanda Retter University of New Mexico
- McCormick Library of Special Collections, Northwestern University Library.
- "Las Tortilleras: Tortilleras: Hispanic and U.S. Latina Lesbian Expression", edited by Inmaculada Perpetusa-Seva and Lourdes Torres, Temple University Press, 2003.
- "These Girls Are Not Sweet", edited by Marjorie Agosin, White Pine Press, 2000.
External links
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