Review "An interesting historical record, edited with great sensitivity . . . . [Lister] reveals her lesbian affairs with remarkable honesty, offering a rare insight into the mores of the time."-Sunday Independent”As a document of one woman's revolt against conventions and as a celebration of love between women, this is an uplifting book." -The Independent"...the souvenir of an unabashed and often triumphant erotic life, rediscovered after nearly two hundred years, the story of [Anne Lister's] desire- and of the comic, gallant ways in which she satisfied it-seems especially poignant...the passion women find together has always existed, and we have only now begun to uncover its remarkable, lyrical history. " -The Women's Review of Books"An interesting historical record, edited with great sensitivity...[Lister] reveals her lesbian affairs with remarkable honesty, offering a rare insight into the mores of the time." -Sunday Times"These remarkable diaries, a veritable Roseta Stone of lesbian life in the early nineteenth century, tell the story of the life and loves of Anne Lister, a outwardly conventional upper-class Englishwoman, who, from adolescence onward, was involved in a succession of passionate affairs with other women. Composed in a secret cipher - a kiss is Lister's codeword for orgasm, as in Two kisses last night, one almost immediately after the other, before we went to sleep- and ably decoded by Helena Whitbread, who spent six years editing them, the diaries trace not only Lister's relationships, but her attempts at self-definition and her strikingly confident and guilt free outlook. Lister's account of her daily life and her sometimes snobbish, but always compelling and unflinching commentary about the failings and shortcomings of her friends and acquaintances only add to the book's readability. One may take delight in what is here: the souvenir of an unabashed and often triumphant erotic life . . . . Rediscovered after nearly two hundred years, the story of [Anne Lister's] desire--and of the comic, gallant ways in which she satisfied it--seems especially poignant . . . . What Lister's diary suggests is that . . . the passion women find together has always existed, and we have only now begun to uncover its remarkable, lyrical history."-The Women's Review of Books Read more About the Author Helena Whitbread lives in Halifax, England. Read more
L**E
Tedious Diaries
Anne Lister's life if done as a biography or fictionalized novel would most likely be quite interesting, but reading 365 pages of her diary entries is not.And its sad, because the woman who edited these diaries spent six years of her life de-coding Ms. Lister's journals.However, the lesbian content is so slight it really is not worth wading through the tedious daily activities of these journals.
L**N
Glimpse into a forgotten past
I LOVED this book for its detailed recounting of an active but tragic early-19th century love life as well as the daily (and often dreary) life of an unequivocally gay woman. I found it and "No Priest but Love" absolutely fascinating! Can't wait for the movie version.
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