Spring Fire (Lesbian Pulp Fiction) Paperback – May 10, 2004

"Spring Fire" by Marijane Meaker (writing as Vin Packer) is said to have been the novel that launched the Lesbian Pulp Fiction genre. Very well written, the story flows easily, it is cohesive, interesting, and entertaining. The book gives more than a glimpse into the 1950s college scene, particularly sorority life, and pays homage to all the stereotypes of men and women of the time.On men: "You get sick of it. You get sick of them pawing you around as if you were an animal. Men don't understand. They're rough and they don't care what they do to you. I know, honey. I've been through it and I don't know why I got back, except that it just - You have to. Jan always thinks if you don't have a man hanging around that you're abnormal or something." The author addresses the current thought on homosexuality as abnormal, as a disease. Lesbians were seen as predators, to be feared and avoided. The tragic ending bears this out.But this is also a romance, with some soft sex scenes and tender moments. Youthful confusion and naivete yield to deception, backstabbing, and desperate maneuvers to survive in a world where being a lesbian was totally unacceptable and could lead to destruction (of herself and those around her). Brave authors like Meaker certainly had a huge role in changing society leading to the current state - much better than it was, but still a long way to go.

was a good read a reminder of the 50's pulp fiction.

This is the book that kicked off the Lebian Pulp Fiction phenomenon. Overall, this is an excellent book by a great writer who was just beginning to hone her craft. By now the required changes to the ending are legendary. I've read that she was unhappy with the ending but, quite honestly, it works. There's foreshadowing throughout so it doesn't come like a freight train out of nowhere. Those looking for titillation should probably look elsewhere. The few sex scenes in the novel are what you'd expect from a mainstream movie of the time. It's the equivalent of two people getting close to a bed and then the drapes blowing in the wind. This is a tightly written ROMANCE novel. On top of that, you could probably list as a Tragedy. I'd be curious to know what the original, or intended, ending was.

Excellent source for history class. Speedy delivery as well! Thank you.

I love vintage books and this was right up my alley. The plot is good and it came in a timely manner!

Realizing this was early attempt at lesbian fiction, I was disappointed with the need to demonize the lesbianism.

It's a bit strange to evaluate this as literature, given that the author had to alter the novel to get it past censors (who the publisher believed would have stopped the book's distribution through the mail, apparently using a federal statute -- I'd speculate relating to obscenity -- if it had been found to proselytize for homosexuality). The alterations are half-baked -- you can almost see what the plot would have been anyway, and you can definitely see the parts grafted on that just don't fit the rest of the story. Whether the alterations were deliberately glaring (a wink-wink to the lesbian readership), or whether they were just the poor plot design of a young author, it's hard to say.The portrayal of 1950s sorority life is a pretty dramatic side point, at least to a 21st-century reader (who, admittedly, still went to college in the 20th). The cliquishness and the sorority's singleminded pursuit of organizational status provide an interesting window into how timeless social maneuvering is (I associate it more with high school than college, but then I was not in the fraternity/sorority system). There's one character other than the protagonist who is a somewhat independent thinker who gets chewed up and spit out by the groupthink.The love story is interesting as a study. This book was widely read by lesbians of the time; it's tempting to conclude this is a reasonably good portrayal of 1950s lesbianism. But it could be that no other portrayals were readily available. Or it could be that this is appealing as erotica, but is not realistic. In any case, the guilt and self-loathing one might expect are there in varying degrees amongst the characters. And the way that guilt and self-loathing probably make relationships more difficult (particularly when you're still exploring your sexual identity) rings true.There's a guy who might be gay (that's what I got reading between the lines, but it's not addressed and not resolved), and is portrayed somewhat sympathetically, although most of the men portrayed are pigs. Female bisexuality is touched upon as well.I've spent some time with lesbians, and I'm not sure whether this enhances my understanding of them or not. But it was fun to read as history, both of 1950s college and as a lesbian milestone. And it's a fast read, too, if that matters to you. Read the introduction after you read the book; it was written by the author about 50 years later and discusses things like the ending ... I like to read a book before I read someone else's critique (let alone the author's).By the way, the seemingly-random title (it is revealed in the introduction) comes from the fact that James Michener's The Fires of Spring was coming out around the same time, and they hoped to sell some books via confusion.

One of the things I love about this book is its depiction of sorority life. That is the real story here: the inside workings of rush week, pledge life etc. Of course the lesbian love story is very touching in the light of what's going on today. All in all this is a rich read.