Such a Beautiful Story

Much has been made about this being a dated lezfic romance. If I wanted to find negatives in this story, there are more flaws than the fact that it was written in 1983, and takes place in the late '70's. This is such a good romance, I can't do anything but glow over it. It is so refreshing to find two mature, professional women who have been in prior relationships (hetero), and find themselves completely gob-smacked attracked to one another. How their romance progresses is lovely, intelligent, and very sensual. And yeah, it's at lightening speed, but hey, this is fiction. The writing here is so good. This was the first book I read by by Katherine V Forrest. I've read several since, but reread this book once a year. Ms Forrest's intelligence, dry wit, and character development never leave the reader wanting.
I was surprised and delighted to come across the audio version, which I believe was recorded in 2022. I've never come across the narrator Jill Smith, but will start looking for other of her audio book performances. She does a terrific job of vocally identifying the personalities to the many characters as I "heard" them when I first read the book.

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A Classic Made New

Having read this years before I even knew where to leave a review, I fell in love with the story of Diana and Lane, and the writings of Katherine V. Forrest. When I heard it was being produced as an audiobook, I hoped the narrator would do the story justice. Jill Smith did NOT disappoint. If you love a classic tale of two women falling in love, don't skip this one.

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Best narrator and author!

I am so glad that Jill Smith narrated my favorite book! I read this book multiple times and when I saw that Jill smith has narrated this amazing book, I had to buy this audiobook. Jill smith voice is 🍯 like honey. My favorite book is now my forever favorite ❤️!

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Magnificent Story

I have listened to this three times and enjoy it more each time. It’s a beautiful love story with wonderful characters. If I have any gripe, it’s the annoying voice of Liz! Except for her, the narration was wonderful.

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The perfect, first lesbian loving story

This was my first "coming out" book. Best "push out" I could have ever gotten almost 40 years ago!!! Wonderful narrative by Ms. Jill Smith, Bravo👏👏. As always, I love Katherine V. Forrest, and have them all in my library!

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Love this book

I might be partial to this book as it was my first lesbian romance. Back when I was only out to very few. I will never forget this book and have reread many times. Was so happy when I found it on audible. I immediately purchased and was thrilled with the narration.

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If you didn’t read it listen to it.

I first read this book in the 1990’s when I first discovered the genre of WLW books. It was one of my first books. I loved it then, and when I saw it came out on audio I got it now, and I loved it again. Jill Smith strengthen the love for me.

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Loved it then and still love it now!

Read this first about 25 yrs ago and adored it! Just listened to it and was blown away again at how beautiful the story still is to me all these years later! Jill Smith did a wonderful job with the performance!

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Finally a worthy release of this classic!

Oh, this book... *sigh*

For lesbians over the age of 40 (okay, probably 50), Curious Wine by Katherine V. Forrest is something like the holy grail of lesbian literature. We are so fortunate now to have numerous sources to purchase (or even read for free) stories featuring lesbian characters, but back in the early 80s there were very few publishers that produced it. And people searching for representation had to seek out gay and lesbian bookstores to be able to find stories that reflected our lives. (Keep in mind it would be another decade before Amazon was founded.) For many of us, this book was the first lesbian fiction we'd ever read. It's the story of San Francisco attorney (also rare in the early 80s) Lane Christianson who travels to Lake Tahoe to meet up with a group of professional women in a cabin where they planned to enjoy a skiing weekend. There she makes a connection with Diana Holland, a human resource professional, when they are assigned a room together. Diana has never been attracted to a woman before but is immediately drawn to Lane. And while Lane had a brief encounter with a woman once in her youth, she has been with men since. When they meet, their affinity for one another is immediate and strong. And in a very short period of time, they realize there could be something truly deep and meaningful between them.

This book is SO beautiful and tender. And the chemistry between Lane and Diana is completely off the charts! I have lost count of how many times I've read this over the years. And yes - though it's a little dated now, it still holds up much better than most might think. An audiobook of this work was first produced back in 2009. It was abridged, so only ran for three hours and 16 minutes. It was narrated by someone with an English accent - which was jarring, considering it is set in the United States with American characters. So when I saw that this unabridged version was going to be released with a new narrator, I was thrilled! In my review of that early audio release, I said how much I wished they would do just that in honor of the 40th anniversary, which would be 2023. It's a year early, but hey - somewhere the lesbian goddesses were listening.

Having the complete story now makes ALL the difference. As does having a much better narrator. Jill Smith (who narrated Far From Home by Lorelie Brown and others) did a more than serviceable job with the story. While some of the peripheral characters were just okay, she does a beautiful job with Lane and Diana. Their scenes are so intimate. So romantic. And eventually, very, very sexy. Their more intimate scenes are absolutely gorgeous.

I vote that every lesbian should experience this book. For those who are younger, it illustrates that although things were so very different back in the mid-70s when this was set, that women have always loved one another - and passionately at that. They're the ones that paved the way for the openness many of us enjoy today. And for older lesbians, it's wonderfully nostalgic and just so damn swoon-worthy. There are some surprising - even jarring - moments in the book and while it rings very true, not all of it is easy to read or hear. That said - this book means so much to so many. It made us feel seen. Represented. And now - with this updated audio release, it finally gets something more worthy of it.

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5 people found this helpful

At least once a year.

I read this book at least once a year since I found it … or it found me. I started reading it in my 20’s. I’m 50 now.
I love having it read to me. Ms. Jill Scott did an ever so lovely job. Thank You for finally making it audible. Now I just need the movie.

Many Thanks.

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