Desert of the Heart Audiobook By Jane Rule cover art

Desert of the Heart

A Novel

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Desert of the Heart

By: Jane Rule
Narrated by: Traci Odom
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"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 Reno, where she plans to divorce her husband of 16 years. A voluntary exile in a brave new world, she meets a woman who will change her life.

Fifteen years younger, Ann Childs works as a change apron in a casino. Evelyn is instantly drawn to the fiercely independent Ann, and their friendship soon evolves into a romantic relationship. An English professor who had always led a conventional life, Evelyn suddenly finds all her beliefs about love, morality, and identity called into question. Peopled by a cast of unforgettable characters, this is a novel that dares to ask whether love between two women can last.

Contains mature themes.

©1964 Jane Rule (P)2020 Tantor Classics Genre Fiction LGBTQ+ Studies LGBTQIA+ Creators Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Love, Dating & Attraction Relationships Romance Women's Fiction
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Take a step back, in time, and read this hidden gem, of literature. Breathtaking.

Without hyperbole, this is one, of the best books that I have ever read, or listened to. The author's knowledge, of psychology - whether of gay, bisexual, or straight, people - is immense.

A masterpiece

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I have enjoyed the movie for 30 years and have never read the book, so to be fair, my thoughts on this are probably biased because I was hoping for something more along the lines of the movie. I enjoyed listening to the story because I got to learn how it was really written. At the same time, there were some disappointments that it hadn't been written the way it played out in the movie. This is no fault of the author or narrator. Traci Odom is a fantastic narrator, and I loved When You Find My Body. I was glad to hear her in this book, Sometimes she can come off as quickly reading through something rather than capturing the characters in a moment. It's her narrating style, not a fault. I enjoyed her. (Side thought: Rubyfruit Jungle is another book that has never been narrated and needs to be, and I think Odom would be perfect with her style of narrating)

I ended up listening to the audiobook twice, back to back. The first time I felt more like "meh..." and hadn't gotten absorbed in the way I was hoping to, but the second time, I felt Ann and Evelyn were captured nicely. Ann especially. I found myself much more wrapped up in the story through the narration than I did the first listen and have updated this review.

If you are a fan of the movie, I highly recommend the audiobook. Overall, it was done very well.

It's very good!!

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