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Passing Strange
Inspired by the pulps, film noir, and screwball comedy, Passing Strange is a story as unusual and complex as San Francisco itself from World Fantasy Award winning author Ellen Klages, and a finalist for the 2017 Nebula Award for Best NovellaSan Francisco in 1940 is a haven for the unconventional. Tourists flock to the cities within the the Magic City of the World’s Fair on an island created of artifice and illusion; the forbidden city of Chinatown, a separate, alien world of exotic food and nightclubs that offer “authentic” experiences, straight from the pages of the pulps; and the twilight world of forbidden love, where outcasts from conventional society can meet.Six women find their lives as tangled with each other’s as they are with the city they call home. They discover love and danger on the borders where magic, science, and art intersect.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
215 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 24, 2017
About the author
Ellen Klages
74 books243 followersEllen Klages was born in Ohio, and now lives in San Francisco.
Her short fiction has appeared in science fiction and fantasy anthologies and magazines, both online and in print, including The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Black Gate, and Firebirds Rising. Her story, "Basement Magic," won the Best Novelette Nebula Award in 2005. Several of her other stories have been on the final ballot for the Nebula and Hugo Awards, and have been reprinted in various Year’s Best volumes.
She was a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award, and is a graduate of the Clarion South writing workshop.
Her first novel The Green Glass Sea, about two misfit eleven-year-old girls living in Los Alamos during WWII, while their parents are creating the atomic bomb, came out in October 2006 from Sharyn November at Viking. Ellen is working on a sequel.
She has also written four books of hands-on science activities for children (with Pat Murphy, et al.) for the Exploratorium museum in San Francisco.
In addition to her writing, she serves on the Motherboard of the James Tiptree, Jr. Award, and is somewhat notorious as the auctioneer/entertainment for the Tiptree auctions at Wiscon.
When she's not writing fiction, she sells old toys and magazines on eBay, and collects lead civilians.
from ellenklages.com
Her short fiction has appeared in science fiction and fantasy anthologies and magazines, both online and in print, including The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Black Gate, and Firebirds Rising. Her story, "Basement Magic," won the Best Novelette Nebula Award in 2005. Several of her other stories have been on the final ballot for the Nebula and Hugo Awards, and have been reprinted in various Year’s Best volumes.
She was a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award, and is a graduate of the Clarion South writing workshop.
Her first novel The Green Glass Sea, about two misfit eleven-year-old girls living in Los Alamos during WWII, while their parents are creating the atomic bomb, came out in October 2006 from Sharyn November at Viking. Ellen is working on a sequel.
She has also written four books of hands-on science activities for children (with Pat Murphy, et al.) for the Exploratorium museum in San Francisco.
In addition to her writing, she serves on the Motherboard of the James Tiptree, Jr. Award, and is somewhat notorious as the auctioneer/entertainment for the Tiptree auctions at Wiscon.
When she's not writing fiction, she sells old toys and magazines on eBay, and collects lead civilians.
from ellenklages.com
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March 9, 2019
me finding a book about sapphic women that doesn't end in tragedy: 👌👀👌👀👌👀👌👀👌👀 good shit go౦ԁ sHit👌 thats ✔ some good👌👌shit right👌👌there👌👌👌 right✔there ✔✔if i do ƽaү so my self 💯 i say so 💯 thats what im talking about right there right there (chorus: ʳᶦᵍʰᵗ ᵗʰᵉʳᵉ) mMMMMᎷМ💯 👌👌 👌НO0ОଠOOOOOОଠଠOoooᵒᵒᵒᵒᵒᵒᵒᵒᵒ👌 👌👌 👌 💯 👌 👀 👀 👀 👌👌Good shit
Okay, but all emojis aside, I really adored this novella about love and oppression between queer women. Passing Strange is a speculative fiction ode to San Francisco’s hidden history, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I know the blurb is marketing the story as one of six different women, but it truly only follows three characters - a woman in our present day, and two women in a budding relationship in the 1940s.
➽Helen - a Chinese immigrant working as a dancer, because. you know. racism. Also, apparently lived to over 80 years old, like the lesbian icon she is.
➽Haskel - a famous artist in the future, unknown to most even as being a woman. I fucking love women who have to publish under male names and no one knows are women!! this is my favorite plotline and I love it that's all bye!!
➽Emily - a new arrival to the town, traveling to San Francisco after being thrown out of her boarding school for being queer.
All of these characters were so effortlessly compelling, in so many ways, that I didn't have any trouble connecting and rushing through.
Honestly, though, my true favorite thing about this book was the setting. Look at that painting on the cover. Then think about San Francisco. Then think about the lesbians. Then think about the 1920-1940 era. Tell me that isn't an aesthetic you're totally into. Tell me you don't completely want to read this.
I hope I'm not alone in loving this, and that plenty of readers enjoy it just as much!
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Okay, but all emojis aside, I really adored this novella about love and oppression between queer women. Passing Strange is a speculative fiction ode to San Francisco’s hidden history, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I know the blurb is marketing the story as one of six different women, but it truly only follows three characters - a woman in our present day, and two women in a budding relationship in the 1940s.
➽Helen - a Chinese immigrant working as a dancer, because. you know. racism. Also, apparently lived to over 80 years old, like the lesbian icon she is.
➽Haskel - a famous artist in the future, unknown to most even as being a woman. I fucking love women who have to publish under male names and no one knows are women!! this is my favorite plotline and I love it that's all bye!!
➽Emily - a new arrival to the town, traveling to San Francisco after being thrown out of her boarding school for being queer.
All of these characters were so effortlessly compelling, in so many ways, that I didn't have any trouble connecting and rushing through.
Honestly, though, my true favorite thing about this book was the setting. Look at that painting on the cover. Then think about San Francisco. Then think about the lesbians. Then think about the 1920-1940 era. Tell me that isn't an aesthetic you're totally into. Tell me you don't completely want to read this.
I hope I'm not alone in loving this, and that plenty of readers enjoy it just as much!
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February 27, 2017This came highly recommended, and the Tor novellas I've read have been pretty wow so far. Great opening, absolutely engaging and brilliant. Great depiction of the under-the-radar sexual and racial world of 1940s San Francisco. Really liked the setting and the central couple.
The structure needed work though. There's a magical aspect of folding time and space which is almost completely unexplored--it comes up twice in passing mentions in the first, what, 90%, and exists only to facilitate the ending. That just doesn't work: it feels like a historical bumped into a fantasy (or indeed like a historical was adapted to fit a SFF submissions call). And this is annoying because the fantasy element is a brilliant idea packed with potential, and the historical is terrific, so if they'd just had a set of dev edits to make them into an amalgamated whole, it would have worked gloriously. Also: a *lot* of headhopping between multiple characters, which makes the central part quite confusing and distancing.
This was still really good, but a decent development edit job would have made it stellar, and that hacks me off on the author's behalf. The publisher obviously cared enough to give this a lovely, perfect, appropriate cover; why not edit? What, in fact, is the goddamn *point* of publishers who don't edit? Hmph.
The structure needed work though. There's a magical aspect of folding time and space which is almost completely unexplored--it comes up twice in passing mentions in the first, what, 90%, and exists only to facilitate the ending. That just doesn't work: it feels like a historical bumped into a fantasy (or indeed like a historical was adapted to fit a SFF submissions call). And this is annoying because the fantasy element is a brilliant idea packed with potential, and the historical is terrific, so if they'd just had a set of dev edits to make them into an amalgamated whole, it would have worked gloriously. Also: a *lot* of headhopping between multiple characters, which makes the central part quite confusing and distancing.
This was still really good, but a decent development edit job would have made it stellar, and that hacks me off on the author's behalf. The publisher obviously cared enough to give this a lovely, perfect, appropriate cover; why not edit? What, in fact, is the goddamn *point* of publishers who don't edit? Hmph.
March 2, 2017
I was delighted to find that this book is a return to the magic-infused San Francisco of Klages' story "Caligo Lane," which I loved.
In the present day, an elderly woman, setting her affairs in order as she knows her life is reaching its end, goes to sell a valuable painting to a collector. It's a 'lost work' by a pulp fiction illustrator, legendary among a certain niche market - although the subject matter is a bit unusual for the genre. But there are hints that there is something not quite on the up-and-up about this sale.
The action flashes back to the 1940's, where we meet the artist, Haskell - who turns out to have been a lesbian: not the easiest thing in pre-War San Fran, although there's a lively demimonde of women who are "in the life," whose social scene centers around the Chinatown club called Mona's. We also meet Haskell's group of friends, one of whom, we realize, is the elderly woman who owned the painting. The tale of how that painting came to be hidden in her possession for so many years is revealed, and it's a story of violence, desperation... and love.
I liked the story very much. My only complaint is that it falls prey to that pitfall of many well-researched pieces of fiction: it's got a ton of details that don't really flow with the narrative, but are more like, "I'm sticking this in because I found out this tidbit of information about what it was like to be a lesbian in 1940's San Francisco and isn't it fascinating!?" Well, yes, it is... but sometimes it didn't feel as seamlessly woven in as it could have.
Many thanks to Tor and NetGalley for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinions are unrelated to the source of the book.
In the present day, an elderly woman, setting her affairs in order as she knows her life is reaching its end, goes to sell a valuable painting to a collector. It's a 'lost work' by a pulp fiction illustrator, legendary among a certain niche market - although the subject matter is a bit unusual for the genre. But there are hints that there is something not quite on the up-and-up about this sale.
The action flashes back to the 1940's, where we meet the artist, Haskell - who turns out to have been a lesbian: not the easiest thing in pre-War San Fran, although there's a lively demimonde of women who are "in the life," whose social scene centers around the Chinatown club called Mona's. We also meet Haskell's group of friends, one of whom, we realize, is the elderly woman who owned the painting. The tale of how that painting came to be hidden in her possession for so many years is revealed, and it's a story of violence, desperation... and love.
I liked the story very much. My only complaint is that it falls prey to that pitfall of many well-researched pieces of fiction: it's got a ton of details that don't really flow with the narrative, but are more like, "I'm sticking this in because I found out this tidbit of information about what it was like to be a lesbian in 1940's San Francisco and isn't it fascinating!?" Well, yes, it is... but sometimes it didn't feel as seamlessly woven in as it could have.
Many thanks to Tor and NetGalley for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinions are unrelated to the source of the book.
December 27, 2017
This is a perfect story in every way I can think of.
January 2, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. In the 1940s San Fransisco was a place of magic and intreague. In this volume six women's lives become intangled and they experience love, excitment, danger and strange happenings. It was a facinating read.
I recommend this book to all.
I recommend this book to all.
August 24, 2022
How come I know this book just now?
This book is beautiful and has a magical fantasy that makes everything like a tale. I really don't realize this book has LGBT genre in but the author done in in very good way specially how hard it is in 1940s.
The develop here also great, the characters is relatable and I wish we can get a sequel from this because I feel like this book has a lot more to offer and another magic fantasy that deserve to get knowledge.
This is such a quick easy read for people who looking for romantic but a little different than usual.
This book is beautiful and has a magical fantasy that makes everything like a tale. I really don't realize this book has LGBT genre in but the author done in in very good way specially how hard it is in 1940s.
The develop here also great, the characters is relatable and I wish we can get a sequel from this because I feel like this book has a lot more to offer and another magic fantasy that deserve to get knowledge.
This is such a quick easy read for people who looking for romantic but a little different than usual.
April 30, 2017
The first thing that attracted me to this novella was the beautiful and arresting cover. All those blues had a haunting quality. Little did I know that this painting is literally at the heart of this story. Klages uses it to bookend and indeed frame a love story with a difference, using 1939 San Francisco as the backdrop.
The mix of characters works really well, as does the focus on the two main protagonists. We witness, through this snapshot, their situations in a world with little understanding and plenty of prejudices. All the historical elements were compelling, especially those pertaining to the World Fair. I wasn't expecting the magic realism but this was done with such a light hand that it doesn't detract from the main strands. In fact, it offers a poetical light to the plot that readers can accept or not.
The mix of characters works really well, as does the focus on the two main protagonists. We witness, through this snapshot, their situations in a world with little understanding and plenty of prejudices. All the historical elements were compelling, especially those pertaining to the World Fair. I wasn't expecting the magic realism but this was done with such a light hand that it doesn't detract from the main strands. In fact, it offers a poetical light to the plot that readers can accept or not.
April 30, 2019
The fantasy label and blurb are misleading on this one. This reads much more like a mash up of magic realism and literary historical fiction.
1940s San Fransisco is brought to life with a wonderful set of characters. Make sure you have internet access handy when you read this, you'll want to look up all of the real locations where the story takes place.
Here is a taste:
1940s San Fransisco is brought to life with a wonderful set of characters. Make sure you have internet access handy when you read this, you'll want to look up all of the real locations where the story takes place.
Here is a taste:
April 15, 2017
A love story to San Francisco across the decades, and its queer community. I thought this was a lovely piece but it felt a tad disjointed. Nonetheless, well enjoyed.
November 30, 2020
Ellen Klage's love letter to San Francisco, and to women who love women. Set in 1940, as the US moves towards WW2, San Francisco is, as always, a magnet for misfits and black sheep.
The book is as much about the City as the people, not that they can be separated. But it reminds me of how much I liked SF when I first started visiting, around 1980. There was still some of the old SF magic then, and probably still is now. The big difference (besides that I'm a lot older) is that it's an unholy pain to get there, a pain to get around, and *VERY* expensive. OK, it's always been expensive, but ordinary people could still live there. Still the same spectacular setting....
The social aspects of life around 1940, assuming she got them right, were tough: open and legal prejudice against anyone who wasn't white, straight, and reasonably prosperous. Men on top. So, that part's gotten a lot better, I think.
OK, back to the book. I liked the period stuff the best, but thought the present-day frame rather clumsy and mean-spirited. So I'm settling at 4.2 stars. Very good book. World Fantasy Award winner, 2018.
Klages' 2015 story "Caligo Lane" could be viewed as an outtake from this book. Its main character is a supporting character in the novel. Story: https://www.tor.com/2016/12/20/caligo...
Sample chapters:
http://www.tor.com/2017/01/23/excerpt...
The book is as much about the City as the people, not that they can be separated. But it reminds me of how much I liked SF when I first started visiting, around 1980. There was still some of the old SF magic then, and probably still is now. The big difference (besides that I'm a lot older) is that it's an unholy pain to get there, a pain to get around, and *VERY* expensive. OK, it's always been expensive, but ordinary people could still live there. Still the same spectacular setting....
The social aspects of life around 1940, assuming she got them right, were tough: open and legal prejudice against anyone who wasn't white, straight, and reasonably prosperous. Men on top. So, that part's gotten a lot better, I think.
OK, back to the book. I liked the period stuff the best, but thought the present-day frame rather clumsy and mean-spirited. So I'm settling at 4.2 stars. Very good book. World Fantasy Award winner, 2018.
Klages' 2015 story "Caligo Lane" could be viewed as an outtake from this book. Its main character is a supporting character in the novel. Story: https://www.tor.com/2016/12/20/caligo...
Sample chapters:
http://www.tor.com/2017/01/23/excerpt...
November 2, 2017
This is a lovely little novella centered around the lesbian scene of San Francisco during the 1940s.
As someone who lives in San Franciso, I can tell you that Klages really captures the feel of the city. Obviously I didn't live there in the '40s, but there are aspects that live on in the city today. Plus, parts of this book do take place in modern times.
The shift in perspectives is a little clunky--we start the book following an old Helen, but the story is really centered on Haskell and Emily's love story. At first I found the transition a bit off-putting, but because Haskell and Emily's romance is so sweet, I got over that pretty quickly.
The fantasy elements of this are not particularly present. We really only see them at the beginning and end of the book. The sudden reintroduction of the magical element threw me off, and the book would have been stronger if we saw just a few instances of it in the book's middle.
But those are all relatively minor grievances, and I still loved this strange little story.
Passing Strange feels like a love letter to both San Francisco and to women who love women. It's beautiful and weird and you should definitely pick it up.
As someone who lives in San Franciso, I can tell you that Klages really captures the feel of the city. Obviously I didn't live there in the '40s, but there are aspects that live on in the city today. Plus, parts of this book do take place in modern times.
The shift in perspectives is a little clunky--we start the book following an old Helen, but the story is really centered on Haskell and Emily's love story. At first I found the transition a bit off-putting, but because Haskell and Emily's romance is so sweet, I got over that pretty quickly.
The fantasy elements of this are not particularly present. We really only see them at the beginning and end of the book. The sudden reintroduction of the magical element threw me off, and the book would have been stronger if we saw just a few instances of it in the book's middle.
But those are all relatively minor grievances, and I still loved this strange little story.
Passing Strange feels like a love letter to both San Francisco and to women who love women. It's beautiful and weird and you should definitely pick it up.
June 9, 2019
One of the Tor free downloads this month (June 2019) if you join their "book club" and I will count it for "something blue" for the Reading Envy Summer Reading challenge. It's also a fun read for Pride month!
San Francisco in the 1940s had its own kind of magic, but what if there also was actual magic? Six women interact with one another in a series of interlinked stories starting from the present day and explaining pieces of the story bit by bit. Pulp artistry, lesbian culture when it had to stay underground, and a city that seems to morph and change without warning. It's a lovely little read.
San Francisco in the 1940s had its own kind of magic, but what if there also was actual magic? Six women interact with one another in a series of interlinked stories starting from the present day and explaining pieces of the story bit by bit. Pulp artistry, lesbian culture when it had to stay underground, and a city that seems to morph and change without warning. It's a lovely little read.
February 21, 2020
This was beautiful.
Passing Strange is a novella set in San Francisco. It follows a group of queer women, some of which are magical. Most of the story is set in 1940, but the first chapter takes place in modern day, and from the first page the atmosphere drew me in.
This book is exactly like its cover: atmospheric, gay, apparently quiet but beautiful if one takes the time to look at the details. Yes, I love this cover, and it's a plot-relevant beautiful cover (one of the main characters is an artist), which makes everything even better.
The descriptions of the setting were my favorite part of this novella. Not only because they were really pretty - the writing is great, of course - but because this story wouldn't be the same without them. Passing Strange is about San Francisco just as much as it is about its characters. There's a focus on the "hidden" parts of the city, the ones tourists visited as if they were a zoo - Chinatown and LGBT clubs - and the story comments on racism, sexism and homophobia through these scenes.
The characters were, for me, the weakest point. There were too many of them, but only the main couple - Emily, a singer, and Haskel, a mysterious illustrator whose gender is unknown to most - and their friend Helen (who works as a dancer in Chinatown) were actually developed. I liked them, and kept confusing the others.
The ending was one of my favorite novella endings. It wrapped up the story perfectly, just like the beginning drew me in immediately. If you're looking for a historical f/f book on the quiet side with just a hint of magic, try Passing Strange; it's definitely worth it.
Passing Strange is a novella set in San Francisco. It follows a group of queer women, some of which are magical. Most of the story is set in 1940, but the first chapter takes place in modern day, and from the first page the atmosphere drew me in.
This book is exactly like its cover: atmospheric, gay, apparently quiet but beautiful if one takes the time to look at the details. Yes, I love this cover, and it's a plot-relevant beautiful cover (one of the main characters is an artist), which makes everything even better.
The descriptions of the setting were my favorite part of this novella. Not only because they were really pretty - the writing is great, of course - but because this story wouldn't be the same without them. Passing Strange is about San Francisco just as much as it is about its characters. There's a focus on the "hidden" parts of the city, the ones tourists visited as if they were a zoo - Chinatown and LGBT clubs - and the story comments on racism, sexism and homophobia through these scenes.
The characters were, for me, the weakest point. There were too many of them, but only the main couple - Emily, a singer, and Haskel, a mysterious illustrator whose gender is unknown to most - and their friend Helen (who works as a dancer in Chinatown) were actually developed. I liked them, and kept confusing the others.
The ending was one of my favorite novella endings. It wrapped up the story perfectly, just like the beginning drew me in immediately. If you're looking for a historical f/f book on the quiet side with just a hint of magic, try Passing Strange; it's definitely worth it.
March 18, 2017
Received to review via Netgalley; released 24th January 2017
Passing Strange is a lovely novella which takes its own sweet time. As it opens, you expect one story, one protagonist… as it continues to unfold, you see that you were wrong. In my case, I didn’t mind that bait-and-switch at all, but I imagine some people will find that shift in POV a little jarring. Though I didn’t mind, I did find myself briefly wrong-footed by it.
The novella is set in San Fransisco, 1940, among a community of queer women whose lives intersect. I’ve seen a review where someone felt that the takeaway from this book was “yeah, yeah, we know gays back then had a hard time”. There’s that, of course, but there’s also that community, and that’s what I really enjoyed. I don’t really want to say too much about it; I think it’s best if the story unfolds itself for the reader in its own time.
I’ve also read a complaint that the speculative aspect isn’t integral. It is, but it’s subtle; the fact that it’s there, quietly but throughout, allows the ending that otherwise couldn’t be mysterious or touching or bittersweet. It’s an ordinary sort of magic, in the way that the women use it — it’s a tool that happens to be to hand.
I enjoyed the story a lot. And it’s another of the Tor.com novellas that feels like it was meant to be exactly this length, no longer, no shorter.
Originally reviewed on my blog.
Passing Strange is a lovely novella which takes its own sweet time. As it opens, you expect one story, one protagonist… as it continues to unfold, you see that you were wrong. In my case, I didn’t mind that bait-and-switch at all, but I imagine some people will find that shift in POV a little jarring. Though I didn’t mind, I did find myself briefly wrong-footed by it.
The novella is set in San Fransisco, 1940, among a community of queer women whose lives intersect. I’ve seen a review where someone felt that the takeaway from this book was “yeah, yeah, we know gays back then had a hard time”. There’s that, of course, but there’s also that community, and that’s what I really enjoyed. I don’t really want to say too much about it; I think it’s best if the story unfolds itself for the reader in its own time.
I’ve also read a complaint that the speculative aspect isn’t integral. It is, but it’s subtle; the fact that it’s there, quietly but throughout, allows the ending that otherwise couldn’t be mysterious or touching or bittersweet. It’s an ordinary sort of magic, in the way that the women use it — it’s a tool that happens to be to hand.
I enjoyed the story a lot. And it’s another of the Tor.com novellas that feels like it was meant to be exactly this length, no longer, no shorter.
Originally reviewed on my blog.
November 18, 2018
If you are into fluffy, romantic, virtually plotless stories about lesbians who chitchat over everything and anything and some of whom are also a bit magically inclined, this is for you. I personally need more depth and layers to be interested, unfortunately.
August 22, 2019
review to follow. What a fabulous book!
April 30, 2019
This World Fantasy Award-winning novella is a beautiful story. It’s a historical fiction tale (taking place in early 1940’s San Francisco) sprinkled with a bit of magic, and featuring LGBT main characters. At its core, it is a love story between two people...but it is also about friendship and sticking up for those you care about, and it is about finding your place in a world that doesn’t want you to belong.
Ellen Klages writes with a clean prose style that allows the characters to take center stage. I enjoyed the interactions between the various people, and found a surprising amount of character development in a relatively short piece of work.
My only complaint is that the magical elements were so infrequent that they felt jarring when they did appear. Despite this, the ending of the book packs an emotional punch.
The novella length is perfect for this type of story; if it were any longer, it might have started to drag along. But as it stands, it’s a great book for anyone looking for something romantic and a little different.
Ellen Klages writes with a clean prose style that allows the characters to take center stage. I enjoyed the interactions between the various people, and found a surprising amount of character development in a relatively short piece of work.
My only complaint is that the magical elements were so infrequent that they felt jarring when they did appear. Despite this, the ending of the book packs an emotional punch.
The novella length is perfect for this type of story; if it were any longer, it might have started to drag along. But as it stands, it’s a great book for anyone looking for something romantic and a little different.
November 19, 2018
I loved the retrospective in the beginning, but the rest fell pretty flat for me. It had tons of atmosphere and what felt like a romantic yet desperate look at a time too close for comfort, but almost no story and less of a sense of danger or intrigue.
I think this would have been excellent in the under 40 page range. As it was, it was drawn out with nothing much that surprised or added to the narrative. It felt much more like a long inside joke or love letter to a specific person than a novel meant to draw us into a world of magic and forbidden love.
CONTENT WARNING:
I think this would have been excellent in the under 40 page range. As it was, it was drawn out with nothing much that surprised or added to the narrative. It felt much more like a long inside joke or love letter to a specific person than a novel meant to draw us into a world of magic and forbidden love.
CONTENT WARNING:
November 19, 2018
3.5 stars.
An enchanting portrait of a lesbian group in San Francisco in the 40ies, with a hint of magic.
I liked the setting and the characters, but I would have wished for more story in this novella. (and for more Helen)
An enchanting portrait of a lesbian group in San Francisco in the 40ies, with a hint of magic.
I liked the setting and the characters, but I would have wished for more story in this novella. (and for more Helen)
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July 15, 2021
Whew this was...a story. I'm sad, elated, mystified and overall I want more.
It's a great look at life in San Francisco in 1940—from Chinatown to Mona's lesbian bar to the World Fair to living a life that is both freeing and confining when you are a women with unnatural appetites. And the magic sprinkled throughout, some of which reminded me heavily of A Wrinkle in Time.
I'm so thankful things have changed and are better (if not totally great). The laws for indecency were ridiculous and confusing and just downright awful—the fact that women had to be wearing at least three articles of women's wear to not be arrested for deviancy is ridiculous and horrifying.
Heavy trigger warnings for anti-Asian racism, homophobia, sexual assault, assault.
It's a great look at life in San Francisco in 1940—from Chinatown to Mona's lesbian bar to the World Fair to living a life that is both freeing and confining when you are a women with unnatural appetites. And the magic sprinkled throughout, some of which reminded me heavily of A Wrinkle in Time.
I'm so thankful things have changed and are better (if not totally great). The laws for indecency were ridiculous and confusing and just downright awful—the fact that women had to be wearing at least three articles of women's wear to not be arrested for deviancy is ridiculous and horrifying.
Heavy trigger warnings for anti-Asian racism, homophobia, sexual assault, assault.
February 6, 2017
I'm grateful to the publisher for an advance copy of this book via NetGalley.
"Helen Young went into her bedroom. She changed into a pair of blue silk pyjamas, brushed her hair, and put on a touch of lipstick. Then she got into bed, turned out the light, and went to sleep for the last time humming a Cole Porter tune until she and the melody simply drifted away."
So ends one of the characters is this hauntingly beautiful tale of life in the queer melting pot of 40s San Francisco.
Helen is one of a group of young women who work or socialise in Mona's, a club where girls can be boys. Whether working as entertainers not only for their own circle but for the plump mid-west tourists who come to gawp, or simply drifting among like minded exiles from straight society, they stand by each other, providing rooms when needed, meals, cover from the police and moral support.
Haskell is at the centre of this circle. She is a talented artist who makes her living drawing pictures for pulp comic books: the kind of thing where a scantily dressed woman is chained down and menaced by a purple monster. Why does she draw such pictures? Well, it's where the money is, but she has other reasons, as we - and Emily, newly acquainted with the little group of friends - gradually learn. Haskell's life hasn't been easy and she is in a sense perhaps still on the run from her past.
There are others in the group too, including some with startling abilities (like being able to shrink space - but only in that misty city of magic, San Francisco) and we see their joys and sorrows, but it's Haskell and Emily that this lovely, romantic book focusses on. Everything seems against them: the law, society, the looming war (deftly illustrated by the presence of a refugee girl from England), an abusive husband. But they have good friends.
How this setup leads to that ending, to Helen's ending decades later, I won't say because the tension of the story hangs upon it. It's a taut, constructed plot, one of those books where no word is superfluous. And there are some beautiful passages (see especially the parts describing the 1940 World's Fair, taking place on an island in the Bay, just as the rest of the world went to pieces).
I hadn't read any Klages before but I will be looking for more of her writing after this. (You can find a bonus story by here.) An excellent book that features well drawn characters, abounds in atmosphere and celebrates a period and setting I was completely unaware of. (Oh, and look at that beautiful cover!)
If you want to know more about the book, listen to episode 295 of the Coode Street Podcast where Jonathan Strahan and Gary Wolfe discuss it with the author. It's a good listen.
"Helen Young went into her bedroom. She changed into a pair of blue silk pyjamas, brushed her hair, and put on a touch of lipstick. Then she got into bed, turned out the light, and went to sleep for the last time humming a Cole Porter tune until she and the melody simply drifted away."
So ends one of the characters is this hauntingly beautiful tale of life in the queer melting pot of 40s San Francisco.
Helen is one of a group of young women who work or socialise in Mona's, a club where girls can be boys. Whether working as entertainers not only for their own circle but for the plump mid-west tourists who come to gawp, or simply drifting among like minded exiles from straight society, they stand by each other, providing rooms when needed, meals, cover from the police and moral support.
Haskell is at the centre of this circle. She is a talented artist who makes her living drawing pictures for pulp comic books: the kind of thing where a scantily dressed woman is chained down and menaced by a purple monster. Why does she draw such pictures? Well, it's where the money is, but she has other reasons, as we - and Emily, newly acquainted with the little group of friends - gradually learn. Haskell's life hasn't been easy and she is in a sense perhaps still on the run from her past.
There are others in the group too, including some with startling abilities (like being able to shrink space - but only in that misty city of magic, San Francisco) and we see their joys and sorrows, but it's Haskell and Emily that this lovely, romantic book focusses on. Everything seems against them: the law, society, the looming war (deftly illustrated by the presence of a refugee girl from England), an abusive husband. But they have good friends.
How this setup leads to that ending, to Helen's ending decades later, I won't say because the tension of the story hangs upon it. It's a taut, constructed plot, one of those books where no word is superfluous. And there are some beautiful passages (see especially the parts describing the 1940 World's Fair, taking place on an island in the Bay, just as the rest of the world went to pieces).
I hadn't read any Klages before but I will be looking for more of her writing after this. (You can find a bonus story by here.) An excellent book that features well drawn characters, abounds in atmosphere and celebrates a period and setting I was completely unaware of. (Oh, and look at that beautiful cover!)
If you want to know more about the book, listen to episode 295 of the Coode Street Podcast where Jonathan Strahan and Gary Wolfe discuss it with the author. It's a good listen.
September 7, 2020
Review of Passing Strange by Ellen Klages.
Not bad, but the beginning starts in the present day and implies one MC, however the rest bounces between the heads of about three different characters. The rest is also all past, leading back to the present day. It ties together nicely, but takes FOREVER to get to the point. Positive: representation, however the lack of acknowledging that the Japanese character should be hiding her nationality due to America being in the middle of WWII and the prejudice that engendered and not for another reason was a missed historical tie in.
3, it took too long to get to the ending, but it came full circle nicely and I wish we got to see where they went, stars.
Not bad, but the beginning starts in the present day and implies one MC, however the rest bounces between the heads of about three different characters. The rest is also all past, leading back to the present day. It ties together nicely, but takes FOREVER to get to the point. Positive: representation, however the lack of acknowledging that the Japanese character should be hiding her nationality due to America being in the middle of WWII and the prejudice that engendered and not for another reason was a missed historical tie in.
3, it took too long to get to the ending, but it came full circle nicely and I wish we got to see where they went, stars.
June 13, 2019
3,5 stars.
Another one of those Tor free ebooks of the month and this one was a bit different. It is more of a historical romance with a dash of magic thrown in. The first part and last part are set in our world but everything inbetween tells the story of two females finding love with one another.
I didn't end up falling in love with this one because I didn't love the characters it was about. After the first part I had secretly hoped that Helen Young was the mc and she didn't turn out to be so I was miffed haha. I liked her a lot.
On the other hand this book is still important to show what life was like in the 1940's for lesbians, bisexuals and like minded people. As shown above in the trigger warnings, it deals with a lot of difficulties these femals had to live through. And I think this might resonate alot with those who see themselves represented on the page.
Another one of those Tor free ebooks of the month and this one was a bit different. It is more of a historical romance with a dash of magic thrown in. The first part and last part are set in our world but everything inbetween tells the story of two females finding love with one another.
I didn't end up falling in love with this one because I didn't love the characters it was about. After the first part I had secretly hoped that Helen Young was the mc and she didn't turn out to be so I was miffed haha. I liked her a lot.
On the other hand this book is still important to show what life was like in the 1940's for lesbians, bisexuals and like minded people. As shown above in the trigger warnings, it deals with a lot of difficulties these femals had to live through. And I think this might resonate alot with those who see themselves represented on the page.
August 12, 2020
The general historical details, as well as the wonderfully rendered underground lesbian community of the period, who just wanted to live and love in peace and safety, were fantastic. The romance between Haskell and Emily was also great.
Less great was the magic system; it could have used some more definition.
I did love elderly Helen, retired judge, and her crafty plan involving that gorgeous image that graces this story.
Less great was the magic system; it could have used some more definition.
I did love elderly Helen, retired judge, and her crafty plan involving that gorgeous image that graces this story.
September 2, 2017
This book was adooorable. I just wish it had been longer; the magic aspect seemed like an afterthought but it was cool and worth exploring. Still--1940s lesbian romance in San Francisco? Shut up and take my money. (Or, well, take my interlibrary loan request)
Want to read
November 12, 2017I think this is one of the most alluring covers i've ever seen.
March 15, 2021
This really was a strange one!
It's got historic elements of San Francisco in the 40's, and also a fair few women of Asian ethnicity. There's a big theme of a lot of the ladies having to conform to the time periods fetishism of both race and sexuality. Even inside the communities, regarding butch and femme etc. Some performing 'oriental' themed dances and shows, playing up their race, despite often being multiple generations in from their immigrant heritage, and otherwise being well educated, but having to pay the bills.
There's a queer bar, that is often filled with tourists wanting to gawk at the 'perverts' and it saddens a lot of the women that they can't live authentically without those elements plus threats from police.
There was some thoughtful and great elements, but it was fractured by a plot that featured a few too many characters in such a short time. It was two and half hours I think? and I infact had to put it down a few times to get through it, because my own mind would wander off with the book.
There's some magical elements, mentioned and talked about briefly but never fully addressed. The details seemingly unimportant - but I found myself wanting to know more.
It's got historic elements of San Francisco in the 40's, and also a fair few women of Asian ethnicity. There's a big theme of a lot of the ladies having to conform to the time periods fetishism of both race and sexuality. Even inside the communities, regarding butch and femme etc. Some performing 'oriental' themed dances and shows, playing up their race, despite often being multiple generations in from their immigrant heritage, and otherwise being well educated, but having to pay the bills.
There's a queer bar, that is often filled with tourists wanting to gawk at the 'perverts' and it saddens a lot of the women that they can't live authentically without those elements plus threats from police.
There was some thoughtful and great elements, but it was fractured by a plot that featured a few too many characters in such a short time. It was two and half hours I think? and I infact had to put it down a few times to get through it, because my own mind would wander off with the book.
There's some magical elements, mentioned and talked about briefly but never fully addressed. The details seemingly unimportant - but I found myself wanting to know more.
February 9, 2017
Disclaimer: Received an ARC. Have novellas published with the same line. Take my review as you will, especially with those variables in mind.
Having said that –
Passing Strange is an ache, a pang in my chest, a queer story so ferociously loving of its characters that the simplest interactions feel almost like a real family. Haskel, Emily, Helen, Franny, and all the rest – the cast do not come across as vehicles of their narrative, but genuine people. By the end of the book, there was a tiny part of me that could almost believe I knew them.
Anyway.
At its core, it is a love story that serves also as a refutation of the 'bury your gays' trope. Yes, there's conflict. Yes, there's danger. And as might be expected of 1940s San Francisco, there's homophobia and racism and a skin-crawling amount of bigotry, swanning beneath high society's surface. But while our heroines are affected by this, they're never ... damaged in that certain way that the entertainment industry seems to enjoy.
They persist.
They love.
They fight.
Jewelled perfection, Passing Strange's likely to follow my thoughts for a long, long time.
Having said that –
Passing Strange is an ache, a pang in my chest, a queer story so ferociously loving of its characters that the simplest interactions feel almost like a real family. Haskel, Emily, Helen, Franny, and all the rest – the cast do not come across as vehicles of their narrative, but genuine people. By the end of the book, there was a tiny part of me that could almost believe I knew them.
Anyway.
At its core, it is a love story that serves also as a refutation of the 'bury your gays' trope. Yes, there's conflict. Yes, there's danger. And as might be expected of 1940s San Francisco, there's homophobia and racism and a skin-crawling amount of bigotry, swanning beneath high society's surface. But while our heroines are affected by this, they're never ... damaged in that certain way that the entertainment industry seems to enjoy.
They persist.
They love.
They fight.
Jewelled perfection, Passing Strange's likely to follow my thoughts for a long, long time.
February 24, 2020
On y parle donc de la communauté lesbienne dans ces années là, des cabarets drag, du travestissement, de la fameuse règle des « trois vêtements » (a cette époque et jusque dans les années 70 d’ailleurs, si tu n’avais pas 3 vêtements qui correspondent à ton genre assigné, tu pouvais être arrêté par la police).
On suit en particulier 3 femmes. La première est très âgée et son histoire se passe à notre époque. C’est à travers elle qu’on se souvient du passé et qu’on rencontre les deux amoureuses. Emily, la nouvelle qui se travestit sur scène pour gagner sa vie et Haskel l’artiste peintre. Elles tombent amoureuses et leur histoire va prendre un tournant fantastique 🏳️🌈
J’ai vraiment beaucoup aimé cette lecture. Ça fait du bien de voir des lesbiennes en littérature et surtout de les voir faire communauté. On est plutôt habitués à les voir isolées, alors que là elles sont plusieurs, se soutiennent et se protègent les unes les autres. Cette sororité fait du bien 🥰
On suit en particulier 3 femmes. La première est très âgée et son histoire se passe à notre époque. C’est à travers elle qu’on se souvient du passé et qu’on rencontre les deux amoureuses. Emily, la nouvelle qui se travestit sur scène pour gagner sa vie et Haskel l’artiste peintre. Elles tombent amoureuses et leur histoire va prendre un tournant fantastique 🏳️🌈
J’ai vraiment beaucoup aimé cette lecture. Ça fait du bien de voir des lesbiennes en littérature et surtout de les voir faire communauté. On est plutôt habitués à les voir isolées, alors que là elles sont plusieurs, se soutiennent et se protègent les unes les autres. Cette sororité fait du bien 🥰
December 4, 2017
This was a charming novella - it packs a lot of story in, alternately delighting, charming and saddening me in turn.
I would have loved just a bit more exploration of the mathemagic - the folding was intriguing but ultimately only a brief aside. But that's a small quibble in a story filled with characters who revealed startling depth given the brevity of the format. And the added glimpses of the real world mixed in piqued my curiosity - the three garment rule was real; as was Frieda and Diego's reunion when she made it to San Francisco. Those small details were brief but fascinating, and helped make this one of my favourite reads of the year.
I would have loved just a bit more exploration of the mathemagic - the folding was intriguing but ultimately only a brief aside. But that's a small quibble in a story filled with characters who revealed startling depth given the brevity of the format. And the added glimpses of the real world mixed in piqued my curiosity - the three garment rule was real; as was Frieda and Diego's reunion when she made it to San Francisco. Those small details were brief but fascinating, and helped make this one of my favourite reads of the year.
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