In Every Port

Rating:
Summary: romance fans shouldn't miss this one
Review:

I've read all the books by Kallmaker. This one is were you should start off if you ever plan on reading everything she's written. This is TRUE romance, the characters, the plot, but most importanly, the way she takes you there, ever so gently, slowly, smoothly ... this book is REALLY a page turner.

If you are that romantic person that never quite found out what romance was all about, geez, don't lose any time and read this book. Then read the rest. And then come back and read this one again. And if you ever forget what Kallmaker is all about, read it again.

This book is what made her the Queen of Romance...she only got to be a better Queen with the others. And she's a better writter nowadays too.

Rating:
Summary: Historically Interesting
Review: I don't think this is one of Ms. Kallmaker's better books. I do think that from a historical perspective it is interesting to read - it is eye-opening to see what was happening in the 1970's and I believe she does a good job making you feel like you are there in that time. But, if you are looking for a romance novel -- you would better off skipping this one.


Rating:
Summary: Another Well-Written Romance
Review: I have read almost all of Karin's books - with only 2 waiting to be read - and they have all been great romance, love stories... exactly what I needed to read! In Every Port is great, very well written - not just sex, it has real characters and a real story - just like all the rest that followed, thanks again Karin.

Rating:
Summary: Girl Gets Girl, Girl Loses Girl, Girl gets Girl back
Review: I loved this book. It is the first of Kallmaker's books and althought I love all her books, I have to say this was my favorite. Given the way the book flowed much of the time, the ending was a bit jarring. If Kallmaker wanted to make a statement, perhaps she should have done it in another book. Jessica is a free-lance assertiveness training speaker and has finally put together enough money to buy a condo in the high interest rate atmosphere of late 1970's San Francisco. Jessica has only had affairs with women but is sure that when she is ready, she will settle down with a man. The internal dialogue between Jessica and Herself are hysterical. You should buy the book just for that. Jessica's neighbor on the 3rd floor of the condo she just bought is Cat Merrill. Jessica is captivated by Cat and she and Cat become good friends. However, Jessica discovers to her dismay that she is very attracted to Cat and has to finally admit to herself that she is a lesbian. Her trip to Texas to visit her friend/lover Marilyn is hysterical. She buys her first lesbian books at a women's bookstore and feels self-conscious. There are many great parts but I think the fact that the ending takes place with the deaths of Mayor Mascone and gay activist Harvey Milk detract from the book. As I said before, Kallmaker should have put it in a different book, if she wanted to write about the deaths of those two men. Still, buy the book. You'll love it and Jessica (Herself) and Cat.

Rating:
Summary: great
Review: i tend to be bias when it comes to karin kallmaker books. i love them all. this book is no exception. only complaint is that it was too short!

Rating:
Summary: My first impressions didn't let me finish the book
Review: I will admit that I did not finish this book. I couldn't even get past the first chapter! I am a Karin Kallmaker fan and I've enjoyed all her books, but this one really dates itself. Having been an 80's child, I hate everything about the 70's, ESPECIALLY the fashion. And the first outfit she describes Jessica wearing had me cringing. Since I tend to imagine the characters as I read, I was not enjoying the imagery one bit.

The setting and the mindset of the time does not capture my interest at all, and Kallmaker tends to put A LOT of actual events and places into her books. I think it really distracts me from the actual story. I don't live in San Francisco, the city where most of her books take place, so I cannot identify with it. I want to skip all the place/event detail and get on with the personal developments. But since this book has such a heavy emphasis on the time period and everything that was a part of it, I could not bring myself to even get through half the book. Try any of her other books if you hate the 70's too.

Rating:
Summary: My first impressions didn't let me finish the book
Review: I will admit that I did not finish this book. I couldn't even get past the first chapter! I am a Karin Kallmaker fan and I've enjoyed all her books, but this one really dates itself. Having been an 80's child, I hate everything about the 70's, ESPECIALLY the fashion. And the first outfit she describes Jessica wearing had me cringing. Since I tend to imagine the characters as I read, I was not enjoying the imagery one bit.

The setting and the mindset of the time does not capture my interest at all, and Kallmaker tends to put A LOT of actual events and places into her books. I think it really distracts me from the actual story. I don't live in San Francisco, the city where most of her books take place, so I cannot identify with it. I want to skip all the place/event detail and get on with the personal developments. But since this book has such a heavy emphasis on the time period and everything that was a part of it, I could not bring myself to even get through half the book. Try any of her other books if you hate the 70's too.

Rating:
Summary: It's 1978, You're a Lesbian, What Now?
Review: Some books set in the past read like history lessons and are just about as dry and dull, too. But not this one. Instead of lots of emphasis on events and who did what, this novel is like a history lesson in the emotions of a burgeoning lesbian-feminist. I take for granted a lot not just how far we've come as lesbians, but also as women. Jessica is the kind of woman who thought of stuff to teach women about work and success that we all take for granted now.

But that's all secondary to a nice, romantic plot about two women who fall in love and have to figure out how to show it. It's 1978, you're in love with another woman -- do you propose? There's no gay marriage, there aren't even commitment ceremonies. I liked reading about women who had to think about that stuff because nobody had been doing what they wanted to do, which is start a life obviously together.

I had never read this early book of Kallmaker's because it was set in the past, but after reading the short story based on these characters in Frosting on the Cake I started to look for it and it was out of print. Now it's back in print and I'm glad! Every gay person should know who Harvey Milk was. Not as a name on a page but how this book let me see him: as a dream of what our future could be, and the hope that he gave two women (and the rest of us) that there would be a better future for gay people.

Considering all that this little romance accomplishes, it's no surprise to me that Kallmaker many years later wrote Substitute for Love, which looks again at the political reality of many gay people. I swear, if the L-Word had this woman writing for them I might start believing their plots!

Rating:
Summary: A good first novel
Review: This is Karin Kallmaker's first published novel and for a first, it's very good. All the humor and sincerity that will become the most enjoyable features of all of her romance books abound in this early effort. The plot is solid, the characters the kind of women who could live next door. It's set in 1978, in the year when the gay rights movement was galvanized by the murder of San Francisco's Harvey Milk. Both women are coming out during this difficult time and I liked the historical context of what coming out then was like ... it was a different world and the times were riskier. So much has changed, and so much hasn't.

This early effort lacks the richness of language that flowers later in Kallmaker's work. But the story spins out quickly and gathers the reader closely. Her fans won't want to miss it. Compare it to her Unforgettable and see how good she already was, and then how much her talent has grown.