The Long Trail

Aside from its feminist twist, this is a mediocre example of the romance genre. Blanche Irene Bartholomew, overweight and betrothed, is unhappy with her life in the small world of postCivil War Starcross, Tex. Then she meets Teresa, a prostitute at the Blackjack Saloon. They fall in love, and Teresa asks Blanche to leave Starcross with her. On the morning of Blanche's wedding, they escape and must endure a covered wagon trek, attack by Indians and murderous cowboys before settling down with Blanche's lesbian aunt and her companion. There is a strident ""us against them'' tone here, which, along with the sloppy grammar and caricatures, cheapens what could otherwise have been an interesting story. (June)