Rubyfruit Jungle

by Rita Mae Brown

Book Overview

"The rare work of fiction that has changed real life . . . If you don't yet know Molly Bolt--or Rita Mae Brown, who created her--I urge you to read and thank them both."--Gloria Steinem Winner of the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 055327886X
• Release Date: May 1983
• Publisher: Bantam
• Length: 246 Pages
• Weight: 0.31 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.9" x 0.7" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

My favorite book <33

I HIGHLY recommend this book! Once I started this book I couldn't get enough. This isn't a boring book and I swear you'll love it!

Definitely worth reading!

I really liked this book, I loved how the main character was fearless about being gay and was completely nonchalant about it, which was not the norm for the time period this was written in. A lot of old school attitudes and language is used throughout the book against African Americans, Jewish people, and queers. Even though I was expecting the attitudes of this time period to be present, it still took me alittle back. But overall, I think this is a great book to read especially if you’re queer, to really be able to understand and get a view of what our community has gone though and struggled against. It started off a little slow, but definitely picks up quickly! Definitely would recommend.

this is a classic of lesbian literature?

parts of this book were hilarious, but mostly the main character is a mary-sue who can do no wrong PLUS really weird part where she talks about how incest between a daughter and mother is okay

Very down to earth and hilarious!

I loved this book! I read this book when my sexual self was beginning to open up. I love how the main character views herself. She sees nothing wrong with who she is and the way she is. She is growing up and just happens to be a lesbian and it's NO BIG DEAL to her. She doesn't morph into a caricature of her lesbian self. I loved how she considered herself NORMAL and didn't try to create a separate lesbian world to live in.

A hilarious and touching coming-of-age story

Rita Mae Brown's novel "Rubyfruit Jungle" had me laughing out loud by the time I reached page 5. The book tells the life story of Molly Bolt, a poor girl who comes from rural Pennsylvania. Molly narrates the book, which follows her to her adolescent years in Florida and to her life as a struggling film student in New York. Along the way, Molly lives her life as a sexually liberated young lesbian.Molly is a wonderful character: a witty, intelligent combination of artist and trickster. The book is full of humor and satirical outrageousness. Molly is surrounded by a colorful cast of characters, most notably her strong-willed mother. The narrative as a whole is well-structured, and Brown brings Molly's story to a very satisfying conclusion.As funny as "Rubyfruit" is, it also has some relevant insights on a number of issues: mother-daughter relationships, anti-gay prejudice, sexism in academia, socioeconomic barriers, etc. Molly's desire to be a filmmaker is a key theme: she is a creative individual who wants to tell relevant stories about "real people," and not just impress some pompous group of cultural elites.Brown's prose style is excellent: muscular, sexy, lively, humane, down-to-earth, and always enjoyable. For a good companion text, try Audre Lorde's "Zami," a moving narrative of African-American lesbian life.

Brilliant and beautiful

This is a well-written jewel. Rita Mae Brown's dialogue and plot is interesting from the very first page. The book tells the story of a lower-class girl growing up, her learning about sex and dealing with her own homosexuality, leaving home and starting a life of her own, college, city life, dating, etc. The reader identifies with Molly through all of her hardships and celebrates with her through her joyous relationships. This book deals with lesbianism in a very realistic manner, but at the same time could appeal to heterosexual women and men of all types. It is a coming of age story that is simplistic, yet incredibly ... can i say perfect. It's a very short book, and easy weekend read for pure enjoyment. I'd highly recommend this book - to anyone.

Simple words for simple wording

I have been reading all of the customer reviews, and it seems that they have been missing the whole point of this book. By no means is this a "lesbian" book, or a book that completely focuses on dealing with "coming out". Nor should this book be read exclusively by lesbians. It's a book that simply follows a unique, strong young woman from when she was a kid to when she grows up into her 20's. Futhermore, the simple style is the essence of the book; more complicated wording would not embody the character of Molly nearly as well. The point is that Molly, who is sassy and a shamelessly cut-and-dry lesbian, does not think that things should be overanalyzed and obsessed over. She sees everything as obvious and blatant. Hence the simple language. It is an unapologetic, extremely funny book, and it is hard to put it down. It pulls you in from the beginning and continues to stay exciting throughout this girl's tumultuous life. In some ways she grows, but in others she never does compromise her gutsy, fiery self. I loved it.

a must read for all women coming out!

This book is a MUST READ for all women coming out as lesbians, young or old. Rita Mae Brown's other books are not as enlightening or entertaining to me, but Rubyfruit was a gift from my first girlfriend and i've passed it around to other friends coming out who really needed to read it. It's helped a ton of us become more comfortable with who we are and connect us to a greater history.