''Journey to a Woman'' is a

lesbian pulp fiction Lesbian pulp fiction is a genre of lesbian literature that refers to any mid-20th century paperback novel or pulp magazine with overtly lesbian themes and content. Lesbian pulp fiction was published in the 1950s and 1960s by many of the same pap ...

novel written in 1960 by

Ann Bannon Ann Weldy (born September 15, 1932), better known by her pen name Ann Bannon, is an American author who, from 1957 to 1962, wrote five lesbian pulp fiction novels known as ''The Beebo Brinker Chronicles''. The books' enduring popularity and imp ...

(pseudonym of Ann Weldy). It is the fifth in a series of pulp fiction novels that eventually came to be known as ''

The Beebo Brinker Chronicles Ann Weldy (born September 15, 1932), better known by her pen name Ann Bannon, is an American author who, from 1957 to 1962, wrote five lesbian pulp fiction novels known as ''The Beebo Brinker Chronicles''. The books' enduring popularity and imp ...

''. It was originally published in 1960 by

Gold Medal Books Gold Medal Books, launched by Fawcett Publications in 1950, was an American book publisher known for introducing paperback originals, a publishing innovation at the time. Fawcett was also an independent newsstand distributor, and in 1949 the c ...

, again in 1983 by

Naiad Press Naiad Press (1973–2003) was an American publishing company, one of the first dedicated to lesbian literature. At its closing it was the oldest and largest lesbian/feminist publisher in the world. History Naiad Press was founded by partners Barba ...

, and again in 2003 by

Cleis Press Cleis Press is an American independent publisher of books in the areas of sexuality, erotica, feminism, gay and lesbian studies, gender studies, fiction, and human rights. The press was founded in 1980 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It later moved to ...

. Each edition was adorned with a different cover. As Bannon explained in the forward of the 2001 edition of '' Odd Girl Out'', Gold Medal Press publishers had control over the cover art and the title of all the books published through them. Bannon's publisher titled the book. Lesbian pulp fiction books usually showed suggestive art with obscure titles that hinted at what the subject matter was inside. It is preceded by '' Women in the Shadows'' and followed by '' Beebo Brinker'' chronologically, although in the course of events of the characters, this is the last in the series. ''Beebo Brinker'', in the course of events, was written last but is set first.

Plot summary

Beth Ayers is stifled and bored by her role as

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

housewife. Her husband, a successful businessman named Charlie, is frustrated with her lack of affection towards their two children and her unwillingness to tell him why she's unhappy after being married for nine years. Beth becomes intrigued by a casual acquaintance named Vega Purvis, a chic modeling instructor who is physically ravaged by various illnesses, alcohol and cigarettes, and whose modeling business is in decline after a vaguely detailed scandal. Beth knows Vega is a

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...

and connects her sexuality with Beth's own recurring dreams about Laura Landon, a girl with whom she had an affair in college. Vega calls Beth one evening and asks her to come to a hotel, where Vega shows her the scars that cover her body. Vega becomes emotionally dependent upon Beth over the next several months, as Beth becomes more possessed by the idea of finding Laura once more. Beth begins to correspond with Nina Spicer, the author of several lesbian books she has been reading. After Beth and Charlie separate, Beth returns to

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

in search of Laura, who she hasn't contacted in nine years. She learns from Laura's father that she left for

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

many years before. There, Beth and Nina team up to look for Laura in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...

gay bar A gay bar is a Bar (establishment), drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ+) clientele; the term ''gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBTQ+ communi ...

s and nightclubs. Nina tests Beth to see whether she's really a lesbian or simply curious, while Beth uses Nina to get to Laura. Beth and Nina eventually sleep together. Afterwards, Beth learns that Vega has been committed to a mental hospital. Tired of Nina's games, Beth ventures to the bars to find Laura herself and finds Beebo Brinker, who is astounded to see her after considering Beth a rival for Laura's affections when they were together years ago. Beebo points Beth in the direction of the apartment Laura shares with her husband Jack. Beth meets Jack first, who introduces her to their six-year-old daughter. The next morning, Beth surprises Laura and they immediately make love. However, after the surprise has worn off, Laura learns that Beth has left her husband and children, and hurt and angry still from being left long ago asks Beth to think about the reasons why she has embarked on this journey to find her. Beth returns to Greenwich Village and finds herself in Beebo's apartment after drinking too much. Discussing what she's done with Beebo, Beth realizes what she must face in order to know what she wants from life. Returning to her hotel, Beth is held hostage by a deranged Vega, who eventually shoots herself. After being questioned, Charlie picks her up from the police station. After Beth asks for a divorce from Charlie, she tells Laura what she knows about herself now. Laura loves her as a friend. Beebo invites Beth back to her apartment after confessing she's fallen for her, and they go together hand in hand.

Reception

The lesbian magazine '' The Ladder'' called ''Journey To A Woman'' Bannon's best novel to date and called Bannon "a spokesman for her people." In its review for '' Beebo Brinker'', LGBT magazine ''

The Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to: Magazines * The Advocate (magazine), ''The Advocate'' (magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States * ''The Harvard Advocate' ...

'' referred to ''Journey To A Woman'' as having Bannon's best sex scenes.

Sequel

Ann Bannon wrote in the foreword for the 2003 edition of ''Journey To A Woman'' that she has written, but not yet published, a sequel for this book that discusses the characters in the series, which was apparently written in 1988 initially to be titled "Applehood and Mother Pie".

References

External links

Introduction to Cleis Press Edition: ''Journey to a Woman''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Journey To A Woman 1960 American novels Novels by Ann Bannon Novels about lesbian topics 1960s LGBTQ novels Gold Medal Books books