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Katherine V. Forrest
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Curious Wine Kindle Edition

by Katherine V. Forrest (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 out of 5 stars 619 ratings
The intimacy of a cabin at Lake Tahoe provides the combustible circumstances that bring Diana Holland and Lane Christianson together in this passionate novel of first discovery.

Candid in its eroticism, intensely romantic, remarkably beautiful, CURIOUS WINE is a love story that will remain in your memory.
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  1. Print length
    170 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    April 19, 2011
  5. File size
    464 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
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  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Subtly, beautifully, with unerring feeling, not only passion but emotion and rationale are limned. -- Mom Guess What

A masterpiece of lesbian love. -- The Sacramento Star

The focus of the novel is love: falling in love, being in love, running away from love. -- The Advocate

The ultimate lesbian love novel. -- The Lesbian News

About the Author

Katherine V. Forrest is twice winner of the Lambda Literary Award for best mystery, and has been recently honored with the Pioneer Award from the Lambda Literary Foundation.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00501GO2W
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bella Books
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 19, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 464 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 170 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 619 ratings

About the author

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Katherine V. Forrest

Katherine V. Forrest

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
619 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book to be one of the best in the genre, with a beautiful story and best sex scenes ever. The writing is well-executed, with one customer noting the natural banter between characters. They appreciate the character development, with one review highlighting how the characters aren't shackled with guilt. The book receives positive feedback for its humor and pacing, though one customer notes it's quite short for the price.

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40 customers mention "Readability"37 positive3 negative

Customers find the book to be a wonderful read, describing it as a beautiful story that is among the best in its genre.

"...Sensuous, passionate, lyrical...unforgettable. Curious Wine is the best selling, most popular romantic lesbian novel of all time." Read more

"...It is so refreshing to read about two mature, professional women who have been in prior relationships (hetero), and find themselves completely gob-..." Read more

"...However, the author manages to make up for this with decent and humerous dialogue...." Read more

"...It's a wonderful story filled with artfully simple and complex characters who compliment and fit together perfectly...." Read more

19 customers mention "Romance"19 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the romantic elements of the book, describing it as one of the best lesbian romances with very sensual scenes and heartwarming moments.

"...Sensuous, passionate, lyrical...unforgettable. Curious Wine is the best selling, most popular romantic lesbian novel of all time." Read more

"...How their romance progresses is lovely, intelligent, and very sensual. And yeah, it's at lightening speed, but hey, this is fiction...." Read more

"...praised in some circles (especially on Amazon.com) as THE best lesbian romance novel...." Read more

"...Diana and Lane's love story is sensual and enviable...." Read more

16 customers mention "Character development"14 positive2 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with one customer noting that the characters aren't burdened with guilt.

"Tremendous is the best word that comes to mind. The depth of characters and plot was wholly satisfying...." Read more

"...Ms Forrest's intelligence, dry wit, and character development never leave the reader wanting." Read more

"...the then taboo nature of lesbian relationships, the characters aren't shackled with guilt and instead focus on just being with one another as much..." Read more

"...It's a wonderful story filled with artfully simple and complex characters who compliment and fit together perfectly...." Read more

12 customers mention "Writing quality"10 positive2 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, finding it well-crafted, with one customer noting the expert pacing and another highlighting the natural banter in the dialogue.

"...Sensuous, passionate, lyrical...unforgettable. Curious Wine is the best selling, most popular romantic lesbian novel of all time." Read more

"...The writing here is so good. This was the first book I read by Katherine V Forrest. I've read several since, but reread this book once a year...." Read more

"...And it's very well written." Read more

"...It is well-written and even if the ending is storybook, it doesn't matter. We all need a little fantasy in our lives...." Read more

4 customers mention "Pacing"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the pacing of the book, with one noting its solid construction and another highlighting its outstanding characterization.

"...for many years and this is a truly wonderful story with outstanding characterization...." Read more

"...I finally get all the praise it deserves. It really holds up too, so nice to remember a time without cell phones...." Read more

"I enjoyed this book! It was received from seller in perfect condition in just a few days. I wonderful on line experience all around." Read more

"A little dated for a younger generation but still a solid book..." Read more

3 customers mention "Humor"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's humor, with one describing it as fabulous and another finding it entertaining.

"...Expertly paced writing that is a delight to read. The humor is fabulous, "do not fold spindle or mutilate" will forevermore bring this..." Read more

"A beautiful story of women bonding via pain, honesty, and laughter...." Read more

"...This book was well written. .with an entertaining & interesting story line." Read more

4 customers mention "Length"0 positive4 negative

Customers find the book too short, with one mentioning that the first chapter is particularly difficult to get through.

"...And if there's a drawback, it's only that it isn't longer." Read more

"This was a great book and I highly recommend it! the first chapter is hard to get through because there is too many charactars introduced all at..." Read more

"...The characters lacked a little depth, but given that the novel is so short, I can let that slide...." Read more

"The book is pretty short for the price. Not the lesbian book I was looking for...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • E. B. MULLIGAN
    5.0 out of 5 stars Timeless story of falling in love - truly wonderful characters
    Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2005
    Verified Purchase
    Tremendous is the best word that comes to mind. The depth of characters and plot was wholly satisfying. I've been reading romance novels for many years and this is a truly wonderful story with outstanding characterization. I read this for the first time this year and have read it several times since. It is a total feel good novel and deals with deep emotional issues.

    At the end of the book you feel joyful. Expertly paced writing that is a delight to read.

    The humor is fabulous, "do not fold spindle or mutilate" will forevermore bring this novel to mind for me (s).

    Delectable love scenes - truly heart warming and loving. They advance the story perfectly and are unique and never gratuitous.

    I can not say enough good things about this story or the writing - my one wish would be a short story from the author about Diana and Lane as I can not get enough of them.

    Buy copies for your friends - they will thank you for it.

    Book Description from the author's homepage - A classic novel...

    A timeless love story.

    An all-female group of strangers in a picturesque cabin amid a glorious landscape of ice and snow--this is what Diana Holland finds when she accompanies her best friend for a gambling weekend at spectacular Lake Tahoe. Among these strangers is Lane Christianson, beautiful, coolly sophisticated, professionally successful. And an enigma to those around her.

    An evening of game playing and drinking among the women escalates into a complexity of revelation and confrontation--and later, an intense encounter with Lane that leaves Diana undone and in disbelief at what has surfaced between them.

    Surely this is an aberration. Surely this means nothing. What has happened between her and Lane cannot, will not happen again...

    Sensuous, passionate, lyrical...unforgettable. Curious Wine is the best selling, most popular romantic lesbian novel of all time.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • csofthemidwest
    5.0 out of 5 stars Such a beautiful Romance
    Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Much has been made about this being a dated lezfic romance. If I wanted to find negatives in this story, there are more flaws than the fact that it was written in 1983, and takes place in the late '70's. This is such a good romance, I can't do anything but glow over it. It is so refreshing to read about two mature, professional women who have been in prior relationships (hetero), and find themselves completely gob-smacked attracked to one another. How their romance progresses is lovely, intelligent, and very sensual. And yeah, it's at lightening speed, but hey, this is fiction. The writing here is so good. This was the first book I read by Katherine V Forrest. I've read several since, but reread this book once a year. Ms Forrest's intelligence, dry wit, and character development never leave the reader wanting.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Kara Stenberg
    4.0 out of 5 stars A little dated for a younger generation but still a solid book
    Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    Not a bad book for a lesbian romance novel, a genre that is rife with clichés, poor plotlines, shallow characters, and just all around mediocre writing.

    For younger generations (certainly those of us born in the mid 70s and later) "Curious Wine" is a tad dated, set in the late 70s and published in the early 80s. Being born in the 80s myself there were places where the dating of the book jarred me out of the story. This was done with mention of pop culture items but it was also the generation of the characters themselves: the things they found shocking, and the fact that times have changed and it is much easier and safer to be out of the closet nowadays than it was in the 70s when this book takes place. And perhaps, too, it would help if the reader was of a comparable age to those in the book; the main characters were in their mid 30s and others were in their 40s.

    The book lacks character build-up and we're thrown immediately into this group of strangers (people strange/new to the main character) and it is difficult at first to keep everyone straight (no pun intended). However, the author manages to make up for this with decent and humerous dialogue. Again, sometimes some of the phrases the characters use are a bit dated but for the most part the banter feels natural. And because most of the book is dialogue the story pulls you right along. Where at first I felt a bit put off by the difference in age and generation and general 'straightness' of the characters, the dialogue eased me into the story until I stopped noticing the turning of pages and instead was immersed in the romance blossoming between the main characters.

    Of course, the *point* of the book is romance and despite the clichéd setting (Lake Tahoe cabin in a ski area) the pacing of the forming relationship between the main characters works. Despite the then taboo nature of lesbian relationships, the characters aren't shackled with guilt and instead focus on just being with one another as much as they can on the sly. For me, the 'we must keep this secret' side of things actually makes the romance a bit more intense, so in that respect the 'datedness' of the book helps.

    "Curious Wine" has been praised in some circles (especially on Amazon.com) as THE best lesbian romance novel. I've certainly read more satisfying books with lesbian characters (particularly Sarah Waters novels or books by Jacqueline Carey) but most of these books aren't written strictly as romance. "Curious Wine" is that - its almost a PWP (porn without plot/plot, what plot?) except that the sex is never written in a vulgar manner and the author manages to make good use of the poetic side of the English language to illustrate what it is the characters are doing without coming off as prudish.

    So if you are looking for a book about lesbian romance that gets to the point - the romance, the eroticism, etc. but isn't some cheap porn, this book is for you.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • OHFarmGirl
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written. Deep, rich, believable characters.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Since reading Curious Wine, I've been systematically working my way through all of Katherine Forrest's books, and I'm so glad to have started with this one. It's a wonderful story filled with artfully simple and complex characters who compliment and fit together perfectly. Diana and Lane's love story is sensual and enviable. What they were able to find, enjoy, rediscover and hold on to left me feeling completely delighted. Ms. Forrest is a master at capturing the sentiment of the scene and putting it in to words - I highly recommend everything she's written. Probably the best lesbian novel I've read!
    5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Velvet Lounger
    5.0 out of 5 stars A groundbreaking classic of its time
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 3, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    "Nothing interesting can possibly happen in a cabin full of women." So ends the first chapter of Curious Wine, Katherine Forrest's classic novel of the early 80's in which 6 women bring their personal issues to a beautiful Tahoe cabin for a weeks skiing in an era when encounter groups were in, padded shoulders were the norm and lesbian romance was definitely still in the closet.

    Diane is depressed about breaking up with her boyfriend. As she meets the group she instantly bonds with the gorgeous but cool Lane, high powered lawyer with a trail of downtrodden men. The remaining four women are led by Liz, the angry and bullish "first wife", Chris her uptight and narrow-minded spinster sister, Millie the aging hippy and Madge who's too scared of the truth to find out if she is being betrayed. Add into the mix a large quantity of alcohol and some grass; a meltdown is bound to happen.

    Needless to say the encounter games don't go to well, feelings of pain and anger get out of hand and rather than bonding the group ends up hurting each other with truths they don't want to know. Out of which the sensitive Diane reaches out to Lane for comfort. One thing leads to another and suddenly they are on the verge of a sexual encounter.

    -------------------------

    Let me start by saying I LOVE THIS BOOK. Yes its short and obvious and so unrealistic.. but i love the characters, the story is so sweet, and i can fogive the dated games, clothes and behaviour because of what it represents.

    Curious Wine was Katherine V. Forrest's first novel, published in 1983 and is without a doubt a classic. It is one of the groundbreaking novels of its generation, it moved away from the pulp fiction into romance, was solidly about women and was written by a lesbian for lesbians.

    Today many reviews criticize it for the soppy and cheesy sex, the paucity of terminology and the unlikelihood of two `straight' women having sex, falling in love and deciding to live happily ever after in 3 days. People - normally women who probably were barely born in 1983 - complain about the ridiculous encounter games, the dated fashions and the shallow plot and characterisation.

    But to do so is to take the book out of context. This is a first novel written in a virtual vacuum of lesbian romance. In 1983 women did try to bond in stupid games, they were this nasty to each other - they thought they were `helping' when in retrospect they were destroying each other. At that time there was virtually no current lesbian fiction - the pulp fiction of the 50's and 60's was homophobic and frequently written for a sleezy male audience. And the sexual norm of the day was either Deep Throat style porn or uptight bosom heaving Mills and Boon.

    If you want to read an novel full of deep characters agonizing over coming out, or compare this to modern sexplicit girl on girl action you will be disappointed. But it is a great novel. It is well worth the read - at 160 pages it wont even take too long. And it deserves the title classic for its groundbreaking exploration of a woman's reaction to her first lesbian encounter.
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  • Kindle Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars A good read.
    Reviewed in Spain on May 16, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Falling in love is always a surprise and often a bit messy.
    Enjoyed the book.
    Will there be a sequel ?
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  • msrant
    5.0 out of 5 stars Read it a hundred times.
    Reviewed in Canada on December 14, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    This is my go to book when I'm down.
    Such a simple well written classic. Big fan of Ms. Forrest's books. This is a classic. When I was first coming out years ago, this book was a light for me.
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  • Annika Brauneck
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ich liebe dieses Buch
    Reviewed in Germany on March 26, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Wie konnte das nur so lange an mir vorbeigehen?
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  • Julie Brown
    5.0 out of 5 stars Timeless
    Reviewed in Australia on September 30, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I’ve just re-read this and it remains a ground breaking piece of work. It should be in the must read classics genre of lesbian fiction
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