Upright Women Wanted

eBook, 176 pages

English language

Published Nov. 22, 2020 by Tom Doherty Associates.

ISBN:
978-1-250-21365-5
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4 stars (6 reviews)

Pulp Western with an explicitly antifascist, near-future story of queer identity.

“That girl’s got more wrong notions than a barn owl’s got mean looks.”

Esther is a stowaway. She’s hidden herself away in the Librarian’s book wagon in an attempt to escape the marriage her father has arranged for her—a marriage to the man who was previously engaged to her best friend.

Her best friend who she was in love with.

Her best friend who was just executed for possession of resistance propaganda.

The future American Southwest is full of bandits, fascists, and queer librarian spies on horseback trying to do the right thing.

3 editions

Felt Like a Part One

3 stars

The characters and interactions were stronger here than the plot. The Esther/Cye relationship was cute and well-played. The plot was straightforward, brief, and didn't twist much.

This felt like a part one or setup for a longer series. It feels like there was enough here to flesh out into a longer novel.

The audiobook narrator struck the right balance where you could distinguish the different character voices but the narrator didn't try to perform too much.