I loved the story and thought it was cleverly written by going back and forth between present day and the past. There are a lot of great history lessons in the book, but at times it felt a little condescending towards the reader. While it's certainly true that younger generations can't wholly understand the experiences those who came before them went through, it doesn't have to be negatively held against them. I thought that the modern day teen characters were pigeonholed into lazy and self-absorbed stereotypes and the story would have been a lot richer had they been developed more.

I LOVE THIS BOOK! I got so many recommendations for it and it was totally worth it. I really loved everything about it and will recommend it to friends.

This is a lovely novel that offers an entry into the tradition of lesbian pump fiction via multiple coming-of-age stories told concurrently.

Pulp tells the story of Abby Zimet and Janet Jones. Abby lives in contemporary Washington D. C. and her life is imploding - her girlfriend broke up with her and though they remain friends, but is sending mixed messages and her parents are constantly traveling - neither have been home at the same time in over a year. Through all this, she must complete her senior project. She becomes obsessed with a pulp lesbian novel from the 1950's - Women of the Twilight Realm, the only novel written by Marian Love. This becomes Abby escape as she refuses to acknowledge what is happening to her family and question everything she ever thought about love. Janet Jones lives in 1955 Washington D. C. and she discovers she is in love with her best friend, Marie. This is a scary time for gay and lesbian individuals as the government has begun the Lavender Scare, finding and firing anyone who works for the government who they suspect of being homosexual. The government considers it "deviant" behavior that would make it easier for the person to be a Russian or Communist spy. As Marie has just begun working as a secretary for the State Department, she fears being found out and only wants to be "normal" while for the first time Janet feels free. During this time she begins writing the novel that will be known as Women of the Twilight Realm, which she creates in a time of exploring her freedom and heartbreak.

The chapters go back and forth between Abby and Janet, and I was drawn to both characters, but I felt for both characters for two very different reasons. Abby was out and proud, but her family was unraveling - in typical teenage behavior she turned a blind eye and instead escaped in her writing craft and pulp lesbian fiction. For Janet, she feels complete for the first time, but must hide who she truly is and must make a decision to conform to what society expects of her or escape Washington D. C. for a new life in New York. Both stories are hopeful and although there is no, "happily every after," this is definitely a story of hopefulness. The only thing I hoped for was more Ethan, Abby's little brother - although he was only in the story for short bursts, I was desperate for more scenes with him.

This book focuses on the difference between the Lesbian community and acceptance between the 1950s and today through the eyes of teens wishing to be writers someday. The angst of love found and love lost, while dealt with differently in the eras, is described accurately. The incredible writing style of Robin Talley has changed the perception of pulp fiction in my eyes.

A timely and necessary read! I really enjoyed how Talley wove the stories and timelines together, as it enhanced rather then detracted from the individual stories. The lavender scare of the 50's isn't widely known, and Talley's Pulp (which is a great title!!) makes reading about it accessible and easy to read. The contrast between LGBTQ experiences of todays world versus that of the McCarthy communism hunt era are huge.

This book tackled a fascinating period of history rarely addressed and did so through the use of a type of novels that are also mostly forgotten. Janet's story was great, but I found it made Abby's story less interesting in comparison and so the current day chapters were harder to get through.

Robin Talley’s Pulp is about as unique a storyline as one can write in this day and age. This story within a story (that includes yet 2 other writings of a story) presents as a partial mystery and part call to action for LGBTQ teens. Abby, a DC teen in the modern day, is a lesbian and out, without any real drama. Her family, magnet school, and friends are supportive and loving. But in the course of things, Abby comes across a pulp lesbian novel written in the 1950’s and decides to write one of her own as a part of her senior project. This decision is the impetus for us being introduced to the second timeline, one where we actually get an omniscient, if sometimes misleading, narrator in the creation of the 1950’s pulp novel.

All of this is excellent. The voice is solid, the characters are fleshed out with romance as one very important vehicle that moves the story along. At the same time, the romance of Abby’s parents is in the disintegration phase. Since this is a book with romance and relationships at every turn, I understood the significance of this plot line but I found Abby’s general denial and obliviousness to it very juvenile. It was the only part of the book that didn’t ring with me. Her avoidance of the issue was pained.

The story takes Abby (and us) on an adventure into the past. That sounds so cliched but in this case, being gay in the 1950's was a real reason for subterfuge and so that aspect of the plot seems totally believable - even necessary.

On a more personal note, those of you who know me know that I had a previous career as an attorney and I was intimately involved in the evaluation of security clearances - a significant point in the 1950’s plot. On this topic, I cannot speak highly enough for Pulp. I learned so much about the Lavender Scare and truly felt the climate of the 1950’s when no one was sure what McCarthy’s legacy would be. I am happy to report that in my 5 years in this field, there was not a single case in OUR office of discrimination against a person from the LGBTQ community. It was a non-issue for us. I can’t speak for all of the govt, but it is only in retrospect that I ‘get’ how radically things changed in 50 years.

Because of the nature of the relationships in this book, it is geared for a YA audience and above. You shouldn't be surprised that there is intimacy and romance in a book about lesbian pulp fiction novels! It is well written, not gratuitous and generally very sweet. Pulp is a good history of US civil rights of a hidden and maligned communities in the mid-century, one that necessarily touches on woman's issues and minority issues as well. Unfortunately, it would not be permitted for a library in the Middle East, like mine, but I can hope that things will change here too - just as they did in the US.

#Pulp #NetGalley

Very timely and interesting read. I enjoyed the way the author wrote the story of the two timelines but it was done in a way that didn't distract from either story which is sometimes the case. I felt like this was a powerful book on something that I didn't really know much about. Historical fiction isn't usually something I enjoyed but this was a good read and I know I have some students who will be drawn in by the subject matter and the way in which the story is told.

Great story about the contrast between lgbt experiences today and in the sixties during the McCarthy era. Historical discussion of lesbian pulp fiction and how it evolved over the decades along with societies' perception of relationships. Three running storylines may be confusing for some readers, but once the story gets going, the stories come together. Really liked the point made throughout the novel that young women are not alone in their journey.

PULP by Robin Talley is a story told across two timelines. One in 1955 and one in 2017. One of the best aspects of this book is that it compares how truly far we have come (though we obviously have a long ways to go) in terms of LGBTQ equality.

PULP sheds light on the 1950s Lavender Scare (which I didn't even know existed), where the government tracked down and ruined the lives of gay and trans people. They would blacklist them from jobs, resources, housing, etc. Because this is something I didn't know much about, the historical storyline of PULP is what kept me going.

The current day storyline felt a little eh. The stakes didn't feel tangible to me. So, your parents are divorcing and your ex doesn't like you back. It's tough but it's not exactly the most compelling issue for a character to have. So I didn't feel that intrigued. BUT Janet's story in the 1950s is mesmerizing, and the stakes are so real and terrifying, reminding us that we haven't always had it this easy.

Abby, a contemporary high school girl is using lesbian pulp novels of the 1950s for her senior project and decides to write one of her own. Her story, the life of a young author she became obsessed with, and the story that so captured her imagination are artfully entwined making the difficulties faced by the LGBT community and the political environment of the times vivid.

Unfortunately, I couldn't even finish the first chapter of this book. I can't quite pinpoint it, but something about the style of writing and the dialogue majorly repelled me. I tried, but I just couldn't force myself to keep reading when the first few pages just weren't pulling me in at all. I might try to read this again in a few years, but for now it was a big, fat DNF for me.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting historical perspective on the genre. The novel was a little hard to follow, but interesting.

Robin Talley's Pulp gave an interesting insight into how the LGBT community has changed over the past 60 years by providing readers with two timelines; one, a teen in present day, the other a teen realizing her queerness in the 1950s. The main character conducts research into lesbian pulp fiction and how the books were published, while the character in the 1950s goes through the first-hand experience of finding and then writing her own lesbian pulp fiction. At times the book read more like a research project in itself, telling the reader about all of this history, rather than allowing it to be an organic part of the story. However, for younger readers, this would be a nice entrée into LGBT literature.

This book was the perfect read for Pride Month! It centers around two queer characters: Abby, a teen girl living in modern-day Washington, D.C., and Janet, another teen girl living in Washington, D.C. in the 1950's. While Abby deals with her feelings for her ex-girlfriend Linh and the disintegration of her family, Janet is dealing with coming to terms with her own sexuality during the era of McCarthyism while also living in the geographic epicenter of the Lavendar Scare. Although their lives are separated by more than 60 years and profound societal changes, they are both impacted in a big way by their discovery of lesbian pulp fiction. This novel demonstrates how easily one book can change a life, all while exploring themes of prejudice, change, and relationships (both familial and romantic). It is extremely well-written, with strong, clean prose and complicated characters that are grounded in reality. And it made me add "The Price of Salt" to my to-read list!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel.
4.5 stars, rounded up to 5

Having read Robin Talley’s earlier work, I had high expectations for this title, and it did not disappoint. The focus of the book alternates between two main characters: Abby Zimet, researching lesbian pulp novels for a senior project, and Janet Jones, a lesbian teen in the 1950s. The book also includes excerpts from Women of the Twilight Realm by Marian Love, the novel with which Abby becomes increasingly obsessed as she tries to avoid her problems: her parents’ fraying marriage, a painful crush on her ex-girlfriend, and looming college applications.

Talley does a superb job bringing the 1950s vividly to life, and she weaves LGBT history – particularly the “Lavender Scare” of the 50s – into the narrative in a way that mostly feels organic. I think readers will come away with a much richer sense of the history of the era.

I found the plotting of the book to be quite effective. The book solves what I initially thought to be the central mystery – who is Marian Love? – relatively early on. In answering that question, however, it sets up new questions about Love’s life. I found that this technique, which is used throughout the novel, helped to propel the narrative along and added nuance what might have otherwise been a fairly straightforward mystery. Likewise, the contemporary portions of the novel upend expectations for how a romance typically plays out in YA fiction.

I had some minor quibbles with the book. I thought the character of Linh was rather flat, and Abby’s parents’ utter indifference to the breakdowns of their high-performing kids didn’t ring quite true to me, even in the midst of their own relationship troubles. I also found the prose to be a little more workmanlike than in Talley’s previous novel, As I Descended, which was gorgeous. Overall, though, the book was deeply engaging and historically rich; it was the kind of book where you simply enjoy spending time with the characters and don’t quite want to let them go. I think it will inspire many readers to track down some classic lesbian pulp fiction. I recommend this book enthusiastically.

Robin Talley's last couple books have been misses for me. This one was a bit better, but Lies We Tell Ourselves still remains my favorite of hers. At times I felt like she was trying to do too much with the interwoven plots, and then wrapped it all up much too quickly. Overall though, a quick and enjoyable read.

Abby lives in present day D.C.; she has great friends, supportive (albeit absent lately) parents and she is out and proud. When she stumbles across a pulp novel from the 50s all about lesbians that had to hide their relationships, Abby becomes obsessed with the author..especially when she learns of her tragic, early death. As Abby begins to hunt down this author, she also begins to repair her relationship with her parents and work through the complicated feelings she has towards her ex.
All the while you learn Abby's story we are introduced to Janet, a young woman living in D.C. in the 50s who is struggling to hide her feelings towards her best friend, Marie. When Janet finds a pulp novel, she becomes determined to find more women like her and determined not to live in fear. An engrossing read that had me rooting for both Abby and Janet!

(3.5 stars) This is a decently good book. I only sound a little disappointed in it because with that amazing premise I expected SO MUCH from it — I've been looking forward to this book for quite a while.

The story follows two plot lines. Janet, in 1955, discovers a lesbian pulp fiction book and begins to understand her sexuality, write her own book, and begin a tenuous romance with her best friend. Abby, in 2017, discovers the book Janet wrote and becomes obsessed with finding its mysterious author, while dealing with still being in love with her ex-girlfriend.

I like the mirroring of the story lines and the sense of hope it gives. While Janet's life is constricted with the fear of anyone finding out she's a lesbian, Abby is an out and proud activist with an entirely queer friend group. Her part of the book is a lot of fun in that respect, and I think would appeal to any fans of Leah on the Offbeat.

The book also emphasizes getting what you need in the end, even if it's not what you thought you wanted. Neither plot line is free from heartache but both girls learn more about themselves and what they want.

But the skipping back and forth can get confusing. There's two plot lines in two different time periods, with excerpts from both the book Janet writes and the book Abby writes for her project. Sometimes it took a second to get my bearings from chapter to chapter. The writing also could be more polished. But other than that, I'm pleased with the book, its diversity, and the vibrancy of book Janet and Abby's lives.

Review published on goodreads on June 7th. Review will also be posted on the-knights-who-say-book.tumblr.com and Barnes & Noble website on November 13th.