This is not one of those auto-biographical novels in which a sensitive youngster tentatively explores their emotions and sexuality on the road to adulthood. Molly knows what she wants from the get-go, and will shake whatever needs shaken to either get it onside, or get it out of her way. Outraged by society’s expectations of her as a girl, and soon as a woman - boyfriend, husband, kids, utterly defined by her man - she picks her own path - girlfriends, some boyfriends, no husband, an education, and a career. It’s not the easy choice, this being the early 60s. But Molly, smart and beautiful, is driven. She arcs bolts of electrical energy, spitting salt and vinegar - and her ease with her own sexuality brings an infectious, subversive, element to her school, college, and work experiences. The small town cannot hold Molly. She feels the weight of expectation pulling all the life and colour out of her, and escapes to New York. Here she’s introduced to the city’s nascent gay scene, the bars, the pickups, the circles. Will this be an answer? Released in 1973 this book was audacious and explicit for its time. It’s not salacious, but it is frank in its depictions of lesbian seduction and sex. The book tackles prejudice and injustice head-on, and is provocative and inspiring while remaining thoroughly entertaining. Some of the dialogue in the New York section did come over more like editorial in a pamphlet, but 1973 was no time be unclear about these issues. I absolutely recommend this. It’s funny, moving, and angry without being bitter. I tore through it with glee.