 First edition (original name) | |
| Author | Isabel Miller |
|---|---|
| Original title | A Place For Us |
| Cover artist | Mary Ann Willson |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Lesbian fiction, historical novel |
| Publisher | Bleecker Street Press |
Publication date | 1969 (under the title A Place For Us) |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 192 |
| ISBN | 0-449-21007-3 |
| OCLC | 21528554 |
Patience and Sarah is a 1969 historical fiction novel with strong lesbian themes by Alma Routsong, using the pen name Isabel Miller. It was originally self-published under the title A Place for Us and eventually found a publisher as Patience and Sarah in 1971.[1][2]
Routsong's novel is based on a real-life painter named Mary Ann Willson who lived with her companion Miss Brundage as a "farmerette" in the early 19th century in Greene County, New York. Routsong said she came upon Willson's work in a folk art museum in Cooperstown and was inspired to write the story after reading the description of Willson and Brundage.[2] It tells the story of two women in Connecticut in 1816 who fall in love and decide to leave their homes to buy a farm in another state or territory and live in a Boston marriage. The story addresses the limited opportunities and roles of women in early America, gender expression, and the interpretation of religion in everyday life.
Sarah Waters, author of Tipping the Velvet and other historical novels with lesbian themes,[3] has said that this book was an influence on her writing. She received the book from a girlfriend in 1988 at age 22 and was "struck by the lyricism and economy of it, by its gentle humour, and by its sexiness."[4]
- ^ "The Muted Lesbian Voice: Coming out of camouflage". Archived from the original on 2007-08-28. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
- ^ a b "1962-72: ALMA ROUTSONG: Writing and Publishing Patience and Sarah". Archived from the original on 2008-03-14.
- ^ "Interview with Sarah Waters".
- ^ "Sarah Waters on Patience and Sarah". Archived from the original on 2007-10-09. Retrieved 2007-08-17.