The Desert of the Heart (Homosexuality) Cover
Podcast Mentions

The Desert of the Heart (Homosexuality)

Jane Rule

Two women meet and fall in love in Reno, Nevada. Set in the late fifties, this classic of lesbian eroticism is Jane Rule's first novel.Set in the late 1950s, this is the story of Evelyn Hall, an English Professor, who goes to Reno to obtain a divorce and put an end to her disastrous 16-year marriage...

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It was mentioned that the movie Desert Hearts, which is considered the first mainstream lesbian film with a happy ending, was based on the novel Desert of the Heart by Jane Rule. The movie was released in 1985, and the book came out in 1964. The book was described as having a lot of detail about the older character going to Reno for a divorce, which led the podcast host to believe that Jane Rule must have gone to Reno.

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It came out in 1985, which is actually the year I was born. But it was just one of those things and films I just knew about, you know, like out of the lesbian cinematic universe.

— Episode: The Six-Week Cure

Episode: The Six-Week Cure

It was mentioned that the movie Desert Hearts, which is considered the first mainstream lesbian film with a happy ending, was based on the novel Desert of the Heart by Jane Rule. The movie was released in 1985, and the book came out in 1964. The book was described as having a lot of detail about the older character going to Reno for a divorce, which led the podcast host to believe that Jane Rule must have gone to Reno.

"

It came out in 1985, which is actually the year I was born. But it was just one of those things and films I just knew about, you know, like out of the lesbian cinematic universe.

But the film was actually based on a novel that came out in 1964 called Desert of the Heart by an author named Jane Rule.

So I read Desert of the Heart about a year ago.

And unlike the movie version, there's just so much detail about the older character coming into town for a Reno divorce.

And that's why I went to the archives in the first place.

Note: The book recommendations on this page are discovered automatically from podcast transcripts, and may be incorrect or incomplete.