Dark side of Venus (The)

Dark side of Venus (The)

The other side of Venus

201 pages

18 cm

Judith and Diana meet at a party.

Damon, Gene. "The Dark Side of Venus." Ladder, vol. 6, no. 11, August 1962, p. 24.

I have frequently lamented when compiling the yearly report of titles on lesbianism, the lack of highly romantic novels like those produced in the 1930’s. Although hundreds of pertinent novels have been published since the end of the 30’s only about a dozen could be considered romantic and sensitive.

The Dark Side of Venus is such a novel. It is reminiscent of The Price of Salt in tone and somewhat in context. Most of the novel deals with the ever growing tension of a budding but unconsummated, love affair. The love scenes between Judith and Diana are every bit as beautiful as the justifiably famous “Waterloo” scenes in The Price of Salt.

Bantam Books have done a good service in bringing this, hitherto unpublished in America, English novel to us.

"Theme deals with homosexuality. Totally unsuitable for youth."

Contested in the U.S.A and Canada by the National Organization for Decent Literature.

"'It's too much to ask, you can't expect me to give up love, to live without it.' Judith knew that Julian couldn't understand why she wouldn't marry him. She had to make it clear to him that she was already in love - desperately and passionately - with another woman. THE DARK SIDE OF VENUS is a novel of strange lusts and inbred passion, of two women who defied the conventions of society for the only kind of love that could fulfill them." -Back cover

The silhouettes of two women's faces, one with short hair the other with long hair, occupy the bottom half of the space. The woman with short hair is in profile in the foreground, looking towards the right of the reader. The one with long hair is facing the reader and is in the background, to the left of the image, and seen from her chest up. Above them is a dark square background to the title and authors' names. The scene is lit from the back right.