Behind the Pine Curtain

Beloved Page-turner

This was the first novel by Gerri Hill that I read, upon recommendation from a good friend. I was hooked within the first chapter, grabbing minutes during my day to sneak away to read further and further into the story. Jackie and Kay's tale is gripping and engaging, and their building romance is one of the purest I've ever had the pleasure of reading. I found myself reading page after page well into the night, unable to put it down. The moment I finished the book, I was morose at the thought of the story having finished its course, and have moved on to reading many others by Ms. Hill - but I will always come back to "Behind the Pine Curtain" as my favorite among the author's novels.

Behind the Pine Curtain

This book was lovely! I read it over a million times (of course I am over exaggerating) and I know you will too! I fell in love with Jackie's character! It always amazes me how Ms. Hill develops the relationship between the two characters in love. I love it!! She is by far my favorite writer.

GOOD BOOK

I am a fan of Gerri Hill and this book i very good.

So Close To Home

Behind the Pine Curtain provides a glimpse into Smalltown America that hits very close to home for readers who grew up/live there. And even if you didn't, Kay and Jackie's story is bound to strike a familiar chord. Gerri Hill first charmed me with the bantering courtship of Pat and Carly in Gulf Breeze. In Hunter's Way, she pulled me in as Tori and Sam fought the bad guys and not only won but found love along the way. In The Killing Room she mesmerized me with her skill to twist and turn a plot creating a satisfying romantic mystery as Jake and Nicole joined forces to find the solution. Finally, with Behind the Pine Curtain she astonished me with a romance so pure I could feel the intensity of their love with every page I turned. As girls/teens Kay and Jackie were inseparable, best friends. They forged a bond that in their innocence they didn't recognize for what it was--love. Just before her high school graduation, Jackie admitted to her parents that she was gay. An embarrassment to them they forced Jackie to leave town with only a hundred dollars in her pocket. Jackie makes her triumphant return to Pine Springs, Texas fifteen years later as not only a college graduate but a successful writer with confidence born of her success. She finds that some things haven't changed. Everyone still seems to know everyone else's business and a lesbian is still cause for gossip and concern among the good citizens. Another thing that hasn't changed is the bond between Kay and Jackie and this time they have a chance to explore their feelings as adults while Jackie tries to determine if she does indeed have a place in Pine Springs after all. Behind the Pine Curtain is lesbian romance at its best and you don't want to miss the opportunity to get to know Kay and Jackie and of course the good folks of Pine Springs.

An Escapee from Behind the Pine Curtain

I grew up in the smoky blue pines. At times I still long for the small town closeness and for the familiarity of knowing everyone, seeing old favorite spots, like the first sight of the river when you drive over the hill. . . and the best friend who could have been much more. So this novel has a special appeal to me. This is a story about going back home, trying to reassess what was there for you once, what is there for you now. It's about reacquainting yourself with the person you once were, and learning that maybe you're not the only one who has changed over the years. Jacqueline Keys left home under difficult circumstances that may be all too often familiar to lesbain and gay people. Her parents refused to accept her when she came out, concerned more about their own image in the eyes of the community. They put her on a bus with a hundred dollars and told her not to come back. She made something of herself, struggling through college, becoming a successful novelist. Maybe there was a bit of payback and vengeance in her decision to return to her home town after the death of her father. Uncertain of her motives, she reluctantly goes back to a place she no longer thinks of as home, to find her mother, hospitalized with injuries from the accident that killed her father, still as narrow-minded and concerned with public image as ever. Some things never change. Her feelings for her best frind Kay haven't changed either. But has Kay changed enough to deal with those feelings? Drawn into the details of dealing with her father's estate, Jackie learns that maybe her father wasn't as hard-hearted as she believed. Against her will and her better judgment, she is forced to take command and make decisions that will affect her and perhaps Kay as well. This is a lesbian romance. But it is about much more than the girl getting the girl in the end, and simple solutions are not always options. This is also a story about homophobia and change and growth, and about something worse than homophobia. Jackie's parents rejected her and threw her out because they feared how their daughter's lesbianism would affect their standing in the community. It's a fantasy a lot of people must share, going home to show off how they've managed to make it on their own without the support and approval of family and friends. Whatever satisfaction Jackie might gain from that is wrapped in sadness and real dismay when she finds her feelings for Kay are as strong as they were when the two of them were inseparable, but her best friend might never be able to escape from the prison of expectations and obligations to accept the possibility of love. This is author Gerri Hill's eighth novel, a solid effort with well-rounded characters, subplot, and situations bound to ring a familiar tone with many of us, gay and straight. Those who refused to follow their parents' wishes and dreams, and instead forged their own paths, those who could never be what others want them to be, those who followed their hearts into the future instead of doing what's expected of them.

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