Works by
Anyda Marchant
aka Sarah Aldridge
[1911 - 2006]
(Writer)

Writing as Sara Aldridge

• The Latecomer (1974)
  This is the very first book, written in 1974, by lesbian feminist writer Anyda Marchant, writing under the pen name Sarah Aldridge.  This is the book that launched the powerhouse feminist publishing company Naiad Press in the early 1970s and, after many printings, it is still selling well today.

  The Latecomer tells of Phihlippa, returning by luxury ship from England, who finds her life unexpectedly changed by the woman who shares her cabin - an entertainer whose career contrasts vividly with Philippa's own existence. This groundbreaking novel was the first taste of things to come in lesbian fiction and the premier publication of a brave new publishing imprint.

• Tottie: A Tale of the Sixties (1975)
  Amid the turmoil of the '60s, Connie, a young lawyer, encounters the invisible obstacles that stand in the way of women in her profession. Engaged to be married, things change dramatically when she meets Tottie, a runaway from a Conservative family who joins the rebellious underground.

  Part history of the 60s and part lesbian romance, this tale takes on social issues, civil rights and love among the fury.

• Cytherea's Breath (1976)
  Emma, struggling to establish herself as a physician in turn of the 20th Century Baltimore, wins the love and support of Margaret, a wealthy patron.

  Part historical novel and part lesbian romance, this story speaks to the historic struggle of strong women to carve a place in the professional world.

• All True Lovers (1978)
  In 1930s Washington, DC, teenagers Andrea and Isabel meet and find that their love for each other helps them discover their true identity - and assists in their growth and maturity. Part historical novel amid fascinating political times, and part lesbian romance, this story is rich in detail and emotion.

• The Nesting Place (1982)
  Sabina, a physician, learns to overcome personal havoc wrought by early tragedies, through the love of two very different women. Part historical novel and part lesbian romance, this book weaves a tale with haunting words and rich historical detail.

• Madame Aurora (1983)
  A Civil War nurse and teacher, Hannah uses her special powers to create a comfortable home for her lifelong companion Elizabeth - a scholar who suffered the indignities heaped on women in academia in the latter part of the 19th Century. Part historical novel and part lesbian romance, this book tells of what we can only hope strong women like these had the freedom to achieve.

• Misfortunes Friend (1985)
  Set in London and Baltimore just before World War II, Althea, crippled by childhood polio, finds love and companionship with Fern.

  Mrs. Henshaw, ever the friend of the unfortunate, helps the pair and learns, through them, that she must correct a mistake from her own past. A heartwarming combination of historical fiction and lesbian romance.

• Magdalena (1987)
  When the police bring Mary Brown, an old street woman dressed in rags before judge Alsia Caneron, she sits silent and unresponsive to the questions put before her. Alisa, deeply perturbed by this enlists the aid of Camilla, a social worker. Together, they help reveal Mary Brown's past as an accomplished opera singer. Could she be the mysterious opera star Magdalena who disappeared three years before after the death of her lifelong companion?

• Keep to Me Stranger (1989)
  Helena sets out to succeed in the business world of 1880s New York City. She finds herself and her true love Billie in the heart of a Jewish merchant dynasty. Part historical novel and part lesbian romance, this book tells of a forbidden relationship in a dangerous time and unique community.

• A Flight of Angels (1992)
  Set in Washington DC's National Gallery of Art in the 1950s McCarthy Era, Clemence learns about herself and, through Elissa, learns whit it means to be gay in this repressive atmosphere - part history, part social comment and against all odds, romance.

• Michaela (1994)
  Sarah Aldridge's 10th classic novel, Michaela tells of Julia and Laura who are summering in Paris, temporarily released from the burden of the deep secrecy of their love for each other.

  They discover a shy 14-year old named Michaela with an extraordinary gift for ballet. Laura and Julia plead with Michaela's mother to permit them to take the girl to New York, where a limitless future dawns for Michaela but the dark past envelops Laura.

  Family pressures explode into a controversy with accusations and anger that threaten Michaela's career and all concerned.

• Nina In The Wilderness (1997)
  Nina, age 17, is the sole survivor of a plane crash in the Amazon that kills both her parents. Annie, a successful businesswoman and daughter of two famous people in the arts world struggles with what Nina comes to mean to her.

  Meanwhile, both women are caught in a situation that threatens to tarnish Annie's father's reputation as the premier poet of his generation.

• O, Mistress Mine (2003)
  A staid traditional college is pulled into the maelstrom of contemporary social issues when Professor Joan Etheridge is drawn into the world of the elusive Alice. Joan's empathy for the lost and troubled Alice, surprising even to herself, let alone her associates leads her on an unexpected life changing journey.

  Questions of love, loyalty, civil rights and reproductive freedom all come together in this, the last of the classic Sarah Aldridge novels.