• Home
  • Browse by…
    • Browse by Genre
      • Children’s
      • Comics
        • Manga
      • General Fiction
        • Adventure
        • Anthologies
        • Crime
        • Fairy Tales
        • Lesbian Pulp Fiction
        • Literary Fiction
        • Novellas
        • Retellings
        • Series
        • Short Stories
        • Thrillers
      • Historical Fiction
        • 1920s
        • Regency
      • Horror
        • Vampires
        • Zombies
      • Mystery
      • Memoirs
      • Nonfiction
        • Biographies
        • Essays
        • History
      • Poetry
      • Romance
        • Butch/Femme
      • Erotica
        • BDSM
      • SFF
        • Sci Fi
          • Dystopia
        • Fantasy
          • Mythical Creatures
            • Mermaids
            • Witches
          • Paranormal
          • Steampunk
          • Urban Fantasy
      • Young Adult
    • Browse by Rating
      • 5 Stars
      • 4 Stars
      • 3 Stars
      • 2 Stars
      • 1 Star
    • Browse by Representation
      • POC Content
        • Main Characters of Color
        • Black Representation
        • Asian Representation
        • Latina Representation
        • Indigenous Representation
      • Authors of Color
        • Black Authors
        • Asian Authors
        • Latina Authors
        • Indigenous Authors
      • Lesbian Representation
        • Lesbian Authors
      • Bisexual Representation
        • Bisexual Authors
      • Trans Representation
        • Trans Authors
        • Nonbinary Representation
      • Asexual Representation
        • Asexual Authors
      • Disability Representation
      • Neurodiverse Representation
      • Mental Health
    • Browse by Reviewer
      • Danika Ellis
      • Alice P.
      • Amanda Růžičková
      • Anna N.
      • Caelin
      • Casey
      • Emilia Ferrante
      • Emory Rose
      • Ire
      • Jamie Rose
      • Jazelle
      • Kathryne Slant
      • Kody
      • Laurel
      • Liv
      • Meagan Kimberley
      • Nat
      • Rachel Friars
      • Raquel R. Rivera
      • Sritama Sen
      • Susan
      • Susanne Salehi
      • Theo
      • Til
      • Vic
  • Recommendations List
  • About
  • Review Policy
  • Support the Lesbrary
  • Advertise with the Lesbrary

The Lesbrary

Sapphic Book Reviews

Lesbrary Reviews, Uncategorized

Rachel reviews Pembroke Park by Michelle Martin

September 23, 2013 by Danika Ellis

pembrokepark Pembroke Park by Michelle Martin is a daring novel for its time. Published in 1986, it is the story of two lesbian women in the regency period of England.

The year is 1817 in Herefordshire, and wealthy widow Joanna Sinclair, one of England’s privileged “ton”, the upper class society of England, meets her new neighbor, Lady Diana March. But Diana is a woman like no other; she rides in men’s clothes, has traveled around the world and puts exotic furnishings in her home at Waverly Manor. At first Joanna is scandalized, but soon befriends Diana, leading them both to forbidden feelings of love. Joanna’s scheming brother, Hugo Garfield, is bound and determined to ruin these women to protect his reputation and keep order in his ever-growing tumultuous household. But he meets his match in his sister and Diana.

Pembroke Park, though not a widely known novel, is one of the better lesbian books out there. The personalities of Joanna and Diana bring them to life. Joanna’s struggle with her feelings of love and Diana’s fight against a sad past are feelings anyone can relate to. Their relationship progresses slowly but realistically, and they are tender and loving towards each other.

The other characters are very well written. Joanna’s daughter Molly is charming, Diana’s friend Hildegard is very blunt and comical, and Hugo is self-righteous and cold. They all add spice to the story and have their own purposes for the plot.

The setting of this novel is beautifully described. I could easily picture the stunningly large homes, the lush gardens and the expensive clothes that the ton in England wore at that time. The presence of the conservative English society back then is portrayed as harsh and judgmental towards homosexuals and outcasts, which is probably not too far off the mark. In such a rigid time, people really were hard on those who didn’t fit their mold of propriety.

The story is engaging, with many obstacles hurled at Diana and Joanna that they must navigate through. It was hard to put down, and many tense scenes made me wonder how they would work things out. Martin also did a good job with the language and things that people in 1817 England would probably have said. These made Pembroke Park seem even more authentic.

Pembroke Park is a great historical novel as well as a tender romance with some comedy added to the mix. In my opinion, the gem that it is, it should be better known and reprinted for more readers. This is one story not to be missed!

Categories: Lesbrary Reviews, Uncategorized
Tags: , michelle martin, rachel

Related Posts

Mars reviews Seeing Red by Cara Malone
Fun Home by Alison BechdelLink Round Up: February 2 – 8
the cover of Just as You AreA Workplace Romance at a Lesbian Magazine: Just As You Are by Camille Kellogg
Kayla Bell reviews Coming Back by Jessi Zabarsky
Previous:
Danika reviews Love In the Time of Global Warming by Francesca Lia Block
Next:
Link Round Up: Sept 18 – 25

Comments

  1. SeattleRobin says

    September 24, 2013 at 5:47 pm

    Pembroke Park is one of my all time favorite lesbian romances. Martin has such a way with the language, especially in being able to bring out humor just because of the way she words things. It’s not too difficult to find used copies online and I’m still holding out hope that someone will manage to acquire the rights so that eventually an ebook edition will be available.

About Me

About the Lesbrary

The Lesbrary is a sapphic book blog that started in 2010. It's run by Danika Ellis, and we have about a dozen reviewers from around the world recommending sapphic books in every genre. Check out the top navigation bar for more about the Lesbrary as well as options to browse by genre, age category, rating, and more.

Sapphic Book Blogs

  • Bi and Lesbian Literature: The Lesbrary's tumblr
  • Autostraddle's Books Coverage
  • I Heart Sapphfic
  • The Lesbian Review
  • Okazu: Yuri Manga

Queer Book Blogs

  • Book Riot's LGBTQ Coverage
  • Gay League: LGBT Comics
  • Lambda Literary
  • LGBTQ Reads
  • LGBTQ Reads tumblr
  • Our Queerest Shelves: My LGBTQ Books Newsletter at Book Riot.
Theme by SkyandStars.co
Back Top

Copyright © 2025