Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger

"So I loved you for your courage and your gentle sense of shame,
And I loved you for your laughter and your language and your name,
And I knew it was impossible, but I loved you just the same,
Though the only love I gave to you was hard love."
-Bob Franke

Before reading Ellen Wittlinger's novel Hard Love I was unfamiliar with the work of Bob Franke but now find myself awed by his poetry. I think that Wittlinger was as well when she transposed the characters of Hard Love from the realm of the imagination to the page. And these characters, wow, they will move you. Zines are the mode of expression for our two main players, John (a.k.a. Gio) and Marisol, who share their pain and triumphs through the written word. Both deal with issues of abandonment and identity which is magnified through their relationship. See--Marisol is gay and Gio finds himself falling in love with her. Can love still exist between members of the opposite sex without physical consummation? Perhaps--but what you'll have left is hard love.

Sandpiper by Ellen Wittlinger

I picked up this book because of an online book discussion group that is just getting under way. I came to the chat about half way through because my work schedule gets me home late on Wednesday evenings. I'm looking forward to this Wednesday when Ellen Wittlinger will be a part of the chat group. Questions anyone?

Sandpiper has a reputation around town and her latest break-up brings her face-to-face with one of the mysteries of the story, the Walker. Her mother is getting re-married, her sister can be slightly annoying and her Dad is out of touch. But these characters grow past a 'type' and interact with believablility and humor. I wanted to find out if Sandpiper could work past her difficulties and learn more about Walker who definitely has some secrets of his own. This book would mostly appeal to girls who could walk in the difficult shoes of a likable character learning hard lessons about herself.