I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey Published by Tor.com on February 4 2020
Genres: Adult, Alternate history, LGBTQ+
Pages: 176
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Queer Librarians take on the Man in this rolicking, imaginitive Wild West tale.
Esther was, she realized, nothing more than a hand of cards in a poker game between these three women. She was only a symbol. She wasn’t the thing they were playing for. And like a bad hand, she could be discarded at any moment.
Sarah Gailey has become one of my favorite writers. I’m always curious to see what they are going to do next, since each story feels so different from the last. Upright Women Wanted is hard to pin a genre on, but I’m calling it an alternate history western with queer characters, and that description alone should convince you to read it. This turned out to be a compact but fully developed story with colorful, three-dimensional characters who I couldn’t help but root for. And by the end, I was overcome with a sense of giddy happiness, because this story was full of hope.
Esther is a woman on the run. After her girlfriend Beatriz was hanged for reading “unapproved materials,” Esther decides to run away from home and join the Librarians of the Southwest Territory, the Honorable Brigade of Morally Upright Women. Esther knows she’s different from most people, and she thinks that joining the Librarians will help her to be a better person. But little does she know who the Librarians really are and what adventures are in store for her.
When Librarians Bet, Leda and Cye find her hiding in the back of their wagon amongst the dusty horse blankets, their first reaction is to send her home. But they decide to take Esther with them if she’ll help with the chores, making it clear that once they arrive in Utah, Esther is on her own.
Gailey’s alternate Wild West is a grim place. The government condones only “Approved” reading materials, which the Librarians are tasked with distributing across the west. Those who break the law are hanged, and deviants of any kind are tracked down and shot. It’s a rough life for women in particular, and if you’re queer, well, you should probably give up any hope of a happy life. That’s where the Librarians prove this theory to be completely wrong, and therein lies the heart of this story.
I loved these characters! Bet is the Head Librarian and Leda is the Assistant Librarian, and they are a couple. Cye is non-binary and a bit on the gruff side, but Esther is immediately attracted to Cye (despite the fact that Beatriz was only recently killed). I enjoyed their slow burn relationship which was sweet and tentative and not without its challenges. But the most dynamic character doesn’t make an appearance until we’re a quarter into the story. Amity is a boisterous, trigger happy, charismatic woman with a big secret, and she plays an important part as Esther comes to grips with her feelings. All the men in the story are relegated to caricature-ish bad guys, and honestly, I was OK with that!
One of the best things about this novella is the Wild West vibe, and Gailey does a great job of dumping the reader right in the middle of the Librarians’ daily lives: traveling the hot, dusty roads on horseback, the never ending physical work of taking care of horses and tack, cooking meals on the trail, disposing of dead bodies… And the dangers! Heat exhaustion, running out of water, bandits and other angry men with guns chasing after them. I could taste the dust on my tongue and feel the sun’s heat on the back of my neck, it was such an immersive experience. It doesn’t hurt that the characters have a wonderful, old west twang to their speech either.
But the best thing about this story is its message: in a nutshell, how important it is to find your tribe, to find people like you who will allow you to be yourself. This was Esther’s journey throughout the story. She starts by running away from her persecutors, knowing that there must be others out there just like her, but she certainly doesn’t expect to find them with Bet, Leda and Cye. I loved seeing Esther change from a timid, uncertain woman to someone who could imagine herself being happy. This story gave me all the feels, especially at the end.
Upright Women Wanted surprised me in every way and left me craving Gailey’s next book. A queer reimagining of the Wild West, I guarantee you’ll be cheering for these characters as well.
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy. Quote was taken from an uncorrected proof and may differ in the final version of the book.
Great review! I discovered a real love for westerns over the past few years, particularly westerns with women at the centre of them, so this is one I definitely want to read – I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it. =)
Jess @ Jessticulates recently posted…3 Romance Recommendations
I agree, westerns with female MCs can be amazing:-)
Great review This definitely needs to go on my TBR list, it sounds amazing.
Pages and Tea recently posted…Booking Ahead: February 2020
Thank you!
Great review! I need to get my hot little hands on this!
You do, hope you get the chance to read it:-)
Wonderful review. This sounds like a great read and I’ve enjoyed the western setting in some fantasy/speculative books lately. As a kid who was forced, and by forced I mean we didn’t have cable so I had no other choice, to watch westerns with my Dad (and who disliked them greatly), I’m shocked how much I enjoy western related stuff now.
I really enjoy westerns as well. Not sure why, maybe because I grew up in the desert:-)
Can’t wait to read this — my copy should arrive tomorrow!
Enjoy:-)
I have to say that I snobbed this one since now because I am not a big fan of the Wild West but your review was catching and now I have to read it!
Aww thanks Susy!
So happy you enjoyed this!!! My librarian already ordered it for our school:)
That’s awesome, I hope this story gets more attention:-)
I like your comment about “finding one’s tribe” being the core concept of this book, as well as the implication that the main character’s journey is a long and not always easy one. Added to the list, and thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…THE LAST SUN (The Tarot Sequence #1), by K.D. Edwards
She really handled the character growth well:-)
OMG! Now I want to read this so badly. Damn you! lol When you read “Queer Librarians take on the Man in this rolicking, imaginitive Wild West tale.” how can you not want to read it? And the rest of the review just totally hooked me.
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Audiobook Review: A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer
Ha ha sorry not sorry??
I do love that title! And what a fun premise. 🙂
Lark recently posted…Lost Creed by Alex Kava…
I love the title too, although I hadn’t really thought about it until you mentioned it:-)
This sounds fantastic! Also, librarians! Woo!!
Yes, gotta love stories about librarians:-)
This sounds brilliant! Adding to my TBR right now based on your review.
Oh yay, thanks Suzanne!
I am so glad that you love this one so much, Tammy. It sounds fabulous, though I’m going to pass as I found the River of Teeth series rather disappointing. I loved the premise, but found the pacing patchy and didn’t really connect with the characters. Though wouldn’t it be a boring world if we all loved the same things?
It definitely would be boring:-) I enjoyed River of Teeth, but I loved this better:-)
It sounds like there is so much to love here, especially the message. Wonderful review, Tammy. I’ll be adding this.
Thanks Jennifer, it was VERY good.
This sounds really amazing. I’ve been looking for more queer books to had to my TBR (never enough). Love that cover too. I will be getting this one.
I have another queer review tomorrow too!
Okay you’ve intrigued me. I wasn’t going to read this one unless I had some time, but I must have missed the fact this was like an alternate western. Totally into that!
It’s short, too. But yeah, the alternate Western setting was pretty cool.
‘Queer Librarians take on the Man in this rolicking, imaginitive Wild West tale. ‘ WOW I AM SOLD. That is the kind of premise I need for my books. The setting sounds like it is done so well and is nitty gritty the way I like it. I am all for reading about librarians and the message about finding your people is such an important <3
Olivia Roach recently posted…Americanah [Book Review]
Yes, go for it Olivia! It’s worth finding a copy:-)
You had me at Queer Librarians. <3 This book sounds so freaking unique that I'm already in love with it. Yes, please. Wonderful review! I've just added it to my list. xD
Sammie @ The Writerly Way recently posted…Tropes I Hate in Books I Love || They Obviously Did It Right
Thanks Sammie!
This sounds amazing! I love that Gailey has kind of cornered the Wild West as a theme in her books and made it female centric. I haven’t read anything by her yet- but it sounds like this might be a good starting place?
This would be a great starting place. It would definitely give you an idea of her writing flavor.
Added!
Fantastic review, Tammy! This was so damn good. QUEER LIBRARIANS ON HORSEBACK, FTW!!
YES!! Seriously, this book was just the best:-)
YAY! I really need to start reading Sarah Gailey.
Aaaaah, so glad to see this was good, I really want to read this one!! Great review, Tammy!
Definitely intrigued by this review. It goes on the list.
Thanks
Lynn 😀
I added this to my TBR, and gave you credit in my Reading: Recommended post 🙂
Shelleyrae @ Book’d Out recently posted…Review: The Great Pretender by Susannah Cahalan
Queer, rebel, badass librarians in a western setting. What is there not to like? Thanks for the review.
From this I really want to read the book, thank you for the review
I am conflicted. This book sounds so cool, diverse and creative, but I’m really really not into Wild West settings and I’m unsure about getting this book or not for that reason.
Do you think the plot and characters are enough to make me enjoy the reading experience? 🙂
I think so, plus it’s pretty short, so you aren’t investing too much time.
I definitely need to read this book now! Love this!