Patience and Sarah

Set in the 19th century, Isabel Miller’s classic lesbian novel traces the relationship between Patience White, an educated painter, and Sarah Dowling, a farmer’s daughter, whose romantic bond does not sit well with the puritanical New England community in which they live. They choose to live together and love each other freely, even though they know of no precedents for their relationship; they must trust their own instincts and see beyond the disdain of their neighbors.

Patience and Sarah is a meticulously researched historical novel, originally self-published by the author in 1969. This classic of GLBT literature garnered so much attention that the American Library Association created its first Stonewall Award specifically for it in 1971. Grammy Award-winning narrator Janis Ian and Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress Jean Smart each perform as one of the characters in this dual point-of-view love story. Their narration marks the first time that this beautiful work is available in audio, and brings new life into this inspiring novel that is just as relevant today as it was decades ago.

In addition to being an inspiring love story, the audiobook for Patience and Sarah is an ideal listen for young adult audiences. It is a story that shows how irrelevant race, religion, and gender are to love, and that loving, and being loved, are what keep us human and sane.

Reviews:
The writing has the directness and whimsicality of primitive paintings—it is like spiked gingerbread or surprising samplers. The tone is sweetly bold. And the tale evokes many kinds of frontier at once.
—The Village Voice

The story of a painter and a farmer in 19th-century New England. One of the first lesbian novels with a happy ending and, in 1971, the first recipient of ALA’s Stonewall Book Award.
—Library Journal