Click here to watch author interview

Chewing the Cud, episode 50 - 19th May 2019

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This book is a treasure for any lover of history who frequently gets frustrated by how same sex love gets pushed to the back-burner, there is of course a lot of speculation, but there are plenty of actual accounts that get ignored. Representation in history is very important! It is not just stories of people in love, it tells the social and legal constraints of these people in a well researched and respective way. Definitely give this book a read!

NetGalley, reviewed by Lili Freeman

A sensitive study of the history of lesbians, gays and bi-sexuals affected by repressive attitudes of society and prejudices and mis-conceptions of the day which also includes guidance for researching the lives of this minority group.

Essex Family History Society

Watch the review here!

Lil's Vintage World, YouTube Blog

As featured in Books for Valentine's Day 2018 by Julia Paddon

On: Yorkshire magazine

As featured here...

Books and Things, YouTube Blog - Katie Lumsden

Read it for: A thought-provoking read about how our ancestors navigated same-sex relationships in different eras

Your Family History, October 2017

The aim of this book is "to be a straightforward account of the lives of those who loved others of the same gender" and in that, it succeeds.

WDYTYA? October, 2017 – reviewed by Julie Peakman

★★★★★ I adored this book a whole lot - Rossini's writing style is open, honest, accepting, supportive, and lets the stories tell themselves, rather than to force for an 'out' or to have someone stay in the closet. The chapters take place over 100-year (or so) blocks with the occasional 'case study' or an individual's perspective; the 1700s tell of lesbianism being accepted as women who seek out companionship with other females (i.e. if they're unsuccessfully been able to find and marry male partners) alongside the use of mollie houses for entertainment and casual sex. Later, mollie house owners and guests are arrested and hung for buggery/sodomy/'giving into their desires.' It wouldn't be until 1861 that death penalties for sodomy would be outlawed, both for male-male and male-female intimacy, even if Oscar Wilde would be imprisoned for 'gross sodomy' decades later. Before the 1920s and 1930s, when physiques and fashion would become somewhat androgynous, single suffragettes would be accused of being lesbians, World War I male soldiers would have deep, emotional same-sex relationships, and a social network would be created in England in the LBGTQ community (adopting their own clothing code, signature colours, and secret language of polari). Later, during the Kinsey report studies in the late 1940s and early 1950s, several respondents would report on the commonality of same-sex attraction, experiences, and relationships, even if there would be a McCarthy-style witch hunt for male-male "improper behaviour" in 1957 with police officer decoys.

GoodReads, Kristine Fisher

This book is everything that Peter Ackroyd's Queer City isn't - readable, personable and relatable. I like the historical context and find it a great introduction to Queer history in the UK.

NetGalley, reviewed by Sarah Salmon

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

In Same Sex Love 1700-1957, Gill Rossini offers readers an overview of LGBT history. She considers the lives of those interested in pursuing LGBT relationships across the centuries, along with the legal and social restraints they faced. To do this, she considers court cases, news reports, and the correspondence and experiences of famous figures, and she creates an interesting study that will benefit a diverse readership. While clearly aimed at family history researchers, this book will also appeal to social historians (particularly those with an LGBT-focus) and authors of LGBT historical fiction who are looking for authenticity in their tales.

NetGalley, reviewed by Nicki Markus

Interesting and intriguing book, informative about an untapped about segment of history.

NetGalley, reviewed by Heather Bennett