Lovey Childs: A Philadelphian’s Story by John O’Hara

'Lovey could hardly wait to become a member of the adult world, and she did all she could to hasten her entrance into it---' In the midst of the feverish 1920's, young Lovey's growing-up is indeed a sight to behold. But it's also a time of paint and heartbreak. It is the time when her mother is locked up in an asylum as a backward lesbian, when Lovey herself marries the wealthy & worthless Sky Childs, when she spends a night with a girl reporter on the dude ranch where she is waiting for her divorce, when she spends a night with a men who is murdered hours later in Harlem, and an afternoon with a priest who hangs himself the next day---. It s a time when she tries almost everything, and finally finds out who she is.'
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The tale of Lovey is set in the mad 1920's. Her mother, a lesbian, is locked in the asylum, which sets the tone for her voracious sexual exploration, with all of the consequences one might imagine.