I actually purchased this book after reading all the Amazon reviews and was quite psyched to read it. The first couple of pages were a hoot and then it went down hill from there. What an absolute disappointment! Ellen's character was fully undevelopped and flat--why on earth did she do what did? Maybe I'm just not an avid enough drug-user to appreciate this story. Boring, boring, boring and the ending wasn't any better.

"Terminal Velocity" is a brilliant mix...hysterical lines, precocious characters, soul wrenching emotions. I've read it at least 5 times, and I have never had a book affect me so deeply. The truth in the plot and experiences becomes evident through eloquent writing, unbelievable experiences, and almost tangible characters. And beyond all that, the book has the capability to make one feel as if the author is actually intending to bring out your deepest desires and strongest fears! Unforgettable book, to say the least.

As far as I can see, this is the by far best novella about feminism/lesbianism/roughing it that I have ever had the pleasure to read. I stumbled across it in a bookstore (no, really, I tripped and fell on it) and started reading that very moment. I had the paperback, which, in my opinion, had a better cover than that of the hadcover. It took me all of an hour to finish Terminal Velocity. Ms. Boyd was really on to something when she wrote this novella. My favorite scene was the Tree of Life on the hotel floor. If I may be so proud, I'd say to any and all (lest the faint-of-heart swoon dead away) Read This Book.

Which I think some of the best books have been. This is a book for everyone. While the politics may not be shared by everyone, even the most conservative among us will chuckle at Ellen's memories of the Deep South and it's moral ambiguities. This is a wonderful,hysterical book. It does finish,as some critics put, a bit hastily a the end,but the overall effect is more than compensated for. This is a vastly underated,hilarious and heartfelt book. Did you like "She's Come Undone"? This book will probably strike a similiar cord. Please buy this book,and not only will you bring home a fantastic and enjoyable read that may change your life,you will also be buying a book that will someday be a classic,whether cult or otherwise. Oh,and one final note. Don't let the title fool you. I have several male friends that adore this book because it spoke to parts of them(the revolution of little boys?),too.

This book is amazing...the ending is still in my mind two weeks after having read the story... If you want a typical story about Southern women feeling strong due to their alcoholism that developed as a result of too many nights sipping mimosas under weeping willows in Louisiana, then by all means, pick up 'The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood' or anything by Kaye Gibbons. But if you want a story about a Southern woman with grace, hilarity, and moving depth, read this book. You WILL laugh, you WILL be made uncomfortable, you WILL wonder just what is going on, and you WILL adore the ending, and thus, you WILL enjoy the genius of the work as a whole.

I found this to be a great book, and a good balance of humour, articulate writing, and honesty that cuts to the core. Boyd never ceases to amaze me with her ability to describe the intangible, or hint at things without really using words to describe. She leads you on with the essence of true experience and a gorgeous play of words.

I will not waste time with a plot rehashing. This book was a nouveux piece of trash. I had the unfortunate experience of not only reading this book but being is Ms. Boyd's creative writing class at Connecticut College. I feel the author garnishes attention toward her writing by attempting to write outlandish plots...she conducted herclass the same way...anything for attention, Blanch. I am an avid reader of literature and this book hardly qualifies. Superficial it is. If you would like to read a good book revolving around the south, I recommend anyone of the following, YaYa Sisterhood, New Orleander, Crazy Ladies, or Dorothy Allison's work. Do not waste your precious time reading these pointless attempts at humor and life. I would have given this negative stars but I could not. Most people are not amused by the brash, senseless, and pathetic tone of this book. As I said before, it hardly qualifies as literature...maybe a 90's version of a Danielle Steel novel.

I saw Ms. Boyd on a panel in San Francisco talking to Norman Mailer (expecting all out war) but she was charming, funny and very interesting. You don't have to be a lesbian, a Southerner or even a woman to enjoy her work. This series of essays will have you feeling the roar of the Nascar race cars and she then takes a critical, perceptive, yet affectionate look at her Southern family, friends and culture. Well written too.

I was introduced to Blanche McCrary Boyd by my creative-writing professor, who only advised that she was a good essayist. If you knew him, you knew this meant she was not writing persuasive essays or stumping for a cause.

What I like best about this collection of essays is that they are neither feminist nor non-feminist, they are not about being a lesbian or even, necessarily, about being a woman. They are occasionally narrative, occasionally quite insightful, often funny. They're easy to read, enjoyable, and if you *want* to delve deeper (you don't have to in order to appreciate the book), the author is saying something about being human and being individual, or in Shakespearean coin, to thine own self true. Not as wild as her Revolution of Little Girls or Terminal Velocity, it is suitable for a wider sort of audience.

If you enjoy reading about other cultures (I'm a northerner) and other lifestyles (I'm a very traditional heterosexual girl), this book is a good place to start. Like reading Frederick Douglass's Classic Slave Narratives, it cannot truly teach us what it is like to truly live these people's lives, but it gives us a glimpse of their experiences and -- if only by analyzing our own reactions to their perspectives and opinions -- a deeper undertanding of our own experiences and subtle preconceptions.