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Title: Not Exactly What I Expected
Review: I read this book because I really enjoyed Southgate's The Fall of Rome. Third Girl from the Left; however, is no Fall of Rome. Southgate attempts to create a link between three generations of women from the same family by imbuing each of them with a love film. Despite her valiant attempt, the stories just don't come together well. Yes, each of the characters finds escape/ solace at the movies, but in spite of this common link, as well as the link of emotional distance between mothers/daughters, and artistic aspirations, there are too many distractions in the book to make it work well. Southgate tries to cram too much into one book- a cursory look at the infamous Tulsa race riots; an exploration of Black women and lesbianism/sexuality; familial estrangement; and the history of the Blaxploitation movement in film. An entire novel could be written about any one of these topics, but to shove them altogether in one novel, gives short shrift to them all.
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