Falling for a woman disguised as a man

[romantiscue]

Basically, what I'm looking for are books in which the heroine disguises herself as a man for whatever reason, and has a real man fall for her in her male guise. I very much enjoy stories like these, especially in historical fiction (though that time setting isn't a necessity), where the man questions his sexuality due to his attraction to another "man" (though that doesn't always happen; sometimes he's gay, and only interested in the heroine when she's a he).

 

I have read Shield of Three Lions by Pamela Kaufman and Hawkmistress! by Marion Zimmer Bradley, and I've heard about (and am currently looking to buy) Through a Brazen Mirror by Delia Sherman. Also, the Bloody Jack children's series deal with it (though mostly off-screen ) as well as Lady of the Knight by Jackie Ivie and Almost a Gentleman by Pam Rosenthal, neither of which I've read.

 

Anyone have any suggestions?

[BookJumper]

The only stories I can think of which are even vaguely similar are Shakespeare's comedies I'm afraid, and in those the hero - while having been attracted to the disguised heroine all along - only allows his love to exist when she is revealed to be a she sorry I couldn't be more helpful!

[romantiscue]

Like The Twelfth Night? I haven't read too much by Shakespeare, but I who doesn't know about his tendency to stick women in drag?

 

Thank you for trying, anyway!

[BookJumper]

Like Twelfth Night the interesting bit though is that since all of Shakespeare's women were played by young men, and because in his day a playwright tailored his parts to his players, all his heroines were effectively written with male leads in mind.

[Kell]

Hoe about Yentl the Yeshiva Boy by Isaac Bashevis Singer?

Synopsis:

Recognizing that Yentyl seems to have the soul and disposition of a man, her father studies the Torah and other holy books with her. When he dies, Yentyl feels that she no longer has a reason to remain in the village, and so, late one night, she cuts off her hair, dresses as a young man, and sets out to find a yeshiva where she can continue her studies and live secretly as a man.

 

I've never read the book, but I loved the film (despite Barbara Streisand being FAR too old for the role - LOL!).

 

Also, not books, but if you like similar things in film, try Victor/Victoria (Julie Andres pretends to be a drag queen and a gangster/nightclub owner (James Garner) falls in love with her, believing that she is a man. It's a marvellous, lavish spectacular with both leads at their absolute best.

 

Also, Tootsie (starring Dustin Hoffman) has it the other way round - he dresses as a woman in order to get a role on a TV soap and a woman falls in love with him, believing him to be a woman.

[Kell]

Ooh, how about Tipping The Velvet by Sarah Waters?

Synopsis:

In the bawdy music halls of the late-19th century, Nan is captivated by Kitty Butler, a male impersonator. She manages to meet her heroine and soon after becomes her dresser. Heading for the bright lights of London they form a double act while privately, a love affair begins.

 

I've not read it, and it appears to be a slightly different take in that a woman falls for another woman impersonating a man, but I've been meaning to get hold of it for ages now...

[Raven]

I think Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett may have a bit of cross-gender romance, it's been a while since I read it though, and I'm struggling to remember if the lead ended up with someone - anyone?

[romantiscue]

BookJumper: I know; it's fascinating, isn't it? I even remember a play where the heroine was played by a man pretending to be a woman disguised as a man. Recursive cross-dressing, in other words, and somewhat confusing. I can't seem to recall the name, though...

 

Kell: I had heard about Yentl the movie, but I had no idea it was based on a book! I read one of Amazon's reviews on it, and it seems as though neither of the two felt any attraction towards the other?

 

I've seen Victor/Victoria - and I loved it. Nora telling what's-his-name that King is "shacking up with another man" and his deadpan "run that by me again" makes me cackle everytime I see the scene.

 

Never did see Tootsie, though it did come up in my quest for genderbender literature and films - and with your recommendation, I don't think I have any other choice but to look it up!

 

Tipping the Velvet has also come to my notice before, but as the woman already knew that the heroine was a woman, it's much too far outside my search criteria to hunt down to buy :/

 

Raven: That book has been all but ubiquitous in my search; it's been popping up everywhere I look, tempting me into buying it. I haven't read too much by Pratchett, but I do enjoy his way of parodying the genre. I remember the heroine's name being from the sea chantey "The Handsome Cabin Boy", or some such.

 

Thank you for taking the time to make suggestions

[Linda Gillard]

It's a very long time since I read them but I think 2 of Georgette Heyer's Regency romances fit the bill - THE MASQUERADERS and THESE OLD SHADES. In THE MASQUERADERS there's a brother & sister who cross-dress to escape danger and in THESE OLD SHADES the heroine poses as a teenage boy for a substantial part of the book. I don't remember the guys questioning their sexual orientation though! Heyer wrote a long time ago and dealt with sexuality in a subtle way compared with contemporary writers.

[romantiscue]

I have heard about those two books, but I never understood if in The Masqueraders, the love interests knew about their disguises or not... and I know that in These Old Shades, Justin was aware of Léonie's disguise from the beginning. Thank you anyway!

[MuggleMagic]

I know you've kinda said no to Tipping The Velvet but I read it earlier this year and it is BRILLIANT... just saying

[aviv chadash]

It reminds me of 'Bob' from Blackadder