';A landmark work of lesbian fiction.' The New York TimesJane Rule's first novelnow a classic of gay and lesbian literatureestablished her as a foremost writer of the vagaries and yearnings of the female heartAgainst the backdrop of Reno, Nevada, in the late 1950s, award-winning author Jane Rule chronicles a love affair between two women.When Desert of the Heart opens, Evelyn Hall is on a plane that will take her from her old life in Oakland, California, to Reno, where she plans to divorce her husband of sixteen years. A voluntary exile in a brave new world, she meets a woman who will change her life.Fifteen years younger, Ann Childs works as a change apron in a casino. Evelyn is instantly drawn to the fiercely independent Ann, and their friendship soon evolves into a romantic relationship. An English professor who had always led a conventional life, Evelyn suddenly finds all her beliefs about love, morality, and identity called into question.Peopled by a cast of unforgettable characters, this is a novel that dares to ask whether love between two women can last.