The point the book is evidently trying to make is that independent women in general and lesbians in particular are unhealthy, unnatural and doomed to shrivel in their own bitterness, whereas a nice heterosexual life is natural and healthy and if a woman thinks she doesn't want or need it she just needs to be manipulated into it by the oh-so-kind characters who know better, don't you see, then she'll be happy.

Aaaaaah. *runs the other way*

Also, interesting to know that Broster's own favorite of her books, at least before FotH, was The Wounded Name. Which makes sense, it certainly feels like a deeply iddy book.