Holding Out: A Novel [Hardcover]

Anne O. Faulk (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 12, 1998

In the brightest concept since "The First Wives' Club", a bold and highly successful female executive becomes a reluctant celebrity when she calls upon the women of America to boycott sex until a high-placed spousal abuser is brought to justice. Movie rights sold to HBO National TV ad campaign. National print ads. "New York Times" "blue bag" insert. National author publicity. Online forums. Radio publicity (General Fiction) .

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"They say that some people are born great," Lauren Fontaine, the protagonist of Faulk's debut novel, says by way of introduction, "some people achieve greatness, and some people have greatness thrust upon them. I am clearly in the third category, and at this point I'd like to thrust it right back."

Lauren, a managing partner at an Atlanta investment firm, is hitting her late thirties and beginning to despair of ever finding another man to love. Although she is uncomfortable around other women, she considers herself an avowed feminist and is appalled when the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is absolved of any responsibility in the suicide of the wife he had been beating brutally. On the same day that she decides to travel to Washington to join hundreds of thousands of women in protest, she hears the story of Lysistrata, Aristophanes's earthy satire, in which the women of Greece end a war between Athens and Sparta by withholding sex. And thus a plot is set in motion.

But all good plots require complications, and therefore Lauren decides on a life of celibacy just as she meets Jake Ward, the handsome Pulitzer-winning writer she's had a crush on for years. The story plays itself out at a leisurely pace, with frequent anecdotal digressions, but always with a certain simple charm and earnestness.

From Library Journal

This cinematic comic novel is a smoothly written upscale retelling of Aristophanes' Lysistrata. When the House of Representatives refuses to impeach the Supreme Court Chief Justice for the death of his wife following a domestic quarrel and beating, financial executive and single mom Lauren Fontaine jokes that women should protest by refusing to have sex. Suddenly, she finds herself in the role of spokesperson for militant feminists and leading a nationwide sex strike. The taste of her newfound celebrity is sweet?until Lauren's home life and career are disrupted by a country of vengeful men. After she's been arrested and jailed and two million males have suffered seven weeks of sexual deprivation, the courageous protagonist creates a solution that frames the Bad Guys once and for all. Faulk smoothly blends hilarious dialog with serious commentary on the power of the media, the competition among women, and spousal abuse. Though even her most sympathetic characters are one-dimensional and her plot line is sheer fantasy, Faulk pulls this one off with graceful wit. For most public libraries.
-?Joyce Smothers, Monmouth Cty. Lib., Manalapan, NJ
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1st Printing edition (March 12, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684846713
• ISBN-13: 978-0684846712
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,129,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Whats it all about., July 31, 2002

By 

Carl W Womack (Houston, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Holding Out (Paperback)

I read this book on loan from a local library. I checked out three books and this was, at the time, the least compelling I had in my stack. I ended up reading it first and I am glad that I did.

The book is about a sex strike imposed by American women until a wife-beating Chief Justice is extracted from the Supreme Court. So that is the plot. But what I think the book is really about is why we, and I mean all of us, don't stand up for what we think are our base set of morals more often.

Lauren Fontaine, the protragonist and my new hero, stands up and winds up in prison, chastised by men and women alike, and celibate with only her convictions to accompany her. In other words, OUCH!!!

Once one sets aside the sex strike--and by which I mean accepts it as a protest to gain power (as if it were a boycott of a product for example), I believe that the book appeals to any person who loves reading about a courageous, dedicated person who you can't help but root for. The scene in the church made me cry. Those who have read the book know what I'm talking about. The scene is not more than 40 words long but it snaps you into the world that not only Fontaine lives in but one that we all live in: A world that often punishes those who try to make it better and rewards those who contribute to the denegration of society. If you were not a fan of Lauren Fontaine by that point, you would be afterward.

This book is about a woman, written by a woman, and probably for women but I feel that anybody who puts fourth the effort to read this fast moving, witty, and excellent work will be happy they did. It is time well spent.

Excellent work Ms. Faulk.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What a great read for the beach!, April 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Holding Out: A Novel (Hardcover)

Anne Faulk's HOLDING OUT is a great read-- thoroughly enjoyable. It is an excellent beach book -- I wish I had waited. Even though you have to pay attention to the various characters' roles, you don't have to have total quiet to read it. The story moves quickly, and, believe me, you want it to so you can find out how and why Lauren ended up where she is, to write this "memoir".

The subtle --and not-so-subtle-- wit keep it moving. And, while it may fall into the genre of a "woman's book", I think even men would enjoy it and should read it -- the story line bears repeating for every generation.

The character development for the central characters was well done. When I finished the book, I really felt like I actually knew some of the characters, particularly Lauren and her family. Witty, charming, sexy, fun and funny. In all, a good book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, Steamy, and great for a new Feminist., May 31, 2004

By 

Penny (WV, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Holding Out (Paperback)

Yes, the characters are a little extreme, but this IS fiction after all. What good is it to write a book without a little spice? They all have their fair share of problems that any person can relate to: a fiance that died, falling in love with a married man, and getting a divorce. I think the point of making Lauren so successful was to show women that they too can be. I read this book last summer, and it took me around two days. I couldn't put it down. I am re-reading it, and discussing the book with people is slightly difficult. I have found that the word feminist is like a dirty word; no one wants to hear it nor try to understand it. This book is great for anyone that is just getting into feminism. It blends romance, straight and gay people, feminism, and women coming together among other things. The one thing that really stood out for me was the way the women were tense around each other. That seems to be incredibly true. Any feminist that loves to read needs to buy this book.