Customer Reviews

Madam: Chronicles of a Nevada Cathouse

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4 star:		(1)
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This book gives us an intimate look into a slice of life in the world of legal prostitution that most of us know nothing about.Street prostitution has been well publicized and from a point of view that's sleazy and depressing. The day-by-day life in a sanctioned brothel has remaind a mystery until Shaner tells all in her wonderful, beautifully-written book. She talks TO us - not at us. She doesn't pontificate. She tells stories in a way that can hurt your heart and make you laugh at the same time. At the end of the book, we felt that we knew the working girls and their clients personally and have been witness to events never described so frankly before. We left our visit to this Nevada Brothel a lot more informed.

"MADAM" is by far the best book written about legal prostitution by someone who walked the walk and talked the talk. Actually, it's the best book I've ever read on the entire subject of prostitution because it's not a dreary social commentary written by a sociologist. It's a snappy sizzler of a read. Shaner doesn't mince words. She tells a hell of a story about the girls and their guys-of-the-moment. Everyone should read this book. It's funny, it's sad, it's informative, it's easy to read and still manages to be very, very intelligent.

It's a fasinating, very well-written book. Each story (about the ladies) describes what goes on behind the bedroom doors of a legal brothel (Wow, and I thought I was imaginative!) Reading this book, I laughed out-loud; I cried; I became angry; I was astonished; and after the last page was read, I was sad there weren't any more. What a wonderful experience. The writing style is nothing short of brilliant and made me feel like a Peeping Tom (and boy did I learn a lot!).

If you have ever been curious about legal prostitution read this book. I felt as I was on the inside looking in as I read the stories of the girls, the good times , the bad times, but always the "family" times. A definate read.

A wonderful, insightful collection of stories that create a vivid portrait of who legal prostitutes really are and why they do what they do. The beautifully-written stories dispel the misunderstanding of these women promulgated by the media. Want the truth? Read "MADAM: Chronicles of a Nevada Cathouse." Compelling!

One minute you're crying. The next you're angry. The next you're rolling on the floor with laughter. This is a wonderful book... hard to put down... and one that makes you long for more when you finish the final chapter. And to the ladies at Sheri's Ranch and the other brothels in Nevada I say: Hold your heads high and walk with pride. I, personally, would consider it an honor to know any of you.

but she is someone I would like to meet. If you want to know what it is like to work in a brothel, this is the book for you. You get an honest and even handed look at the girls (to include their persnalities and motivations), the Johns, the job, and the business of legal prostitution. It was a good and entertaining read to boot. The only thing wrong with it, was it was too short!

Once I started it, I literally could not put this book down. I found it to be a thoughtful and reverent piece on the life of brothel prostitutes and the customers who purchase their services. I wonder sometimes how much of their stories were embellished by the author, but then, I'm sure that the sordid pasts of many of the working girls themselves have been embellished by them as well -- a defense mechanism if nothing else. As a male, it was a little difficult not to feel guilty about the way many of these women seem to have been abused or taken advantage of in their lives. But reading this book gave me a deeper understanding as to why they do what they do, and it gave me a deeper respect for them as women for whom the profession provides not just income but a sense of empowerment. A job well done by the author.

I expected to be titillated by Lora Shaner's behind-the-scenes book on life in a brothel; illuminated even. I didn't expect to be moved. Shaner's new memoir on her five years at Sheri's Ranch has been selling faster than, well, a working girl during National Finals Rodeo. Why not? It's a fascinating read.

This is a great read, sensitively and accurately undertaken. There are few parallels to New Orleans' red light district but this one encompasses the heart and soul, a sort of experience in spirituality not undertaken for far too long.