My Lurid Past [Paperback]

Lauren Henderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 18, 2002

Take one single girl with a commitment problem; One married woman stuck in a sexless marriage; A celebrity chef with the sex drive of a rhino on Viagra; Two very large Dutchmen; A mother from hell; And a successful dominatrix Mix together and stand well back...Food PR Juliet Cooper has never had any trouble meeting men, she just doesn't want them hanging round her flat on a Sunday, asking her how she feels about her mother. But after four years of serial dating, she's discovering that men have a tendency to repeat on you. Meanwhile her best friend Gillian hasn't had sex since she said 'I do' in 1996. Juliet and Gillian are secretly envious of each other's lives. The comfort and companionship of marriage? Lovely! The excitement and freedom of a single life? Bliss! But then the grass is always greener, as they're about to discover...Lauren Henderson's deliciously funny new novel tells the truth about what women really want, and how sometimes - against all the odds - they get it.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Lurid indeed. Juliet (who works in food PR) is single and fed up. Meeting men is not the problem - there have been plenty; so many, in fact, that the different types seem to be repeating on her like spring onions. Where's the variety? Maybe best friend Gill has got it right; the comfort and security of marriage seem rather appealing after all, but Gill has problems of her own. She can't wait to hear all the juicy details of Juliet's sex life, as she is lacking one herself. Cue Gillian's fling with another man. But isn't the grass always greener on the other side? So what with Juliet's one night stands and Gillian's affair, not to mention dominatrix Mel who leads Juliet astray by taking her to fetish parties - this is one saucy novel. Very cheeky and witty - but honest.

About the Author

Lauren Henderson is the author of a successful detective series featuring sculptress sleuth Sam Jones ('an ultra-hip heroine' THE TIMES). Born in England, she now lives in New York.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 409 pages
• Publisher: Time Warner Paperbacks (April 18, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0751532614
• ISBN-13: 978-0751532616
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun, edgy read!, January 27, 2004

By 

CoffeeGurl - See all my reviews
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This review is from: My Lurid Past (Paperback)

British chick lit tends to be edgier, sharper with satirical elements, whereas American chick lit is often lighter and more earnest. My Lurid Past is the former, and I couldn't put it down! Lauren Henderson writes about the pitfalls of today's single woman with irresistible irony. Juliet's wild one-night stands have gotten monotonous. A self-proclaimed commitmentphobic, she's begun to wonder if she'd ever get married. After all, her friend Gill seems much happier. But when Gill admits that she and her husband haven't done the deed since they married, Juliet tries to figure out if one could have a balance between living in the fast lane and having committed bliss. Perhaps she's better off joining her friend Mel in becoming a dominatrix at a fetish club...

I enjoyed the dark humor and unique characters. Lauren Henderson has joined the chick lit genre with a bang. I loved the Sam Jones mystery series, but Henderson is up to a great start writing chick lit. This is a great Downtown Press offering. Highly recommended to all chick-lit fanatics...

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed bag, April 12, 2005

By 

Bearette24 (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: My Lurid Past (Paperback)

I had mixed feelings about this book. It's about three female friends and their fear of commitment.

The problem is, the characters are not entirely believable. Juliet, the protagonist, is a successful businesswoman who is nonetheless almost entirely cowed by her shrewish mother and taken advantage of by her brother on welfare, who is trying to become a musician. Juliet is hung up on her ex-boyfriend, Bart. To avoid a repeat of the hurt caused by their breakup, she embarks on a series of one-night stands. Suddenly, this routine starts to feel old.

Juliet's overweight friend Gill is trapped in a sexless marriage. Then she leaves her husband for another man. Juliet's other friend, Mel, is a rubber-corset-wearing dominatrix who works in a fetish club.

These characters felt like caricatures to me...Mel's consistent coldness to her "slaves" is hard to believe, and Gill in reality would have tried to discuss her problems with her husband, especially since they had such a nice relationship otherwise.

In Henderson's favor, she knows how to manipulate a plot. Although it was clear that she was making up the plot as she went along (she admits it in the back of the book), you couldn't predict with certainty whom any of the women would end up with in the end. There are some fun twists along the way.

Overall, if you are a Henderson fan, you may want to check out this book. But I have a feeling her next novel - "Don't Even Think About It" - is better.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful  Another Fun Read, January 12, 2004

By 

C. A Scovel "Christina Scovel" (Los Alamos, NM) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: My Lurid Past (Paperback)

My Lurid Past is a change from Sam Jones. There are no dead bodies to be found, and our leading lady, Jul isn't as sure footed as Sam. This stories centers around the lack of commitment that most people feel and a fear of the unknown. Jul is plagued by an ex-boyfriend that has created a sense of insecurity in her. She has basically been whoring her way though London when the book begins. We watch as Jul tries to settle up with her demons and move on with her life. This is a very true to real life story that creates yet another set of captivating characters.