Nervous [Hardcover]

Zane (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books (July 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074347581X
• ISBN-13: 978-0743475815
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (188 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,814,470 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Zane is the author of Addicted, The Sex Chronicles, Gettin' Buck Wild, The Heat Seekers, The Sisters of APF, Shame on It All, Nervous, Skyscraper, Afterburn, and Love Is Never Painless and is also the editor of Chocolate Flava and Caramel Flava. She is the publisher of Strebor Books, an imprint of Atria Books/Simon & Schuster, and lives in the Washington, D.C., area with her family. Visit her website at www.eroticanoir.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quick, satisfying combo: erotica and psychological thriller, September 4, 2004

By 

L. Rephann "curious about everything" (Brooklyn, New York United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nervous: A Novel (Paperback)

This was the first Zane book I read. The hype about her had gotten to me and I decided to check her out. This isn't fancy literature...this is pure, good old-fashioned writing for fun. But it's well done. The plot moves quickly and like the other reviews have mentioned, you could read this book in one sitting: it keeps you turning pages like that.

This particular book deals with the main character's multiple personality disorder. It's through this that the erotica gets to come out (via one of the "alternate personalities"). There's also some good old fashioned romance in here, family drama, nightlife escapades, and medical/psychological drama (the character of psychiatrist Marcella Spencer is good).

Recommended. Not mind-bending literature, but good fun.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 1 part erotica +1 part psychothriller = another Zane hit, January 22, 2005

By 

Troy Kearney "avid reader" (Shreveport LA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nervous: A Novel (Paperback)

As Ludacris said in a verse from Usher's 2004 hit "Yeah!" most men want a woman who is "a lady in the streets but a freak in the bed". But what happens when one woman is a lady in the street and is a freak, just not in the bed and she doesn't realize it until it's too late?

This paradoxical problem is faced by Jonquinette, the lead character of Zane's novel "Nervous" which is based on a short story from her earlier collection of erotica "The Sex Chronicles". Jonquinette is a shy young woman who finds herself not too inclined to talk to men interested in her. She doesn't consider herself a total virgin but she doesn't find herself wanting to sleep with just anyone, so her life for the most part is dull.

But when the weekend rolls around, Jonquinette goes to sleep and later re-awakens not as Jonquinette, but as a foul-mouthed and sex-obsessed woman named Jude who goes out and finds wanton and virtually unsafe sexual adventures with anyone and everyone she comes in contact with to find a sexual release.

This behavior goes on until Jude goes to sleep and re-awakens again as Jonquinette. Jonquinette realizes that Jude has been up to her old tricks again (leaving hints of her presence and sexual indiscretions)and realizes that this has to come to a stop here and now, so she heads to talk with Dr. Marcella Palmer, who first appeared in the novel "Addicted". When Jude resurfaces later and realizes that Jonquinette has been seeing Dr. Palmer she goes nuts and really goes full throttle on her sexual escapades.

Later, Jonquinette begins to find herself attracted to a new neighbor that moves in next door. While this is a good thing for Jonquinette, Jude detests the romance because she realizes that if Jonquinette settles down with her new love interest then the sexual party is pretty much over. But will Jude do something that will not only have dire consequences for her, but Jonquinette as well?

This book is definitely a unique combination of Zane's trademark incendiary erotica and a case study in what happens to one person when they know that they have multiple personalities (the seemingly passive/submissive Jonquinette and the aggressive/dominate Jude) and how the actions of one affects the other and all those around them.

This is definitely a book that takes two unique topics and combines them nearly effortlessly to form one major hit form the mistress of African-American erotica, Zane.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST READ!!!! If they had 10 stars, that's what its worth, September 24, 2003

By 

Ericka Attles Lawrence (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nervous: A Novel (Hardcover)

This book was sooo good that I gave it around of applause when I read the last sentence. In order to understand the story, first read the short story in Sex Chronicles, then RUN and get the book. This story has some serious many plot changes, that'll have you not wanting to put it down. I read it in 2 days!!! Zane's writing captures the reader and brings it to you, FULL FORCE.

The final 2 chapters in the book will have you like WHOA!!!! I'm still trippin, LOL. Like I said RUN DONT WALK and purchase this book. It is well worth the money. OOOO for you Addicted lovin folks, Zoe make an appearance in Nervous.