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34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enlightening and Unique, September 14, 2008
This review is from: Secret Diary of a Call Girl (Paperback)
First off, I'd like to offset other reviewers' claims that this book misleadingly refers to prostitution as a safe and thrilling lifestyle. I think its important to say that this is a unique portrayal of ONE woman's life in sex work. She very clearly states that there are many levels of sex work and the vast majority are not safe, enjoyable, or beneficial in anyway. She obviously enjoys much of her work and simply because her experience does not fit the mold, does not mean she should be silenced.
Secondly, there are sex scenes in the book and they are to some degree explicit. Is this too much? Well considering the nature of the book, I think not. Considering the importance of the job to the book, so much so that it is in the very title and also the importance of her pseudonym, I think its quite understandable that sex should be a key element in the book. Isn't that part of the experience we are so intrigued by when it comes to this particular author?
Also, as one reviewer mentioned the previous relationship and friend-circle is not full of an extraordinary amount of depth. What we need to remember is that this is adapted from the author's blog. For some bloggers, myself included, other people's lives are their own to tell. We just tell what relates to us. I felt that Belle's interaction with her friends and ex-lovers were covered meaningfully and naturally.
This is a diary and by definition it's not the type of writing that will be layered with back story or references. Although meant to be read in the fashion that most blogs are nowadays, it is written with immediacy and often with the intent to be brief. Perhaps some years down the line the author will be interested in adapting it as an autobiography and then she'll decide to add relevant information, a new perspective now that she is removed from it by time, etc., but the very title acknowledges what the book is: a diary.
When it comes to getting what you paid for and what was advertised, you get it in this book.
Beyond that, my own observation is that the author is intelligent, witty, and has a unique and sometimes detached view of sex which is enlightening thing to see in a female writer.
I enjoyed the book. It's not a literary masterpiece, but it is much better than a good amount of popular new fiction.
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15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Formulaic, but fun..., July 19, 2008
This review is from: Secret Diary of a Call Girl (Paperback)
This was the second memoir of prostitution that I have read (the first being The Scorpion's Sweet Venom), and so far, here is what I've learned:
- The sex scenes will as a rule be explicitly detailed and told with implausible detachment.
- Prostitution will be conveyed as a chic and not an altogether unpleasant profession.
- Flashbacks will abound in pitiful attempts at characterization and a more literary angle.
Belle de Jour was no exception to these rules, but it was a fun if not compelling read. I really enjoyed the author's witty style, even if reading about her friends was utterly boring. By the end of the book, every man in the author's life seemed to merge into one tall-ridiculously-attractive fellow with a proclivity for rough sex and moping over ex-girlfriends.
All in all, I would like to see the genre of prostitution memoirs take a more realistic/gritty turn. But then I have to really ask myself, do I really want to read the tell-all memoir of an Atlanta crack whore? Perhaps publishers choose these high-end prostitute tell-alls for a reason...
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16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not as interesting as it wants to be..., June 23, 2008
This review is from: Secret Diary of a Call Girl (Paperback)
Compelled by Showtime's ad campaign for their new series "Secret Diary of a Call Girl," I picked up the book (which is based on a real call girl's award-winning blog). While the book was interesting for its (somewhat) candid view of upper-class prostitution, it also kind of fell flat.
The book works in many ways. Each chapter opens with the "ABCs" of a London call girl. These definitions, such as "Z is for Zippers," are quite funny and interesting. The anonymous author also has a knack for finding great humor in her work and interaction with clients.
On the downside, many chapters sound like they belong in a thirteen-year-old's diary. There is way too much time devoted to memories of ex-boyfriends and secret crushes. I wouldn't mind having this information if it were written about with the same attention to detail that the sexual encounters receive. It would also be bearable if the other characters were fleshed out more. Instead, we get letters for names (A1, A2, A3, A4, and N) and virtually nothing else. Why should we care about the author's relationships if she can't describe then in any real way?
If the book were written as a more focused tell-all or if the supporting characters were more fleshed out, it would be highly recommended. It has some funny moments and interesting stories about call girls, but the meaningless babble about wooden characters makes it tedious and less interesting. A good book to skim and read at random.
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