Sexual Healing [Paperback]

Jill Nelson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2003

Now in paperback, the critically acclaimed Essence bestseller is a blistering satire of American gender, race, and economic relations. Sexual Healing starts by exploring a simple if sensational premise—what would happen if two black businesswomen started a brothel that served up male sex workers hired and trained to meet black women’s most intimate needs? Jill Nelson uses this set-up as an opportunity to spin a comedy of outrageous manners for the 21st century in her inimitably uninhibited voice. The result is what Ebony called, “A post-feminist fable of sexual empowerment that’s smart, explicit, and side-splittingly funny.”

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A brothel for women? Journalist Nelson, the author of several popular nonfiction books (Straight, No Chaser; etc.), offers a ribald take on the battle between the sexes and one heck of an entrepreneurial scheme, in her wickedly funny first novel. Lydia Beaucoup and Acey Allen are 40ish best friends living in Oakland who find themselves going in circles when it comes to dating and finding a satisfying relationship. After a gab session in which the two women fantasize about the ideal man, Lydia comes up with a startling solution: she proposes opening a brothel in which sexy black male prostitutes attend to the sexual needs of black women. Acey thinks she's joking, but Lydia is dead serious, and she asks for a sabbatical from her job as an ad copywriter to put the crazy plan into action. Nevada is the chosen location, and after getting a prostitution license, Lydia uses her own dates to begin recruiting prospective employees, starting with a sexy UPS guy named Odell, who becomes the de facto manager. Bizarrely, funding comes from the wife of a rich right-wing zealot who made a fortune selling arms, and the spa opens to rave reviews from the first wave of clients. Trouble surfaces when a conservative preacher on a family values kick gets wind of the project from a tabloid editor and tries to shut down the spa. Nelson has fun with her mischievous conceit, and there are more than a few hilarious scenes. The comedy is underpinned by her solid, convincing depiction of the friendship between Acey and Lydia, and an engaging, breezy style. The novel has its flaws-it's cluttered with secondary characters, and the conceit is stretched perilously thin at times-but it's a great read anyway, and a standout in the genre of African-American popular fiction.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Nelson, author of Volunteer Slavery (1993) and Straight, No Chaser (1997), presents a debut novel that is both funny and sensual. When two friends come up with a plan to provide a refuge for black women to have their sexual needs met, an idea is born that is so old it's new. Lydia and Acey decide to create a brothel for women that will provide the total spa experience plus sexual healing. They pick the state that allows the world's oldest profession to flourish and set up shop in Reno, Nevada. For the opening weekend, a select group of women are invited to take advantage of the full-service facility. These women have such a pleasant experience that from word of mouth the spa is booked for months in advance. Not surprisingly, it becomes even more comical when unscrupulous media, church leaders, outraged citizens, and chauvinistic men begin criticizing and boycotting the spa. Nelson tackles the political, cultural, and sensual facets of female sexuality in an upbeat and funny tale. Lillian Lewis
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 318 pages
• Publisher: Agate Bolden (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972456252
• ISBN-13: 978-0972456258
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,077,467 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sex for the 21st Century, June 24, 2003

By 

L.E. Howell (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sexual Healing (Hardcover)

Who would have ever thought that women could have such power over their sexual lives. Jill Nelson gives that power to us in "spades". This amusing, erotic, sometimes alarming, always entertaining first novel is a must-read from beginning to end. Ms. Nelson captures the frustration and loneliness of African-American women and offers a solution which is unorthodox, pleasurable, and, frequently, downright hysterical. The book is erotic and moving as well as roll on the floor funny. Some of the scenes are so steamy that I was loathe to read them on the subway for fear of embarrasing myself! Ms. Nelson's first work of fiction is as well-written and engaging as her previous non-fiction offerings. The main characters, Lydia and Acey, are fully realized, infinitely human, and engaging, and the plotlines' twists and turns keep you turning pages with a fury. I read the entire book over the weekend! Not content to write a book which deals with women's concerns about finding love and/or sex in the 21st century, Ms. Nelson throws political intrigue, race relations, ghost spouses, and transexuals into the mix. All of these elements come together to bring us a read that is at once thought provoking and entertaining. Don't just walk, run to get this book! You won't regret it. And once you've finished reading Sexual Healing, you'll find yourself clamoring for more fiction from this superb and uproarious author.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pleasurable and Satisfying, October 3, 2003

By 

renaynay "renaynay" (Tallahassee, Florida United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sexual Healing (Hardcover)

Jill Nelson's first foray into fiction is a success!

She has written the outrageous, intelligent and humorous "Sexual Healing," a tale about about two best friends who open a "full-service spa" for African-American sistahs. Lydia and Acey know that women, no matter what their age or financial status, need the kind of affection a only "hard" man can provide. Enduring a few setbacks, the two women finally open the doors of A Sister's Spa -- not without a some oppposition. I won't spoil the the novel, but the hijinks Lydia and Acey endure are worth the lenghty 318 pages "Sexual Healing" boasts. I laughed out loud at the bold Lydia and sympathized with the laid back Acey.

One thing that makes the book so good is the attention to detail. Nelson writes to not only entertain, but to educate. What could have simply been a raunchy sex tale (which partly it is) turns into a book about sexuality with pinches of racism, chauvinism, and feminism. Historical information is intertwined with the madcap that is "Sexual Healing."

What an ingenious idea: a brothel for black women. If only there was really a place like this. Hmm....

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's Raining Men!, June 4, 2003

By 

V. Lancaster "Nicki Lancaster" (Orlando, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sexual Healing (Hardcover)

Reminiscent of Kathryn Harvey's 1996 novel Butterfly, author Jill Nelson's highly anticipated novel SEXUAL HEALING is the black woman's retort to sex in the 21st century. Best friends Lydia and Acey's humorous and sometimes unbelievable exploits will have readers in a fit of laughter as they embark to fulfill every woman's fantasy while satisfying their own selfish desires.

Lydia Beaucoup and Acey Allen are in their early forties and still "fly". Lydia's profession as sr. account executive at a San Francisco PR firm is monotonous on a good day, while ace-boon-coon and proprietress of a small spa in downtown Oakland , Acey grows weary of husband Matthew and their almost non-existent sex life. Fed up with thwarted relationships and unfulfilling professions, a ludicrous tête-à-tête one Sunday afternoon unexpectedly spawns, A Sisters' Spa; a male brothel for African-American women in Reno, Nevada where "a special set of services are designed to meet the most intimate needs of black women." When politics, religion, sexism and scandal threaten to cease operation of A Sisters Spa, Lydia and Acey must pull together a plan of action or their hard work will go "limp" not to mention their male companions.

This is not your mundane relationship sex-filled novel commonly crowding bookshelves today. SEXUAL HEALING is a titillating and side-splitting journey of two sister's determination to become the premier establishment, meeting the needs of dissatisfied black women in a safe, discreet and upscale environment. Jill Nelson's uninhibited characters and quick-witted storytelling will undoubtedly proclaim SEXUAL HEALING as an entertaining summer blockbuster, forming the question- does this place really exist? I highly recommend SEXUAL HEALING to women of all ages. Your reading will be totally pleasurable.

Reviewed by Nicki Lancaster
APOOO BookClub