Sharehouse Confidential: Sex and the Single Life Inside an Epicurean Beach House [Paperback]

John Blesso (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 23, 2007

Advance praise for Sharehouse Confidential “John Blesso is the maestro of his Fire Island orchestra, madly conducting the participants in his hedonistic social experiment. It’s an entertaining punch that connects, making it surely the best beach read of summer or, better yet, the television successor to Sex and the City.”
—Graham Murphy, McSweeneys

Sharehouse Confidential: Sex, Drugs, and the Single Life Inside an Epicurean Beach House, an uproarious memoir, recounts the adventures of author John Blesso and two-dozen New York City singles living under the same communal roof.

Desperate for distraction after shelving his seven hundred-page novel, Blesso renovates a seven-bedroom beach house on Fire Island, and serves up full-throttle epicurean living. Blesso and his sharehouse members, friends and strangers alike, madly search for a soul mate—or maybe just another Saturday night escapade. He tries to observe rule number one: don’t hook up with other house members. But when the late-night jacuzzi sessions start bubbling, leaving only bikini bottoms standing guard, rules are easily broken.

Achingly funny, Sharehouse Confidential charts the battle between body and soul as Blesso strives to make sense of post-9/11 America.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Blesso previously served as the managing editor of the Authors Guild Bulletin. In 2004, he established the Chance beach house in Kismet, Fire Island. In 2005, Chance was featured in New York Magazine. Blesso lives in New York. Visit his Web site at www.JohnBlesso.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 262 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (March 23, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595430090
• ISBN-13: 978-0595430093
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,961,680 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just delicious!, April 20, 2007

By 

Amy Kirby (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sharehouse Confidential: Sex and the Single Life Inside an Epicurean Beach House (Paperback)

A great memoir is more than the story being told - it's so much about the voice of the author, and right from the introduction, one can't help but love the sound of John Blesso's voice - smart and funny and thoughtful and sexy. The fact that he tells a great story makes this book impossible to put down unfinished.

And it is a fun read - clever and flirty and indulgent. All-weekend parties, covert hook-ups, table dancing, where the participants are real and interesting and funny and sometimes brilliant, and sometimes flawed. It's also strikingly poignant at moments - the idyllic life as an escape from scary times in a scary world. Food and drink and sex and community as counter-programming to the fear and hate. There's stuff that makes you think, and stuff that makes you laugh. He really strikes a wonderful balance, and it just makes for a highly enjoyable read.

I read this book at breakneck speed, at times literally laughing out loud (amusing to my fellow commuters, I'm sure). The included recipes at the end are an added bonus, though I barely skimmed them before turning right back to page one to read it all over again.

Like the salacious and decadent meals that title each chapter, Sharehouse Confidential is absolutely delicious.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than a guilty pleasure, April 14, 2007

By 

Michael J. Mark "Myklor" (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sharehouse Confidential: Sex and the Single Life Inside an Epicurean Beach House (Paperback)

First things first...the book is a delight. I was enthralled and captivated inside of three sentences, and based on the title and subject matter, it seemed destined to be a book that I would recommend to others with the verbal headline "it's a guilty pleasure." To my surprise, while the elements that often serve as the building blocks to a guilty pleasure (they are right there in the title) are certainly in effect, this is a beautifully written memoir of a man on a journey. For those looking for an infectious romp, the hedonism is rampant and plentiful; though at it's core, the author paints an intimate and vivid picture of the path that led him to buy and maintain this summer haven. His courage, his fears, his setbacks, and his ever present willingness to wear life like a loose garment really had me rooting for him. As each page would turn (and they turn fast!), I found myself enraptured as John attempts (not always successfully) to ride the line between headmaster and housemember. Not to mention, the details of what it takes to run a house like this one gave me a newfound respect for anyone who takes on such a project. The house, the participants, and the events are described in such masterly detail; I will say this: I have been sober for ten years....I have a wife and two kids...and I still want to join John Blesso's sharehouse. Do yourself a favor....buy this book!

5.0 out of 5 stars Not your mother's beach book, April 23, 2007

By 

Carolynne Bernard (Philadelphia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sharehouse Confidential: Sex and the Single Life Inside an Epicurean Beach House (Paperback)

While I could easily describe Sharehouse Confidential as a great beach read, I wouldn't be doing the book, or John Blesso, justice if I stopped there. True, it has the qualities of a great beach read--it's sexy, funny, and breezy. But John's candor and honesty also give this memoir a refreshingly raw feel that we rarely get with all of the glossiness that has become our culture--kind of like Kismet itself.

Buy this book and plan to read for a long stretch. You won't be able to put it down until the end--and then you'll be disappointed that it's over.