It Takes Two: A Novel [Hardcover]

Patrizia Chen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 3, 2009

Francesca Rivabuona is fifty and exhausted by the monotony of her life. Stuck in a stale marriage with grown children who have long since fled the coop, and desperate to escape the endless cycle of Upper East Side dinner parties and charity luncheons, she jumps at the chance to write an article about Buenos Aires for a glossy travel magazine.

Francesca is instantly captivated by Buenos Aires's palpable rhythm. She explores the city with her new friends -- a group of tango dancers who give her an insider's scoop into the best Buenos Aires has to offer -- and rediscovers the sense of passion and excitement she thought she had relinquished forever. As Francesca learns to master the sensual movements of tango dancing, she begins to let down her guard -- on the dance floor, in the bedroom, and in her personal life. Embarking on a steamy love affair with Argentina's most famous plastic surgeon, she knows that she has been irrevocably transformed by the pulsing, erotic thrill of life in Argentina.

At once a tale of a middle-aged woman taking a stand against the disappointments of her life and a sexy, fast-paced, entertaining novel about the ecstasy of tango dancing, It Takes Two reads like a soulful tango: irresistible, exotic, and sensual.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Former model and dance devotee Chen brings a lusty exuberance to this telenovella-like tale of a 50-year-old writer who, stuck in a staid marriage and a boring New York life, retools in Buenos Aires and in short order nails love with a handsome, younger doctor, friendship with like-minded women and gorgeous young dancers, and the tango. I can't believe I'm the same Francesca who only a week ago sat terrified and intimidated in a corner, the liberated ex-Manhattanite gasps. Falling in love with Roberto, whose marriage is on the rocks, awakens Francesca's sexual desires, bringing her to new orgasmic heights that, even if they don't make much sense, are pretty hot, anyway. Chen takes her adventure over the top with this breathless, lush take on middle-aged romance, sex and happy endings; people inhale their food, are consumed and pulsing during sex and shiver and cry inside from happiness. Sure, it's cheesy, but there's an undeniable charm to the optimism. (Nov.)
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Review

"I haven't had so much fun (or such very good weeps) with a novel in years. Patrizia Chen has a wickedly original voice, and with it she dances you through a tango of love and sex to tell a story that is at the same time steamy, smart, tender, trenchant, and supercool -- not to mention as full of life and risk as it is wise. Remember Freud's old question: What do women want? If you still don't know, you'll find the answer in It Takes Two." -- Jane Kramer, author of Lone Patriot

"The world according to tango -- where miracles occur and where dance, music, and sultry nights in Argentina lead us through a maze of pleasure that turns into obsessions. Patrizia Chen's world is a place that everyone's body, heart, and mind have longed for their whole lives. Some of us see it from across the bank, others are bold enough to buy round-trip tickets there, and some, having crossed the bridge, burn the bridge." -- André Aciman, author of Call Me by Your Name

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (November 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416570616
• ISBN-13: 978-1416570615
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,200,753 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars IF YOU LOVE BUENOS AIRES, TANGO, SEX, OR ALL THREE, October 30, 2009

By 

K. Scott (New York, N.Y.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: It Takes Two: A Novel (Hardcover)

IF YOU LOVE BUENOS AIRES, TANGO, SEX, OR ALL THREE, you'd better not pick up this book until you have a weekend free or you'll find yourself calling in sick so you can finish it. Even as the story races along, you want to stop to enjoy Chen's portrait of the old city and its tango milongas, the little streets full of antique shops and accordion players.... I loved this book. It's like a holiday in Buenos Aires -- with all the romance you could hope for.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Trashy Tango Novel that is Excruciating to Read, December 29, 2009

By 

L. Young "palmtree2000" (West Orange, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: It Takes Two: A Novel (Hardcover)

Fracesca, a fifty year old Italian beauty is married to an American (but European educated)banker, George. Living in New York, with grown up children, George and Francesca's marriage is disintegrating, their sex life non-existent. Francesca fills the void with work as a travel writer. Her latest assignment takes her to Buenos Aires to write about plastic surgery and the tango. In BA she falls in love with the city and is increasingly drawn to the erotic dance movements of the tango. She is befriended by two young tango dancers, Luis who is gay and Analia a young beauty and talented dancer. As Luis and Analia fall in love, and Luis struggles with his sexuality, Francesca is drawn into a passionate affair with Roberto,a very handsome plastic surgeon who is a doctor to the rich.

It was the exotic setting of Buenos Aires and the tango that drew me to this novel, and the beauty of the city and the dance are portrayed well (thus the one star). All else in this novel is pure trash. The dialogue is cliched. The plot (what there is of it) is poorly handled with Francesca endlessly reviewing her failed marriage and her guilt over her relationship with Roberto. Similiarly Luis enlessly obsesses over Analia and his sexuality. The novel quickly becomes repetitive and boring, and then downright irritating. Given the other reviews of this novel I can only wonder if the other reviewers are friends of the author. The book jacket says this is Patriza Chen's first novel. May it be her last.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TANGO!, January 10, 2010

By 

H. Ricard - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: It Takes Two: A Novel (Hardcover)

This book has it all..tango, hot men, even hotter sex, and great food! I startd reading it on Wednesday evening and I was done by Sunday night - I did take Saterday night off to attend a milonga, I had to satisfy my own addiction to tango ;). It Takes Two accurately describes the alchemical properties of tango, as your body becomes more supple and easy, tango can transform your body, your life, your mind... the heroine Franchesca experiences this as she learns to dance tango during her trip to BA.
The writing is lyrical and easy to read. I wish the author had included the recipes for all the delicious italian dishes mentioned, they sounded so good, I am inspired to make them myself...perhaps in the sequel?