The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: singular woman, spiritual armor, New York City, Sister Gerry, Holy Spirit (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

New York Daily News columnist and blogger Eden offers a Christian apologetic for premarital chastity, aimed at "marriage-minded single women who'd had enough of the Sex and the City lifestyle." Eden herself is a convert to both Christianity and chastity, and now an unmarried 30-something, she's persuaded that chastity is more "hope-filled" and "vibrant" than sex outside of marriage. She draws on John Paul II's theology of the body to explain why Christians should reserve sex for marriage; "our bodies are living metaphors of God's loving nature," she argues, and to have sex casually is to make a false promise of total commitment. Eden doesn't just theologize—she gives practical advice about how women should relate to their parents (if yours are divorced, as Eden's are, you should resist the temptation to blame them for bad sexual choices you've made) and masturbation (avoid it—you'll just feel lonely afterward). But trading on familiar (and tired) gender stereotypes, she notes that men lose interest in women who pursue them. In a sea of evangelical books on chastity that read like they were written for college students, Eden's will stand out as a book for grownups and should be popular with more mature Christian women. (Dec. 5)
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Product Description

Finally, a book for single women who, unsatisfied with living a worldly lifestyle, want to give their lives a new and godly direction. Author Dawn Eden, a Jewish-born rock journalist turned salty Christian blog queen, gives these readers the positive and uplifting message that they've been wanting to hear-that spiritual healing and a renewed outlook await them. Using her own experiences in the New York City singles jungle, she shows women how they too can go from insecurity to purity, and from forlorn to reborn. She tells women who have been around the block how to find their way home.

Among inspirational books for single women, The Thrill of the Chaste is a pair of hip Ray-Bans in a field of rose-colored glasses. This isn't a book for dainty damsels in lacy white dresses patiently awaiting their handsome prince. This is for real women who need strong, motivational, and deeply moral messages to counter the ones they receive from a superficial, sex-obsessed world.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (December 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 084991311X
• ISBN-13: 978-0849913112
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #190,255 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

88 of 93 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The thrill of the well-written book, December 3, 2006

By	Jef Costello - See all my reviews

Forget the topic of "The Thrill of the Chaste" for just a moment -- if you're reading this, you probably already have an opinion about it anyway, pro or con. This really isn't a book for single women, Catholics, or single people in general -- it's a book for anyone who craves great writing. Eden, an eloquent blogger to begin with, is an even more eloquent author when given the time and space to lay out her complete argument on the virtues of chastity. Even if you vehemently disagree with her, you owe it to yourself to read this book -- it's a case study in how to present one's thoughts on a complex subject with wit and grace.

Writing about a topic like this is tricky. The instant you say you're saving yourself for marriage, people think you're a religious nut, repressed, insane, or all three put together. One strategy is to respond with all rhetorical guns blazing, and shoot down your critics as immoral, out of touch, etc. That will win you plenty of fans -- but they'll mostly be people who already agree with you to begin with.

Eden takes the opposite tack, because she's not trying to preach to the choir -- she's trying to persuade young single women to take a second look at their behavior, and you don't succeed at that by calling them names. By calmly laying out her case and relating her own experiences, she slowly leads the reader to understand that not only is she sane, she's remarkably level-headed and serious about what she wants -- a committed marriage and a family.

We live in a society where the loudest voice usually prevails, be it on blogs or cable news shout-fests. Do yourself a favor -- read a book written by a writer who doesn't have to resort to cheap stunts to make her point. The good ones never do.

53 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Real Woman's Case for Chastity, November 28, 2006

By	A. VanHecke "Love2learn Mom" (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Wow! I just finished this new release by Dawn Eden and it's quite powerful.

First, let me preface that this is a book about chastity aimed especially at twenty or thirty-something women who have previously fallen for the "casual sex" dating game. In other words, this isn't one to hand to your young teenage daughter unsupervised.

With grace, good humor and a surprisingly upbeat style, Dawn, a 30-something New York journalist, shares the story of her conversion to chastity and her vision of the liberating power of faith.

She presents a compelling (and quite readable) account of the shortcomings of modern dating and the fulfilment to be found in a chaste lifestyle.

So what if you're not a woman in your 20s and you have lived chastely? Whether you're interested in better understanding those who fall into traps of modern culture or you want to pass good attitudes about sex and marriage on to your children, this book is a great read.

First of all, naturally, she's "been there" - she offers amazing insights into the insecure and often depressing world of the "modern" single woman. Her answers aren't preachy, they draw from her experience and her faith in a loving and gentle way.

The other piece, though, is that she goes way beyond arguing against this unhealthy lifestyle and a sense of opposing what is wrong. She opens up a complete vision of what is good and how to go about living "the good" in the modern world.

Though this isn't for young teens, there's so much good in it, that I plan on sharing it with my daughters some day. Perhaps we'll read it together before they go off to college. Here's a little sample:

"If your light shines through everything you do, from the greatest thing to the smallest, then it will be impossible for anyone to miss it. This is why the self-advertisement encouraged by the singles industry is counterproductive. When you focus the spotlight on yourself, no one can see how beautifully your light illuminates those around you."

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for young women, March 25, 2007

By	Grace Leigh (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

In The Thrill of the Chaste, Dawn Eden provides a much-needed argument against today's "Sex and the City"-centric culture. Drawing upon her own experiences, both good and bad, Eden not only illustrates the hidden dangers of casual sex, she also provides an inspirational take on living a chaste lifestyle and how doing so will benefit oneself and one's relationships. As a 20-something female New Yorker, I found Eden's perspective relevant, refreshing, and extremely valuable.

Eden engages the reader right away with her hip yet eloquent writing. A former player in the casual sex arena that today's society so vehemently promotes, Eden is not shy about revealing her past, nor does she scold those who engage in the behavior that she has since turned from. Rather, she writes in a simple, honest manner that will immediately hit home with female readers who, having tried the "Sex and the City" approach to love and sex, are unsatisfied with the state of their own relationships and are looking for something more.

Eden's witty, often quite funny writing is grounded in her own examples, and her references to pop culture (including, of course, various "Sex and the City" episodes) make her work light and easy to relate to. She shares details about her own sexual past and the relationships that she eventually realized were so damaging, yet she does so tastefully, revealing the truth about her behavior rather than sensationalizing it. She shows first-hand how casual sex is often used in an effort to obtain a committed relationship but almost always winds up doing quite the opposite, preventing meaningful, loving relationships from being established. She clearly demonstrates the harmful effects of such cavalier attitudes toward sex, especially on women, for whom she explains that sex is by nature an intimate act meant to establish an emotional bond.

But Eden does not just limit her discussion of chastity to the pitfalls of premarital sex and the benefits of waiting. She explains how living chastely translates to every aspect of one's life, including one's dress and social activities, and how a chaste lifestyle is beneficial to both singles and married couples, successfully debunking the stereotype that chastity is only practiced by religious fanatics and those with an aversion to sexual activity.

Although Eden is never preachy or accusatory, her Christian (and predominantly Catholic) views and frequent references to Scripture may be hard to swallow for those with no religious beliefs or no desire to question the cult of casual sex. And, while men can certainly benefit from Eden's wisdom, the book's stylishly girly cover and Eden's focus on a female audience may be a turnoff to guys. However, Eden's insights on the dating world, which include an analysis of the online dating scene and valuable tips on how to branch out and meet potential mates, will be appreciated even by those who have not yet been convinced of the chaste way of life - both male and female.

Overall, Eden's book is an enlightening, inspirational read that will hopefully help to make a more conservative, respectful approach to sex and relationships popular once again. I highly recommend this book to women in their 20s and 30s who are looking for more complete and fulfilling relationships. Read The Thrill of the Chaste and share it with your friends, your sisters, and - one day - your daughters. You'll be thrilled you did.

Eden fans may also enjoy Morse's essay, Love Is Justice: An Exploration into Mankind's Fundamental Nature