E-mail [Hardcover]

Stephanie D. Fletcher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 30, 1996

Cruising the "information superhighway" by way of electronic mail, Katherine Simmons eventually puts her own marriage at risk as an idle curiosity about two men develops into an obsession with a computer-generated Mr. Right.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

With Internet romances being a hot topic for therapists, talk show hosts, and tabloid news, this novel should come as no surprise. E-Mail: A Love Story is like being given someone's secret password and having access to all their private (and steamy) files. The entire novel takes place on the Internet, starting with an innocent plea from our main character: "This is the first public post I have ever made and I really don't know how this works. But, if you are willing, I would enjoy some correspondence." Katherine, a 44-year-old "domestic goddess," and soon-to-be empty nester, receives an overwhelming response to her polite request and is immediately drawn into the world of intimate revelations and instant relationships that this faceless medium allows. What begins as idle curiosity soon develops into an obsession, and "Katie" (as she is known online) is soon spending most of the hours of her day juggling two virtual lovers who both want to move their relationships off the computer screen and into the physical realm. Are these two men really who they say they are? Will her workaholic husband catch on? Will she leave him for one of her sexy new pen pals? These are some of the questions that make this book an entertaining and unusual read, spilling the beans on the saucy world of cyber-romance. --Sara Nickerson

From Publishers Weekly

While the cybersex and cyberromance depicted in this debut novel isn't nearly as cutting-edge as the author and publisher suggest?real-time online "chat" having supplanted E-mail as the cyberlover's medium of choice?it does allow debut author Fletcher to spin a fanciful, if strained, variant on the traditional epistolary novel. Katherine Simmons, 44, bored with her routine life as mother of teenage twins and taken-for-granted wife of a successful businessman, signs on one morning to the Adult Topics Bulletin Board of LuxNet. It's not long before she responds to an invitation to a "party" at Buck's Basement, an online bulletin board run by Buck Brazzmore, a chatty 40-year-old Texas oilman. Within a few weeks, Katherine and Buck have exchanged secrets and photographs and have announced to their fellow bulletin boarders that they are hosting a beach party to celebrate being "on a slow cruise on the sea of love." But when Buck goes to Israel on business, Katie starts hitting the hot E-mail with John Kelly, a Marin County cardiologist. Before long, she's juggling computer sex fantasies with John, offers of phone sex from Buck and a surprising revival of real-life sex with her husband. While Fletcher, a "special contributor"on the Prodigy Network, seems to think love on the Internet an intriguing and often positive new adventure, many readers may find her vision of computerized passion a disturbing ode to what is, at best, a poor substitute for the real McCoy.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult; First Edition edition (January 30, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155611477X
• ISBN-13: 978-1556114779
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,584,912 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ahead of its time, January 5, 2002

By 

S. M Marson (Lumberton, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: E-mail (Hardcover)

E-MAIL: A LOVE STORY is not a "love story" or a "romance" novel in the classical sense. It is, in fact, a story of how technology interacts with basic human feelings.

Several points about this novel can be made. First, it is well written. The entire book is e-mail correspondence - a very creative and difficult approach to story development. Second, considering the fact that the author limited the telling of this story to e-mail transition, the character development and evolution is quite remarkable. Third, people who are not perpetual users of email will NOT understand the content.

I have some relevant side issues. First, the quality of the writing doesn't seem fabricated. It seems too real to be fiction. If the text came out of the author's head, she has a marvelously creative head on her shoulders. Frankly, it seems more like something like this happened to the author. Second, I think the book was published prematurely. In 1996, when the book was first published, less than half Americans had email. Only those who were experienced with the Internet would have an inclination to read it.

Bottomline: This is a GREAT story. It is well written and creative.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly Good, May 24, 2000

By 

P. Sherman (Greenville, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: E-mail (Hardcover)

I gave this book 4 stars instead of 3 mostly because it was such a pleasant surprise. I wasn't sure about purchasing this book--I do a lot of emailing myself, and so why would I want to immerse myself in a book about an activity I immerse myself in on a daily basis? Wouldn't that be redundant? But...I needed a quick read, a between-books book, and so I got it. First, this is the first book I have read in one day for a long time (this is an indication of how engaging it is, not its length), and second, it's a good book! In response to the reviewer who was disgusted because this wasn't a romance novel in the classic sense... with all due respect, I think you missed the point entirely.

If you are on the fence about whether or not to bother with this book, I suggest you go ahead and get it. It's entertaining and makes a good and valid case for being wary of online relationships.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars True Depiction of Virtual Reality, August 4, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: E-mail (Hardcover)

Although a bit outdated; E-Mail will give the reader a good view of what really goes on on the inernet. If you are cybersex curious, this is a must read.