Ok, so I know I invented RfP Wednesday and everything, and I also know that I've totally dropped the ball on it for the past few weeks. Things have been crazy. Not a lot of time for reading for pleasure when one is doing all of the crap I've been doing. That said, this past weekend I made some time for what might be The Dumbest Book in the World - if Not of All Time. In Twenty Times a Lady, the idea is basically that the protagonist (named Delilah, of all things) realizes that she's slept with 20 men in her life (and while the book states repeatedly she's about to turn 30, the years of graduation from college, the references, etc. actually put her at 32, my age, but whatever), realizes that she's a Big Whore, and so decides that she must track down every man that she's ever had sex with to see if she can make it work with one of them, and if not that she will have to be celibate so as not to be a Bigger Whore. There are so many things wrong with this, just from the get-go. But I will continue, for nobody should have to read this entire book. Enter an Irish neighbor named Colin who is h-o-t hot and who is a bartender/actor and on the side helps his father with his private investigation business. Oh, and he also drives a beat-up vespa. And did I mention that the neighbor and Delilah live in the East Village? Of course they do. Anyway, the point here is that only when Colin comes in as the Voice of Reason to tell Delilah that she's an ass for thinking that 20 makes a Big Whore does she start to come around. Of course, predictably, Delilah and Colin fall in love, and then there are Obstacles, and then they live Happily Ever After. The end.
Now, I read the chick lit fairly regularly, and I'm no book snob. But this book was both offensive AND silly at the same time. Sad. Just a sad excuse for a book. I recommend that every person alive try to write a book and to get it published, for clearly good ideas, a compelling plot, and/or interesting characters are not necessary in this day and age. Oh, and add in a female protagonist who entirely internalizes misogyny, and you can't go amiss.
That said, I read the whole thing, so what kind of chump am I?
12 years ago
7 comments:
And yes, I realize I posted this on Tuesday, but I didn't want to drop the ball on RfP Wednesday yet again :)
My college roommate realized, as a senior, that she had slept with nine men. She decided that the next one had to be the one she married, because she didn't want to have slept with more men than she could count on two hands. Seriously.
And yes, she did marry the next one. (Surprisingly, they're still together, more than ten years later.)
Maybe you should start a "Books That Really Suck Tuesday." It could be cautionary!
umm....is 20 like a lot and I don't know it? I guess I have no idea (or interest, really) in how many folks the average person has slept with.
Your description makes me want to read the book just so I too can analyze all the stuff wrong with it. I love ripping apart bad books .... does that count as reading for pleasure?
jo(e): I think it must, otherwise, why couln't I put it down?
Anastasia: At least in the world of this book, 20 is supposed to be HUGE. The thing is, the only reason numbers matter is if one believes that the number of people a woman sleeps with can make her a slut and/or that the number of people a man sleeps with can make him a stud. It's entirely anti-feminist.
Reminds me of the "Sex and the City" episdoe where Miranda had to call everyone she's slept with. She was up to 40+, if I recall correctly. Maybe they do things differently in her part of NYC.
Post a Comment