Some of my more dedicated readers might remember that I said I was going to read this book when I was on vacation at a conference in Florida last year. Well I did, and the amount of time that it’s taken me to get around to actually writing up this review speaks to how much I enjoyed the book – that is, not very much.
According to the back cover, “A Woman Alone at Night” is the story of a woman who “gets caught up in her own sexual awakening which is dark and fast and demeaning.”
I’m all about women and their sexual awakening, but this book made me feel uneasy: how the main character jumps right to super high risk behaviours (doing some random guy in the park with no protection – to provide a small example). I mean, not only could I not identify with the character, but she also kinda grossed/freaked me out. I love a good story about a woman reveling in her sexuality as much as the next person, but not when I can’t stop thinking that she should have been dead many times over, not to mention riddled with STIs (if not full on HIV).
Aside from the above complaints, I also just did not like how the story was written: I was ok when it was jumping around through time lines, but when the author started introducing some bizarre plot changes and confusing religious imagery, she totally lost me.
Some parts near the beginning of this book were kinda sexy, but overall I found it utterly un-arousing. I’m wondering if I’m just really not the target audience for this book because I’m sure there must be members of different fetish groups who might enjoy this story much more than I did.
Thanks for the review shay. I presume the book is fiction? Many women enjoy fantasizing about wild anonymous sex (things that you correctly identify as high risk behaviours).
So keeping in mind it’s a work of fiction, this may still be something that many women find alluring.
Of course it is always important to remember the distinction between reality and fantasy. For example, getting picked up while drunk at clubs, having one night stands with total strangers and letting strong/rough men have their way with you may be a common hot fantasy for women … but in the real world would likely result in infectious disease and quite probably rape.
Morning Shay,
I would read Tempted by Megan Hart if you haven’t already. I found the story line really good and actually believable. Thanks for the review and all the other info you provide.
Love ya,
Kimberly
Anon – it is fiction, it’s meant to be a sort of bastardization of the story of St Mary of Egypt. It wasn’t so much that I was looking at her high risk behviour as something I wouldn’t want to do in real life, it was that they wasn’t even acts that I would want to fantasize about – they were presented in more of a bizarre way rather than in a “sexy/fun” way.
Kim – Thanks doll, I’ll look into that one if I have the chance. ^_^ This particular book was sent to me to be reviewed.
One Hundred Strokes Before Bed is a great awakening novel as well.