Discussion date: July 12, 2004

What we thought:
Madame Mary welcomed the Bedfordshire ladies of the evening to a rousing discussion. As expected, this book evoked strong opinions and much controversy. One member rated it a "zero", feeling that the author had no purpose in writing the book except to make money from her sexual exploits.

At the other end of the scale, three people gave it 4 stars, finding Jane Juska a very talented writer, who was not only round-heeled, but well-rounded in many senses. Yet even those who admired Jane's bravery, creativity, and independence, and enjoyed reading of her many-faceted adventures, were uncomfortable with some of the explicit and unnecessarily crude scenes.

We spent some time discussing how, despite trying to take control of her relationships after a life that had been so dysfunctional, Jane continued to place herself in situations where she ended with humiliation. We agreed that, despite her protestations, underneath all her claims to want only good sex, she was really searching for love. It's nice to know, according to recent interviews, that she may have actually found it.