The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl by Belle de Jour
| The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl by Belle de Jour | |
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| Category: Autobiography | |
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Reviewer: Ceri Padley
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| Summary: Call Girl is worth the read if you don't mind a bit of smut and a good giggle. Though over-the-top at times, it never apologises for what is presented. Readers should not expect a miserable tell-all about the dangers of the trade, but a fun spin on a young woman exploring her sexuality. | |
| Buy? Maybe | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 304 | Date: September 2005 |
| Publisher: Phoenix | |
| ISBN: 978-0753819234 | |
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Following the recent success with ITV2's highly-publicised TV version of Belle de Jour's online blog, starring Billie Piper, it comes as no surprise that sales for her 2005 book, The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl, sky-rocketed. After all, who doesn't want to hear all the profound details of working in the London sex trade?
We are invited to follow Belle through six months of her life, after her recent graduation from university, as a high-class call girl, a job she refers to as steady work but not demanding. Essentially, it's something that pays the rent. The content of Call Girl is taken directly from her online blog and published in a series of diary entries, not fogetting her A-Z sex tips appearing at the beginning of each month, for those interested in getting into her line of work. Every day is filled with a detailed account of anal sex, threesomes, S'n'M bondage and, of course, making time for the parents.
One is kept highly entertained at first by the seemingly endless tales of lingerie shopping, bikini waxing and sexual mishaps that occur within our young heroine's life, however, these incidents do start to become quite farfetched after a while and leave the reader wondering how one person could stay so focused on sex for a full twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. While it is true to say that a person's job dictates much of their life, Belle has nothing to offer her readers but the details of her sexual partners and, as a result, Call Girl stands to lose its audience by repeating itself.
Knowing that this writer claims to be genuine can be distracting at times aswell. Belle's recorded conversations are simply unrealistic and one has to wonder what real human being actually speaks like that? The male figures featured on each page almost mirror those shady stereotypes we are often acquainted with as the anti-hero in Hollywood movies and are often left as seeming too one-dimensional rather than holding any sort of human aspects to their personality.
Call Girl has often been the subject of controversy with many believing the person on the other side of the computer is nothing but a male writer who has found himself struggling with his career up until now. It would certainly explain why this line of work, that is often found to lead to drug abuse, beatings, or murder, is seen as nothing but glamourous in the eyes of Belle. It would also explains why the feminine and ladylike narrator often finds herself taking part in what might be described as ultimate male fantasy sequences rather than exposing the grit and seediness of her job.
It might be fair to say that readers could probably find a cheaper version of Call Girl by buying the monthly Cosmopolitan magazine. Both offer equally ludicrous sex tips while trying to prove themselves as glamourous, glossy, and higher-class.
On the other hand, The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl can be seen as a fine piece of writing for those looking for a steamy work of fiction. Those able to forget any controversy and suspicion about the author's identity will find an easy and entertaining read. Belle never patronises her readers and is quick to include them in all her activities. Her bluntness and straight-to-the-point attitude is apparent from the start, giving the reader time to adjust to the tone of the book and decide for themselves whether they wish to carry on. Her occasional bouts of feeling guilty at lying to her boyfriend and family let us see a more human side to her, a trait we want to see more of, which inspires us to keep on reading.
Overall, Call Girl is worth the read if you don't mind a bit of smut and a good giggle. Though over-the-top at times, it never apologises for what is presented. Readers should not expect a miserable tell-all about the dangers of the trade, but a fun spin on a young woman exploring her sexuality. While Belle prides herself on being ultra-feminine, she provides enough balanced entertainment for both the girls and the boys to enjoy.
If this book appeals then we think that you might also enjoy Callgirl by Jenny Angell and My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler.
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You can read more book reviews or buy The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl by Belle de Jour at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl by Belle de Jour at Amazon.com.
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