Gillian Anderson (2) (1968–)

Of course I requested this from Netgalley because of Gillian Anderson. This was risky, of course, because the fact that someone is a terrific actor and seems kind of splendid in real life (based on interviews I've heard) doesn't all mean she can write a lick. Which may partly explain the presence of Jeff Rovin on the ticket; Amazon describes him as an established ghostwriter, so I wonder exactly what the partnership here was like.

It doesn't really matter whether they wrote it together or show more whether Gillian Anderson just lent her name. It's good. It's really good. Unique plot, interesting characters, sharp writing – I'm sold. I dislike trying to read a Netgalley which comes anywhere but first in a series, but I wanted to try this – and I did – and for the first time I stopped reading a book for another reason than bad ones. I stopped reading because I bought the first book in The EarthEnd Saga on Audible (read by Gillian Anderson!) and I want to listen to that before I come back to A Dream of Ice, so that I can fully appreciate it. So you could say I've abandoned this book – but just this once it's only for now. I'll be back. I'm looking forward to it.

The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review. show less

An exploration of female sexuality and desire that I believe was/is instrumental in ongoing recovery from bodily shame.

I think I was a bit too young for Friday's "My Secret Garden" when it was published and of course never heard of it in my later life due to the somewhat taboo nature of the subject. Even though that book was meant to be about the uncovering and the dismantling of shame and secrecy around feminine intimacy, it was still titles in a way to suggest secrecy and an innate show more un-shareability (my "secret" garden). As Want is a sort of updated version for a contemporary era, I did end up reading My Secret Garden nearly immediately after concluding Want, and it may be a matter of personal experience or generational resonance, but I would confidently say that My Secret Garden walked so Want could run. This book was sensual and enticing. Even down to the title: Want. I want. unashamed and not a secret. I want and I deserve to want. We all, in some way, want. we yearn and we seek and we fantasize and, so crucially, we are not alone in this wanting and it is about time we moved on from the shame inherent in that assumption. show less

Another heaping helping of crazysauce that had me going "Wait. Wait. WTF did I just read?" Time travel (sorta-kinda) and some kind of magnetic stones that make animals go crazy and spontaneous combustion and Antarctica and, oh yeah, the voodoo priestess from the previous book shows up at the end and offers vague warnings of danger and... Look, it's just crazy. It's not just the plot and the characters that are over-the-top, but there's also this pseudo-mystical angle where it feels like the show more book is trying to bee deep and profound, but just comes off as woo-woo New Age "spirituality".

You know how sometimes it's three a.m. and you can't sleep and you're flipping through channels and come across some weird sci-fi movie with an actor you like and so you watch it, but it's so chock full of every possible thing that it makes almost no sense and yet you're compelled to watch but when it's over you're left wondering if you had really watched what you just thought you watched? Yeah, this series is that movie in book form. show less

I think I like the idea of the book more than I actually liked reading it. Gillian Anderson's introductions to the book and each chapter are fantastic, honest, bold, well written, and I would love to read more by her.

The fantasies are a bit of a mixed bag. As erotica or a sexy good-night-read, they don't really work for me: they are very personal to each anonymous author and make me feel like a voyeur - unlike reading erotic fiction; by design they are widely different and often - most of show more the time - not my kink. Also, not every one reads that well from a stylistic perspective. As a feminist statement, I'm missing the statement - I would agree that the project itself might serve as a liberating outlet for the women who participated, and that on its own is a nice thing. It is an accessory to a feminist discourse about female sex lives, but it is not the discourse.

Some thoughts:
- I absolutely don't mind the weird or darker ones. The idea was to represent female fantasies, not curate or judge them. If anything, I think the book holds back (by Anderson's introduction, the book tried to not include fantasies that could hold triggers. I find that regrettable, because trigger warnings exist and if we look at women and their fantasies I would want the whole picture, one that does not aim to please, one that is difficult to look at, but an honest, raw and complete one).
- I think it is sad how many women don't seem to like themselves/their bodies very much, and how many fantasies seem to come from very sex-starved marriages. Oof.
- It gets a bit repetitive. It is a long book and a lot of fantasies.
- the audio narration is excellent. show less