Belle de Jour

Belle de Jour: Diary of an Unlikely Call Girl I've read some of the other reviews here on this book and I think some of them miss the Englishness of this book. The English are so loose and casual about sex. I don't mean in its execution, more in the attitude towards it. I think the English lack the puritanical aspect that seems to dominate other nations, particularly America and its hypocrisy about sex.The sex scenes are described more like a mechanic talking about a days work. Note the lack show more of shame, self-disgust and judgement, just the plain facts ma'am, with a touch of respect for her clients.As a story, I liked the well spelled out relationships that she inhabits, how friendships are most times more solid than romantic relationships. All up a good read, nothing earth shattering in the sex either, as she says, anal is the new black. I'm old enough to remember when blow jobs were new to the middle class burbs and that was a long time back.The oldest profession! Well written with a terrible ending. Loved it show less

The tv series that was based on this book/siary/blog was panned for being a cheap knock off trying to capitalize on the scuccess of HBO's Sex and the City, but the book is actually where Belle shines. Her tv persona (played by Billie Piper) was funny, but her writing really brings out the quirks in her personality. I found myself laughing a lot while reading about Belle's life, which really focuses more on the regularities of her life in London than on the "glamour" of the sex trade - which show more was clearly the focus of the tv series since sex sells (sorry). What really got me about this book though was her frank attitude towards sex and sexuality, which goes far beyond the novelized version of Sex and the City. Clearly she has very different limitations than I do (if any limitations at all), but I genuinely appreciated her liberation. show less

After the finale of the previous book (in which Belle decides to get serious about her non-Call Girl career and give The Boy another chance) I was fully expecting her to do another 180 in this book. How long can a series of books continue when the premise is that the protagonist is a Call Girl, but in which she chooses distinctly not to be said Call Girl? Well, it took some time, but I was not left wanting, as by the final pages Belle has chucked the Boy once and for all (YAY) and has show more decided to dabble in the art of being a courtesan at the behest of a very intriguing silver fox. She’s keeping her day job for now, but I’m betting that it’s not long for this world if she can settle into some sort of stable lifestyle as a kept woman - or it’ll all blow up in her face (hopefully not)! show less

Some people have chick lit and harlequin romances to give themselves a mental break from higher literature and serious fiction - I have Belle de Jour and her highly entertaining escapades as a call girl and gal-about-London. My tastes have always been a bit on the weird side when it comes to books/stories, but I was less than thrilled with the Marquis de Sade, so Belle fits the bill perfectly in between the two extremes of fluffy romance and well… whatever we’re calling de Sade’s genre show more at the moment. Contrary to the fact that Belle begins this novel as a working girl, by the end of the story she’s well-ensconced in her life as a regular working girl (office, not call) and in her regular (if tumultuous) relationship with The Boy. Dalliances and daydreams of her former life aside, this book ends up being much less raunchy than the previous volume in the series, but as always her thoughts about relationships and life in general are nothing if not unique! show less