Chasing Men

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Edwina Currie

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Pages: 371 (Hardcover)

ISBN: 0316853232

Pub: Little, Brown

Pub date: 2000-02-03

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 111643

Editorial Review:

There is an avalanche of books dealing with the sexual problems of twenty-something and thirty-something women, so many will applaud Edwina Currie tackling a typical modern woman who just happens to be approaching mid-life. Of course, being written by the unblushing Ms. Currie, Chasing Men is anything but a sociological study--more a raunchy narrative in the style of her A Parliamentary Affair and A Woman's Place but with erotic scenes that make her previous work look like something written for a ladies' sewing circle. Even before the book was available, there was much word of mouth on a three-page sequence in which Currie's heroine Hetty vigorously investigates the joys of masturbation and this is a pretty solid indicator of what curious readers might expect (in other words, if sexual discretion in novels is your preference, this is not for you). But those in search of a an exuberant and fiery tale about a woman deciding to re-establish her own sexual identity will definitely find this unputdownable.
Hetty Clarkson, attractive and single, is stuck in a flat she is not happy with and finding it difficult to get that elusive job in the media. But unlike the thousands of young women facing this situation, Hetty is that awkward creature, the mid-life single woman. After a failed marriage, she is being advised by friends and family to chase men--but Hetty isn't convinced. Needless to say, for she decides to alter her life and she is soon sampling an interesting range of men who offer a very diverse range of sexual experiences. Currie has ensured that her sympathetic heroine is surrounded by a satisfyingly characterised group of soul mates: a priest with a taste for the bawdy, an ageing professor and the gay couple upstairs (The treatment of the latter couple reminds one that in her days as an MP, Currie upset many in her party by her distinctly liberal views). All of the characters have challenged convention in one way or another--but does Hetty have what it takes to defy society's hidebound rules and find what she is looking for? As in the earlier books, Currie knows precisely how to keep the reader hanging on for that next paragraph:
Hetty sat on the edge of the bed, lifted the whisky glass to her lips and drank. She shook her head as if to disperse the alcohol more quickly, then poured herself another. The bedside light's pink shade cast a rosy glow over the duvet, the pillows, the library copy of Anais Nin ... and the copy of Hot Sex left on the studio canteen table, which nobody had claimed. She took off her clothes with calm deliberation, let them fall unhindered to the floor. And sat facing the mirror. It needed more whisky: she had never done this before. Never needed to before ...
--Barry Forshaw

Reader Reviews:

Disappointing (0/0 people found this helpful)

If you're stuck in the plot, well, bring on the wine! The amount of alcohol consumed at every opportunity felt like the author was stuck for something meaningful to say. The characters needed more depth to make the book come alive. It felt tired, and an opportunity missed; there aren't many books about single fiftysomethings. The continous focus on sex just seemed, well, a tad unrealistic - unless all her female characters were on HRT!

a non too subtle insight into the consequences of infidelity (0/0 people found this helpful)

This is the third or fourth book of hers I have read. She tells a good yarn with some fierce lessons. It ratttles along pleasantly ands sometimes it was impossible to put down. All characters credible, some drawn with little depth. Perhaps too much side show content in parts. From a man's point of view it had warnings about what his wife might do if his infidelity was discovered. From a woman's point of view it was a mildly interesting exercise in coping. The end was fairly predictable but that did not spoil the enjoyment. Her atmospherics in explanation of erotic action and thought is gentle whilst realistic. One cannot help feeling that it must have been a joy to be a colleague and watch her in action. I have now bought "This Honourable House" which has a good start. I will report further on that.

A holiday paperback (0/0 people found this helpful)

I was seduced by Barry Forshaw's review and intrigued that Edwina Currie could write raunchy narrative. Hmmm! A woman masturbating ..., a woman complaining about a man with LFW syndrome (little finger willie), a woman having super sex with a deceiving married man (is super sex only provided by married men?) - not much new there so what about the story. Well it drifted along in a predictable way. Was it gripping? - no not really. Was it romantic? - no not really. Was it a sociological study? - hardly as every situation seemed to resolve itself with surprising ease. Did I enjoy the read? - I checked out the web site and that was disappointing too. Recommendations - perhaps in paperback form lying on a beach in the sun (before you fell asleep!). Annoyances - the presentation of Hetty's chats with herself in dialogue format seemed to throw me every time. Book publishers have yet to catch up with the expressiveness of the spoken word or the enhanced formatted text when reading on the Net.

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