Callgirl: Confessions of an Ivy League Lady of Pleasure
by Jeannette Angell
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jeannette AngellEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2005-04-01
ISBN: 0060736054
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Book Reviews of Callgirl: Confessions of an Ivy League Lady of Pleasure
Book Review: Not terrible, but somewhat disappointing
Summary: 3 Stars
Callgirl has, in my opinion, several flaws, that are hard to ignore when you are reading this thinking that it is, indeed, a very faithful account of an escort, and in general, flaws on form.
The first is, I would say, in the department of believability. This has been already brought up by several other reviews, but there are too many incongruences on its writing. It is hard to believe that an Ivy League educated Ph.D holder would be so naive in several issues, and that, teaching classes about prostitution, she would not care to check issues of the legal ramifications of her profession, among other clear issues there.
Second: the style of narrative is inconsistent, and often rambles a lot. The first few chapters indeed correspond to her first few weeks in the business, and the last few chapters correspond to her last few weeks on it. But in the middle, she goes back and forth in time, without giving you a clear timeline. Many of the "relevant" incidents on the book cannot be clearly put in chronological order. Most chapters try to focus on one thread of a complex story, taking it from start to finish. For example, the chapter about Mario, one of her favorite clients. She tells you about what she heard from him before she met him, her first call with him, the client/service provider relationship they developed, and how this relationship came to an end at some point. Not a bad chapter, but not all of them are like that. Others, she starts several threads of thought at once and didn't finish either of them. For example, chapter thirteenth! She starts telling you that her night job was starting to take its toll on her teaching, and half way through her explaining why she thought this was happening she starts telling you that there were worse professors than she ever was, and suddenly, the topic changes to her ongoing romance with a guy she met through Peach (her madam), then some rambling about why men prefer having sex with prostitutes, and how it was not "fun" for the prostitute, but exclusively hard work. Then she changes to how (even when her teaching was deteriorating) she started getting invitations for a lecture somewhere else, and as her classes were "cutting edge" she was being invited to the right parties to be to raise on the academia, and somehow it turns to how she made a bunch of doubles (the client paying for a threesome with two girls), how it was a "collaboration" between the two girls, how one of them once help her in the situation where she had suddenly gotten her period just a few minutes before walking on the guy's place, and then some ramblings about why threesomes between friendly acquaintances generally would not work. All that in thirteen pages. Messy, isn't it?
Third: her ramblings (yeah, I know, I am rambling a bit too with this review). She rambles too much at some points. She is in the middle of an interesting point of the story, something noteworthy happening with one of her client, and she would start this several pages long philosophical ranting about some opinion she has, or preconception she thinks everybody else have. With respect to the inclusions of her life as a professors, unlike other reviewers, I indeed appreciated it, maybe because as her, I am a PhD holder and a college professor, and a few of her insights may be interesting, but in the place they are, take the interest way from where it should be: THE STORY!
Fourth: Her idea pushing. It is natural that someone who writes a book wants to make a point out of the narrative. But when the writer aggressively assume that the reader agrees with her, it is a bit antagonizing. I remember one of the points that actually upset, when she is talking about another of Peach's girls who is also a school teacher, and asks the reader "Would you want your eleven-year old daughter to be taught English by a woman who is, in addition to a teacher, a prostitute? Tell the truth. Gotcha. I rest my case." I remember even cursing at the author at that point, how does she dare to presume to know what my opinion is. Truth is, I (and I bet, a lot of people to) would have no problem with my children's teacher's activities out of the school, as long as they do not affect her performance and ethics as a teacher. I would be concern if this Beth she describes, is abusing drugs in the way she admittedly was, as generally people who abuse drugs are addicts, and addicts tend to do things they shouldn't, and that may affect my children. But if she has sex with strangers on her free time, that is not my business, even if she is getting paid for it.
Fifth: Abuse of fancy vocabulary and dull phrases. I consider myself to have a broad vocabulary in English, but this lady had me going to the dictionary a few times per chapter, with few exceptions. It's not that I don't appreciate the opportunity to learn a new word, but she abuses of obscure and arcane language, what ends up being somewhat distracting. Also, there are plenty of dull phrases that may be cute the first time she tells them, but when they are told twenty or fifty times during a 220+ pages book, it ends up being terribly annoying. Like the "rat bastard boyfriend" Peter, or the fact that she and some of her clients knew, thought or felt things on their "heart of hearts". Once is cute, twice is still funny, three times is pushing it, but more times than chapters in the book, that's plain irritating.
In closing: It's not precisely a book that would inspire me to read more from the same author, and I think it is by far much closer to fiction than to a memoir, but if you are not too picky with your reading choices, it is still entertaining.
Summary of Callgirl: Confessions of an Ivy League Lady of Pleasure
Jenny is left penniless by an ex-boyfriend and, in order to make ends meet, she finds herself juggling two lives - respected college-lecturer by day and $200-an-hour high class callgirl 'Tia' by night.Tia's clients range from the pitiful to the downright disturbing: there's the man obsessed with wearing her underwear, the client who wants her to pretend to be his mother and the punter who gets his kicks from inflicting pain. Tia is paid to fulfil all kinds of desires. Despite her madam's protection, Tia is drawn into a world of increasing danger, trying to dodge undercover cops, resist the temptation of drugs and, most of all, avoid falling in love with the wrong man. As Jenny juggles the twin roles of professor and prostitute, the eventual strain of keeping her life secret from friends and family forces her to re-examine everything - before her two worlds inevitably collide-Women Books
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