Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Mistress Contract

2.47 of 5 stars 2.47 · rating details · 15 ratings · 7 reviews

The remarkable true document that is The Mistress Contract opens with a piece of paper that was signed in 1981 by a woman and her wealthy lover. The contract establishes an exchange that she thinks fair: If he will provide an adequate and separate home for her and cover her expenses, she will provide him with �mistress services”: �All sexual acts as requested, with suspens...more

Hardcover, 160 pages

Published October 18th 2011 by Unbridled Books (first published September 2nd 2011)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 97)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Dec 31, 2011 Karen Ireland-Phillips rated it 1 of 5 stars

The premise is that two consenting adults, thirty years ago, decided to sign a contract –written by “She”, the reader eventually finds - assigning her the role of mistress, obligated to provide sex, and assigning him the role of financial provider. Concomitantly, they begin recording their conversations. [return]Very little of this slim paperback is salacious. None of it was erotic. Much of it was offensive. Starting with the tagline: [return]“He is a successful businessman. [return]She could be...more The premise is that two consenting adults, thirty years ago, decided to sign a contract –written by “She”, the reader eventually finds - assigning her the role of mistress, obligated to provide sex, and assigning him the role of financial provider. Concomitantly, they begin recording their conversations. [return]Very little of this slim paperback is salacious. None of it was erotic. Much of it was offensive. Starting with the tagline: [return]“He is a successful businessman. [return]She could be any woman.”[return]But could this be any woman? Personally, I doubt it. Not because I have any trouble with the title contract. Certainly, it’s rarely brought up during this couple’s conversations, and never as an actual vs. philosophical issue. It was written in the context of a long-term, semi-committed relationship. (One that we’d call poly today – “He” apparently had another woman in Seattle with whom “He” also maintains a relationship.)[return]Some of these conversations were recorded over meals, some in bed, some over the telephone. The personal isn’t particularly political to these two people. Most of what they talk about is the relations between the sexes and while they use their personal lives as examples, it’s in a casual way. What’s grating and offensive is that “He” is patriarchal, overbearing, and unconsciously sexist - while proclaiming his feminism, in which of course he was earlier and better than “She”. I kept waiting for some sign of personal growth, but that wasn’t forthcoming either, possibly because the conversations may not be in any temporal order. [return]“She” talks about feminism and feminist authors, but not as if they’ve given her any growth or joy. Instead, “She” seems to blame feminist ideas – as does “He” – as the source of some unhappiness or doubt, not empowerment. I say “seem” because it’s just not easy to piece together a narrative of any kind for either of them.[return]Overall, I’m just not sure of the authors’ purpose in committing this to paper. Titillation? Falls flat. Character study? Too abstract. Snapshot of 80’s sexism, or feminism? Well, perhaps, but difficult to tell because the “conversations” mostly lack dates. Pure narcissism? Closer. [return]I think this was an interesting idea, but needs far better execution. Dates? Historical (herstorical) background? Conversations cast in the light of current events, thinking? More conversations, more personal background? [return][eta: I wrote this without seeing the other LT reviews - I'm amused to see that I had similar reactions.(less)

like · see review

Oct 20, 2011 Michelle added it

The Mistress Contract is one that piqued my interest from the very first time it was brought to my attention as a new fall release. The idea of a couple agreeing to share their most intimate details about their relationship, however anonymous, was as titillating as it was a huge opportunity to delve into the mind of someone who knowingly enters in a mistress relationship. Unfortunately, The Mistress Contract was nothing like I expected it to be, and my disappointment is profound.

What I was hopin...more The Mistress Contract is one that piqued my interest from the very first time it was brought to my attention as a new fall release. The idea of a couple agreeing to share their most intimate details about their relationship, however anonymous, was as titillating as it was a huge opportunity to delve into the mind of someone who knowingly enters in a mistress relationship. Unfortunately, The Mistress Contract was nothing like I expected it to be, and my disappointment is profound.

What I was hoping for was an honest discussion about their relationship, why they entered into such an agreement, how it has impacted other relationships in their lives, and the like. Instead, what I found was 166 pages of philosophical diatribes on various gender differences like honest discussions about physical pleasure, feminism, power, and the like. They cite Nietzsche and other philosophers. They discuss ideas and works that are completely unfamiliar. It is dialogue of a kind that felt forced and unfamiliar.

There is no doubt that this couple does love each other. The fact that they are still together after so many years is a testament to their affection for each other; their arrangement definitely works for them. Sadly, this emotional connection appears somewhat nonessential when they start debating about the differences between men and women. The frequent references to the tape recorder and the book they were going to write with the taped dialogue (i.e. The Mistress Contract) made me question which came first - their relationship or their book idea. The dialogue itself is at times forced, and the syntax used is stilted. It was all a bit too deliberate and too planned for me to be comfortable with their supposedly frank discussions. It felt like a performance.

Some of the best moments of The Mistress Contract do occur during some of the more heated debates. They deliberately bait each other, and one or the other frequently mentions how irritated s/he is getting or how the other keeps changing the subject. While the topics themselves may have been planned, their reactions to the discussions come across as completely genuine. It is a refreshing reminder that relationships are not about agreeing with one's partner 100 percent of the time and that healthy debate is necessary for a healthy relationship founded on mutual respect.

Had I not had such clear expectations about The Mistress Contract before I ever opened the book, I doubt I would have had such a strong negative reaction to it. However, I did, and my opinion of what the book actually contained is now forever tainted by those previous ideas. In trying to set aside my disappointment, I could not overcome the feeling that no one talks like they do in the book, and that every detail of the book was pre-planned as a huge publicity stunt. The Mistress Contract did not feel genuine, and I cannot help but feel that there was a huge lost opportunity for the couple to share more about the whys of their relationship rather than their thoughts on male-female relationships.

Acknowledgements: Thank you to NetGalley and Alexa Villanueva from Unbridled Books for my e-galley!(less)

like · see review

Sep 29, 2011 Sonya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

This book is a series of edited transcripts of recorded conversations between She and He, people who have entered into a sexual contract wherein She becomes the sexual property of He and in return is provided with her own home and money. That being said, the book's discussions are political, psychological, and philosophical in nature; the Contract looms in the background of discussions but is not explicit in all of the transcripts. Like all dialectical pieces, you can't skim this book. If you're...more

like · see review

Feb 12, 2012 Joni Rodgers rated it 5 of 5 stars

I’ll admit it, curiosity — prurient interest even — kicked it straight to the top of my TBR pile. I inhaled it, stumbled gobsmacked around the grocery store for an hour, then returned home and inhaled it again.

The book opens with the document which we're told the anonymous author actually sent to her wealthy lover in the 1980s. A single page generated on an old-school typewriter, it pitches a straightforward deal: He will provide adequate accommodations for her and cover her living expenses. She...more I’ll admit it, curiosity — prurient interest even — kicked it straight to the top of my TBR pile. I inhaled it, stumbled gobsmacked around the grocery store for an hour, then returned home and inhaled it again.

The book opens with the document which we're told the anonymous author actually sent to her wealthy lover in the 1980s. A single page generated on an old-school typewriter, it pitches a straightforward deal: He will provide adequate accommodations for her and cover her living expenses. She will provide 1) all housekeeping duties and 2) “all sexual acts as requested, with suspension of historical, emotional, psychological disclaimers.” For the duration of the agreement, She will be his “sexual property.” Party the second, we’re told, promptly telephoned to accept the proposal.

What follows is part performance art, part character study, part Socratic dialogue. We’re told that we’re reading the transcribed conversations of He and She, recorded while they were in the car, at restaurants, and yes, in bed. He and She are fully aware that the reader is in bed with them. (The recording device takes on the personality of something purchased from AdamandEve.com.) Even when the conversation is about literature, politics, power, and other far flung topics, the context of the talk and the electric connection between He and She creates a deeply sexy environment in which disbelief and political correctness are quickly suspended.

What shocks in The Mistress Contract is the discourse, not the intercourse. The Foucault, not the f#@king. As He and She go at it with the brainy chemistry of Beatrice and Benedick, the naked opinions expressed about men, women, and feminism are challenging, frequently infuriating, thought-provoking and just plain provoking, witty, poignant, and astonishingly progressive, considering the context of the recordings. (Think “telex” as opposed to email.)

I was warned and I agree that this book is going to make people want to throw things — most notably the book itself — and it sparked heated dialogue between me and my husband, between me and my daughter, between me and the guy sitting next to me for three hours at the drivers license office. This will be the brave selection that turns book club to Fight Club. Most important, it ignited heated dialogue with myself, made me ask unsettling questions and struggle with unexpected answers as a woman and an artist. If this book doesn't make you think - and rethink - darling, candidly, you need to get laid, preferably by a smart person.

The anonymous author (I have my theory) and publisher (Unbridled Books) definitely get an A for audacity. I have my thoughts about various ideological particulars and some opinions about the origins of the book, but I’ll reserve these until The Mistress Contract comes out in October, at which time I hope you’ll all buy the heck out of it, read it cover to cover in one sitting, and fling it at someone you love.(less)

like · see review

May 16, 2013 Anna Seckman rated it 1 of 5 stars

blehhhhhhhhh.

like · see review

Jun 14, 2012 Amanda rated it 2 of 5 stars

Didn't finish. It wasn't my cup of tea.

like · see review

Oct 05, 2011 Autumn rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: in-kindle

It was just not my particular cup of tea.

like · see review

Apr 01, 2013 Gina marked it as to-read

Mar 30, 2013 Jaajmom rated it 5 of 5 stars

Mar 18, 2013 Alexia Leetz marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Mar 15, 2013 Mairi marked it as to-read

Jan 23, 2013 Dana marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Jan 21, 2013 Melissa D'andrea rated it 3 of 5 stars

Dec 14, 2012 Jennifer marked it as to-read

Shelves: non-fiction

Oct 30, 2012 The Meet Cute marked it as to-read

Shelves: bookclub-ideas

Sep 21, 2012 Megan (Book Brats) marked it as wishlist

Sep 03, 2012 Christopher rated it 1 of 5 stars

Aug 28, 2012 Sam marked it as to-read

Shelves: to-read-nonfiction

Aug 20, 2012 Unbridled Books marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Aug 13, 2012 Dominique marked it as to-read

Jan 30, 2013 Jae marked it as added-in-2012

Shelves: indie-books

Apr 24, 2012 Susan Allspaw marked it as to-read

Apr 20, 2012 Shannon marked it as to-read

Apr 11, 2012 Nancy Angus rated it 2 of 5 stars

Mar 21, 2013 Heather marked it as to-read-do-not-own

Mar 30, 2012 Maegan marked it as to-read

Shelves: non-fiction

Jan 06, 2012 Margaux marked it as to-read

Jan 02, 2012 Dani marked it as to-read

Jan 02, 2012 Jaime Abbess marked it as to-read

Dec 27, 2011 Glucose Johnny marked it as to-read

« previous 1 2 3 4 next »

See top shelves...

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Mistress Cont...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: The Mistress Contract
avg rating	preview: The Mistress Contract Goodreads rating: 2.47 (15 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11465499-the-mistress-contract?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344683134l/11465499.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11465499-the-mistress-contract?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Mistress Contract by She and He[/url]

The Mistress Contract

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (1)

Genres

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About The Mistress Cont...

The Mistress Contract

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (1)

Genres

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About The Mistress Cont...

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (1)