Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
100th out of 261 books
—
180 voters
Mayflower Madam: The Secret Life of Sydney Biddle Barrows
With flair, humor, and style, Sydney Biddle Barrows tells the whole intriguing story of how she merged business and sex to create Cachetthe escort service of choice among rich, powerful, and prominent men. Adapting business management methods of the 1980s to the world's oldest profession, in this frank, surprising, and insightful, book, Ms. Barrows emerges as a woman who...more
Hardcover, 291 pages
Published
April 1st 1989
by Arbor House Publishing
(first published 1987)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
253)
Besides being poorly written, this book is just a sugar coated look at the world of prostitution. Kind of the "Pretty Woman" of literature, but not nearly as entertaining.
This book is repetitive to say the least. It seems to me that most of the descriptions of what the girls did (and to whom) was discussed over and over and over again. It got boring.
My other issue with the book is it's constant protestations that prostitution is just a business and a victimless crime. If the man is single, why...more
This book is repetitive to say the least. It seems to me that most of the descriptions of what the girls did (and to whom) was discussed over and over and over again. It got boring.
My other issue with the book is it's constant protestations that prostitution is just a business and a victimless crime. If the man is single, why...more
Reading Sydney's memoir has further convinced me that prostitution needs to be legalized. No matter how many laws you make, this business is obviously not deterred and in the end it bogs down the court system. I think Sydney said it best in the book when she said "A call girl is simply a woman who hates poverty more than she hates sin." Legalizing prostitution would allow the industry to set standards and make it safter for all those who participate. I really respected that Sydney saw how appall...more
A fascinating book about the woman with a high society background who ended up becoming a madam to high-priced call girls. She makes some great points about the idiocy behind enforcement of anti-prostitution laws, plus, how often do you get a view of this strange world?
Oct 23, 2012
Patty
added it
I read this when I was 13. Found it in my mom's bedroom. Taught me everything I needed to know about sex. I think I read it cover to cover about 5 times.
Read this in high school. The fact that the pimp of this expensive prostitution ring was a blue-blooded women with old family ancestors didn't impress me.
This was the only thing on the shelf where I stayed, and proved to be a pretty good book on how to run a business. Not very interesting otherwise....
This was a really good, well written book. It was funny. Barrows tells how she ran her own escort serive for five years. Actually, I loved the book.
A rollicking good read by some one who is,m apparently, a distant cousin. You go Sydney!
Although I didn't approve of her "business", I must admit I was captivated by her story.
Really interesting look into an escort business, but repetitive and a bit too... moralizing, believe it or not.
gotta love a scandal!
Amazing tale of a woman who ran an out-call service as if it were any other business, and how she succeeded. Her employees were well treated (to the point where they could refuse calls that made them uncomfortable) and well paid, and by concentrating on quality instead of quality she made a solid business. In my mind, this book is further proof that sex work doesn't have to be nasty, illicit and degrading and that this should be completely legal.
I read this book when I was in college. Did my mom have a copy or did I pick it up used somewhere? I duuno, but reading about high class prostitution was really titilating. I remember the prostitutes were required to wear business/professional clothes so they did not stand out as whores, with really tasteful yet sexy underwear.
This is up there with "Mommie Dearest" and "Monica's Story" for delivering the goods, and damn well -- no frills, no fuss, just good old-fashioned engrossing, horrifying, salacious smut. There's a certain poetry to it, isn't it? No, there isn't. That's what makes it good.
May 17, 2013
Miyoshi
added it
May 10, 2013
Ken
added it
Apr 25, 2013
Kim Ramsey coate
marked it as to-read
Apr 14, 2013
Kevin
added it
Apr 10, 2013
Angel
marked it as to-read
Apr 09, 2013
Stephanie
added it
Apr 06, 2013
Sylvia Mcdaniel
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
