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158th out of 194 books
—
73 voters
Callgirl: Confessions of an Ivy League Lady of Pleasure
by
Jeannette Angell (Goodreads Author)
A revealing, unflinching, memoir of a university professor by day and callgirl by night At the age of thirty-four, adjunct professor Jeannette Angell discovered that her boyfriend had not only dumped her but had also taken off with all of her money. Left with crushing debt, Jeannette did what any desperate person would do -- she looked for work.
With multiple academic degre...more
With multiple academic degre...more
Paperback, 248 pages
Published
April 1st 2005
by Harper Perennial
(first published January 1st 2004)
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May 05, 2013
MAP
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
who-knows-if-its-fact-or-fiction
I learned two things from this book, and neither of them were about the sex industry.
The first one is this:
Jeannette Angell (or the character she plays in this book) thinks -- no, scratch that, she KNOWS -- that she is smarter than you. Than me. Than everyone who's going to pick up this book. She constantly mentions how educated she is (two masters and a difficult PhD!), name drops lecturing at places like MIT and Harvard, and never misses a chance to mention what an AMAZING teacher she is. It's...more
The first one is this:
Jeannette Angell (or the character she plays in this book) thinks -- no, scratch that, she KNOWS -- that she is smarter than you. Than me. Than everyone who's going to pick up this book. She constantly mentions how educated she is (two masters and a difficult PhD!), name drops lecturing at places like MIT and Harvard, and never misses a chance to mention what an AMAZING teacher she is. It's...more
8 likes · like · see review
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Good book although it was a little bit "preachy" in certain areas. The author states over and over again that not all callgirls are sex-crazed and often are working for financial gain vs. simply fulfilling their sexual needs – which makes me wonder is she trying to convince the reader or herself? It was an enjoyable read and very informative but occasionally it felt as if I was reading a lecture instead of a memoir.
Halfway to 100 for 2010; this was the 50th book I've read this year, and a good one at that. So far, it's the most illuminating first-person account of prostitution I've read. In the '90s, Angell turned to working for what she calls a "mid-level escort service" -- something halfway between streewalkers and pimps on the lower rung and the most exclusive escort services for the most wealthy clients at the top level. As adjunct sociology lecturer at a Boston-area college, trying to get her foot in...more
1 like · like · see review
What started off as a strategic way to cope with financial crisis as her boyfriend had taken off with all her money, became an insightful journey into the world of getting cash for companionship as she delves into the sex industry. As a holder of multiple academic degrees and a doctorate, her inquisitive mind propels her to explore the depths of her new part-time job, which even lead to her teaching a course called The History and Sociology of Prostitution, after which she would head home to get...more
It's ironic that a woman who complains of the grammar of others has at least 4 typos present in her own book. Yikes. I've read a number of these sociological/anthropological memoirs by former prostitutes or strippers. It was a very interesting read, Angell's tone is slightly more academic than most, but she details enough of her sexual encounters to keep it interesting. Most of the women (and men) who write books on this subject try to show how different they are from the others that do this kin...more
I found this one while I was tidying the shelves. The Circ person who checked it out for me asked if I was considering a new career. Hah. This is a fascinating look into the world of “pay for sex,” if you can get over Angell’s agonizing page-after-page-after-page justifications and her battering-ram insistence that being a a callgirl is no different than being a waitress, postal worker, or any other delivery type business. She’s simply selling a product. Sex is just sex. Sex with a client is dif...more
Since watching the first few eps of "Secret Diary of a Callgirl" with Billie Piper, I've been pretty enamored of books about sex workers. So when I saw this one sitting on Da's pile, I borrowed it. It was pretty good, though my big complaint is that she used the word "frisson" far, far too much when other words would have worked just fine; it almost sounds like she's trying to belabor the point that she is as educated as she is. Very interesting. The front cover says, "If you were offered the sa...more
I don't really know why I bought this book--it was quite some time ago, so the reasons have slipped my mind. Anyway, this was interesting. It's a memoir by a PhD whose work as an adjunct professor (yes, at Harvard, among other schools) didn't pay the bills (surprise, surprise), so she became a high-priced "escort" on the side.
The book was certainly entertaining, as you can imagine. It provides a good snapshot of what her life was like and discusses a number of pertinent issues related to prosti...more
The book was certainly entertaining, as you can imagine. It provides a good snapshot of what her life was like and discusses a number of pertinent issues related to prosti...more
i liked this book a lot. it is the story of an educated woman who is a college professor by day, but takes a job as a call girl at night to pay the bills. she is in her 30s and it goes into great detail about all of the things she goes through... very interesting indeed. a great read...
Interesting enough read, a little rude in places but this book explores more than her life as a call girl. It explores what made her start the oldest profession in the world, the experiences to be had ( good and bad) , her life as a teacher and how she got out of it.
Pretty realistic depiction. Zero understanding of drug use, though. The chapter that covers it is pure melodrama. & I'd never have put up w/her second, sadistic client--it makes me sad + infuriated to even read about it.
When writing a book about being a prostitute, perhaps don't act so superior to OTHER working girls. She came off as a total self-obsessed jerk. Plus, the writing was poor so I'm not so sure why she was teaching anywhere.
Beznadzieja. Sugestja jakoby prostytucja byla sposobem na samodowartosciowanie. Najzwyklejszy w swiecie, nieslusznie potepiany przez ograniczona ludzkosci sposob na problemy finansowe kazdej kobiety. Sic!
I really enjoyed this book. I read it a few years ago when I was doing some research, entertaining and enlightening. I've always found it so interesting to hear about the life experiences of others.
This was fascinating - the story of a college teacher's years in the mid-90s spent working as a prostitute, while at the same time teaching a class on the history of prostitution. Intelligently written and thoughtful - I found it really difficult to put down, and her thoughts on the differences in the way men and women approach sex in the context of sex work really struck me. Unfortunately, as the author notes, while she had a relatively good experience as a sex worker, there are many women who...more
fascinating and thought-provoking, and a very gripping read, though it really made me want to debate the author!
a very interesting read. an insight into a different world. very recommendable.
Jan 08, 2008
Frogger_the_mad
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Frogger_the_mad by:
Xoop
Shelves:
read-in-2008
Xoop got this from the library and passed it on to me because he thought I'd find it interesting. This book is a first person account of an educated and intelligent woman who spent 3 years working by day as a college lecturer and by night as a mid-level escort. The book has a nice balance of anecdotal stories and personal insights, and I found it very hard to put down. I read it in a day and a half, and wasn't tempted to put it aside to stitch even once. Having said that, I don't see this as a b...more
Absolutely loved this book. I think the sociology and anthropology of this topic was perfectly told by the author. Anecdotal, real, and humanizing to a subject that has such a biased past.
I really enjoyed that.
True story of a double life, this book gives an unique perspective on the call girl profession, its social status, acceptance and recognition, all delivered by a girl who has a doctorate in social anthropology and was a call girl for 3 years.
The book is funny at times, but mostly riveting and intriguing, and provides some crude reflection on society in general, what is deemed acceptable, and how at some level we all struggle to fit the mould.
True story of a double life, this book gives an unique perspective on the call girl profession, its social status, acceptance and recognition, all delivered by a girl who has a doctorate in social anthropology and was a call girl for 3 years.
The book is funny at times, but mostly riveting and intriguing, and provides some crude reflection on society in general, what is deemed acceptable, and how at some level we all struggle to fit the mould.
Ivy-league professor and world traveller... and callgirl?
This book presents a unique and intesely interesting portrait of a woman who worked as a professor by day and a callgirl by night, told by the woman who actually lived it. Beyond the sheer shock-value of the book, there is an interesting look into prostitution throughout history, class, age and gender as relating to sexuality, as well as a look at the drug-scene that many callgirls find themselves trapped in.
This book presents a unique and intesely interesting portrait of a woman who worked as a professor by day and a callgirl by night, told by the woman who actually lived it. Beyond the sheer shock-value of the book, there is an interesting look into prostitution throughout history, class, age and gender as relating to sexuality, as well as a look at the drug-scene that many callgirls find themselves trapped in.
Really interesting story, but I felt Angell's prose both didactic and maybe even a little boring (well, not really boring, she's just not a spectacular writer). This isn't a literary novel I realize but Angell is no Mary Karr or Dorothy Allison, either. I'm glad she wrote this book, and hope lots of people find it, so I don't mean to sound too negative. I've got to give it 1 star, though, because for me the writing marred the pleasure of the subject matter.
Who would have thought that a book about a professor moonlighting as a callgirl could be long and boring. Angel has managed that feat and more. She spends most of the time complaining that all prostitutes are stereotyped as various things (while frequently engaging in these stereotypical behaviors) yet she generalizes the entire male population as one giant stereotype. She's frequently insulting and just plain a poor writer. Go read something else.
I enjoyed this book, though I expected to dislike it. I went in to it already with the misconception that prostitutes are all just easy and looking for sex to break up marriages all to make a buck, but the author painted an entirely different picture, and she won me over. She even changed my way of thinking entirely. Now, as a feminist I appreciate her bravery for telling her story, and for changing my mind.
Poor language, poor story line. Purely written for commercial purposes.
Not what i would call erotica more of a story of a womans life as a call girl and such.
The most funny paragraph in the whole book is when she says she is on a call getting it from behind whilst leaning over a counter watching the fish go around this guys fish tank. That bit really made me laugh like haha marriage is just like that lay down and stare at the ceiling the sex is that good haha
The most funny paragraph in the whole book is when she says she is on a call getting it from behind whilst leaning over a counter watching the fish go around this guys fish tank. That bit really made me laugh like haha marriage is just like that lay down and stare at the ceiling the sex is that good haha
I liked the idea of this book, but at about the halfway point I really started to dislike her. I can't really put my finger on why, but I think it's how she described her abilities as a teacher despite a borderline coke and booze problem and kind of a lack of self-awareness. IDK, she came across and haughty, even though she was trying to be self-effacing. Strange, strange book.
A woman's true story about being a callgirl in Boston in the late 90's and a Ph.D by day. I'm not sure what I'd expected but it fell short. Certainly it was interesting, but somehow surprisingly dry, perhaps too academic. Sometimes I felt like I was reading a factual non-emotional account of events, when what I wanted to know was how she felt about her experiences.
Interesting book- the author is not a particularly great writer and could have used a better editor. However, the subject matter is pretty interesting and it certainly got my book club talking. There are some big gaps in the storyline and it leaves you with lots of questions.
This book is not what I expected from an Ivy League lecturer, but it's interesting enough. It's well written (at least compared to every other escort written book I've read-and Erica Jong) and it gives some insight to the business conducted by back-page level call girls.
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Jeannette Angell's wide range of interests is clearly evident in her books: Légende, Wings, and Flight are all historical novels; The Illusionist is a contemporary mainstream novel; her most recent book, Madam, is a memoir; and she is currently working on a literary novel.
So what is the connection?
"What I'm interested in exploring," says Angell, "is the complex nature of people. We're none of us...more
More about Jeannette Angell...
So what is the connection?
"What I'm interested in exploring," says Angell, "is the complex nature of people. We're none of us...more
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