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The Book for Dangerous Women: A Guide to Modern Life
The Book for Dangerous Women is a sly, elegant encyclopedia of practical wisdom by three women who know a bit about life and bring their myriad experiences to bear on topics such as marriage, infidelity, motherhood, sex, fashion, friendship, work, and self-discovery.
More than 500 entries of sage advice show us how to get through life with a little grace and a lot of fun. From how to accept compliments, to when to wear “cami-knickers,” to how to deal with ambivalence (toward lovers, friends or foes), and just why ample proportions and owning a cat and a fancy dress are more fulfilling than sex. Like a dictionary, topics are cross-referenced and many include insights from the famed and Oscar Wilde, Coco Chanel, Mae West, Kurt Vonnegut, Even Ensler, Camus, Anais Nin, and Shakespeare. A typical progression of entries Affairs, Age, Arrangements, Bananas, Beauty, and Beds, followed by Bereavement, Birthdays, BFs, Blueberries, and Bolt Holes.
From those conversations and counseling sessions with your mother, sisters, daughters, and friends to those moments in modern life that only women can understand, The Book for Dangerous Women is the grown-up and contemporary reference book every woman needs.
More than 500 entries of sage advice show us how to get through life with a little grace and a lot of fun. From how to accept compliments, to when to wear “cami-knickers,” to how to deal with ambivalence (toward lovers, friends or foes), and just why ample proportions and owning a cat and a fancy dress are more fulfilling than sex. Like a dictionary, topics are cross-referenced and many include insights from the famed and Oscar Wilde, Coco Chanel, Mae West, Kurt Vonnegut, Even Ensler, Camus, Anais Nin, and Shakespeare. A typical progression of entries Affairs, Age, Arrangements, Bananas, Beauty, and Beds, followed by Bereavement, Birthdays, BFs, Blueberries, and Bolt Holes.
From those conversations and counseling sessions with your mother, sisters, daughters, and friends to those moments in modern life that only women can understand, The Book for Dangerous Women is the grown-up and contemporary reference book every woman needs.
328 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2011
17 people are currently reading
311 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 7, 2015
This is the best book I've ever read. Hands down. I now consider it a bible for me to refer to and live by. I will read it over again. Absolutely fantastic.
May 11, 2017
This was a fun read, written in dictionary format by three British career women "of a certain age" who share their sage advice for rolling with the punches of life. Sample entries include: "Wankers" (avoid them); "Handstands" (do them regularly!) and "Facial acupuncture" (try in lieu of a face lift), etc.
August 8, 2012
A practical book of advice by 3 British women. Cleverly written and humorous. Really enjoyed it!
May 31, 2015
Ditched this book at a rental cottage. What a waste of time.
May 1, 2014
witty humorous and informative. A worthwhile read
July 14, 2015
Loved it!
January 4, 2024
I read all of A and B and couldn’t get past C.
This book is definitely not for me . The bits I liked with the quotes, so essentially the writing of other people and not the authors. The advice of the authors is either blatantly obvious or baffling as to why they gave that particular advice.
I put the book down and donated it to the bookshelf in the local train station when they spoke about cancelling Christmas or “encouraging your lazy parents to join in” with charity work- I was always taught to respect my parents and in my culture we don’t call our parents lazy. It was at this point that I thought these authors are not on the same level as me in any way, shape or form.
To add these women also seem to encourage and condone having affairs, and also state that no woman likes football, because they genuinely have an interest in it and it’s all because they’re trying to impress a man . They also seem to have a blanket umbrella roll that every woman must come to enjoy being around babies, whether it’s their own or someone else’s.
In my view, the authors are not modern women, but possibly prehistoric women.
This book is definitely not for me . The bits I liked with the quotes, so essentially the writing of other people and not the authors. The advice of the authors is either blatantly obvious or baffling as to why they gave that particular advice.
I put the book down and donated it to the bookshelf in the local train station when they spoke about cancelling Christmas or “encouraging your lazy parents to join in” with charity work- I was always taught to respect my parents and in my culture we don’t call our parents lazy. It was at this point that I thought these authors are not on the same level as me in any way, shape or form.
To add these women also seem to encourage and condone having affairs, and also state that no woman likes football, because they genuinely have an interest in it and it’s all because they’re trying to impress a man . They also seem to have a blanket umbrella roll that every woman must come to enjoy being around babies, whether it’s their own or someone else’s.
In my view, the authors are not modern women, but possibly prehistoric women.
January 23, 2025
Previously a person who always finished a book once started, I no longer am willing to waste my time.
I was excited by the opening quotations including Ai Weiwei and Toni Morrison but this was icing on a slice of stale white bread.
50 pages in I have enough of a flavour of the book. I loved the Dangerous Books series for children as it was full of history and activities. This book had an opportunity to do the same for women, empowering women to be all we can be. Instead there are rules for how to have an affair properly. Booze, Boredom and Bores share a page with but a quote or vs. and no content. Green living has but a paragraph. I so wanted actual content and sage wisdom and instead got upper class British fluff. Pass.
I was excited by the opening quotations including Ai Weiwei and Toni Morrison but this was icing on a slice of stale white bread.
50 pages in I have enough of a flavour of the book. I loved the Dangerous Books series for children as it was full of history and activities. This book had an opportunity to do the same for women, empowering women to be all we can be. Instead there are rules for how to have an affair properly. Booze, Boredom and Bores share a page with but a quote or vs. and no content. Green living has but a paragraph. I so wanted actual content and sage wisdom and instead got upper class British fluff. Pass.
May 6, 2020
This is a fun book and an entertaining read. Set in alphabetical order, this encyclopedia of practical knowledge covers items like marriage, child raising,friendship, sex, work, self discovery, fashion, and many more in a witty format meant to entertain and educate in a quick and concise way. The range of topics is huge, but each entry is written to prove that no matter what the situation, there is fun, grace, and dignity in all aspects of a woman's life. This contemporary reference book gives the advice and knowledge every woman needs to understand.
xx-dnf-skim-reference
September 12, 2025500 entries in 328 pp? Yeah, they're pretty darn brief. Maybe they'd appeal to a 20-something. But I bounced around trying to find something for me and I guess at 60-something I must have completely outgrown it. No index. Seems a bit too British? Not recommended, even to younger women, as the advice bits I did read seemed trite, like they wouldn't have interested me even four decades ago.
Sept. 2025
Sept. 2025
October 2, 2018
Nice & intersted book with easy steps to be followed.
March 16, 2024
Interesting. A chic little book for your coffee table with clever little tidbits to amuse and confuse. Imagine if your worldly lady friend sat down and wrote an a tidbit of advice about everything.
December 25, 2024
I mostly skimmed since a lot was random or not related to my life
May 20, 2020
Honestly, I don't even know where this came from, only that it's been on my shelf for a while so I might as well read it then unhaul it. I wasn't a big fan. I did not find it funny nor life-altering.
August 15, 2012
Cute book written by several cheeky British ladies so you get the idea. It is formatted in a style of an encyclopedia so if you are looking for a book to just 'read' you may hate this. Even if you don't agree with all of their witty advice most ladies should enjoy the romp through topics as diverse as post-natal depression, sex, love, imitating French actresses, control freaks, courtesy, and handwritten letters.
Example excerpt taken from the section on letter "D"
"Dilation"
(pupils)
If your pupils are dilating it may be to do with shock or pain or fabulous sex or it may be that you have taken too many recreational drugs. If the latter, it's a telltale sign easily spotted by canny teenagers and inquisitive bosses. Expensive sunglasses are helpful in these circumstances or you could just ease up on the hallucinogenics.
"Dishwashers"
Many people spend more time loading and unloading the dishwasher than having sex. This is unwise.
Example excerpt taken from the section on letter "D"
"Dilation"
(pupils)
If your pupils are dilating it may be to do with shock or pain or fabulous sex or it may be that you have taken too many recreational drugs. If the latter, it's a telltale sign easily spotted by canny teenagers and inquisitive bosses. Expensive sunglasses are helpful in these circumstances or you could just ease up on the hallucinogenics.
"Dishwashers"
Many people spend more time loading and unloading the dishwasher than having sex. This is unwise.
September 29, 2012
I saw the title at the library and couldn't resist a book that was all flowery and pink, yet boasted that it was a guide for dangerous women. It didn't compute in my little brain. Anyway, the book was fairly good. It basically takes lots of topics and defines them for the modern woman, with most being on average a paragraph in length. That said, it was a good book to carry around for the five minutes here or there sitting in waiting rooms, because it is possible to make good progress without having to remember a plot line or keep characters straight. But if you are looking for a high energy guide to dangerous living, you might want to pass over this title for something about zip lining in Belize or cliff diving in Mexico, because the most dangerous thing about this book was looking silly carrying around a pink flowery book and someone wanting to beat you up because they think you are a wimpy girl.
July 29, 2012
This is a dictionary of thoughts and opinions by three women who share their myriad experiences to bear on topics such as marriage, infidelity, motherhood, sex, fashion, friendship, work, and self-discovery. Besides their own thoughts the authors share insights from famous and some infamous folks: Oscar Wilde, Coco Chanel, Mae West, Anais Nin and Shakespeare to name a few. Entries are alphabetical and cross-referenced by topic.
I didn't agree with everything the ladies had to say, but some of it made me laugh out loud, some was thought provoking and it would definitely start lots of conversations especially among a group of female friends or at a book club.
I didn't agree with everything the ladies had to say, but some of it made me laugh out loud, some was thought provoking and it would definitely start lots of conversations especially among a group of female friends or at a book club.
July 28, 2012
The formatting of the book initially made me want to put it down but I moved forward and I'm glad I did. This is written by three British women and I enjoyed the "direct" and witty viewpoints on the various subjects. I really appreciated the affirming thoughts and ideas within and now I'm craving a good cup of tea....
August 20, 2013
Divertido, irreverente, verdadeiro, sem papas na língua, as autoras dizem o que têm a dizer com frontalidade e com perspicácia. Um óptimo guião para as mulheres que desejam ultrapassar em segurança "a selva" que o nosso século representa. Lê-se rapidamente e a linguagem é muito simples, com maravilhosas citações. Recomendo ;)
August 14, 2013
Um livro que, à partida parecia consistir numa série de piadas sobre coisas do dia-a-dia mas que, na verdade, consiste num conjunto de conselhos sérios sobre coisas que interessam à maioria das pessoas, polvilhados com algumas frases célebres. Um livro interessante mas longe de genial.
October 22, 2013
Check our opinion here: http://flamesmr.blogspot.pt/2013/08/l...
January 30, 2018
Looked promising but was mostly full of silly smut best not printed.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews