What do you think?
Rate this book
There's a Bear in There
This behind-the-scenes look at life in a brothel is told with a lively sense of the absurd and an understanding of human frailty.
332 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
6 people are currently reading
128 people want to read
About the author
Merridy Eastman
3 books7 followersMerridy Eastman is a writer and actress who lives in Sydney with her German husband Tom, and their son Henry.
A NIDA graduate, Merridy has performed in a swag of productions for the Melbourne and Sydney Theatre Companies and spent several summers leaping about botanical gardens across Australia, bringing Shakespeare to the masses. As well as being an ex Play School presenter, Merridy has also had major roles in Neighbours, Blue Heelers, Always Greener, and can currently be seen playing the neurotic Donna on Channel Seven’s Packed to the Rafters.
In 2002, Merridy wrote the best seller There’s A Bear In There (And He Wants Swedish) followed in 2006 by Ridiculous Expectations. She was a contributing writer for Breast Wishes the musical (2008), and consequently featured in Penguin’s anthology Thanks For the Mammaries (2009). Merridy’s third book in the memoir trilogy, How Now Brown Frau (2011), tells the story of her biggest adventure so far, waking up one morning married, pregnant and without a word of German under her belt, living in Bavaria.
A NIDA graduate, Merridy has performed in a swag of productions for the Melbourne and Sydney Theatre Companies and spent several summers leaping about botanical gardens across Australia, bringing Shakespeare to the masses. As well as being an ex Play School presenter, Merridy has also had major roles in Neighbours, Blue Heelers, Always Greener, and can currently be seen playing the neurotic Donna on Channel Seven’s Packed to the Rafters.
In 2002, Merridy wrote the best seller There’s A Bear In There (And He Wants Swedish) followed in 2006 by Ridiculous Expectations. She was a contributing writer for Breast Wishes the musical (2008), and consequently featured in Penguin’s anthology Thanks For the Mammaries (2009). Merridy’s third book in the memoir trilogy, How Now Brown Frau (2011), tells the story of her biggest adventure so far, waking up one morning married, pregnant and without a word of German under her belt, living in Bavaria.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
August 18, 2017
Pleasant enough. Not inspired enough to recommend it to people. Felt increasingly sad for a bunch of the individuals described.
October 13, 2020
Audiobook book version is absolutely hilarious.
January 14, 2021
Merridy Eastman, an actress, went from a Playschool presenter to a receptionist at a brothel during a low acting work phase. Listened to this as an audio book read by Merridy. Loved her humour, compassion for the girls and fellow workers and her shining a light on a different side of life.
August 28, 2012
See this review and more on The Moonlight Library!
I’ll admit, I didn’t recognise Merridy Eastman’s face or name prior to the end of this book where she reveals she got a job on the one TV show mentioned that I actually watched (Always Greener). Her stint on Playschool was before my time, and I’ve never sat through an episode of Blue Heelers or managed to see her in the countless other programs and commercials namedropped in. I wasn’t a fan of hers. What drew me to the memoir was the fact that it was about a brothel. I’ve read another fascinating prostitute memoir called In My Skin by Kate Holden, which I love. Eastman’s memoir doesn’t compare, because she never sells her own body, but it is still an interesting read.
The memoir is told as a collection of linear anecdotes from the day Eastman found out about the receptionist job to the day she quits for her aforementioned acting job. On the cover it claims it’s the story of ‘how my brilliant career went from Playschool to brothel receptionist.’ It’s slightly misleading. Eastman was apparently on Playschool in the Eighties, and the events of this novel happened around the turn of the century. It’s not ‘how my career turned’ but ‘what I did to survive.’ Eastman has an easy way of writing and a fantastic sense of humour. Her prose is friendly and a pleasure to read.
I think the most difficult thing about this book is the fact that Eastman is constantly an outsider to the goings-on of the prostitutes. She’s desperate to be friends with them – for unspecified reasons – and she openly admires them. There’s never any disrespect, even for the nasty ladies. There’s a lot of pity for the ones who can’t find work (translation: men will not choose to pay to have sex with them). There’s a lot of exasperation for the expensive ladies who get a lot of clients but hate the job and won’t quit. There’s a mix of pity and revulsion for the clients desperate enough and brave enough to enter a brothel or ring up an escort line asking for a woman they will pay to have sex with. Even though Eastman comes face to face with lots of clients, the focus is always more on the working girls.
Overall I enjoyed this memoir. It’s not quite what I expected on account of being only about the job, not the journey to the job, and mostly focusing on the women instead of reflecting more on the clients. For that kind of prostitute memoir, I recommend the aforementioned In My Skin by Kate Holden. But since Eastman’s prose was clean and her sense of humour and friendliness evident within these pages, I do want to read her two other memoirs, Ridiculous Expectations: Or How To Find A Prince, and How Now Brown Frau.
My favourite part was where it was revealed that actual prostitutes were hired to play prostitutes in Moulin Rouge!
I’ll admit, I didn’t recognise Merridy Eastman’s face or name prior to the end of this book where she reveals she got a job on the one TV show mentioned that I actually watched (Always Greener). Her stint on Playschool was before my time, and I’ve never sat through an episode of Blue Heelers or managed to see her in the countless other programs and commercials namedropped in. I wasn’t a fan of hers. What drew me to the memoir was the fact that it was about a brothel. I’ve read another fascinating prostitute memoir called In My Skin by Kate Holden, which I love. Eastman’s memoir doesn’t compare, because she never sells her own body, but it is still an interesting read.
The memoir is told as a collection of linear anecdotes from the day Eastman found out about the receptionist job to the day she quits for her aforementioned acting job. On the cover it claims it’s the story of ‘how my brilliant career went from Playschool to brothel receptionist.’ It’s slightly misleading. Eastman was apparently on Playschool in the Eighties, and the events of this novel happened around the turn of the century. It’s not ‘how my career turned’ but ‘what I did to survive.’ Eastman has an easy way of writing and a fantastic sense of humour. Her prose is friendly and a pleasure to read.
I think the most difficult thing about this book is the fact that Eastman is constantly an outsider to the goings-on of the prostitutes. She’s desperate to be friends with them – for unspecified reasons – and she openly admires them. There’s never any disrespect, even for the nasty ladies. There’s a lot of pity for the ones who can’t find work (translation: men will not choose to pay to have sex with them). There’s a lot of exasperation for the expensive ladies who get a lot of clients but hate the job and won’t quit. There’s a mix of pity and revulsion for the clients desperate enough and brave enough to enter a brothel or ring up an escort line asking for a woman they will pay to have sex with. Even though Eastman comes face to face with lots of clients, the focus is always more on the working girls.
Overall I enjoyed this memoir. It’s not quite what I expected on account of being only about the job, not the journey to the job, and mostly focusing on the women instead of reflecting more on the clients. For that kind of prostitute memoir, I recommend the aforementioned In My Skin by Kate Holden. But since Eastman’s prose was clean and her sense of humour and friendliness evident within these pages, I do want to read her two other memoirs, Ridiculous Expectations: Or How To Find A Prince, and How Now Brown Frau.
My favourite part was where it was revealed that actual prostitutes were hired to play prostitutes in Moulin Rouge!
March 29, 2020
"Merridy Eastman was a playschool presenter for a time on Australian Television. As an actress, she has had roles in some of Australia's most well-known TV shows.
In between acting roles, Merridy was forced to find other employment. Unlike so many that join call centres or wait tables, she took a role as a night receptionist at a Sydney brothel. She spent 11 months in the role and ""There's a Bear In There"" is her memoir of those 11 months. Unlike other memoirs where you get sucked in only to find only a chapter or two is given to the title description, this whole book is dedicated to her time at the brothel. She brings you with her to work each she and you feel like you are meeting everyone as characters in a book.
Merridy is at
pains to show you that some women work as prostitutes because they WANT to and not due to the often thought reasons of an abused girl strung out, selling her body for another hit. She does not step around the drugs issue and it is clear that they are rampant even with the women she works for but that is not the overlying point.
These women are people too. Some are struggling for permanent housing, some do it because they like to feel like an elegant model, some fear they have nothing else, some are illegally in the country and others just wish they could find a good relationship and settle down. The joy of this book is the way that Merridy refuses to look down on them - often she argues with them over bookings made - but she talks to them and laughs with them as if they were lifelong friends. Perhaps this would be different if she was a highly successful rich actress, but then she would never need this job anyway.
I appreciated this book for being on such
a human level. Merridy, as a receptionist, was never privy to what went on in the hotel rooms she sent the girls too, but they would tell her if she asked. The thing is she does not resort to sordid details about sex and kinks and the like to get readers to buy her book. This book appeals to those her want to know the human side of the sex industry, not just the prostitutes but the drivers, brothel owners and other receptionists."
In between acting roles, Merridy was forced to find other employment. Unlike so many that join call centres or wait tables, she took a role as a night receptionist at a Sydney brothel. She spent 11 months in the role and ""There's a Bear In There"" is her memoir of those 11 months. Unlike other memoirs where you get sucked in only to find only a chapter or two is given to the title description, this whole book is dedicated to her time at the brothel. She brings you with her to work each she and you feel like you are meeting everyone as characters in a book.
Merridy is at
pains to show you that some women work as prostitutes because they WANT to and not due to the often thought reasons of an abused girl strung out, selling her body for another hit. She does not step around the drugs issue and it is clear that they are rampant even with the women she works for but that is not the overlying point.
These women are people too. Some are struggling for permanent housing, some do it because they like to feel like an elegant model, some fear they have nothing else, some are illegally in the country and others just wish they could find a good relationship and settle down. The joy of this book is the way that Merridy refuses to look down on them - often she argues with them over bookings made - but she talks to them and laughs with them as if they were lifelong friends. Perhaps this would be different if she was a highly successful rich actress, but then she would never need this job anyway.
I appreciated this book for being on such
a human level. Merridy, as a receptionist, was never privy to what went on in the hotel rooms she sent the girls too, but they would tell her if she asked. The thing is she does not resort to sordid details about sex and kinks and the like to get readers to buy her book. This book appeals to those her want to know the human side of the sex industry, not just the prostitutes but the drivers, brothel owners and other receptionists."
September 29, 2019
I must admit I listened to this book. One of the funniest things I have ever heard. I don't know how it would come across just in written form.
August 27, 2023
Poignant and very funny.
Read this. It's wonderful, and you feel as if you get to know the characters, too. What a crazy year.
Read this. It's wonderful, and you feel as if you get to know the characters, too. What a crazy year.
April 10, 2021
Merridy, invariably misnamed, transitions from actress to brothel receptionist when acting work dries up. She is soon so fascinated by the varied cast of characters that she largely forgets acting, despite a lack of admin skills that means she gets shouted at a lot especially by Boris, the madams German husband. Good humoured , she becomes accepted by fellow receptionists and the girls, and soon develops a soft spot for several of them, as well as the driver, Patrick.She is it seems, a little naive at the start, taking time to realise the girls don’t want to talk about the sex, and that quite a number have gay relationships including each other. Others are manipulative, and she gets caught out by girls cheating the owner.
They are portrayed as fascinating, funny but sad , to some extent victims of alcohol, drugs and gambling, and especially, ageing. But there through choice, and also tough, independent, and sometimes volatile and forceful. The girls don’t live in, most are escort only, and part time. There isn’t any violence, but some coercive shouting from Boris and the senior receptionist Sofia. There is even a sort of redemption for some when they acquire positive boyfriends.
She has to deal with the men at the door as well as clearing up and making bookings. The phone conversations are often hilarious. Many are nervous, as well as the drunks. Being tall seems to help dealing with them. The anecdotes are amusing and well told. I particularly enjoyed her coming straight from the brothel to meet distant Baptist family straight from church.
All in all, a very human portrait of a relatively civilised establishment.
They are portrayed as fascinating, funny but sad , to some extent victims of alcohol, drugs and gambling, and especially, ageing. But there through choice, and also tough, independent, and sometimes volatile and forceful. The girls don’t live in, most are escort only, and part time. There isn’t any violence, but some coercive shouting from Boris and the senior receptionist Sofia. There is even a sort of redemption for some when they acquire positive boyfriends.
She has to deal with the men at the door as well as clearing up and making bookings. The phone conversations are often hilarious. Many are nervous, as well as the drunks. Being tall seems to help dealing with them. The anecdotes are amusing and well told. I particularly enjoyed her coming straight from the brothel to meet distant Baptist family straight from church.
All in all, a very human portrait of a relatively civilised establishment.
December 13, 2022
DNF
Despite the authors easy conversional style, for the sake of my own mental health I had to stop reading this book.
Although this was written in the early 2000’s, it contains consistent slurs and othering of people working in the sex industry. The term sex worker did exist 20 years ago, and yet all co-workers are described as prostitutes in this book. The author goes on to describe people as fat,lazy, and stupid and paints a poor depiction of trans people throughout. This is an account of an experience written through the eyes of a very privileged and narrow minded young woman, who just happened to work on playschool some years ago. Why is one job any better than any another?
Nobody wants to read this negative solipsistic diatribe, unless you live in a white middle class bubble on the North Shore.
Think- Orwells down and out in Paris and London, yet written from the perspective of Joseph Conrad’s heart of Darkness.
Only nowhere near as well written.
Perhaps the author was thinking ‘ let’s slum it for a little while and then I can write a book about it’.
For some people, this is their world everyday.
Despite the authors easy conversional style, for the sake of my own mental health I had to stop reading this book.
Although this was written in the early 2000’s, it contains consistent slurs and othering of people working in the sex industry. The term sex worker did exist 20 years ago, and yet all co-workers are described as prostitutes in this book. The author goes on to describe people as fat,lazy, and stupid and paints a poor depiction of trans people throughout. This is an account of an experience written through the eyes of a very privileged and narrow minded young woman, who just happened to work on playschool some years ago. Why is one job any better than any another?
Nobody wants to read this negative solipsistic diatribe, unless you live in a white middle class bubble on the North Shore.
Think- Orwells down and out in Paris and London, yet written from the perspective of Joseph Conrad’s heart of Darkness.
Only nowhere near as well written.
Perhaps the author was thinking ‘ let’s slum it for a little while and then I can write a book about it’.
For some people, this is their world everyday.
November 13, 2023
It is amazing the path life takes. It is rarely how we planned in my experience. Merrily didn't think she'd end up as a receptionist, and I'll bet the women she met didn't plan to be prostitutes either.
This was certainly an entertaining book, and I listened to the audiobook that had the added benefit of Merridy reading. She was brilliant! Her sense of humour had me regularly laughing out loud.
My Goodreads star rating... ****
My Goodreads scale:
* waste of time
**filled in time
***good
****excellent
*****absolutely amazing
This was certainly an entertaining book, and I listened to the audiobook that had the added benefit of Merridy reading. She was brilliant! Her sense of humour had me regularly laughing out loud.
My Goodreads star rating... ****
My Goodreads scale:
* waste of time
**filled in time
***good
****excellent
*****absolutely amazing
September 26, 2021
The author, Merridy Eastman, who used to work on the children's TV programme Play School, gets a job as a receptionist at a Sydney brothel.
This new job is certainly a huge change from what she had previously been doing!
She learnt many new things (as did I as the reader) about what goes on in a brothel (apart from the obvious)!
I found the story to be interesting, but quite sad.
This new job is certainly a huge change from what she had previously been doing!
She learnt many new things (as did I as the reader) about what goes on in a brothel (apart from the obvious)!
I found the story to be interesting, but quite sad.
October 22, 2017
Surprisingly eye-opening and very entertaining....so glad I took the chance on it!
July 15, 2021
A peephole into behind the scenes at a brothel, and the impact of the choices that people make.
December 31, 2025
Very funny and with very likeable characters and interesting settings. A good holiday light read for when you have a few days off and want to relax.
December 29, 2020
Took me 2 months to read - funny, light-hearted and entertaining. A little different to my usual read but thoroughly enjoyed!
November 4, 2016
Those of a delicate sensibility might want to look away now...because Merridy Eastman's book There's A Bear In There (And He Wants Swedish) is a frank and honest look at the sex industry, told in autobiographical form from Merridy who went from clean-cut Play School presenter to brothel receptionist. Merridy spent over a year working with an in-house and escort service in Sydney. An out-of-work, or sporadically working, actor, and previous presenter on the well-known children's show Play School, Merridy accepted a job through Centrelink as a phone receptionist at the busy brothel, and had her eyes opened to the world of women who choose to make their living out of having sex with strangers. This is the story of her developing friendships with the sixty or seventy women who work there, the charged and often stressful atmosphere of the work environment, the requests from clients - ranging from the absurd and ridiculous to the sweet and generous, the brothel owners - tough but loyal, ruthless but caring, and the hilarious results of miscommunication, bizarre demands and a hectic pace. This book gives us a glimpse into the seedy and sad side of prostitution - the very young girls, the women addicted to drugs or alcohol, the violence and abuse they sometimes suffer. But it is also a commentary on women who choose this job voluntarily - women who are smart and savvy, and determined to make a lot of money very quickly in order to secure a nest egg for their future, or to care for their families. The story is peopled with charismatic and memorable characters, both working girls and the men who visit them. It is a story about how a nice girl from a nice family ended up working in a brothel, and walking the fine line between answering phones and resisting the temptation to 'cross over to the other side'. Also threaded into the story is her unsteady romance with Patrick, the brothel driver. The hilarious predicaments the women and clients get themselves into will make you laugh out loud; the sadness and despair they experience - both the women and the men - will make your heart contract. Thanks to Flickchicks for lending me this book that I might not ordinarily have picked up, but which has shown me an enlightening perspective on the human condition.
February 22, 2017
Amusing enough, but way too long for the amount of story.
June 6, 2025
Lots of fun. Why do I want to work as a receptionist in a brothel now?
February 5, 2015
At times I found this to be moving but it was also full of humour - both self depreciating and observational. Merridy Eastman writes with a caring but assertive manner. She was brave enough to question her own prejudices and values too. It felt honest. She describes the women (and men) in her book so intricately and with such flair that it feels as if you are also in the room with them or that you know them. I've read this book a couple of times now and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it; especially as it is a relatively quick read being about 330 pages and quite a page turner to boot.
The only negative is that she does reveal some dodgy dealings in the office which could have cost some jobs. I'm not sure that I would have included so many details of the collusion involved, as the potential fall out wouldn't necessarily only affect the madam and her husband.
I am keen to read Merridy Eastman's subsequent books.
The only negative is that she does reveal some dodgy dealings in the office which could have cost some jobs. I'm not sure that I would have included so many details of the collusion involved, as the potential fall out wouldn't necessarily only affect the madam and her husband.
I am keen to read Merridy Eastman's subsequent books.
June 24, 2017
One day late in the twentieth century an out of work Australian actor called Merridy Eastman took a job in a brothel as a receptionist. This is what she learned. There's a Bear in There and He wants Swedish, like the famous Australian novel name-dropped on the cover, is a bullshit-free zone. Like Miles Franklin, Eastman is funny, caring and not easily intimidated. She writes about her own life, is not afraid to be vulnerable, and is fair to the people she describes. Like Franklin, Eastman has a great ear for dialogue, is an excellent observer and has a prodigious vocabulary and a wicked sense of humour. And like Franklin, Eastman has created a new kind of Australian heroine. Unforgettable.
September 13, 2012
This book is about an unemployed Merridy Eastman, an actress in her forties who can't find an acting job so she decides she wants to try being a receptionist but little does she know, when she gets a job at a brothel how much she will love it, it's/her troubles and it's/her prostitutes. The book is very entertaining as their are so many interesting stories that go on and all the different characters (my favourite being Urszula/Saphire an elderly lady, by prostitute standards, who despite living in a Land Rover with a dog, chain smoking and has breathing problems is almost always cheerful and can do 7 laps of centennial park a day on her rollerblades).
March 27, 2018
This is one of the most hilarious books I have ever read. As I am Swedish myself, with a title like that I had to buy it straight away! Unemployed actress Merridy accepts (as a last resort) a job as a receptionist in a brothel, and she has no idea what is going on at first which makes for some good laugh out loud misunderstandings. What was supposed to be a short-term temp job turns into a longer employment, as Merridy gets to know both her job and the working ladies better. I especially like how she is able to give the different prostitutes proper hearts and make some of them very likeable in all their bizarre life-stories. Well worth a read!
December 6, 2015
I picked this book up at a second hand book fair, because I found the idea of a children's tv presenter working in a brothel hilarious.
The book isn't particularly well written - no one is going to mistake it for important literature, but it was a very enjoyable read. Eastman talks about her time working as a brothel receptionist in a way that is warm, funny and non-judgemental. She writes about the women she met there as whole people, not one-dimensional cut outs as sex workers are often portrayed as.
The book isn't particularly well written - no one is going to mistake it for important literature, but it was a very enjoyable read. Eastman talks about her time working as a brothel receptionist in a way that is warm, funny and non-judgemental. She writes about the women she met there as whole people, not one-dimensional cut outs as sex workers are often portrayed as.
April 16, 2022
Loan from Fiona, ANZLL
Read whilst on holidays in Melbourne for friend's wedding. Merridy writes humorously about her experiences as a receptionist in a brothel.
Each vignette was interesting and was well written but the book became a bit stale by the second half. I persisted to the end, with full knowledge that she would return to acting full time.
Read whilst on holidays in Melbourne for friend's wedding. Merridy writes humorously about her experiences as a receptionist in a brothel.
Each vignette was interesting and was well written but the book became a bit stale by the second half. I persisted to the end, with full knowledge that she would return to acting full time.
January 27, 2014
Having never read anything about the sex industry before I was drawn to this novel for the reputation of the author's humour. I feel enlightened now about this now, and thankfully, without the usual sombre indulgence one could expect of violence and low-life. The author's humour was effective and I found it a good read that I at times could not put down.
July 20, 2010
Australian out of work actress gets job as receptionist at a brothel. This is actually a very funny memoir although I think 'down under' readers will probably get more out of it due to the author being a former presenter of a well known children's TV show.
January 6, 2012
Not the sort of book I usually read, but I found it very amusing and a quick read. It was really interesting reading about Merridy's experiences as a brothel receptionist, and nice to read a book set in Sydney, with many familiar places.
May 6, 2020
This biographic account of a playschool host turn brothel receptionist reads like fiction and is actually quite an addictive easy read, if not a bit trashy. I'm just disappointed as I honestly do not remember her from Play School or anything she was actually in.
August 21, 2023
Audiobook read aloud by the author. The first half was interesting, but it went downhill after that for me- lots of anecdotes that could have been culled. I gave up 2/3 through which was 8 hours into it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews