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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
reflective
slow-paced
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I liked that this book was very body positive (at least in regards to the type of bodies one might find in a "Gentlemans" club), and I liked the glimpses of teacher life in France, and the inner workings of the night club life. The plot didn't go where it probably would have gone if it were an American novel, which I am very thankful for.
It was a short and easy read, but the shortness means you don't get enough of the side characters- and there are so many that it was hard to remember all of them (like the student that shows up at the club with his dad), and I read this in two days so I feel like they should have stuck with me more.
Looking forward to discussing this with book club tonight!
It was a short and easy read, but the shortness means you don't get enough of the side characters- and there are so many that it was hard to remember all of them (like the student that shows up at the club with his dad), and I read this in two days so I feel like they should have stuck with me more.
Looking forward to discussing this with book club tonight!
General Impressions
In all honesty, I started this book fully prepared to DNF it within 50 pages - the moment this became about seeing women being abused or degraded as a fantasy for the reader/or writer, I was gone. Luckily, in this case, my fears couldn't have been further from the truth and I never read a French book so fast or passionately in my life.
Even though I started this book really afraid of what I might read and with not many expectations beyond that, it took me less than two chapters to realize that this is one of those books that I will never forget and will come back to every few years.
More than about sex work or dancing this is a book about a teacher and particularly a woman, screaming into the void and if you are paying attention, there will be quite a few of those in the next few months. That can only mean great things right?
If you liked the movie Hustlers, I think you will like "No Touching" because a lot of the themes in it overlap: sex work as a way to overcome the class divide, the failure of modern sexual policing, the gender divide, the sense of empowerment and shame that comes with the job and many more.
The major differences are that while "Hustlers" focuses on the darker parts of the clubs such as the dancer's exploitation by the owners of the clubs, the women in no "No Touching" work in an exclusive club in France where the management is not only female but puts the security of the dancers at the forefront. The women are the ones that pick the men, have a lot of control over what they wear and how they look and know that there are always eyes on them, not to police them and their work but to keep them safe and make sure no one goes too far.
With one single exception, all of the most violent, disrespectful and graphic scenes in this book happen to the main character not when she is dancing but when she is working as a teacher. Jo finds the self-respect she lost teaching while dancing. While I doubt that is the experience of everyone that dances, I liked seeing it portrayed with anything other than shame or a tragedy.
Conclusions
I was a bit confused if not let down by the ending but that doesn't eclipse how much I enjoyed the entire book, particularly whenever men tried to justify themselves and their presence and actions inside said clubs.
Thank you to Europa Editions for sending me this copy.
Rating: 4/5
In all honesty, I started this book fully prepared to DNF it within 50 pages - the moment this became about seeing women being abused or degraded as a fantasy for the reader/or writer, I was gone. Luckily, in this case, my fears couldn't have been further from the truth and I never read a French book so fast or passionately in my life.
Even though I started this book really afraid of what I might read and with not many expectations beyond that, it took me less than two chapters to realize that this is one of those books that I will never forget and will come back to every few years.
More than about sex work or dancing this is a book about a teacher and particularly a woman, screaming into the void and if you are paying attention, there will be quite a few of those in the next few months. That can only mean great things right?
If you liked the movie Hustlers, I think you will like "No Touching" because a lot of the themes in it overlap: sex work as a way to overcome the class divide, the failure of modern sexual policing, the gender divide, the sense of empowerment and shame that comes with the job and many more.
The major differences are that while "Hustlers" focuses on the darker parts of the clubs such as the dancer's exploitation by the owners of the clubs, the women in no "No Touching" work in an exclusive club in France where the management is not only female but puts the security of the dancers at the forefront. The women are the ones that pick the men, have a lot of control over what they wear and how they look and know that there are always eyes on them, not to police them and their work but to keep them safe and make sure no one goes too far.
With one single exception, all of the most violent, disrespectful and graphic scenes in this book happen to the main character not when she is dancing but when she is working as a teacher. Jo finds the self-respect she lost teaching while dancing. While I doubt that is the experience of everyone that dances, I liked seeing it portrayed with anything other than shame or a tragedy.
Conclusions
I was a bit confused if not let down by the ending but that doesn't eclipse how much I enjoyed the entire book, particularly whenever men tried to justify themselves and their presence and actions inside said clubs.
Thank you to Europa Editions for sending me this copy.
Rating: 4/5
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
J'ai adoré ce livre et découvrir l'intersection entre monde de la nuit et philosophie, l'empouvoirement par le contrôle du désir de l'autre. 4 étoiles, une de moins pour le slutshaming occasionnel.