I can't believe it took me nearly 40 years to read a book that was published before I was even born! But that's okay. I dare say I wouldn't have appreciated this when I was in my twenties or especially before marriage and divorce. I've had a vague idea my whole life of what this book was about, but I never knew how funny and insightful it was. I also didn't know that it is about soooo much more than sex. My favorite line was when Adrian told Isadora she shouldn't expect her life to be uncomplicated when she was, after all, "a poet not a secretary". Truer words, my friend, truer words. I also enjoyed the notes accompanying the book from Erica Jong thirty years later and Henry Miller's interpretations. When Jong said it was a book read by "people who didn't read" I thought of another controversial and recent "sex" book: 50 Shades of Grey. Now, you should already know that I think lumping these 2 books together is a travesty. However, you have to also know that 50 Shades never would have happened if Fear of Flying hadn't happened way first and way better. If you don't understand that, then maybe you need to read Fear of Flying. I guarantee you'll come away having learned something about yourself instead of learning something about BDSM. Yech. Sorry, that's just how I feel.
I can't believe it took me nearly 40 years to read a book that was published before I was even born! But that's okay. I dare say I wouldn't have appreciated this when I was in my twenties or especially before marriage and divorce. I've had a vague idea my whole life of what this book was about, but I never knew how funny and insightful it was. I also didn't know that it is about soooo much more than sex. My favorite line was when Adrian told Isadora she shouldn't expect her life to be uncomplicated when she was, after all, "a poet not a secretary". Truer words, my friend, truer words. I also enjoyed the notes accompanying the book from Erica Jong thirty years later and Henry Miller's interpretations. When Jong said it was a book read by "people who didn't read" I thought of another controversial and recent "sex" book: 50 Shades of Grey. Now, you should already know that I think lumping these 2 books together is a travesty. However, you have to also know that 50 Shades never would have happened if Fear of Flying hadn't happened way first and way better. If you don't understand that, then maybe you need to read Fear of Flying. I guarantee you'll come away having learned something about yourself instead of learning something about BDSM. Yech. Sorry, that's just how I feel.

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