What Do Women Want?: Essays by Erica Jong

By Erica Jong

Book Overview

Erica Jong's two rules of writing are "never cut funny" and "keep the pages turning." And Jong delivers in these twenty-six essays, coupling frank and risque stories about her own life with provocative pieces on her passion for politics, literature, Italy, and--yes--sex.

Originally published in 1998, this updated edition features four new essays. What Do Women Want? offers a startlingly original look at where women are and where they need to be in the twenty-first century: Are women better off today than they were twenty-five years ago? Has burning pre-nup agreements become the new peak of romance? Why do our greatest women writers too often get dissed and overlooked? Why do powerful women scare men? And who is the perfect man? How does the mother-daughter relationship influence cycles of feminism and backlash? What is sexy?

Revealing the challenges and triumphs faced by women today, this book serves as a guiding light, challenging traditional perspectives and encouraging readers to embrace their own desires, aspirations, and dreams.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1585425540
• ISBN13: 9781585425549
• Release Date: May 2007
• Publisher: Tarcher
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.71 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.6" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Do not miss it

I am a great fan of Erica Jong so I couldn't miss this brilliant collection of essays. I adore her style, simple, smart, direct. Her way of depicting the female universe is sometimes incredibly moving, in other moments provocative but always shamelessly sincere. I love this book because each time you read an essay, it is somehow like discovering something new, unexpected about yourself. You are never just passively 'dragged'; you can't do without reflecting even when not necessary you identify yourself in what you read. The essays are stimulating, catchy. Among others, you will read about the immortal literary myth of Jane Eyre, Nabokov's forever young Lolita or an engaging point of view on the modern icon of Princess Diana. All the essays are different from each other, they look into different aspects of the female psyche. However, they have one umbilical cord, the meaning of which is condensed in the title. What do women want is an immersion in a vivacious stream of reflections on women's constantly evolving role in our modern society. The edition is very nice too, nice cover page and layout, good readability.

Entertaining and likeable

This book is more entertaining and likeable than I expected. Jong's honesty is admirable. She readily admits she didn't become pregnant till she could afford a nanny; most celebrities pretend they raised their children with no help. I liked the essay Lolita at Thirty best and also her views on Jane Eyre are very acute. Her literary criticism is the best thing in the book. Surprisingly erudite and sharp. Her essay on Anais Nin made me want to read the journals which I never have. She's at her least appealing when trying to show how wordly she is , i.e. 'My Italy' where she does an awful lot of name dropping as if all the famous people she knows validate her own imporance. Her daughter, Molly, wrote an article for Mode magazine where she related how her mother's friend, Joan Collins, called her fat. I wouldn't be surprised if Erica didn't drop Joan, for all her cruelty, simply because she's a celeb.