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A review by katykelly
Good Girl by Anna Fitzpatrick
3.0
3.5 stars.
Amusing contemporary erotic/work/friendship story that doesn't feel finished.
I liked it, yes. But I was also frustrated at the end at how the main character DIDN'T grow in the way the story seemed to set out for her.
This is rather 'sexy' in the sense of Lucy having multiple sexual encounters, seeking out domineering men. It's also a story about her friendship with another woman, a history of her family and why she 'is how she is', and there's a subplot about her attempting to push her career as a writer by researching a retro magazine and its authors.
I read this as an audiobook, which suited the genre, narration style and protagonist, talking to us in letters sent to her recent bedroom partner (married of course). Lucy likes being punished, likes pleasing - or does she? We do get to see her childhood, her parents, her adolescence and college experiences. I didn't feel it really explained everything though, though it did bring us a relatable relationship with her best friend from college, with whom she now has a quite needy bond.
We watch Lucy hook up with less-than-palatable men, though she seems either happy or refuses to accept faults.
The storyline about magazine contributors and models from decades ago felt like it might go somewhere, but in the end felt rather unconnected, unfinished and didn't seem to give Lucy impetus to change, strive or help anyone. It could have the been the plot in itself.
I finished listening with a bit of a frown, I remember, not happy with how the author chooses to leave Lucy. Yes, some lessons were learned about being an adult, but there was something underlying everything that she just didn't seem to have been allowed to grasp. But was this the point? I may have to think about that.
Titillating if you like pain/women being domineered (not really my thing), it does at least encapsulate the confused and hectic lives of contemporary women.
With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample audio copy.
Amusing contemporary erotic/work/friendship story that doesn't feel finished.
I liked it, yes. But I was also frustrated at the end at how the main character DIDN'T grow in the way the story seemed to set out for her.
This is rather 'sexy' in the sense of Lucy having multiple sexual encounters, seeking out domineering men. It's also a story about her friendship with another woman, a history of her family and why she 'is how she is', and there's a subplot about her attempting to push her career as a writer by researching a retro magazine and its authors.
I read this as an audiobook, which suited the genre, narration style and protagonist, talking to us in letters sent to her recent bedroom partner (married of course). Lucy likes being punished, likes pleasing - or does she? We do get to see her childhood, her parents, her adolescence and college experiences. I didn't feel it really explained everything though, though it did bring us a relatable relationship with her best friend from college, with whom she now has a quite needy bond.
We watch Lucy hook up with less-than-palatable men, though she seems either happy or refuses to accept faults.
The storyline about magazine contributors and models from decades ago felt like it might go somewhere, but in the end felt rather unconnected, unfinished and didn't seem to give Lucy impetus to change, strive or help anyone. It could have the been the plot in itself.
I finished listening with a bit of a frown, I remember, not happy with how the author chooses to leave Lucy. Yes, some lessons were learned about being an adult, but there was something underlying everything that she just didn't seem to have been allowed to grasp. But was this the point? I may have to think about that.
Titillating if you like pain/women being domineered (not really my thing), it does at least encapsulate the confused and hectic lives of contemporary women.
With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample audio copy.