A 21st Century Courtesan

by Eden Bradley

Book Review by Donna George Storey

Every work of fiction requires its reader to suspend disbelief.  Genre fiction, such as erotica and erotic romance, is generally more honest in its expectations.  You know more or less what you’ll find between the covers.  Attractive lovers get together, experience profoundly reportable sensual pleasure and, especially in the latter case, find an emotional happy ending as well.  While literary fiction supposedly transcends formula, I would argue that it brings its own more subtle coercions and assumptions to the story-reader relationship.  The sex may be realistically bleak and the ending may not be at all happy, but even in the real world sex can have its rewards—and isn’t the very concept of an ending itself an illusion? 

In short, the more I read, the more I tend to dismiss the very notion of genre.  There are simply good reads and bad reads, stories that engage, entertain and move us, and those that don’t.

Eden Bradley’s A 21st Century Courtesan is a particularly interesting example of a novel that challenges genre.  On the face of it, Courtesan is a classic erotic romance.  The lead characters are straight from central casting.  Elite call girl Valentine Day is slim, elegant and lovely.  The leading man who tempts her from her emotionally guarded life is Joshua Spencer, muscular and virile, yet suspiciously willing to let love take precedence over business.  The plot provides enough of a thrilling rollercoaster ride of sizzling couplings and nail-biting separations to keep you turning the pages.  And the hot sex scenes will surely inspire most readers to take a break now and then, or at least proceed one-handed.

Like Valentine herself, Bradley offers die-hard fans of erotic romance a familiar experience of the highest quality.  Yet the book is also full of surprises that will please literary tastes as well. 

First and foremost, Bradley provides a credible and complex psychological depth to her characters.  Valentine’s voice is a bit world weary as you might expect, but her observations of her clients and the true nature of the services she offers, as well as her insights into her own past, are unfailingly smart and thought-provoking.  The protagonist also harbors an interesting sexual secret.  Valentine needs a partner to have an orgasm—more specifically, she can only have an orgasm when she is being paid for it.  I would venture to say it is not typical for most women to find frustration in masturbation and release in the arms of a stranger with a wad of cash in his hand, but rather than coming across as unbelievable, Bradley succeeds in giving Valentine’s desire an urgency that made me appreciate male sexuality in a new way.  How indeed would my life be different if partnered sex of any sort was unquestionably better than what I could get on my own?

The tall, dark and handsome Joshua also has an intriguing history of betrayal and sex-addiction, presented in a way that makes him real and vulnerable.  His patience with his skittish lover represents a victory over past hurts rather than mere service to a formulaic plot.  As the couple’s intimacy unfolds, we also learn why they do what they do, so that we come to know them as complex, wounded and interesting people.  The novel even has several riveting scenes set in a therapist’s office!  In her acknowledgments, the author thanks her editor for her trust in allowing her to “take some unusual risks.”  I would say that trust was well placed.

Add to this Bradley’s smooth and lovely prose, and a series of settings that provides a virtual tour of Los Angeles rich and poor, and you’ve got yourself a novel with much to offer.  If you’re a fan of erotic romance, A 21st Century Courtesan is sure to please.  Even if you’re not, you’ll find yourself settling in for a very enjoyable and enlightening read.

Donna George Storey
July 2009

A 21st Century Courtesan
(Delta, March 24, 2009; ISBN-10: 0553385577)
Available at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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© 2009 Donna George Storey. All rights reserved. Content may not be copied or used in whole or part without written permission.

About the Author: Donna George Storey taught English in Japan and Japanese in the United States and has finally found the work of her dreams writing erotica. If you're really nice, she'll bake you a batch of her Venetian cookies, with layers of marzipan, jam and chocolate, that take a ridiculous amount of time to make and are (almost) better than sex. Her work has been published in dozens of journals and anthologies including Clean Sheets, Fishnet, Best American Erotica, Best Women's Erotica and Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica.
Her first novel, Amorous Woman-a semi-autobiographical tale of an American woman's love affair with Japan, Japanese food and lots of sexy men and women along the way-was published by Neon/Orion. It's currently available at Amazon and Amazon UK, and from her web site, DonnaGeorgeStorey.com.
For more of her musings on sensual pleasure and creativity stop by her blog:  Sex, Food and Writing. You can also take a quick trip to Japan with Donna's provocative Amorous Woman book trailer at: www.youtube.com

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