Tuesday, December 3, 2013

The Bride Stripped Bare TLC Book Tour and $1.99 e-Book!


~ I received a copy of this book from the publisher or author to facilitate this review.  I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~
Nikki Gemmell


Synopsis (from Amazon): A woman disappears, leaving behind an incendiary diary chronicling a journey of sexual awakening. To all who knew her, she was the good wife: happy, devoted, content. But the diary reveals a secret self, one who's discovered that her new marriage contains mysteries of its own. She has discovered a forgotten Elizabethan manuscript that dares to speak of what women truly desire, and inspired by its revelations, she tastes for the first time the intoxicating power of knowing what she wants and how to get it. The question is: How long can she sustain a perilous double life?


My Review: 

One (or more) Sentence Summary:  I am really struggling with The Bride Stripped Bare.  It was very well written and tells a good story, but I am really bothered it.  There has to be a sequel - it just can't end the way it did.  

After many, many hours spent thinking about The Bride Stripped Bare, there are several things that just have me worked up. The first was her being dependent on her husband.  I was raised to be independent and to be able to take care of myself and my family.  I have daydreamed about not having to work and to be a stay-at-home mother.  Given that I have never lived that life, I can't judge the main character, but it really bothered me that she gave up her career when she got married.  

I am also bothered by her relationship with Gabriel and yet, I am sure it happens more than I even can imagine.  It is probably happening within my own neighborhood!  But I honestly have to say the taxi drivers....I can't imagine it and it broke my heart.  Emotionally, I felt I was right there with her....a very well written scene.

The Bride Stripped Bare really had me on an emotional roller coaster, that I am not sure I have gotten off yet. This would be a GREAT book club book - the discussion would be pretty deep!

Favorite Character(s):  I was surprised that it took me up to now to realize we don't know the name of the main character.  As I am sitting here, trying to think of my favorite character, I was going through all of them....Cole, the husband, Theo (the best friend), Gabriel (the lover), Martha (the friend), Mother (the main character's mother) and Jack (the baby). 

I have to say, I don't have a favorite character.  They all have their place in the story, but I didn't connect with any of them.

Setting:  London (which I love), but there really wasn't a focus on the setting.  The focus is more of a bored housewife and her sexual awakening.

Fast read/slow read:  For me it was a slower read. However, it was an easy read. I liked the format....diary style broken down into 138 lessons.  It was easy to put down and pick up.

Cover:  I like it, but I don't get it.  I actually really like this one....

What Others Are Saying:  'Starkly explicit...richly descriptive with a fast-paced narrative' Sunday Telegraph.

'Nikki Gemmel's prose has a wonderful sensuousness...witty...a subtle portrait of a modern and rather alienating marriage' Lisa Appignanesi, Independent Magazine 

'Must read...A tale of sexual awakening for the dark horse in all of us' Tatler 
'The sex is well-written...Gemmell is refreshingly straightforward about the act' Melanie McGrath, Evening Standard 

'Easy to read, hard to put down. Keep an extinguisher handy' Closer 

'A page-turner' Evening Standard 

'A bored housewife embarks on a life of sexual pleasure...The sex is rude and raunchy and "exactly where you want it"' Elle 

'Personal dilemmas are bravely explored; thoughts and fantasies about sex and infidelity, which most women have learned to keep to themselves, are laid bare on the page in all their shocking glory...brutal, brilliant and addictive' Glasgow Herald


Would I Read Other Books by the Author: Yes, but not in a row. I am still processing this one.

Meet the Author:  Nikki Gemmell's unmasking as the 'anonymous' author of The Bride Stripped Bare sparked tremendous media interest in the book, which went on to become an international bestseller. Reviewers have hailed the freshness and power of her writing.

Connect: You can connect with Niiki online at her website, Twitter and Facebook.

Purchase it:  You can purchase The Bride Stripped Bare online at Amazon for $13.95 ($1.99 Kindle version - you can't beat this!!)



TLC Book Tours:

Please make sure you check out other reviews on the TLC Book Tour.

Monday, December 2nd: A Chick Who Reads
Tuesday, December 3rd: Seaside Book Nook
Wednesday, December 4th: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Thursday, December 5th: Mom in Love With Fiction
Thursday, December 5th: Bodice Ripper Novels
Friday, December 6th: Cruising Susan Reviews
Friday, December 6th: Lovely Reads
Friday, December 6th: BookNAround
Friday, December 20th: The Feminist Texican [Reads]

1 comment:

  1. It looks like this book really got to you and made you feel for the characters! Thanks for being on the tour.

    ReplyDelete

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