Review: The Art of Undressing

The Art of Undressing by Stephanie Lehmann
3 stars


Reasons for reading: 2 of our circulation staff recommended it for a quickie read; last New York book for Triple 8 Challenge

Description: "Ginger's mother, Coco, used to be an exotic dancer, though now she makes her living selling sex toys and teaching classes like "The Fine Art of Striptease." A straitlaced, self-respecting twenty-five-year-old, aspiring pastry chef Ginger has no desire to follow in her mother's high-heeled footsteps. She's too busy trying to convince her sadistic French cooking school instructor of her talents in the kitchen. When Ginger gets sweet on a fellow student, she finds herself ill-equipped in the art of seduction. And when she discovers she has a reputation for being "just one of the guys," suddenly, she's looking for some motherly advice on how to catch the man she loves."


First line: "So you all think I'm a whore!"

My thoughts: This was pretty predictable chick lit. Though published in 2005 it felt really dated to me, from the heyday of cardio striptease classes and the Sex and the City gals making the rabbit vibrator famous. Ginger seems like the typical chick lit heroine - not sure where to go with her career or love life, insecure, issues with her mom... No real surprises. Ginger's jealousy both as a child and an adult of the attention paid to her mother by men was kind of disturbing (I can see the jealousy over the enhanced breasts and sexy attitude, but she also seems jealous about anyone, client or boyfriend, that spends time with her mother). A quick read and not a bad one, but definitely further proof that I'm over my generic chick lit phase.