(1888PressRelease)
August 19, 2006 - Virgin Books is launching into the US this season with a controversial book:
One of the new venture’s first publications (this October) is the erotic memoir, The Butcher, The Baker, The Candlestick Maker by Suzanne Portnoy. The book has been described as ‘extreme’ by a red-top tabloid and ‘gritty and explicit’ in even your normally unshockable paper. So much so that the author has received threats of violence (www.rightnation.us) should she set foot on US soil. ‘We do still hope to launch it over there, but we’ve had to scrap a signing tour or public events,’ says a source at the publisher. ‘At best, we’ll have some well-guarded media appearances.’ Talk about launching with a bang!
This true story of one woman’s sexual reawakening puts an end to the “No sex, please— we’re British” myth. Whether enjoying an afternoon sex romp in a London health spa “sauna,” a casual encounter in a fashionable Soho club, or a parking garage quickie in the back seat of a convertible, Suzanne Portnoy proves there is indeed plenty of sex to be had in England. And anywhere else she finds herself.
After losing her virginity to a stagehand she meets on a high school field trip to a theater, Suzanne takes up with a succession of lovers, from punk rockers to college boys to personal-ad Romeos, before settling down with a dashing man who turns out to be more interested in his career than in sex. Ten frustrating years later, a chance meeting with an American 3,000 miles away dooms her marriage, but helps Suzanne regain her confidence—and sparks a journey of self-discovery that is anything but typical.
About the Author
Suzanne Portnoy has been a publicist and director of a PR company for twelve years, working with some of the biggest clients in the entertainment industry. Divorced with two teenage boys, she grew up in New York and now lives in London. Saucy, attractive, and finally her dream size 8 after 20 years of indifferent dieting, she is happily single and enjoys putting her new body to use on her kids-free weekends.
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