Sex, Death and Other Distractions

"Sex, Death and Other Distractions" was the September selection for my book discussion group, which is part of the adult education program of the Presbyterian church I belong to. It was chosen at the suggestion of a member who attended a bookstore reading by the Kensington Ladies' Erotica Society and thought our group would be intrigued by it. I wasn't sure what the response at our meeting would be - it is a very diverse group of women, both as to age (ranging from late thirties to over eighty) and backgrounds. The book was a great hit and wonderful discussion prompter. There was much confirmation by members of the insights in the stories and much laughter at the humor, but it was the high quality of the writing that received most comments. All in all, it was one of our most enjoyable discussions, and all the members of the group mentioned they intended to give the book to friends and relatives as gifts. Highest recommendation to other book groups!

The Kensington ladies began twenty-five years ago with a volume, "Ladies Own Erotica," erotic fantasies of a group of ladies. Revisiting the subject in their 60's, the fantasies are real and spring to life with a poignant melancholy. The subtle observations in Rose Solomon's "Bedded Bliss" and "Viagra Blues" could have come from the pen of Isaac Singer had he been born a woman in California in 1940. Erotic and fantasies, drawn with an elegance that makes them real and true to life, these vignettes are thoroughly enjoyable for men and women of all ages.

I loved these stories! These women tackle big subjects -- marital sex, extramarital sex, fading libidos, Viagra, failing marriages, thriving marriages, divorces, separations, mothers, fathers, human relations of all kinds -- with amazing wit, humor and honesty. Rose Solomon's essay, "Viagra Blues," had me in stitches. ("After thirty-three years of marriage, I was suddenly back to square one, eyeball to eyeball with a show-off...") Bernadette Vaughan's "Government Issue," an essay on the author's youth in wartime London, moved me to tears. The recipes are as erotic as the descriptions of sex. The book leaves you feeling as if you'd just spent a weekend in a country home with a group of witty fascinating women who'd lived full active lives and who -- defiantly, vibrantly -- continue to do so. Brava!