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Meike's Reviews > Want: Women's Fantasies in the Twenty-First Century

Want by Gillian Anderson
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bookshelves: usa

Anderson has intended this collection of sex fantasies by anonymous women to be a sequel to My Secret Garden: Women's Sexual Fantasies from 1973, in order to investigate what has and hasn't changed. Hence, that's the frame of mind the book has to be approached with: These are texts written by average people from all over the world, some providing info regarding their race, country, sexual orientation and marital status, so to judge the aesthetic merit (which of course tends to be not that great) is besides the point. This is about illuminating the (existing or non-existing) gap between fantasy and reality, about reducing stigma and tackling silence about sex, especially in context of non-normative bodies or kink (with the word itself being problematized, as what can be categorized as kink is debatable).

Editor Gillian Anderson, who hid her own fantasy somewhere in the compendium, does a great job writing introductions to each chapter, the structure aiming (and often failing) to provide some order by imposing themes on fantasies, from harmless wishes to more controversial ones. Thus, the book offers a wide variety of experiences, from married heterosexual to queer to disabled people, some in partnerships of differing success, and a multitude of imaginary scenarios that arouse the writers for different reasons.

So not a literary experience per se, but more like intriguing raw material for a study on female sexuality.
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Reading Progress

October 13, 2024 – Started Reading
October 13, 2024 – Shelved
October 13, 2024 – Shelved as: to-read
October 13, 2024 – Shelved as: usa
October 17, 2024 – Finished Reading

Comments Showing 1-5 of 5 (5 new)

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message 1: by Elizabeth (new) - added it

Elizabeth Nancy Friday wrote a sequel to The Secret Garden called Forbidden Flowers.


message 2: by Amy (new) - rated it 4 stars

Amy Exactly my thoughts.


Meike Amy wrote: "Exactly my thoughts."

Thanks, Amy!


message 4: by Ellie (new) - added it

Ellie Stitzer Very thoughtful review!!!


Meike Ellie wrote: "Very thoughtful review!!!"

Thank you, Ellie!


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