The Art of Sleeping Alone: Why One French Woman Suddenly Gave Up Sex by Sophie Fontanel
Published by: Scribner on August 13th, 2013
Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir, Feminism
Pages: 160
Format: eBook
Source: Borrowed from the library
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Summary (from Goodreads): Sophie Fontanel, bestselling novelist and iconic editor of French Elle, tells the provocative story of her decision to stop having sex—a choice that profoundly changed her view of herself and her place in the world.
At the age of twenty-seven, after many years of having (and, for the most part, enjoying) an active sex life, beloved French author, journalist, editor, and fashion blogger Sophie Fontanel decided she wanted to take a break. Despite having it all—a glamorous job, plenty of dates and boyfriends, stylish clothes, and endless parties to attend—she still wasn’t happy, and found herself wanting more. She chose to give up her sex life, and in so doing shocked all of her friends and colleagues. What she discovers about herself is truly liberating and raises a number of questions about the expectations of the society in which we live. As she experiences being the only non-coupled one at dinner parties, weekend getaways, and summer vacations, she muses inspiringly on what it means to find happiness and fulfillment alone.
Provocative and illuminating, The Art of Sleeping Alone, which spent eight weeks on the bestseller list in France, offers advice on love and sex while challenging modern-day conventions of marriage and motherhood, making this an ideal read for anyone who has chosen to do things a little differently.
Review: This was a short book filled with small chapters about how a woman who felt trapped by her active sex life and the men in her life that she decided to abstain from it. I found it to be quite boring but my attention span powered through as each of the chapters were so short. I don’t feel enlightened or like I learned anything from this. You get these short snippets of her interactions with friends and friend with families. Also the negative reactions to others when they realize she has chosen to be celibate. I read a review where someone wanted to scream “not having sex is not the problem it’s the people you chose to be around that is” and that sounds quite right to me. A few interesting points/remarks are made once in a while but they get lost within all the mini snippets. Maybe the power of this mini memoir got lost in translation but I don’t think I would recommend this to anyone unless they want to power through a 160-page book to knock another book onto their yearly book goal.
Rating:
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