About the book…
Hailed as one of the ninety-nine best novels published in English since 1939 by Anthony Burgess, How to Save Your Own Life is the daring sequel to Fear of Flying republished in time for International Women’s Day 2021.
Three years after the events of Fear of Flying, we catch up with Isadora Wing.
With two marriages and a bestseller in her wake, Isadora finds herself in sunny California and the hedonistic Hollywood.
From grief and betrayal to jealousy and trust, Jong explores the ways in which a marriage unravels. In the end, Isadora must learn to save herself.
Praise for How to Save Your Own Life –
‘Once again, women everywhere will identify…. Every bit as compelling and wit-filled as Jong’s first, Fear of Flying.’ — West Coast Review of Books
‘Wickedly funny … This is an erotic lust story … enjoy, enjoy.’ — Wall Street Journal
‘A galloping good story… rollicking and bawdy, with a center of pure gold. Read it!’ — Cleveland Plain Dealer
‘shameless, sex-saturated and a joy’ — People
Huge thanks to Peyton from Agora for asking me to join the blog tour for ‘How To Save Your Own Life’ by Erica Jong, republished in time for International Women’s Day 2021. This is a day to highlight inequality and issues that affect women, including domestic violence and FGM (female genital mutilation) as well as recognising that we still exist in a patriarchal society that centers men .
If you don’t believe me, check out Twitter where transwomen and trans allies have hijacked the day in a manner that not only undermines the message of #IDW21, it undermines the actual experiences of both sets of people and benefits neither.
Erica Jong was a mover and trailblazer in being frankly open and honest about her need to be sexually liberated and that it might not be the job of just one person to fulfil that goal. Her honest discussions of sex might be offputting for some-the words used and flittered throughout this book are not for everyone, it might seem outrageous for a woman to be reclaiming the word c***, but remember, this was first published nearly 40 years ago. Women speaking out loudly their rights to sexual and reproductive freedom was a relatively new arena of social consciousness supported by the Contraceptive Pill and Abortion Act of 1968 so this was actually quite revolutionary.
I first read her semi-autobiographical novel, ‘Fear Of Flying’ as a teen becoming aware of the vast difference in opportunities between women and men. It seemed thrilling, out there and completely wonderful and sat alongside copies of Fay Weldon’s books, Marilyn French’s seminal ‘The Women’s Room‘ and De Beauvoir’s ‘The Second Sex’
So I went online to see what modern women think of Erica’s writing style and her subjects and was overwhelmingly met with scorn, derision and accusations of selfishness by reviewers.
What this reader felt on reading ‘How To Save Your Own Life’ , was a freshness of style, a freedom not impinged upon by societal mores and a frankness about sex that is often lacking in today’s novels. It plunges you into a stream of consciousness which takes you on a journey of discovery wherein the person responsible for your life, your wellbeing and rescuing yourself is you.
Responsibility for your happiness should not lie in the palms of others hands and when she is railing against the institution of marriage and the men she has been yoked to, she is railing at herself to break free and reclaim her life. Her voyages of experimentation in the bedroom-and out of it, and pretty much everywhere-are breathtakingly free. She becomes the person she wants to be and is both the prince and sleeping beauty being woken. And for this, I revelled in the descriptions, the language, the whole ballsiness of the narrative and I loved it. And in a time where the word ‘woman’ is seen as dirty, and being ‘claimed’ by men as ‘womxn’, where ‘be kind’ is the new version of ‘sit down and shut up’, we need fresh voices like this more than ever.
About the author…
Erica Jong is an American writer famously known for her debut novel, Fear of Flying.Published in 1973, it revolutionised conventional beliefs about women, marriage, and sexuality. Erica created an outlet for every woman’s inner voice, and her frank discussions of sex and sexuality has made her one of the world’s most iconic writers.
Author
bridgeman.lenny@gmail.com