Three Women

Incredible book, writing everything. One of the best books I’ve read in years. Now I know why the word riveting is used to describe books. This one truly is. I started watching the show on the Starz network. In fact I got a subscription specifically for this show. The show is amazing and made me want to read the book. So now I’m reading the book while watching the show and it’s moving beyond what I could have expected. Thank you to all those involved to bring this gem to light.

This is a documentary of three real life women recorded in a decade – Maggie, a teenager who had a sexual relationship with her high school teacher and later on brought it to court; Lina, a rural housewife who had an extramarital affairs with her high school beau because her husband of 11 years wouldn’t kiss her; and Sloane, a beautiful and successful restaurant owner who sleeps with other men with her husband’s consents. Interesting stories of all three and author did a wonderful jobs restoring the scenes and presenting to readers in the best possible way. The hardcore of each woman’s struggle with sex, desire, addiction, and obsession over the span of a decade with these different men in their lives, that I found myself at times ache and sympathized for these women, how far were they willing to go to get their basic needs satisfied, be it filling up an empty vagina or filling up an empty minds, is truly fascinating. I can see myself in all three of them.There are a lot of vivid sex scenes in this book so not for everyone I don’t think, so be aware before you pick up this book and start attacking it being a porn. I think it’s more than that if you truly get the messages the author wants to convey, which should be interpreted solely and individually by every reader, men or women.

I don't think I have ever written a review before, but that's how strongly I felt about this book. I had read enough articles about Ms. Taddeo to make me excited about this book. From the New York Times to every other profile, Ms. Taddeo claimed to have put together a study of female desire. In the beginning of the book the author seems to point out how she, to a certain extent, envies how men relate to desire, how they are willing to risk everything to give into that primal feeling. As a feminist, and someone who thoroughly enjoys reading personal stories, I was sold.This book, nonetheless, is not representative of women in America. It's also not about desire. It paints the stories of three women, but rather than empower them Ms. Taddeo makes victims of them all. Maggie, a high school student who falls for her teacher, is the only story I thought had any merit. With that said, Maggie's affair with her teacher reads more like a Twilight book than the experiences of a naive, impressionable young girl whose teacher takes advantage of. The reader has to keep reminding themselves of the fact that Maggie's isn't a love story, that she is a victim, a child.Lina's story is similarly construed in a way that leaves you judging a married man for being a jerk, without considering the fact that she drives him to cheat. She's not empowered by seeking sex outside her marriage, she's reduced to a caricature. A woman not strong enough to ask for what she wants in a relationship, but enough of a cliche to go after a married man, to beg for his attention.And Sloane, this was a story I was curious about. Ethical non monogamy is rarely ever handled ethically when the author isn't immersed in the lifestyle. Sloane and her husband have an ethical, consensual relationship that allows them to explore their sexual identities. But, when it all goes south, not only is the blame carried only by Sloane, but she questions herself. At the end of the book it's almost like Sloane realizes her lifestyle was not her choice, but one made for her by what the author describes as past sexual abuse.I don't doubt these women's stories, nor do I think the author should have changed them. With that said, they do not represent "female desire" in America. The author attempted to address big topics, and that's always interesting to see. But, at best, she fails to do it justice by not dwelling on the power struggle in Maggie's affair, at worst, she offends a whole group of people who've been able to successfully enjoy ethical non monogamy. And on that last note, I much preferred how Sophie Lucido Johnson's Many Love(s): A Memoir on Polyamory addresses those issues.I am glad I read the book, but I wish Ms. Taddeo had also focused on stories where women feel empowered by their sexuality and not ashamed by their desires.

Best book I've read in years!

How to read this as a man. I’m torn and a lot of bit (not a little bit) confused. I’m surprised at how powerful my indifference towards a woman can be for her. A part of me wishes I had know about this power when I was a young man. Heck, I wish I knew it as a man. I saw the power all wrong. I saw the power of indifference lying with the woman. Does the heart want what it cannot have? Yet these women find themselves in the desire, or lack of desire, in the men whom they love. The stories of these women are powerful and interesting reading. Yet I find myself saying “oh for crying out loud! Don’t you see how men could want you the same way?” But I have to listen to their stories. I need to hear the powerless of their desires. I would love to have heard the men’s side of each story. I want to juxtapose the feelings of their men’s desires and wants towards these women, with the stories these women tell. But, in the end, hearing the one side brings about a clarity of the feelings of these women. There is a rope tied to each man and each woman. As one pulls, another reacts. Then the other pulls based on those tugs. Wherein does the power of fulfilling a desire lie, if not ultimately within the person? And are any of us, really “healthy” when it comes to sex and desires?

Es un buen libro, narra la historia de tres mujeres que son engañadas, "pastoreadas" y abusadas por hombres.Me gustó el libro lo único es que creo que hay una obsesión en la literatura femenina en este tema y la verdad es que llega un momento en que cansa.

I love how this book is told by the mice point of view of the the author and the women but also gives voice to the version of them that was living the story (their past selves). It’s an incredible and interesting read. It took me a while to finish it because of the fact that flows a lot between all of their stories, every chapter belongs to a different one of the three women, and that was strange to me (strange, not bad). But after finishing it I can definitely say is an amazing book, one of my favorite non-fictional books, and it portraits so much the hardships of being a woman, even if you haven’t gone through the same situations as the three women portrayed, you can still relate so much to some of their struggles as a woman… definitely worth the read!

True to life, engaging, and a page turner. Honest, raw, real. Made me think long and hard about life, pain, joy, needs, love and finding ones way through it all.

When you read the blurb, you get the impression that Lisa Taddeo has invented an utterly revolutionary way of writing about women and desire. This is definitely not the case (except perhaps for the fact that female desire is still not something too widely talked about), but that doesn’t take away any of the power of this book.The ‚Three Women‘ are Maggie, Lina and Sloane, but only Maggie’s name is her real one, because her story is public anyway.It’s a story about a seventeen year old student and her married teacher, and anyone who thinks of ‚My Dark Vanessa‘ wouldn’t be wrong. But there’s more here - there’s a trial and the question how much she asked for it. There’s the seductress and the poor, innocent, adult man. There’s his story and hers, but Lisa Taddeo is only interested in Maggie, just as she’s only interested in Lina and Sloane.The men in these very much non fictional stories are never at the center and still the women orbit around them. They put their desires back until they don’t, and although I didn’t find a revolution within those pages, I very much saw these women. Unexpected things felt familiar, and it will definitely be worth a reread in a few years, if just to get a feeling for how much has changed.

Taddeo's book is a powerful force for women who believe in their sexual freedom, and especially those who have been shunted because of this belief. I found parts of myself in all three women in this book. It is honest, real, and felt like the quietly tucked away bits of myself for fear of judgment were fully seen and understood. I'm grateful to have read it.