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So I think that I am in love with Daisy Buchanan now, which I think will be a common reaction from all the beautiful, sensual, women that read this fantastic piece of work. I wish that I could have read this in my 20’s it would have made me feel so less alone and sometimes somewhat ashamed that my life cantered around finding something or someone that would fill an unfillable void, and still to this day I do feel something might be missing but at the end of the day I am, and I think I always will be a little bit insatiable…is there anything wrong with wanting more? There are *a lot* of sex scenes in this book and initially it felt a bit uncomfortable but as I continued through the book, I realised it was because nobody really writes about sex and what women want and feel - I realised I always see women in novels being the centre of male thoughts and feelings - this is about a woman who goes and has sex because she really wants sex - This novel is unashamedly written by a woman about a what a woman wants. The novel references Lace by Shirley Conran and I know that Buchanan is a Jilly Cooper fan but the women in this book have far more agency ( on the surface at least) than many of the women written. by Cooper and Conran - but I feel reassured that Daisy sought influence from the masters. This book came to my attention as I regularly listen to the author’s podcast and thoroughly enjoy it. When I saw she had written a novel, I was intrigued. Thank you so much to the beautiful Daisy and her wonderful husband for gifting me a proof and a chocolate orange I ate as soon as I saw it.
First things first, this book is utter filth! Well written - but very sexually graphic - so if that's not your bag I would suggest you stop reading this review now!! I found this book had much more substance than a simple romance plot and while Violet infuriated me at points, her character development was dealt with well by the author. I think this author has a promising fiction career ahead of her and I would read any future fiction she chooses to write. A strong 3.5 star read. I can't believe this is a fiction debut - she writes stories like she's been doing it for fifty years' Laura Jane Williams Essentially, this book is a love story, it explores how the lovers come to terms with this and their journey in getting there. It explores the pressure on women to conform to stereotypes and female friendships and how powerful they are - in good and bad ways.It reminded me of Bridget Jones's Diary - if Bridget were bisexual and Daniel Cleaver were a couple who were into group sex.' Julie Cohen
Insatiable is a story about loneliness and trying to fit in, about our desire to be loved and included, how it’s easy to confuse being wanted with being used. It’ll draw people in with the shagging, but people will stay because they’re rooting for Violet.’ Evening Standard This follows Violet, a millennial living in London, unhappy in her social media job. She has recently broken off her engagement and had a huge bust up with her best friend Nadia and is looking for purpose. All of her dreams look to be coming true when she bumps into Lottie at a works event who offers her a new job opportunity alongside her husband Simon. A piercing insight into the unreal demands modern women place on themselves and told with real humour and energy, we love this book so much' Stylist The one thing I loved about this was the journey of our main character and the exploration of female identity and desire. There is still SUCH a taboo about this and we need to talk about more. I recognised a lot of myself in Violet - a young girl desperate to be loved and liked, desperate to excel in her career but in a dead end job, finding yourself doing things because others expect it of you when it's not truly what you want yourself. Because of this, at times I was like 'VIOLET WHAT ARE YOU DOING?' But I get it. I get this feeling of craving the way people make you feel even if it isn't healthy. Funny, filthy ... Buchanan offers astute social observation, while the development of Violet as an ardent yet vulnerable heroine to root for makes her a millennial counterpart to Jilly Cooper's Bella or Octavia.' The Sunday TimesIntelligent, observant prose that gives a snap-shot of life experienced by millennial women.' Kate Sawyer But when Simon and Lottie introduce a sexual element to their somewhat hazy professional relationship with Violet, things start of passionate but soon start to turn a little bit muddled. It’s then up to Violet to decide what does she really want? Is this opportunity to good to be true? Does she only deserve this kind of messy relationship? I suspect I'm far older than target market for this book - and Violet is very much a millennial - but I still enjoyed the book and wanted to see how everything would pan out. Whilst it is about sexual desire - it is also very much about friendship and support which is vital however old you are. I have been so excited to get my hands on a copy of Insatiable for months, and I'm so pleased to say I was not disappointed, this one is worth the hype. Violet was a wonderful character; even though we may not all have been in her exact position (... no pun intended), I think everyone can relate to her desire for more, and the ways in which she tries to take control of her life when everything feels as though it's spiralling. Her story and her situation was so nuanced, and I loved the way it unfolded as we learnt more about her history whilst we watched her navigating her present with Lottie and Simon.