How to Save Your Own Life

Erica Jong vbrings us back to her life again in novel form.Affairs falling in love a mix of life only Erica Jong could imagine.Erica Jongs books never miss I’m pulled right into the story and read enjoy for hours,#netgalley#agorabooks

It's set and written in the 1970's. Isadora is a successful writer. She's married to Bennett but everything seems stale. Bennett is a psychiatrist and she feels he's constantly evaluating her. She spends a lot of her time on the book writing circuit. She writes about a character which shes unsure if she's turning into her or the character is turning into Isadora. She decides she needs to leave her husband but it's not that simple. The story is about her journey.

She lives quite the hedonistic life. Although it's written in the 1970's it's not dated. She's lived quite a sedate life up until her turning point of leaving her husband. It was a fascinating read, well written

Erica Jong--like Isadora Wing, her fictional doppelganger--was rich and famous, brainy and beautiful, and soaring high with erotica and marijuana in 1977, the year this book was first published. Erica/Isadora are the perfect literary and libidinous guides for those readers who want to learn about-or just be reminded of-the sheer hedonistic innocence of the time. How to Save Your Own Life was praised by People for being "shameless, sex-saturated and a joy," and hailed by Anthony Burgess as one of the ninety-nine best novels published in English since 1939.

I've just finished How to Save Your Own Life, sever years after having read Fear of Flying.
Reading it has been a massive throwback into Isadora's life, into the 70s, into edonism.
It has felt a bit out of time reading it now, but extremely fascinating nonetheless. It's a catching read, fast paced and well written. Highly enjoyable!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As her turbulent marriage begins to break down, Isadora and her famous novel are on the up as she navigates the trials and tribulations of Hollywood, forging new relationships in the hope of getting her work on the big screen. She’s riding the wave of her literary fame and is passionate about her writing, but behind the scenes she is unfulfilled by her marriage to straight-laced therapist Benedict and when she learns of a betrayal, it sets her own a wild path of sexual discovery and healing hedonism. This story was first published in the Seventies and although the sentiments are easily applicable to modern women, I really enjoyed the retro vibes, particularly Seventies Hollywood and a kind of old-school-glamourous New York.

This is a follow-up to Fear of Flying and was my first read of Erica Jong, but the book reads well as a standalone. I sometimes worry when starting with a sequel, that maybe I won’t quite connect with the characters or will have missed some integral chain in the story. However Isadora is a very reflective person who not only constantly reviews her past but relates that to her present, and is quite vocal in expressing her thoughts and feelings. It’s this kind of self-discovery and self-awareness that does arm people with the knowledge and empowerment to change their circumstances for the better which was a powerful idea echoed throughout the book.

The only slight negative I have is that it ended a little abruptly for me. I kind of felt that there was more to Isadora’s journey and more of a concrete conclusion to her relationship with Benedict but I know there is a third installment to Isadora’s legacy, Parachutes & Kisses which is set in the 80s so I would definitely be curious to see what is next in store for such a vivacious character.

Written with flair and sass and featuring a somewhat eccentric yet believable cast, How to Save Your Own Life is a whirlwind of eroticism and drama exploring women, marriage and sexuality through the eyes of a passionate writer.