Satisfaction: The Art of the Female Orgasm

by Kim Cattrall, Mark Levinson

Kim Cattrall, Sex and the City's Samantha, slides between the sheets and shares her secrets on reaching the heights of pleasure. She teams up with her husband in this how-to-sex book, based on viewer feedback from the show and designed to help couples focus on achieving the female orgasm. 75 illustrations.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sexuality, Health, Erotica, Self Help

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Kim Victoria Cattrall, is a British-born, Canadian-raised Golden Globe-winning and Emmy-nominated actress. She is known for her role as Samantha Jones in the HBO comedy/romance series Sex and the City, and for her leading roles in the 1980s films Police Academy and Mannequin.

Reviews

[abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

men shoud read this book. i'd be happy to let you borrow it.

[Alex Telander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning: this review contains language of an adult nature.

This is certainly a book for guys; girls are not invited. Just kidding! But Satisfaction: The Art of the Female Orgasm is intended for guys – read the title. Do girls need to know how to give girls orgasms? Well, yes, but that is another matter. The point is guys are not so wise in the ways of giving a girl satisfaction, mainly in the form of an orgasm, or perhaps multiples (contrary to what Jay of Silent Bob fame may indicate). And so the star/slut (?) of Sex in the City has got together with her husband and written a book about satisfying women, since us guys simply seem unable to do it right, and we need a woman to teach us how. But that’s okay, because the best way you’re going to find out what your girl really likes is by her telling you. Well, now you can surprise her by buying and reading this book.

The book begins with some basic introductions from each of them touching on how this book is mainly for a couple who are in love and are looking to reach new heights in their pleasure, specifically geared towards men making women feel great. In Cattrall’s words: “No one wants to admit that millions of women have unsatisfactory sex lives and that most men do not know what to do about it.”

Satisfaction takes it a step at a time, chapter by chapter. With chapter headings like “The Clitoris,” “Circles,” “Figure Eights,” “Up-Down Flicks,” “Lips and Teeth,” “Fingers,” as well as a detailed index, the man has no excuse for losing his way in this book which is not even 150 pages long, and is filled with pictures on almost every page. Divided into two major sections: oral sex and sexual positions, the book seeks to enlighten and teach a man how to make a woman reach orgasm in many different ways. Now, the man doesn’t have to perform every single act from every single chapter in the book in one “session,” nor does he have to “take one page out of the book” for a single session. The point is to experiment, once the basics are known, and eventually come up with your own style. Each of the chapters in the book have only pleasure in mind, and whenever there is any possible pain involved there is a warning, plus with detailed sketches and drawings, mistakes are not likely to be made.

Kim Cattrall and Mark Levinson wrote Satisfaction: The Art of the Female Orgasm with the aim of binging couples closer together and improving their sexual relationships. This isn’t a Men’s Health publication with the “100 Ways to Satisfy Your Woman” piece, but a book that can only help a loving couple. So don’t feel embarrassed, because ultimate you both want to have as much fun and get as much pleasure out sex as possible. The key term here is “mutual pleasure.” So one of you guys buy the book and don’t feel ashamed in using it as a reference tool during sex. Remember, it is all a learning process, and we have our whole lives to perfect it. This book is simply offering us a very detailed foundation that will give us a head start on every guy who doesn’t have this book and doesn’t know how to pleasure the woman he loves.

Originally published on September 30th, 2002.

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[Dawn Serra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was skeptical about this book. It has some great things and some not so great things, but overall, I was pleasantly surprised. Despite some major pitfalls, the book has some good lessons for those looking to find new ways to talk about sex with a lover.

The good:

The illustrations in this book are beautiful. Tasteful, sensual, and erotic.

Kim and Mark, the authors, repeatedly stress the importance of checking in with your lover during sex, taking your time, communicating, and trying different techniques. The most important point in the book is that what your lover likes will change from day to day, so never assume that what worked yesterday will work today.

For people who need illustrations of how to do basic techniques, this book can be a great jumping off point. Especially for the cunnilingus/oral sex on a person with a clitoris techniques.

The bad:

This book is very heteronormative. Most of the content and techniques would work for man on woman and woman on woman. Some of the other techniques and concepts would be great for any body/sexuality/combination of lovers.

However, the entire book is based off the concept that a woman needs a man to set her free sexually, and it's his job to do that by coaxing her out of her shell.

While I understand what they were going for (they want to challenge straight men to up their game and to be more sensitive lovers), it came off as condescending and misogynistic at a few points.

There are SWEEPING assumptions in this book about what women like. Talking about various techniques and sensations is very important, but saying that ALL WOMEN love something or ALL BODIES are built a certain way lends itself to shaming people who don't fit into those boxes.

I wrote "ugh" several times in the margins of the book.

Overall:

This book is a good starting point for straight couples, mostly because of the illustrations.

There are other books that much better at talking about connection, communication, pleasure, and erotic situations (like Barbara Carrellas' "Urban Tantra").

Decent effort. Not a bad book, just not the best.

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Satisfaction is not just about technique; it is about loving, and the deep enrichment that comes from caring about your lover's sexual fulfillment.

[Rossen Antonov · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book has several profound and very simple ideas, that we all know but we don't know that we know. The book is practical and simple. I would recommend every man to read it.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Im Gegensatz zu Samantha Jones, ihrer Rolle in Sex and the City war das Liebesleben von Kim Cattrall lange Zeit eher unbefriedigend. Erst mit über vierzig Jahren und dem richtigen Mann an ihrer Seite konnte sie das ändern. In ihrem Buch sprechen sie und ihr Mann Mark Levinson offen darüber, was man tun kann, damit beide Partner wirklich Spaß im Bett haben.

Keine Frage, das Buch ist mehr als deutlich, sowohl in Worten als auch in Bildern. Trotzdem hat es auf mich nicht billig oder plump gewirkt. Die Beschreibungen sind sachlich und die Bilder schön, fast schon liebevoll gezeichnet. Manches hätte ich nicht so deutlich lesen wollen, bei dem Titel und dem Thema habe ich auch nichts anderes erwarten können. Ein interessanter Ausflug in ein unbekanntes Lesegenre.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great erotic book not only for personal shelves but public libraries. It's written in a clear, comfortable style with excellent illustrations - something you can recommend without people edging away from the desk.

[Diane Wachter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Satisfaction: The Art of the Female Orgasm, Kim Cattrall & Mark Levinson, HB-B, @ 2002, 7/02. Intended for use by adults who are informed and want to invigorate and maintain a great sexual relationship. Interesting and Informative.

[Molly · Rating 2 out of 5]

A really really REALLY basic book for people who know very little about anything to do with sex. But that means it's great for beginners!

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

good descriptions. helpful in an explicit way without being tacky or preachy. classy? definately honest.

[Habeeb Akande · Rating 5 out of 5]

The majority of women do not have satisfying sex lives, often because men don’t understand women’s sexual needs and sensitivities. Women want sexual fulfilment, but are sometimes unsure about how to express their needs or improve their sex life.

Kim Cattrall, best known for her depiction of Sex and the City's sexually open TV character Samantha Jones, shares her secrets to women on reaching the heights of pleasure. Despite her media persona as a sex symbol, Cattrall admits that she didn't experience a fulfilling sex life until her early 40s when she met her husband and the book's co-author, Mark Levinson.

"I'd gone through two decades of unsatisfactory sexual relationships. I had convinced myself that I just wasn't a sexual woman and like my mother before me. I began to feel that sex really wasn't that important. To me, sex meant being physically dominant by a man and experiencing some pleasure through the act of penetration in intercourse, but never reaching orgasm with my partners. So I resolved to put all my energy into my work and my family, and joined my single girlfriends in their common complaint of not being able to find any good men....I was quite surprised to discover how quickly my body responded to being touched in the right way. It didn't take much time to begin having orgasms...When a man knows what to do, it is amazing how fast you can move on to new levels of intimacy," writes Kim Cattrall

Satisfaction: The Art of the Female Orgasm helps men become the lover they want to be and shows women how to communicate their desires, creating a stronger romantic bond for sexual fulfilment. The book also teaches men how to tune into their wife's body to discover what really pleases her. The book is a candid, easy to read guide with illustrations to help lovers discover the pathways to deeper intimacy and sexual satisfaction.

[Anibal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the authors aren’t professional experts in this field area, they don’t claim it to be. This book is an honest account about how Kim Cattral and Mark Levinson managed to have a fulfilling sexual life and how they overcame some issues that might plague any couple. Obviously this book capitalizes on the fact that Kim IS the sex diva of an age (everybody knows that there is a BSatC – before sex and the city - and an ASatC- after sex and the city - in sexual knowledge and public conversation about the theme, especially between male and female public interaction), and let’s face it, this couple know a couple of very good tricks indeed.

Centered on achieving the female orgasm, this book is dedicated to anyone who want to try some new or tried things to please his/her female companion. It has some important lacunas (such as no sex toys) and it is very small sized; although the information is clearly interesting and provided in a clear format, supported by fine line drawings. But please bear in mind that because Cattral faints of pleasure doing some stuff, that doesn’t mean it will happen to your companion. Each person is different, but the main advice of this book is completely correct: be honest, don’t be afraid to ask what does she like and how can she achieve her deserved pleasure.

[Tammy Downing · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting book full of information on how to help woman and man achieve mutual satisfaction. Good illustrations and hints.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember reading this back in 2003 out of curiosity. This was when SATC was still a huge draw and I wanted to know what Kim Cattrall had to say about sex. I was in my very early 20's, so sex can be quite different at that age compared to a woman in her 40's, and I wanted to learn any tips. I don't remember getting much knowledge from it that I didn't already know, but what is interesting is how this book has impacted Kim's life and all of her relationships with men since writing it. I think people assume she is Samantha in real life. Many men might think this is all about sex tips when they pick it up, but it's more about tuning in to the needs and wants of your partner, which some guys choose to ignore in the heat of the moment.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

i used to own this book. It was awesome. I seemed to have lost it in one of my many moves

[Rosemary · Rating 3 out of 5]

i have the 2002 edition - will add the cover picture sometime - just found it lol