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Great Pleasures
"How many bottoms can I top before I pass the threshold of sexual acceptability and destroy my chances of being a contender in the sweepstakes of romance?"
A gay slut tells all in horny, hilarious, and honest detail!
Written as confessional, sarcastic blog entries by a gay man tomcatting through the nightlife of New York City, Great Pleasures is a novel bursting with erotic exploration, delving into the repercussions and fascinations of sex as physical entertainment with graphic frankness, cheeky humor, poetic flights, mortifying vulnerability, and brutal truth.
A gay slut tells all in horny, hilarious, and honest detail!
Written as confessional, sarcastic blog entries by a gay man tomcatting through the nightlife of New York City, Great Pleasures is a novel bursting with erotic exploration, delving into the repercussions and fascinations of sex as physical entertainment with graphic frankness, cheeky humor, poetic flights, mortifying vulnerability, and brutal truth.
201 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 3, 2014
187 people want to read
About the author
Edward Southgate
1 book13 followersEdward Southgate is probably single again and on the prowl in NYC. He lives in uptown Manhattan, where he is a full-time freelance writer and part-time slut. Not whore. Whores get paid.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 1, 2015
My GR friends know that I'm a quote-junkie. And it is the first time I have to quote MYSELF. Save yourself your big applauses, I'm a shy person.
My star ratings are based solely on how much I enjoyed the book and I don't care if it is intellectual enough, real enough or ambitious enough for other people.
I have to remind myself that these directives in my profile, that I'd written myself long ago, must be observed. Because I don't really know how to review this book. The only thing I know - I really enjoyed reading it.
And I swallowed it almost in one sitting. The next step would be normally to recommend it to those GR friends who could UNDERSTAND graphic frankness, cheeky humor, mortifying vulnerability, poetic flights, and brutal honesty -it is out of the blurb. I think that I have to add the most important insignificance - YOU HAVE TO BE IN THE MOOD FOR THIS KIND OF BOOK.
And I was. I came across this book in the most suitable moment of my life. For both of us- for me and for the book.
Written in a self ironical manner and read as excerpts from a personal diary of an average(?!) single gay guy tomcatting through the nightlife of New York City. With all his worries or absence of any worries, all his ups and downs, daily triumphs and seeking for causal anonymous sex-or maybe he just doesn't want to admit to himself that all he wants just to love and be loved again?-with fucking as sport(?!),trying to find ways to integrate the pieces of his life into a coherent whole.
It is a gay fiction or non-fiction, that gives you an deep insight into the
You want to stay for a while in a gay guy body and head, feel what he feels and read what he thinks?
You want to quote some interesting thoughts?
You want sex and funny? Then it is for you.
You want an easy read that makes you smile and leave you pensive after?
You have to read this book. It's witty, funny, ironical and philosophical.
When I wake up in the morning, I want to be a whole person.
I want to order up everything together.
Toasted.
With butter.
If I'll find this blog somewhere, I'd like to sign up!
And thank you for sharing so nakedly, Edward.
October 9, 2014
My GR friends know that I'm a quote-junkie. And it is the first time I have to quote MYSELF. Save yourself your big applauses, I'm a shy person.
My star ratings are based solely on how much I enjoyed the book and I don't care if it is intellectual enough, real enough or ambitious enough for other people.
I have to remind myself that these directives in my profile, that I'd written myself long ago, must be observed. Because I don't really know how to review this book. The only thing I know - I really enjoyed reading it.
And I swallowed it almost in one sitting. The next step would be normally to recommend it to those GR friends who could UNDERSTAND graphic frankness, cheeky humor, mortifying vulnerability, poetic flights, and brutal honesty -it is out of the blurb. I think that I have to add the most important insignificance - YOU HAVE TO BE IN THE MOOD FOR THIS KIND OF BOOK.
And I was. I came across this book in the most suitable moment of my life. For both of us- for me and for the book.
Written in a self ironical manner and read as excerpts from a personal diary of an average(?!) single gay guy tomcatting through the nightlife of New York City. With all his worries or absence of any worries, all his ups and downs, daily triumphs and seeking for causal anonymous sex-or maybe he just doesn't want to admit to himself that all he wants just to love and be loved again?-with fucking as sport(?!),trying to find ways to integrate the pieces of his life into a coherent whole.
It is a gay fiction or non-fiction, that gives you an deep insight into the
You want to stay for a while in a gay guy body and head, feel what he feels and read what he thinks?
You want to quote some interesting thoughts?
You want sex and funny? Then it is for you.
You want an easy read that makes you smile and leave you pensive after?
You have to read this book. It's witty, funny, ironical and philosophical.
When I wake up in the morning, I want to be a whole person.
I want to order up everything together.
Toasted.
With butter.
If I'll find this blog somewhere, I'd like to sign up!
And thank you for sharing so nakedly, Edward.
March 7, 2015
If I was a young, gay, man (polar opposite to my middle-aged,married, heterosexual self) I would have probably really appreciated this book.
I read this book from cover to cover (laughing out loud and frequently grimacing - despite my liberal mindedness and the fact that I thought I was unshockable)!
It was, however, incredibly explicit, with very graphic descriptions of sexual activities and tbh there's only so much about male genitalia and fisting that I need to know!
With a thirst for learning and self-development (particularly in my writing) I rarely shy away from a book - even if the genre or subject doesn't particularly appeal. I think something can be learnt from everything we read. In this case I did like the journalistic writing style. (Although I found the style of writing in the latter part of the book quite different to the first two thirds).
Also for future reference, I will be wary of sitting around in skimpy pants just in case Gianni Versace should turn up on my doorstep!!
I read this book from cover to cover (laughing out loud and frequently grimacing - despite my liberal mindedness and the fact that I thought I was unshockable)!
It was, however, incredibly explicit, with very graphic descriptions of sexual activities and tbh there's only so much about male genitalia and fisting that I need to know!
With a thirst for learning and self-development (particularly in my writing) I rarely shy away from a book - even if the genre or subject doesn't particularly appeal. I think something can be learnt from everything we read. In this case I did like the journalistic writing style. (Although I found the style of writing in the latter part of the book quite different to the first two thirds).
Also for future reference, I will be wary of sitting around in skimpy pants just in case Gianni Versace should turn up on my doorstep!!
January 4, 2017
This is one of the most heart twisting, amazing and fun books I've read. It is a book about a journey of finding acceptance in yourself, finding love, of not just knowing you deserve more but being proven that you deserve it. To find that special someone who love you no matter what.
Edward brings us on a journey of not just erotic romantic book sex were everyone is perfect, surrounded by perfection and where the sex is constantly mind blowing. No he shows us that between the mind blowing sex, that a lot of the time appears very rarely you have the life and body situations that simply just will not help you reach your goal.
Great Pleasures is a sexy story for sure. It was both hot and sexy but it also gives you a real insight to what being a single man in your mid 30's really is like. It gives you all the fun and not so fun things that goes with it. But mostly Great Pleasures is a personal story about a man, Edward, who just want to find his way in this jungle of anonymous sex and to find the man of his dreams to share his life with.
Edward brings us on a journey of not just erotic romantic book sex were everyone is perfect, surrounded by perfection and where the sex is constantly mind blowing. No he shows us that between the mind blowing sex, that a lot of the time appears very rarely you have the life and body situations that simply just will not help you reach your goal.
Great Pleasures is a sexy story for sure. It was both hot and sexy but it also gives you a real insight to what being a single man in your mid 30's really is like. It gives you all the fun and not so fun things that goes with it. But mostly Great Pleasures is a personal story about a man, Edward, who just want to find his way in this jungle of anonymous sex and to find the man of his dreams to share his life with.
February 22, 2015
Quirky, interesting POV
First person narrative of a single, gay man as he navigates his sex life, seasoned with insight into his public persona, hopes, dreams and all.
The kind of a book that allows the reader to either see themself in the narrative or imagine what they could be if they were.
First person narrative of a single, gay man as he navigates his sex life, seasoned with insight into his public persona, hopes, dreams and all.
The kind of a book that allows the reader to either see themself in the narrative or imagine what they could be if they were.
June 29, 2015
I have to say that I really enjoyed this book. It's different, very well written and, in the end, I wanted to know more about the character's life, I rooted for him. Very well done, Mr. Southgate
Want to read
October 25, 2014Kindle freebie 10/25/14!
September 30, 2014
I should begin by saying that I read got this book from the Goodreads First Reads program - and that my review wasn't influenced by that at all.
I'm really not sure how to review this book. I'll give it a go, but don't be surprised if this review goes sort of wonky halfway through.
So, this book is basically a collection of blog posts made from 2005 to 2007-ish following the life of Edward, a 30-something gay man who is recently single. And go.
And that's it. It reads like a blog. Chapters are written with random time jumps in between - sometimes a day, sometimes a few months, and there's not much information about the people Edward interacts with between posts. So somebody will get a lot of attention in one chapter, and then disappear forever, three months down the line. It's a bit jarring, and I came away with the feeling that a lot of the plot lines or stories didn't feel finished. Which, again, is very blog-like.
But this is a book. And while I can fill in the lines, I was left deeply unsatisfied about some of the character resolutions. And at the same time I feel like I know a lot about the narrator and that because this is his story, that's all that really matters. We get an unreliable narrator (my favorite kind!) as well as one with very human flaws, and very human failings. The narrator felt very real; I just wish that we knew more about him or what was going on.
Books based on diaries have been very successful (see: Bridget Jones's Diary or The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4) but those are books where the entries are mostly over a set period of time, and there's really no large gaps in time. There have also been successful books based on blogs (see: Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen: How One Girl Risked Her Marriage, Her Job, and Her Sanity to Master the Art of Living), but those have not copied entries verbatim and instead presented a fully realized portrait of that person during the time period. So again, I'm conflicted. I just feel like there was a lot that was hidden, and while some of that's okay, whole characters and plot lines were dropped and forgotten about, over and over again. The book is like a blog. But there's no way to leave a comment or e-mail the writer, and instead we have a document frozen in time. I'm not really sure what else to say.
It was an entertaining book. If you don't think too hard about it, there's nothing wrong with it. It entertained me for a few hours on a Monday when I'm trying to take it easy and recover from a cold. But at the same time I spent a lot of time thinking about characters who had disappeared and wondering when they'd return, and so I couldn't enjoy it fully. I'm sure other people will have a different reaction, and lots of people will love it. I didn't love it. I also didn't hate it. I probably won't read it again, but I might loan it out to some of my friends. I don't know. We'll see.
I'm really not sure how to review this book. I'll give it a go, but don't be surprised if this review goes sort of wonky halfway through.
So, this book is basically a collection of blog posts made from 2005 to 2007-ish following the life of Edward, a 30-something gay man who is recently single. And go.
And that's it. It reads like a blog. Chapters are written with random time jumps in between - sometimes a day, sometimes a few months, and there's not much information about the people Edward interacts with between posts. So somebody will get a lot of attention in one chapter, and then disappear forever, three months down the line. It's a bit jarring, and I came away with the feeling that a lot of the plot lines or stories didn't feel finished. Which, again, is very blog-like.
But this is a book. And while I can fill in the lines, I was left deeply unsatisfied about some of the character resolutions. And at the same time I feel like I know a lot about the narrator and that because this is his story, that's all that really matters. We get an unreliable narrator (my favorite kind!) as well as one with very human flaws, and very human failings. The narrator felt very real; I just wish that we knew more about him or what was going on.
Books based on diaries have been very successful (see: Bridget Jones's Diary or The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4) but those are books where the entries are mostly over a set period of time, and there's really no large gaps in time. There have also been successful books based on blogs (see: Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen: How One Girl Risked Her Marriage, Her Job, and Her Sanity to Master the Art of Living), but those have not copied entries verbatim and instead presented a fully realized portrait of that person during the time period. So again, I'm conflicted. I just feel like there was a lot that was hidden, and while some of that's okay, whole characters and plot lines were dropped and forgotten about, over and over again. The book is like a blog. But there's no way to leave a comment or e-mail the writer, and instead we have a document frozen in time. I'm not really sure what else to say.
It was an entertaining book. If you don't think too hard about it, there's nothing wrong with it. It entertained me for a few hours on a Monday when I'm trying to take it easy and recover from a cold. But at the same time I spent a lot of time thinking about characters who had disappeared and wondering when they'd return, and so I couldn't enjoy it fully. I'm sure other people will have a different reaction, and lots of people will love it. I didn't love it. I also didn't hate it. I probably won't read it again, but I might loan it out to some of my friends. I don't know. We'll see.
February 8, 2015
DNF at 28%. What was the point to this???
probably-not-for-me
December 19, 2016probably not based on sample... the narrator's voice couldn't really grab me, and since it's first person present tense narration, I don't want to risk it... with my tendency to dnf ;-)
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews