Please Let It Stop: The True Story of My Abused Childhood

by Jacqueline Gold

Please Let It Stop is a gripping and ultimately inspiring memoir of suffering and determination, of obstacles and inner battles. Jacqueline Gold was abused by her stepfather for many years, but one day she summoned the courage to ask him to stop. Jacqueline went on to become chief executive of British sex shop chain Ann Summers, but the journey was far from easy. In this, her no-holds-barred autobiography, Jacqueline describes her abused childhood, her tumultuous struggles to find love and conquer depression, and the heartbreak of undergoing IVF. Told with remarkable honesty, her story is a testament to one woman’s ability to overcome the darkest of times.

Genres: Abuse

288 pages, Paperback

First published February 7, 2008

Reviews

[Lainy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time Taken To Read - 3 days

Blurb From Goodreads

Please Let It Stop is a gripping and ultimately inspiring memoir of suffering and determination, of obstacles and inner battles. Jacqueline Gold was abused by her stepfather for many years, but one day she summoned the courage to ask him to stop. Jacqueline went on to become chief executive of British sex shop chain Ann Summers, but the journey was far from easy. In this, her no-holds-barred autobiography, Jacqueline describes her abused childhood, her tumultuous struggles to find love and conquer depression, and the heartbreak of undergoing IVF. Told with remarkable honesty, her story is a testament to one woman’s ability to overcome the darkest of times.

My Review

Going by the title and front cover you would assume this book is going to be focused mostly or wholly on abuse. This is not the case, Jacqueline Gold does indeed discuss her abuse that happened to her at the hands of her stepfather but it isn't one of these books that give you gory details or focus huge parts of the writing on the negative, the opposite actually.

The book is an autobiography, it takes us on the journey of Jacqueline's life, from early beginnings to how she became a wealthy and powerful business woman in the company most, if not all, of us have heard of. The book gives you an insight into the respectable business Ann Summers actually is and how it came to be so successful as well as the obstacles and prejudices people have against it. All of which I found fascinating however it was the strength of character she shows, all of the knocks she has taken and yet she refuses to become a victim and seems to pick herself up every time she is knocked down.

I also found it shocking how people have behaved and treated Gold purely because of who she is and her wealth. It is a sad day to learn so many scammers are out there, not to mention unprofessional people who clearly have no work ethics. This book is very positive and I feel a lot of people could take something from it and feel empowered. There are so many issues addressed in this book that everyone can relate to. Whilst it is how the author dealt with each of these issues and not a self help for other people, I still think the reader can take something from this book. 4/5 for me, very well written and I thought it was a great read.

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book proved to be an interesting and enjoyable read. Don’t be put off however by the front cover of this book. The title ‘Please Let It Stop’ and cover make this book appear like a ‘misery memoir’ but it is anything but. Although Jacqueline Gold, the Chief Executive of British brand Ann Summers, was abused by her stepfather during childhood (a background but not foreground theme of the book), this text reads more like an autobiography of drive, determination and ambition rather than a work of woe and life-wasting. Clearly, via the text, Gold strongly and adamantly refuses to see herself as a victim (a constant and positive refrain) and gives her account of how she moved forward in life despite setbacks that have challenged her. I very much like the steely personality of Gold as she presents herself in the book and it’s very interesting to see how a (self-confessed) shy and meek personality worked from the bottom up (so to speak!) to build a major and successful brand to appeal to a female mass-market in the sex/sex-related industry whilst challenging and changing the minds of males along the way. I would recommend this book to any keen readers of autobiographies and feel that is very inspiring to all who have an interest in business, niche markets, female power and the sexual revolution. An easy and pleasing read that female (and male!) entrepreneurs and all in general can be inspired by.

[Love · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I was really into it at first..I am sorry to say I did not like this book much. It's only earning 3 stars from me. At frst I really think it was about her abussive childhood. Then it turned into more of a bio about her career. However interesting her carrer choice was it seemed very boring to me to have to read about it. Maybe she could have turned it into two books..Wrote about her childhood then lead into her adult life in the next..That's all I really have to say here :(

[Huda Alshamari · Rating 2 out of 5]

Misleading title.