Going Down

by Jennifer Belle

Bennington Bloom is working her way through college. As a call girl. "Afterwards, I always say, "You've got a great body." Or if there is no way that is plausible, I say, "You've got great hair," and if even that's stretching it, I say "I love your mustache," or "Your skin is so soft." Sometimes I just say, "Nice apartment."

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, New York, Humor, Novels, Contemporary, Feminism

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

An American novelist, based in New York City.

She attended Bronx High School of Science and dropped out of college. She has also written columns for Ms. magazine. In 2002, she married entertainment lawyer Andrew Krents, after they were introduced by fellow novelist Amy Sohn.

Her work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New York Observer, London’s The Independent, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, Ms., Mudfish. She teaches at the New York Writers' Workshop.

-Wikipedia

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well i finally have finished reading this book at the library!!

It was a different book type of genre than the ones i read and i liked reading it but at times it was boring too.

[Lisa Litberg · Rating 1 out of 5]

You know the old train wreck saying--its horrible yet you can't stop looking? Yeah. That's how this book was for me. I suppose it wasn't the worst book I've ever read, but it really wasn't very good. My biggest problem with it wasn't the graphic descriptions of life as a call-girl--in fact, that was probably all that kept me reading--but rather the narrator and main character of the book, who was flat, one-dimensional, static and offered nothing for the reader to invest in. She didn't seem to care about much, and neither did I.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book and was going to give it five stars until the last few chapters. The last few chapters seemed kind of pointless or too made-up or something. But I still liked the book. It was funny and seemed emotionally truthful.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the beginning, I was drawn into the wit, humor and funniness of this book. Bennington Bloom becomes an escort/hooker to fund her college expenses. She has an unusual cast of friends and family in her life. While the storyline is not necessarily funny, the author makes it an amusing read with the antics and situations Bennington encounters. Along the way, she finds love, but deceives her boyfriend with her occupation and things really go down. A dark grittiness and reality of the lifestyle comes through the entertaining story. Short, quick chapters made it a quick read.

[SGC · Rating 4 out of 5]

There aren't too many books I enjoy re-reading and re-reading, but this is one of them. It is a funny and unique story about prostitution and NYC - in a good way. Definitely outside the typical "young woman alone and lost" box.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't imagine a better first novel. One of my biggest influences, it's the story of a girl who starts hooking to pay for college. It is stream of conscioussness, dark and funny. Really a special book.

[Whit Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

A junk drawer of vignettes and internal monologues that now serves as an indelible capture of a moment in social history and literary style.

[Chuckles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just reread this after at first reading it in the late 90s. I recalled I liked it the first time around and thought highly of the author’s work, but never saw anything else by her. Apparently she has published several books since but I never saw them in the bookstore or was aware.

Brief synopsis: the story is narrated by Bennington Bloom, a 18-19 yro freshman at NYU. She has been on her own more or less since 16 after her parents divorce and her father remarrying and sending her packing; she moved in with a friend instead of returning to her mother’s. Bennington grew up in the city and now finds herself desperate for a new place to live and to pay her NYU tuition on her own as she refuses to seek finacial help from her father or return to her mother’s. She answers an ad for COED$ and becomes an escort, and things go down from there.

Bennington is a great narrator. She has a sardonic wit and her observations provide the real entertainment of the story. She is likable and an interesting character, so its easy to root for her though she can be a bit of a doormat to people at times which is a frustrating character trait. The other characters really come and go, all are flawed in some way.

While the story begins with Bennington answering the ad to become a callgirl, and though her involvement in sex work is integral to the plot, that really isn’t what the story is about. Its not an expose on how she is exploited, nor is it a salicious sex story, nor a story of redemption. Her becoming a prostitute is just one part of the story and really just provides fodder for the author to create a story about a young woman, struggling with abandonment issues from her parents, disillusionment from family, friends, and society, and all relationships, financial hardship, and just desperate to connect to anyone. She clings instantly to almost every person she comes across who engages her in any way. Her sarcam of course is a coping mechanism. As I read her story I enjoyed her humor while simultaniously wishing she could get real help. Its an interesting mix of seriousness and lightheartedness. There were a few times where the author shocked me with the crude brutal reality when I had gotten too comfortable with the story thinking its all light and funny. This back and forth is a reflection of Bennington’s erratic personality; here’s a vanila example: “I could go to the zoo by myself. I love doing things by myself. I wished I could call someone to go with me.” Bennington can’t even be honest with herself about alienation in such a simple thing, and we the reader see this through her narration. But overall its just a story about things that happen to Bennington. There is no “thing” that needs resolved.

This is a New York book. Its one of those books where it really features prominently, its more than just a setting. It features significantly in who Bennington is, and in the plot. Hardly a page goes by where a famous street or landmark isn’t mentioned. This could come across as pretentious name dropping or as all too glaring attempts at setting the scene by the author. But it didnt fell like either, it actually felt very matter of fact as if that is how NYC natives like Bennington think and talk. I wouldn’t know, I’ve only visited the city a dozen times or so, briefely. And though my spouse is from the Bronx (though they left home and the city at 18 amd never returned permanently), I suspect Manhattanites have their own style and it fits other books and short stories I’ve read where Manhattan is a feature.

Overall, this was a good re-read. The writing is not dated at all stylisticaly, though its obvious it is set in the 90s. I’m prettg sure my opinion of it after this re-read is similar to my opinion was in the 90s. Funny, interesting, good and close to great. 3.5/5 but closer to 4/5 so I’ll round up. I’ll have a look at what else she has published.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the Alice in Wonderland quote that opens the book everything about this glittering dusty gem in the gutter of a novel is perfect. Bennington Bloom dives off the deep end literally-sleeping in an empty swimming pool serving as a de facto homeless shelter-and turning tricks to survive. Bennington is no tragic anti-hero, she calculates her earnings in her head, pays men compliments ("Sometimes I just say 'Nice apartment'") and compares the job to babysitting (lying on a couch, looks from the dad). One of my very favorite books I've read countless times. Jennifer Belle is a literary force to be reckoned with.

[Jacqueline · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my favorite things to do in my downtime is to peruse the shelves of my friends on Goodreads. That's how I made the decision to order this one off of Bookmooch. Most of the books that I mooch are titles that I'm not convinced that I want to spend the cash on. Thanks to the mixed reviews that I read online - Going Down fell into that category.

After the first few pages, it became apparent why there were so many varying reviews. This story is very polarizing - you either love it or hate it. Belle's style of writing has a lot to do with that. While the first-person narrative is not quite in the stream-of-consciousness style, it does give the reader the feeling of being in the head of someone with ADD...

To continue reading this review, visit my blog, The Eclectic Book Hoarder.

[Dean · Rating 1 out of 5]

What is the point of this book, anyway? The protagonist has an emotional range all the way from A to B, the writing is flat, and characters do not show growth and are frequently indistinguishable from one another.

Yes - we know the hook is that the attractive young female protagonist signs on with an escort service to make enough money to pay for NYU, and has some unexciting sex. Later she switches to a brothel - excuse me, the highest end house of prostitution in New York City - but things don't really get better. She meets and dates a nice rich guy, a lawyer - whose emotional range might go from A to C - but she lies to him, and he rather convincingly dumps her. At the book's end she has wondered off with a guy she just met in the subway.

Don't waste your time.

[Kimberly Webster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed a quick read, and it was. Impressive 1st novel from a 28-year old! Sad coming of age story with some amusing moments. I rooted for Bennington all along the way, but you just knew what she was going to do each time. NYC is a surprisingly small place but sometimes the coincidences were a bit much.

[Jesslyn McCartney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVE the way Jennifer Belle writes. This book kept me glued to the pages and my heart ached throughout. It’s in particular sentences that make me love this book so much. Although Im pissed that Bennington made that transphobic comment towards the end 👺

[Brit Palmerton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book randomly at a thrift store and I'm so glad I did. It's not exceptional or anything, but it's a gritty 90's New York story that had me finishing the book in two sittings. Love when books find you like that!

[Aj (SyndProd) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up after a mention in the NYT "Read Like the Wind" newsletter. It was... of a time, although it could have been anywhere from 1988 to around 1995. If I had read this when I was 25, I would have found it brilliant. Now I just found it an interesting, short palate cleanser.

[Zara Harper · Rating 2 out of 5]

Um... honestly don’t know why I kept reading it! Confusing, odd and wanted to shake the main character!

[Adrienne Yee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't remember much of this book but remember not liking the character and not really caring about her exploits.

[camilo · Rating 3 out of 5]

ending rly lacked☹️

[Jim Manning · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s of a time and place that doesn’t seem that cool anymore but Jennifer Belle is a truly funny observer of life.

[Lynn Tanksley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting slice of life on the early 90s.

[David F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast, entertaining read. Deep dive into the gritty world of New York City prostitution.

[Bella Britt · Rating 3 out of 5]

easy and fast-paced; i liked the narrator. not life changing but a good read nonetheless

[Tessa Brockway · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not into it, book read more like a manic stream of consciousness. Found details of the story and characters motivation confusing.

[Kristen Osborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

jennifer belle might be something of a genius. like if eve babitz was way dirtier. enjoyable didnt grab my attention as much as i hoped tho

[Janick Lefebvre · Rating 3 out of 5]

décevant.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

A reread. Now around 25 years later I still adore this book.

[Olivia Osborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

another great little library find - bennington is a gem

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked "read" meaning I got 1/3 of the way through before I couldn't stand any more...that seems harsh...could care less about the story or characters is more like it.
All I could think of while reading is Catcher in the Rye if the nitwit was a whore rather than a teenager.
I'm afraid if I finished this book then, like the Catcher fans, I'd want to assassinate someone or something, preferably the author's manuscripts.
I started writing a synopsis, but I can't work up the gumption to care enough to spew hatred. Pretty Woman had the Hooker with the Heart of Gold, Going Down has the Milquetoast Madam.

[ToniG · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was sadly funny. I found the character interesting enough to finish the book, but it was a little disturbing that she was so nonchalant about being a prostitute, and about her whole attitude towards life. Her parents and her friends seemed to have some sort of mental instability. This whole "world" that was created, was very disturbing, I found it hard to continue to read the book. If it was not for the dark humor of the main character I would have stopped reading all together. The way the book ended left me feeling like I was missing something. I just couldn't tap into this world or try to understand it. It was like being at a party were everyone is drunk and on drugs and your sober. That is the only way I can describe it. I would not recommend.

[Desiree · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. Much better that those dreadful chick-lit novels where some aimless young Manhattanite loses a guy and whines and eats ice cream until she falls for a perfect new guy that her mom set her up with. At least there's a real conflict. Although it's a work of fiction, you get the sense that it's highly autobiographical, especially when the protagonist, asked to name a celebrity she resembles, says "Valerie Bertinelli"-- take a look at the author photo ;)

A bit short. Some characters could have been fleshed out a bit more. Some parts were... unpleasant (daddy issues much?) and CERTAINLY not for the prudish, but entertaining overall.