This book felt like it focused more on social class than anything. For something that seems to claim it's a feminist manifesto, it discounts many of those females.

How to Save Your Own Life by Erica Jong was a different read for me – yet quite entertaining. I have not yet read Fear of Flying but it is now on my list to read. #HowtoSaveYourOwnLife #NetGalley

I read the re-release of this 1970s book a few months ago, so my memory of it is a little hazy. I've also never read Jong's first novel, Fear of Flying, but this sequel of sorts reads well as a standalone.

One of the things that resonated with me was Jong's struggle (because this is apparently autobiographical fiction, so I assume this was something that she experienced) with the 'sunk cost fallacy'. Having spent eight years with her husband, the protagonist Isadora is torn between leaving this cold, loveless marriage that she's invested a number of years in her life in or freeing herself and pursuing a new path.

I can understand why (cis, white, middle-class) women found this book so enticing in the late 70s. It mixes a fun and frank look at sexual escapades with bigger questions around meaningful relationships and life's journey. Of course, it feels very dated in both positive and negative ways, so it's hard to see this book as groundbreaking when looking at it through our modern gaze - but perhaps, for its time, it was.

Really didn't enjoy this I'm afraid. I really didn't rate the story, the characters, the setting. It was all just very "meh" and not one that I'm glad I pushed myself through finishing. It never got better.

To celebrate International Women's Day How to Save Your Own Life by Erica Jong has been republished by Agora Books. Originally published in the 1970's, this book follows Isadora Wing's story and her trials and tribulations of love set against the glamorous backdrop of Hollywood.

Navigating daily life we follow Isadora as she tackles work, friends, lovers and a bore of a husband. NYC in the 1970's and apparently everyone has a shrink, an avocado plant and an affair. Isadora is no different.

This well-written character driven book is witty, sad and shocking in equal measure.

Erica Jong was a mover and trailblazer in being frankly open and honest about her need to be sexually liberated and that it might not be the job of just one person to fulfil that goal. Her honest discussions of sex might be offputting for some-the words used and flittered throughout this book are not for everyone, it might seem outrageous for a woman to be reclaiming the word c***, but remember, this was first published nearly 40 years ago. Women speaking out loudly their rights to sexual and reproductive freedom was a relatively new arena of social consciousness supported by the Contraceptive Pill and Abortion Act of 1968 so this was actually quite revolutionary.

I first read her semi-autobiographical novel, 'Fear Of Flying' as a teen becoming aware of the vast difference in opportunities between women and men. It seemed thrilling, out there and completely wonderful and sat alongside copies of Fay Weldon's books, Marilyn French's seminal 'The Women's Room' and De Beauvoir's 'The Second Sex'

So I went online to see what modern women think of Erica's writing style and her subjects and was overwhelmingly met with scorn, derision and accusations of selfishness by reviewers.

What this reader felt on reading 'How To Save Your Own Life' , was a freshness of style, a freedom not impinged upon by societal mores and a frankness about sex that is often lacking in today's novels. It plunges you into a stream of consciousness which takes you on a journey of discovery wherein the person responsible for your life, your wellbeing and rescuing yourself is you.

Responsibility for your happiness should not lie in the palms of others hands and when she is railing against the institution of marriage and the men she has been yoked to, she is railing at herself to break free and reclaim her life. Her voyages of experimentation in the bedroom-and out of it, and pretty much everywhere-are breathtakingly free. She becomes the person she wants to be and is both the prince and  sleeping beauty being woken. And for this, I revelled in the descriptions, the language, the whole ballsiness of the narrative and I loved it. And in a time where the word 'woman' is seen as dirty, and being 'claimed' by men as 'womxn', where 'be kind' is the new version of 'sit down and shut up', we need fresh voices like this more than ever.

We first met Isadora Wing in Erica Jong's, now iconic novel, Fear of Flying, which was first published in 1973, with How to Save Your Own Life following in 1977. There is no doubt that, at the time, both novels were controversial with their focus on feminism and female sexuality.

Reissued with a new cover, How to Save Your Own Life takes us on Isadora's quest to rid herself of a tiresome marriage. That Isadora is dissatisfied with her life is obvious, her angst and chagrin at her literary career and her search to find out more about herself is what comes across in this journey to save her own life. I found Isadora Wing to be an unusual protagonist, she's not always particularly likeable, nor are some of the other characters, but there is a vulnerability to Isadora which I didn't expect to find. She is a woman of strong contrasts, who seems to lurch from one crisis to another, and though she's both hedonistic and, at times, morally reprehensible, there's an originality to her which is hard, in the end, not to find interesting.

That the story is of its time is perhaps what comes across strongly, and whilst it is still readable for a modern audience, it's not for those who are offended by explicit sexual references. How to Save Your Own Life is, I think, quite definitely a classic book, and with its companion, Fear of Flying, both novels are now firmly placed in history as controversial novels which encouraged a generation of women to search for sexual freedom, a world away from the stereotypical confines of what was expected of them in the 1970s as wives and mothers

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.

A very different read to everything I’ve been reading recently, that's for sure!

Firmly set in the 70s, it is the sequel to Erica Jong’s famous ‘Fear of Flying’, narrated by Isadora and appears to be loosely based on Jong’s own life.

It is very much an intellectual novel, but also is quite graphic with a lot of bad language and so will not be for everyone.

Isadora is a strong, outrageous character who challenges women to look at themselves and their relationships. I felt the narrator was very self absorbed, and so the story was more a series of events, all making a point.

Certainly different and challenging, but not necessarily a comfortable read for me.

Successful writer Isadora is leaving her Chinese psychotherapist husband Bennett Wing, in this follow-up to Fear of Flying. It's all very meta, with Isadora comparing herself to her main character Candida Wong but at the same time representing the actual author Erica Jong.

This book is written in a conversational yet controversial voice, quite frankly sex-focused and satirical. Feminist in the sense that Isadora pursues her own desires (romantic, sexual, and intellectual), Jong's writing was integral to the development of feminism's second wave.

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.

Thank you NetGalley for the galley of How To Save Your Own Life in exchange for an honest review.

I personally love women writing essays. This book (fiction) reads as such an authentic first person narrative you forget it's fiction for a while. The chapters are raw, vulnerable, honest and very uncensored. It reads like what Sex and the City would've looked like in the 80s with some more panache. The major issues for me lie in the second wave feminist approach of the whole book, the highly unreliable storytelling and the casual use of triggering subjects (the holocaust, rape, sexual abuse, gaslighting) for impact. The poems at the end were a little lackluster as well, though I generally like the turn the book takes. Quite satisfying after having been through 300 pages of restless narration.

I've not read Fear of Flying so I'm reading this as a standalone.

I've not read anything by Erica before but I'm really excited to read more of her books.

This book is really good and I really enjoyed the journey it takes you on. It was hilarious and sad and had me laughing a lot.
⭐⭐⭐

Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me - I really struggled with the writing style, thank you for giving me the chance to read it though

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley.
Isadora Wing, the 1970's, NYC... What could be better?
Except it could definitely be better
I read FoF years ago (and I recommend reading it before reading this. I recommend reading FoF even if you don't read this.). Isadora Wing is back and not better than ever. There might be elements of the book that resonate. I myself can't relate to a rich woman going about her daily life jet setting to Europe and the West Coast at the drop of a dime. But as a woman, I can definitely relate to how a relationship can gradually disintegrate until there is nothing left. Isadora is searching for something she might have found. We follow along as she meets quite cast of characters. She's restless, she's bored and she's been betrayed by her husband. But I found the "character" to be unlikable and selfish in this sequel. The 70's was a hedonistic time. That is captured fairly well. I raced through it as it is a fast paced read. I laughed out loud a few times. But didn't feel any particular way at the end.

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 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

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

A compleX followup to Ms. Jong's initial novel. She gives more information on Hollywood in the 70s, working with a power hungry publicist and falling in love with a younger man while still married. Art imitates life in this book with names changed to protect the guilty.

Inundated of sexual references and activity, Isadora belies her frustration with the direction of her life. She remains stagnated as evident by the fact that she still lives on 77th street. Did she ever love Bennett despite his cruelty? Was it love or lust with Josh? How did she relate to Candida? All were questions that I feel were not fully answered through the book. I felt that due to her lack of confidence, that she constantly sought approval from others.