Helpful Score: 3
A fantastic book! It's as timely and interresting today as it was when it was published nearly 30 years ago. Some critics have compared this book to Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer. It contains a lot of frankness with regard to sex, which some readers might see as vulgarity. It's about a woman's struggle to find herself. I highly recommend this book.
Helpful Score: 2
This is an absolute womens-lib classic! The first book written by a woman that includes graphic descriptions of sex, and talks about casual sex "like a man." A fun, uplifting read.
Helpful Score: 1
I read this book 30 years ago and loved it. The rollicking adventures of a woman discovering herself and some rules about life and men. A great read and relevent even today.
This is the 1974 edition that was hidden under my bed in college!
One of the most influential books ever on women's sexuality...predicts that "this book will make literary history, that because of it women are going to find their own voice and give us great sagas of sex, life, joy, and adventure."
One of the most influential books ever on women's sexuality...predicts that "this book will make literary history, that because of it women are going to find their own voice and give us great sagas of sex, life, joy, and adventure."
A must for every Cosmo girl
Closely mirroring the author's own life, Fear of Flying is a classic of the second feminist movement. Isadora Wing attends a congress of psychoanalysts with her Chinese-American husband Bennett, but falls in love with another British analyst named Adrian. What ensues is Isadora's angst as she struggles between conflicting wants such as love vs. lust and security vs. adventure. At times it sounds full of dated Freudian jargon, but one woman's trying to work out what it means to be independent, as the title implies, is important if only for historical reasons. It features a more intense prototype of the modern chick lit protagonist looking for fulfillment. This was the book on the 1001 books you must read before you die that coined the term "zipless f**k."
Wow! Chick lit from the 70's? Seriously, Jong's book was scandalous back then and it still remains a shocker! If sexual freedom means being crude and vulgar--well, Jong does that very well. A must read for every woman who has ever felt oppressed by men.
This was my first read as a feminist. It's one of the most important books I've ever read!
a classic -- 1973 edition
From Amazon.com
Book Description
Originally published in 1973, this uninhibited story of Isadora Wing was a national sensation: fueling fantasies, igniting debates, and even introducing a notorious new phrase to the English language. In The New York Times, Henry Miller compared it to his own classic Tropic of Cancer, predicting, "This book will make literary history, that because of it women are going to find their own voice and give us great sagas of sex, life, joy, and adventure." It went on to sell more than twelve million copies. Today, Fear of Flying is a classic--a timeless tale of self-discovery, liberation, and womanhood
Book Description
Originally published in 1973, this uninhibited story of Isadora Wing was a national sensation: fueling fantasies, igniting debates, and even introducing a notorious new phrase to the English language. In The New York Times, Henry Miller compared it to his own classic Tropic of Cancer, predicting, "This book will make literary history, that because of it women are going to find their own voice and give us great sagas of sex, life, joy, and adventure." It went on to sell more than twelve million copies. Today, Fear of Flying is a classic--a timeless tale of self-discovery, liberation, and womanhood
I read this a long time ago and thats where it stays, I started it againlately and just cannnot relate.
Quick read. Enjoyed it.
Parts were great but I think that it is difficult to relate to given that it was written in the 60's.