Some people have chick lit and harlequin romances to give themselves a mental break from higher literature and serious fiction - I have Belle de Jour and her highly entertaining escapades as a call girl and gal-about-London. My tastes have always been a bit on the weird side when it comes to books/stories, but I was less than thrilled with the Marquis de Sade, so Belle fits the bill perfectly in between the two extremes of fluffy romance and well… whatever we’re calling de Sade’s genre at the moment. Contrary to the fact that Belle begins this novel as a working girl, by the end of the story she’s well-ensconced in her life as a regular working girl (office, not call) and in her regular (if tumultuous) relationship with The Boy. Dalliances and daydreams of her former life aside, this book ends up being much less raunchy than the previous volume in the series, but as always her thoughts about relationships and life in general are nothing if not unique! ( )

Huge disappointment in comparison to Belle's first book. This one comes off as a second-rate Sex In The City riff, with Belle obsessing over a cheating boyfriend who is obviously no good for her. A jaunt to South America does little to liven things up. There's little of the inventive wit and insight into the sex trade that made the first volume (and indeed, her original blog) such an engrossing read. Fortunately, Dr. Magnanti (Belle's real name) has a Twitter feed these days that more than makes up for this underwhelming misfire. ( )

Apparently a biography, this book definitely read like a work of fiction. The story of a London call girl who gets out of the business, it's mostly the story of the author's disfunctional relationship with her boyfriend. A very quick read, but not really worth the time. ( )