Read way back when. Reviewed 20th Feb. 2013

The first book, [b:My Secret Garden: Women’s Sexual Fantasies|1840595|My Secret Garden Women’s Sexual Fantasies|Nancy Friday|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348620052s/1840595.jpg|176578] was purportedly a social studies book, a serious piece of research into a hidden part of women's sexuality. And so it may have been. But a lot of us thought it was really a book that got you hot and bothered and gave you ideas that you wouldn't tell your mother about. She probably had them too, but she wasn't going to confide her fantasies to even her best friend, let alone her daughter. My mother was an exception which was absolutely bloody cringe-making. Being asked by mother, when I was 19 and driving on the motorway when she suddenly said, What's oral sex and how do I get your father to do it? is almost enough to cause a car accident. . Because it wasn't outwardly a dirty book, you could buy it from WH Smith's main selection without having to creep into the dirty book section.

So there we all were harping on about it being an important social document of women and the changing times, when the author goes and spoils it. She publishes a follow-up, this book. The content was, unlike the first book, unresearched. This time she published fantasies that had been left out of the first book, and since My Secret Garden had garnered so much publicity, rather large numbers of women wanting their 15 minutes sent her, unrequested, their fantasies. My what a dirty lot we are!

This second book wasn't really a sociological book, it was an inspirational one, with fantasies for everyone's personal kinks. It really was a dirty book. Get yer freak on with Nancy Friday, Shere Hite and others who jumped on the sexuality bandwagon and ushered in an era of porn written for women. Black Lace and many other imprints were book-length fantasies with characters and plots. Perhaps not so psychologically deep as [b:Story of O|1074159|Story of O|Pauline Réage|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320533856s/1074159.jpg|2462307], or as literate as [a:Anaïs Nin|7190|Anaïs Nin|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1244621792p2/7190.jpg]'s books, they were very entertaining. Very good bedtime reading. ( )

This is a book to read while on a leisurely train ride or when you're relaxing in a tub--it is more a contemplative examination of women's sexuality than an erotic panting page turner. Which is not to say this book isn't erotic--it is... this book is a glimpse into hundreds of women's most intimate thoughts, it would be impossible for it not to be. But the style of the book is thoughtful and more academic than the average erotic novel.

Nancy Friday (who is best known for her ground-breaking "My Secret Garden") has compiled the fantasies that women submitted to her after her first book was published into this volume--her voice intrudes only with short chapter introductions which help to focus the reader on the hows and whys of a type of fantasy.

She also provides an Introduction and an Afterward that help to keep the book in perspective--remembering that this book was first published in 1975, it helps the reader to see the strides women have taken in owning their sexuality and being comfortable with their fantasies. Also remembering when it was published helps explain the quaintness of language that has the phrases "we balled" and "swinging single" showing up often.

It is an amazing read, to see in print the changes women have gone through in their sexual lives in the past thirty years... and to see reference to the changes in the previous ten. This book is a good reminder of how lucky we are that we can now browse for toys openly on a site like LoveHoney and talk about sex openly with others.

It is also a comforting read, to see that the same fantasies that women have now are the same fantasies that women had then. It is a nice reminder of the connection we all have with our sexual desires.

I think that this book would be an ideal read for a woman who is just starting to examine her own sexuality. A woman who is young or inexperienced, or who is wanting to undo past less satisfying experiences--or just a woman who wants to reach an even greater level of openness.

It is a very liberating book and I think women who read it will find it so. It would also be a fabulous read for men who want to better understand what women want--how better to learn how to please your lover than by knowing what she is thinking about when she is at her most aroused?

This book benefits from an artistic, rather than openly lewd cover, so you can feel comfortable taking it anywhere. I read it in front of co-workers without a moment's pause. This is a book you'll end up sharing--make sure you put your name on the front cover, because when people see what it is, everyone wants to borrow it from you.

Definitely a book to own, refer back to, and discuss with your lover and friends. ( )