In the Garden of Desire - Hardcover

Maltz, Wendy; Boss, Suzie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0553067702 ISBN 13: 9780553067705

Publisher: Broadway, 1997

Synopsis

In this groundbreaking book, Wendy Maltz, a leading expert on women's sexuality, and journalist Suzie Boss guide us through the fascinating world of women's sexual fantasies, expanding the boundaries of what we know about female desire.  In the Garden of Desire reveals how sexual fantasies, much like dreams, can be seen as gateways to our inner selves.  Drawing on insights from sexuality experts, workshop participants, and interviews with more than one hundred women who share their own deliciously original, sensuous, and provocative erotic stories, the authors inspire each of us to take a closer look at our own sexual imaginations and the roles fantasies play in ou lives.

In the Garden of Desire takes women on a journey of passion, pleasure, and self-discovery as it:

* Describes women's most common fantasy roles and the powerful yet little understood sensory styles of lovemaking women find most arousing.

* Illuminates the diverse functions of sexual fantasies in women's lives, from stimulating orgasm to improving one's self-image.

* Helps women to discover their own sexual styles and to evaluate the pros and cons of how particular fantasies operate in their lives.

* Offers straightforward advice for when and how to talk about fantasies with one's lover.

An unprecedented guide to using the power of the imagination to heighten sexual expression, this intimate exploration will enable every woman to choose her
fantasy life more fully, freely, and deliberately, for her own personal pleasure and lasting satisfaction.

Enter the fascinating and uncharted territory of women's sexual fantasies:

* Our Most Private Thoughts  
* Describing Our Fantasy Style  
* Where Sexual Fantasies Come From  
* How Fantasies Help Us  
* Recognizing Fantasy Traps  
* Deep Discoveries
* Guided Explorations  
* Healing and Changing Unwanted Fantasies  
* Sharing Fantasies with Lovers  
* Creating Favorite Fantasies

About this title

Review

Popular books on women's sexual fantasies tend to deliver soft core thrills and tips for a more fulfilling sex life, but disappoint readers hoping for outrageous abandon. Though well-crafted and often erotically charged, In the Garden of Desire is no exception, although it does offer insight into how fantasies evolve and how our sexuality is shaped by early experiences, whether pleasurable, disapproving, or abusive. It reminds us, too, that sex is, like humor, a matter of personal taste. Elaborate scenarios that electrify some of us--from sex-play with a true-hearted, sure-handed lover to nipple clamps--leave others shrugging.

Sex therapist Wendy Maltz and journalist Suzie Boss commendably avoid reducing fantasies to typically simplistic categories, noting that this strips them of the very plot build-up and sensuality that turn many women on. The authors are sanguine about disturbing or violent desires, merely commenting that "fantasies work best for us when they feel optional." To that end, they suggest ways to rewrite unpleasantly obsessive or personally oppressive scripts without completely extinguishing their fire. --Francesca Coltrera

From the Publisher

"Pleasurable, fascinating, and 'exciting' to read, In the Garden of Desire offers you new flowers for your internal garden and will help you feel wonderful about them."
--Susan Page, author of How One of You Can Bring the Two of You Together

"In the Garden of Desire teaches women to listen to our deepest longings, to honor our visions, and to recognize that our fantasies can be our guides and teachers on the path to wholeness. Read the book and you will find new ways of becoming a fulfilled and ecstatic lover."
--Margo Anand, author of The Art of Sexual Ecstasy

"At last, a wonderful and important book that reveals the full power of women's sexual imagination--to play, to excite, to haunt, to heal. I will recommend it widely."
--Gina Ogden, Ph.D., author of Women Who Love Sex

"In the Garden of Desire proves once again that women are a wonderful, sexy, strong, and vulnerable clan."
--JoAnn Loulan

About this edition

• Publisher: Broadway
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0553067702
• ISBN 13: 9780553067705
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304