A male coworker of mine loved this book and recommended it to me and I did not particularly like it. I don't think is was badly written, I just didn't like the characters. ( )

I think the book was well enough written and kept my interest, but I won't read it again. There were several times where I had to stop because it was repeating stories and cycles. Then, I was very disappointed with the ending even though I was very glad that one of the characters finally took control of the situation. I know those who loved it and will recommend it to others who might. ( )

Fascinating story about love and obsession, told from multiple points of view. A English travel writer falls for a bar girl in Bangkok and ends up giving way too much, maybe it's destiny, maybe it's a curse, but the relationship proves to be destructive for all involved.

I bought this in Singapore and I think the book has only been published in Singaore and Thailand. Private Dancer is the story of Pete, a tavelling writer and sex tourist, and Joy, a bar girl and prostitute whom he encounters dancing naked in the Zombie Bar.

For Pete it is love, or at least lust, at first sight. For Joy it's just another foreigner to milk for money.

The book is written in interview/diary style, with each character telling his/her own portion of the story, it's no great work of literature but it does build up into a decent examination of the bar girl / sex trade. The cultural differences and grevious misunderstandings are made clear by each party telling their own story.

Pete falls in love with Joy, Joy doesn't exactly fall in love with Pete, but she does care for him in her own way. All Pete's friends warn him that a steady relationship with a pole dancing prostitute is going to go nowhere, but he seems wilfully blind to all their words of advice.

People will do anything for love, and as the relationship spirals out of control and threatens to end in violence and bloodshed, even then Pete can't see the obvious end coming.

Quite enjoyable, enough to keep me interested on a long plane journey anyway. ( )

Dawn's staff pick for 5/19/13. ( )