The Mistress Contract by She And He
Based on intimate conversations recorded during the early years of their affair, The Mistress Contract is the true story of the contract signed four decades ago between an anonymous couple (attributed in the book simply as She and He), and the unique relationship that ensued. The contract She - a highly educated, divorced woman with a successful career, three children and a history of involvement in the feminist movement - asked her lover to sign proposed the following terms: He would provide her with a home and an income, while She would provide 'mistress services' - 'All sexual acts as requested, with suspension of historical, emotional, psychological disclaimers'. He agreed to her terms, and they found a kind of happiness that more traditional forms of commitment had never provided. They talked endlessly about why this was, and then began to tape their conversations. Now 88 and 93 years old respectively, She and He are still together. Was her suggestion a betrayal of all that she and the women of her generation had fought for? Or was it brave, honest, and radical? Provocative, unapologetic and inspiring, The Mistress Contract shines an unflinching and utterly compelling light on relations between the sexes and is bound to spark debate. The Mistress Contract is soon to be a Royal Court play, adapted by Abi Morgan and directed by Vicky Featherstone, starting in January 2014.
An extraordinary true story -- Nick Clark * Independent *
A sort of Fifty Shades Of Grey for the middle-aged.. a sensation -- Adrian Lee * Daily Express *
Endearing ... She has a playful bathos ... A conversation between two people who can keep up with each other is beautiful in itself; it is like watching running deer. -- Zoe Williams * Guardian *
The contract itself hints at an older, darker story as its predecessor: The Story of O -- Dr Brooke Magnanti aka Belle de Jour * Daily Telegraph *
Touted as the new Fifty Shades of Grey -- Tom Leonard * Daily Mail *
A provocative new book * Mail on Sunday You Magazine *
A tantalising, no-holds-barred insight into the differences between the sexes -- Lucy Scholes * Observer *
They speak with voices that are entirely believable of a well-worn friendship between a man and woman of a certain age and a certain set. You could imagine conversations like this between Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne, perhaps. They know each other's milieu so intimately, few references are ever explained, or even explicitly named for that matter. We are eavesdropping on someone else's well-read, well-groomed shorthand ... He is insightful about men and She is insightful about women, they tell unvarnished truth about the way they would like the other to behave, and they deeply respect each other's minds. 'We are two different sexes, we are meant to be mismatched,' She says. This is a truth about men and women seldom acknowledged in literature: that we can, do, and should form alliances with the other team, even if we will never truly know what it is they want, or how to give it to them, or if that was even what we wanted anyway. -- Dr Brooke Magnanti aka Belle de Jour * Daily Telegraph *
A beguiling jigsaw -- Isabel Berwick * FT *
a delightful document written by two wonderfully candid (anonymous) souls -- Emily Stokes * FT Books of the Year *
A sort of Fifty Shades Of Grey for the middle-aged.. a sensation -- Adrian Lee * Daily Express *
Endearing ... She has a playful bathos ... A conversation between two people who can keep up with each other is beautiful in itself; it is like watching running deer. -- Zoe Williams * Guardian *
The contract itself hints at an older, darker story as its predecessor: The Story of O -- Dr Brooke Magnanti aka Belle de Jour * Daily Telegraph *
Touted as the new Fifty Shades of Grey -- Tom Leonard * Daily Mail *
A provocative new book * Mail on Sunday You Magazine *
A tantalising, no-holds-barred insight into the differences between the sexes -- Lucy Scholes * Observer *
They speak with voices that are entirely believable of a well-worn friendship between a man and woman of a certain age and a certain set. You could imagine conversations like this between Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne, perhaps. They know each other's milieu so intimately, few references are ever explained, or even explicitly named for that matter. We are eavesdropping on someone else's well-read, well-groomed shorthand ... He is insightful about men and She is insightful about women, they tell unvarnished truth about the way they would like the other to behave, and they deeply respect each other's minds. 'We are two different sexes, we are meant to be mismatched,' She says. This is a truth about men and women seldom acknowledged in literature: that we can, do, and should form alliances with the other team, even if we will never truly know what it is they want, or how to give it to them, or if that was even what we wanted anyway. -- Dr Brooke Magnanti aka Belle de Jour * Daily Telegraph *
A beguiling jigsaw -- Isabel Berwick * FT *
a delightful document written by two wonderfully candid (anonymous) souls -- Emily Stokes * FT Books of the Year *
She and He are the pseudonyms of a couple who first met at university and then lost touch. When they met again twenty years later, they began an affair which led to the Mistress Contract, which has been in force for over 30 years. They live in separate houses in the same city on the west coast of America. She is 88. He is 93.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781846689437 |
| ISBN 10 | 1846689430 |
| Title | The Mistress Contract |
| Author | She And He |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Profile Books Ltd |
| Year published | 2013-11-07 |
| Number of pages | 160 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |