Book Review – The Woman in the Lobby
Lee Tulloch’s Erotic Novel About a Modern-Day Courtesan
May 3, 2009
A thoroughly modern story, The Woman in the Lobby (Penguin, 2009) takes place in a world of opulence known only to a small portion of the population. Set within the plush lobbies and grand suites of luxury hotels in some of the world’s most magnificent locations, the reader is taken behind the scenes of the billionaire lifestyle.
The Woman in the Lobby
After being unceremoniously dumped by her cheating husband, Violet Armengard is swept off her feet by an international tennis star who promises her the world, beginning with a first-class ticket to Paris. When her reunion with him goes awry, Violet is abandoned with no money and nowhere to stay, until she almost unwittingly finds a substitute in another wealthy man.
It is only upon meeting the mysterious Florin in Vienna, that Violet’s eyes are opened to the opportunities available to a beautiful young woman who is prepared to trade her beauty and body. In the extravagant lifestyles she experiences, Violet is treated like a queen. As “travelling companion” to some of the world’s richest men, she is showered in gifts and money beyond her wildest dreams, and yet she finds herself questioning her own worth.
An Intriguing Novel With a Strong Central Character
The Woman in the Lobby is a well-crafted story that despite its themes does not rely too heavily on sexual description to engage the reader. While there are plenty of scenes to justify the book’s promotion as “darkly erotic”, it is the journey of Violet that is at the heart of the novel.
Violet is a sympathetic central character, whose initial innocence helps convey the over-the-top affluence of the world she is drawn into. She is still however an independent modern woman, who is mostly in control of her situation, thus avoiding the clichéd damsel in distress archetype so often found in women’s fiction.
By alternating first and third person narrative as well as switching between Violet’s past and present, the reader is given insight into how both choice and chance have affected Violet’s life. While the men she accompanies are not always admirable despite their wealth and status, neither are they completely contemptible, and Violet is not only betrayed, but also does some betraying herself.
About Lee Tulloch
Born in Melbourne, Lee Tulloch has written on fashion and pop culture for such publications as Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Jalouse and New York magazine. She was the founding editor of Harper’s Bazaar Australia in 1984. Her other books include Fabulous Nobodies (Text, 1999), Two Shanes (Text, 2001), The Cutting (Text, 2004) and Perfect Pink Polish (Penguin, 2005).
The Woman in the Lobby is a thought-provoking yet enjoyable book, offering both insight and escapism that is refreshing to regular readers of women’s fiction.
The Woman in the Lobby (ISBN: 978-0-14-300333-5, 441 pages)
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