Thoughts While Having Sex

by Stephanie Lehmann

In a voice that rings with humor, vulnerability and honesty, newcomer Stephanie Lehmann introduces Jennifer Ward, a twentysomething playwright whose Off-Off Broadway shows pale in comparison with the drama being played out in her mind on a minute-to-minute basis. But Jennifer soon discovers that no matter how booming her self-doubts can sound, nothing speaks louder than hope -- and love. Real life has not been easy for Jennifer. She worries that she's...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0758203330
• ISBN13: 9780758203335
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
• Length: 244 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

The Suggestive Cover and Title Cloaks a True Gem of a Book

Well, you know that old saying "Don't judge a book by its cover"? It has never been so true as it was with this book. Because "Thoughts While Having Sex" ended up not only completely surprising me with its warmth, honesty and raw emotion, but actually helped me to see things about myself that I didn't realize. I'm still amazed that a chick-lit type of book had such an effect on me."Thoughts While Having Sex" tells the story of Jennifer Ward, a 25-year old playwright living in New York City. It all begins after Jennifer has written a play and submitted it to a theater in Chelsea. The play, entitled "Til Death Do Us Part", is about two sisters, one who commits suicide and the other who is left behind and feels as though her dead sister is haunting her. After receiving the good news a couple of months later that the play will be produced, Jennifer throws herself into the casting and production process. Things aren't easy, but luckily the production manager Peter is sexy, smart and above all, nice. Sparks, although reluctant on Jennifer's part, seem to be flying between them. But everything changes when Kelly Cavanna joins the cast. Kelly is the complete opposite of Jennifer - she's beautiful, outgoing, and outspoken. She's also razor sharp, suspecting that Jennifer's play is based on something that really happened. Unfortunately, she's right. Jennifer's sister Diana did commit suicide, the night after they had had a terrible argument. But Jennifer doesn't like admitting it, so she closes up her emotions and won't allow herself to really feel anything. She had been that way since her sister's death and probably would have gone on being that way forever had it not been for Kelly. Kelly decides it's time to bring Jennifer out of her shell. She ends up doing some pretty shocking things that threaten the outcome of the play and their uneasy friendship. At the same time, there seems to be something between Peter and Jennifer, but also Kelly and Peter. This book is a wonderfully warm and sometimes painfully honest story that was an absolute delight to read. It is very well written with a prose that is both easy to read and suspenseful. While the book does touch briefly on the topic of sex, it is nowhere near to the degree that the racy cover and title suggests. The story explores various themes such as opening up, guilt over the death of a loved one (when the last words you exchanged with them were hateful or angry), friendship, love, lust and more. Don't miss it!

Keep the New Authors Coming!!!

In the last year I've searched for titles that would interest me and the few books i picked up I found to be disappointing. Picking up 'Thoughts While Having Sex' I read the first few pages and could not put the book down. I had noticed that the author was new and realized we need to give these new authors a chance and now I do,enjoying more and more books each month. I laughed and cried all at the same time. I got so involved in this book the characters became real to me and were apart of my life. I hope Stephanie Lehmann has more to come!!!!

Not Your Typical Chick Lit..

5 stars! I love this book! I was so surprised by the story. I was expecting your run of the mill "chick lit" type story, but that is definitly not the case!It has much more heart than that! This story revolves around Jennifer, who lost her sister to suicide. As Jennifer tries to make her way as a New York playwright, she also has to overcome her fear and apprehensions about sex, love and relationships. This is no tawdry, sex filled beach book! It's much better than that!

review

This funny and quirky book is set in the East Village and Hell's Kitchen in New York City and offers a wry glimpse into an Off-Off-Broadway production -- where dreams and roaches vie for a place on stage. Its playwright-narrator writes original plays that parallel and frankly recount her own experiences, though she has a hard time biting hold of life, and getting her plays produced. But she struggles on, exploring sex, love, and especially ambition, and how to square it with the desires of the divas around her -- especially one from her past (a neurotic sister whose flamboyant urgency is only slightly lessened by the fact of being dead) and one in her present (a greedily hard-driving leading lady who plays the sister in her play). Warm, funny, and occasionally heart-wrenching, this is a wonderful read and I highly recommend.