• The Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Maker

  • An Erotic Memoir
  • By: Suzanne Portnoy
  • Narrated by: Suzanne Portnoy
  • Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
  • 2.9 out of 5 stars (56 ratings)

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The Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Maker  By  cover art

The Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Maker

By: Suzanne Portnoy
Narrated by: Suzanne Portnoy
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Publisher's summary

"It was 1 pm when I said to my receptionist, 'I have a meeting. Back in two hours.' A half hour later, I was having sex with a complete stranger. It was fantastic.

"At 29 I got married to live the life of the perfect wife with the gorgeous children. I did that for 10 years, the last four of which I was completely celibate. Then I went online and everything changed."

After a love affair with a man 3,000 miles away, whom she met online, Suzanne Portnoy, mother of two and a top executive in the entertainment industry, begins her sexual reawakening. Embarking on a sensational and prolific series of liaisons, Suzanne beds a top London chef, who cooks her a 5-star meal on the day her husband moves out. An affair with a famous men's magazine editor quickly ensues, followed by a top cameraman who takes pictures of Suzanne naked. But that's just the beginning.

Insatiable, Suzanne dives into the swinging scene and works her way through an entire spectrum of sexual experience, including exhibitionism, group sex, fetish clubs, and a predilection for picking up men during her lunch hour.

The Butcher, The Baker, The Candlestick Maker is a story that is shocking and heart-warming in equal measure. Freed from the restraints of marriage and monogamy, Suzanne takes pleasure without commitment and tells her story without a trace of shame. She's not looking for Prince Charming anymore; she's looking for fun. And she finds it.

For Adults Only: Explicit language. Must be 18 years of age to purchase.

©2006 Suzanne Portnoy

Critic reviews

"Gritty and explicit." (The Observer)
"Eye-poppingly unambiguous prose." (Esquire)
"Intelligently written and brutally honest." (Metro)

What listeners say about The Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Maker

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Predictable Porn

My first listen in the erotic romance category...not impressed. Memoirs told from a female perspective focusing on how many, how big. I was looking for something with more romance, emotion, feelings. Occassionally titillating, but after a few stories, nothing but boring. Will pass on this author and narrator in the future. Found the narration to be distracting - 1/2 American accent, 1/4 British, 1/4 weird.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Erotica Read By Human Robot

This was unintentionally funny, because the narrator was simply out of her depth in reading an explicit memoir like this. Picture that recorded voice that welcomes you to the mall when you're given your ticket. Picture the recorded voice in the airport that tells you which zones are for loading and unloading. Now imagine that voice reading a dirty memoir. I don't know about you, but I laughed my ass off for the first ten minutes until i realized two things: the entire memoir will sound like this, and the sinking knowledge that I had wasted yet another precious credit...DAMN!!

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Don't Waste Your Time

This is about as erotic as a protology exam. I could only get about halfway through. I've given it a single star because there is no rating lower. The author has a good command of the language, but the story is sad and depresing.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Good start, but got too repetitive

I gave this book a chance because I wanted to read something erotic. The first half of the book was great, but after that it seemed to get too repetitive. It's like she kept doing the same things over and over. I mean, how many different ways are there of having sex? I suppose if you judge the book on sexual content alone, it was great, but the plot could have been a bit better. There was not enough depth to the characters. So, if you are looking for some good sex scenes, this book is for you, but if you want a meaningful plot, be warned.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Suzanne Portnoy

I love that this book is from a female perspective and how Suzanne so easily speaks about all sexual encounters with confidence and honesty. I admire her point of view and overall view of men and women and pursuing pleasure with an open mind. I recommend this book to anyone wanting to read an erotic book, but may be sick of the same old characters and plots with Disney-like qualities so far from reality it is painful! If you aren’t open minded, you may be offended by this read. However, if your reading this review and wondering if it is worth the read, I can whole heartedly assure you you’ll learn a thing or two, get turned on, and maybe even liven up your own love life. Cheers to a strong, sensitive, honest and loving person named Suzanne Portnoy!!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Filthy fun memoir

I don't know if this is true -- it's certainly narrated as if it is -- but what Suzanne gets up to is nothing short of astonishing.
Erotica and funny, I really enjoyed this book. And Suzanne's narration is spot on.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

This is not erotica - but I didn't expect it to be

I'm not sure why, but this book intrigued me, and that's why I bought it. I had no expectations about the erotica, and read it as a memoir, albeit a woman talking about her sex life.

This is definitely an adult book, but it was also what she was saying about sex that was interesting too. How she got tired of the swinging scene... In the end, perhaps sex was not what she was looking for after all. For me it was a discussion about sex and the value we place on it, not a description of sex.

I think this was an answer to the question of what happens when you do get everything you want, is it of as much value as you thought it was? Is it really what you think it is? It was interesting to hear her priorities change through the story. For example: The description of her evolving relationship with her sons. Her sons go from just 'things' to be dropped off at the ex's place, to having actual names and father / son type relationships with her 'boyfriends'.

I read it as a memoir, and while it's not the best book I've ever read, I'm pleased I read this to the end - it was well worth it and I'll be reading it again. Very thought provoking.

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