Three Women

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Even today, female desire is too frequently regarded as only a footnote to the common narrative of male desire — it still remains largely unexplored in the shadow of its ubiquitous counterpart. To that end, Lisa Taddeo spent eight years embedded in the lives of three women: a high school student pursued by her beloved teacher, a lonely housewife embarking on an affair with an old flame, and a beautiful, privileged woman who is polyamorous at her husband's request. Taddeo transcends stereotypes with a concept that's as groundbreaking as some of Gay Talese's more iconic works, although her talent eclipses that of the man who couldn't name a single female writer he admired. Every page is extravagant with detail and it provokes a sense of intimacy between the subjects and the reader, one that echoes the love these women seek. Although my experiences diverge from theirs, I too have been made and unmade by what I want, what I get, and what I am denied. By the end of the book, I felt peeled. Three Women is a masterful blend of journalism and storytelling, a Pulitzer-worthy read that I devoured in one great, furious gulp. Recommended By Lauren P., Powells.com

Lisa Taddeo’s fluid prose is amongst the most captivating I’ve ever encountered in a nonfiction book. She expertly puts the reader in sync with the emotional states of her three subjects, telling their stories with both a clear-eyed directness and an empathetic richness. Taddeo completely succeeds in her project and has written one of the best books of the year. Recommended By Keith M., Powells.com

Taddeo spent eight years and thousands of hours with her subjects to render three detailed portraits of female desire, and the end result is an absolute gift. One of the most electric, unapologetic, and powerfully intimate books I’ve ever read, I’ll be reeling from this one for some time. Recommended By Tove H., Powells.com

Desire as we've never seen it before: a riveting true story about the sex lives of three real American women, based on nearly a decade of reporting.

It thrills us and torments us. It controls our thoughts, destroys our lives, and it's all we live for. Yet we almost never speak of it. And as a buried force in our lives, desire remains largely unexplored — until now. Over the past eight years, journalist Lisa Taddeo has driven across the country six times to embed herself with ordinary women from different regions and backgrounds. The result, Three Women, is the deepest nonfiction portrait of desire ever written and one of the most anticipated books of the year.

We begin in suburban Indiana with Lina, a homemaker and mother of two whose marriage, after a decade, has lost its passion. She passes her days cooking and cleaning for a man who refuses to kiss her on the mouth, protesting that "the sensation offends" him. To Lina's horror, even her marriage counselor says her husband's position is valid. Starved for affection, Lina battles daily panic attacks. When she reconnects with an old flame through social media, she embarks on an affair that quickly becomes all-consuming.

In North Dakota we meet Maggie, a seventeen-year-old high school student who finds a confidant in her handsome, married English teacher. By Maggie's account, supportive nightly texts and phone calls evolve into a clandestine physical relationship, with plans to skip school on her eighteenth birthday and make love all day; instead, he breaks up with her on the morning he turns thirty. A few years later, Maggie has no degree, no career, and no dreams to live for. When she learns that this man has been named North Dakota's Teacher of the Year, she steps forward with her story — and is met with disbelief by former schoolmates and the jury that hears her case. The trial will turn their quiet community upside down.

Finally, in an exclusive enclave of the Northeast, we meet Sloane — a gorgeous, successful, and refined restaurant owner — who is happily married to a man who likes to watch her have sex with other men and women. He picks out partners for her alone or for a threesome, and she ensures that everyone's needs are satisfied. For years, Sloane has been asking herself where her husband's desire ends and hers begins. One day, they invite a new man into their bed — but he brings a secret with him that will finally force Sloane to confront the uneven power dynamics that fuel their lifestyle.

Based on years of immersive reporting, and told with astonishing frankness and immediacy, Three Women is a groundbreaking portrait of erotic longing in today's America, exposing the fragility, complexity, and inequality of female desire with unprecedented depth and emotional power. It is both a feat of journalism and a triumph of storytelling, brimming with nuance and empathy, that introduces us to three unforgettable women — and one remarkable writer — whose experiences remind us that we are not alone.

" [An] instant feminist classic...Utterly engrossing...Game-changing." O, The Oprah Magazine

"This is one of the most riveting, assured, and scorchingly original debuts I've ever read." Dave Eggers

"Extraordinary...A nonfiction literary masterpiece...I can't remember the last time a book affected me as profoundly as Three Women." Elizabeth Gilbert

Lisa Taddeo has contributed to New York magazine, Esquire, Elle, Glamour, and many other publications. Her nonfiction has been included in the Best American Sports Writing and Best American Political Writing anthologies, and her short stories have won two Pushcart Prizes. She lives with her husband and daughter in New England.

When people ask how I was able to get so intimate with the subjects of Three Women — a book about desire reported over eight years — I talk about the different methods I used. I posed the same question, for example, dozens of times and from a variety of angles. It was a book, after all, about desire...

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