Official Review: Of Sound Mind and Someone Else's Body
Posted: 26 Apr 2020, 17:10
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Of Sound Mind and Someone Else's Body" by William Quincy Belle.]
Of Sound Mind and Someone Else's Body is a quick, humorous novel by William Quincy Belle. Right from the start, I found myself following along with one hilarious situation after another, and this fast-paced book certainly held my attention all the way through. I read this book within a single day; I just couldn't put it down.
After participating in a neurological research study, businessman Alan Maitland suddenly finds himself in the body of a woman – a high-class prostitute, no less, right in the middle of a job. The woman, Hana Toussaint, has ended up inside his body, but she seems to be adjusting to life as a man much more easily than Alan is adjusting to life as a woman. Dealing with cat-callers and walking in high heels are problematic enough, but there is no way that Alan can just keep living like a woman, much less a prostitute. Over the next 48 hours, they are off on a wild adventure to try and switch their minds back to their proper bodies while also trying to maintain the appearance of normalcy.
This book would make a hilarious movie: Freaky Friday meets Pretty Woman. Most of these comedic moments tend to be a bit crude or sexual in nature, but that is to be expected in a book about a high-class sex worker. Also, Alan's experiences in general with dealing with the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) sexism that women still encounter in modern society allowed for some chuckles as well. As a woman, I could only smirk and laugh, as these moments were totally relatable on a day-to-day basis.
It's not all comedy and silliness, however. I'd be inclined to classify this book as science fiction before I'd call it a comedy, and the science, as crazy as this sounds, actually sound believable. Additionally, there are multiple instances of philosophical discussions and social commentary. These discussions are quite liberal in nature, so I could imagine that someone with more traditional views on life would feel a bit uncomfortable with these parts. Although I agreed with about 90% of these views, I thought that they came across as a little bit preachy at times. This was really the only thing that I didn't like about the book.
In the end, I have to give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed the story way too much to let the opinions of a strong-minded character influence my overall feelings about the book. The fact that I couldn't put it down should have been proof enough that it is an excellent book. On top of that, it is well-written and has been professionally edited without a single error to be found. There are lots of sexual themes and swearing, so this book wouldn't be appropriate for a younger audience. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys comedy, science fiction, and romance.
******
Of Sound Mind and Someone Else's Body
View: on Bookshelves
Of Sound Mind and Someone Else's Body is a quick, humorous novel by William Quincy Belle. Right from the start, I found myself following along with one hilarious situation after another, and this fast-paced book certainly held my attention all the way through. I read this book within a single day; I just couldn't put it down.
After participating in a neurological research study, businessman Alan Maitland suddenly finds himself in the body of a woman – a high-class prostitute, no less, right in the middle of a job. The woman, Hana Toussaint, has ended up inside his body, but she seems to be adjusting to life as a man much more easily than Alan is adjusting to life as a woman. Dealing with cat-callers and walking in high heels are problematic enough, but there is no way that Alan can just keep living like a woman, much less a prostitute. Over the next 48 hours, they are off on a wild adventure to try and switch their minds back to their proper bodies while also trying to maintain the appearance of normalcy.
This book would make a hilarious movie: Freaky Friday meets Pretty Woman. Most of these comedic moments tend to be a bit crude or sexual in nature, but that is to be expected in a book about a high-class sex worker. Also, Alan's experiences in general with dealing with the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) sexism that women still encounter in modern society allowed for some chuckles as well. As a woman, I could only smirk and laugh, as these moments were totally relatable on a day-to-day basis.
It's not all comedy and silliness, however. I'd be inclined to classify this book as science fiction before I'd call it a comedy, and the science, as crazy as this sounds, actually sound believable. Additionally, there are multiple instances of philosophical discussions and social commentary. These discussions are quite liberal in nature, so I could imagine that someone with more traditional views on life would feel a bit uncomfortable with these parts. Although I agreed with about 90% of these views, I thought that they came across as a little bit preachy at times. This was really the only thing that I didn't like about the book.
In the end, I have to give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed the story way too much to let the opinions of a strong-minded character influence my overall feelings about the book. The fact that I couldn't put it down should have been proof enough that it is an excellent book. On top of that, it is well-written and has been professionally edited without a single error to be found. There are lots of sexual themes and swearing, so this book wouldn't be appropriate for a younger audience. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys comedy, science fiction, and romance.
******
Of Sound Mind and Someone Else's Body
View: on Bookshelves