Queen of the Nude
A Novel by Peter Galen Massey
Published 2012. 60,000 words. English. $0.99.
Purchase Queen of the Nude for Kindle devices and apps* on amazon.com.
Purchase Queen of the Nude for Nook devices and software** on barnesandnoble.com.
Book Description:
Stephen and Helen Demetrius knew their friends were nudists when they visited them at a beach house on Vineyard Island.
But Stephen and Helen didn’t realize they were pagans. And bisexuals. And practitioners of free love. And Stephen didn’t know he would find himself attracted to Mia Herr, the partner of his best friend from college, Lyle Sanders.
Suddenly, the vacation Stephen and Helen hoped would heal the strains in their marriage becomes the most serious threat to it yet. And a night of Goddess worship, “magic” cakes, and ecstatic dancing led by the Wiccan priestess Tania unleashes passions that none of them can understand or control.
Queen of the Nude is a novel about sex, about truth and deception, about commitment and betrayal, and about love and its consequences.
Read a review of “Queen” on annajroberts blog.
Read a 1,000 word excerpt of “Queen” here.
* An eBook for Kindle devices, Kindle Cloud Reader, and on Kindle apps for iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, PC, Mac, BlackBerry, Android-based devices, and Windows Phone 7.
** An eBook for NOOK devices as well as free eReading software applications for iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Android smartphones, PCs, and other devices.
I’m reposting a review on Amazon from Suzanne in Phila PA:
Massey plunks many (but not all) of the primary characters from Shakespeares’ play into Martha’s Vineyard several years after 9/11, giving them contemporary problems such as career and relationship angst. Although the plot of the novel doesn’t follow that of the play’s particularly closely, I found my emotional response toward the characters to be very similar to when I last read A Midsummer Night’s Dream: a bunch of screwed up people with all sorts of misperceptions about one another’s feelings, some of whom I liked and rooted for despite their behavior (Stephen, Helen, even Lyle), and some of whom I wanted to strangle (Mia). Also like the play, it has bursts of hilarious dialogue that you can miss if you’re not reading carefully. Interestingly enough, it’s the women in this novel who are the more selfish and clueless of the two sexes, which is not something you find very often in novels that are relationship-driven. All in all, a fun, thoughtful read.
I’m reposting a review on Amazon from SWF near New York City:
A very enjoyable read. Compelling characters that you feel you know very quickly. Terrific writing that pulls you in; you want to know where these characters are going and what they will do next. A resounding YES recommendation. The people who inhabit this story feel honest and real as do their choices and experiences.
I’m reposting a review on Amazon from David M. “A beautifully written novel about love, friendship, and the passage of time. Full of compelling, well drawn characters, humor and real emotion. Highly recommended.”
You’d expect people to bare it all in a novel titled Queen of the Nude, and they do, stripping themselves both physically and psychologically. You’d also expect sex, and there is sex, but implied more than described. Would you expect a riff on Robert Frost’s rhyme: “I have promises to keep, / And miles to go before I sleep”? Probably not, but that’s the leitmotif of Massey’s novel.
Stephen, the book’s central character, shies away from disclosing his body and his mind. And when he does try to bare what’s bothering him, Helen replies, in effect, “Keep your clothes on!” He does so . . . until the narrative’s climax. Then, stripping, he experiences liberation – a liberation that threatens, like a tornado, to sweep away his promises. At which point, the Queen of the novel’s title, who is Massey’s embodiment of the transcendent dimension of life, braves the whirlwind, and makes a space where, after sleepless nights, Stephen can keep his promises.
The characters in Queen are well drawn, rounded and shaded, except for a pair of academic exhibitionists, who, like Shakespeare’s walk-ons, play a role in Massey’s story. Speaking of the Bard, there are Shakespearean references and quotes, tantalizing, but perhaps red with a fishy smell.
Queen of the Nude is not am airport kiosk bonk-buster with lots of below the waist activity, little or none above the neck. It’s an often hilarious tale of thoroughly modern people, who acknowledge – at least several of them do – that the core human values are timeless.
When it comes to the academic exhibitionists, you’ve put your finger on what I’ve been calling to myself the “Blossom problem”. Since I tell you none of her back story, since I show you very little of her in the book, and since what I show you does not play to Blossom’s advantage … I’ve managed to create exactly the kind of character I dislike most: a caricature. I could offer a lot of excuses (such as, my orchestration needed a big cymbal crash and Blossom is my cymbal) but I think I’m just going to need to plead guilty.
I’m reposting an August 31 Amazon review from Moss: “This is a very entertaining and thought provoking twist on A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The characters are delightful and there are many poignant insights into relationships, commitment, and human nature. My first impression was that the novel was conflating polyamory and Wicca in a way that was a bit simplistic and facile, but I believe this was necessary in order to create a modern-day parallel to the night of magical revelry that took place in the original Shakespeare (which was itself an Elizabethan take on the original pagan midsummer tradition). The book’s Bottom character is hilarious, although overly self righteous PC eco vegetarians are sure to get their knickers in a twist. I tore through this book and couldn’t stop reading it. Then I was sad when it was over. Strongly recommended.”
I’m reposting a September Amazon review from Louise: “Massey’s novel reads so quickly that I couldn’t stop flipping through the screens, until suddenly I was at the end. The novel would be best read while listening to the murmur of the ocean, but is also enjoyable on a boring day at the office. Stephen is a compelling character and his stress is palpable. His perspective on the less conservative guests at the house is also interesting. Tania, Helen, Lyle, and Mia come through strongly as well. The festive, anything goes, nature of the household makes for a suspenseful read, as it is clear that Stephen and Helen will loosen up, but how? Here’s to the leisure time to indulge such relationship dilemmas and to read about them!”