Tampa

Alissa Nutting is an exceptional writer! We were completely immersed in the mental workings of sociopathic sexual predator! At every point Celeste’s insatiable desire for young boys was always at the forefront of most of her interactions, if not all. Nutting was really able to convey how deep rooted this “desire” was, especially in the last 20% of the book. Even in the most dire situation her main objective of acquiring sexual gratification remained immovable and her primary focus! Excellent writing.. but you must check your trigger warnings as it’s not for the faint hearted or easily offended.

Some of the sentences in this book pop and snap with incredible authority and beauty. OK, she is no Nabokov but that is an utterly irrelevant criticism. Here are some of my favourite moments: [On overweight joggers:] "Their silhouettes eclipsed my binocular view and I looked up to watch them saunter off, elbows out, rowing through the air like impotent wings. Were there souls left inside these women? It seemed doubtful. The soul had always struck me as being a tricky thing to keep with the body: an easily bored aristocrat with the means to leave whenever it wished." "His pain seemed like such an internal thing, no different from excrement-- something to be dealt with in private." As a black comedy this book absolutely succeeds. Some people have criticised it for being a one character study, but I believe this is exactly what Nutting set out to do. Celeste Price is lost in her own solipsistic, desperate insistence that the only thing she has left in her life are pubescent boys. Every other character is flat precisely because this is how she sees them. She dominates the text because she dominates her own mind. That is not to say she is heroic, but the fun of this book comes from Nutting's dance between our sympathy for the narrator and the clear, hard fact of her psychopathy. It's a beautifully written book, structurally works (I particularly enjoyed the courtroom climax at the end, and I usually hate being lead in such an obvious way, but Nutting has such wit that you hardly care) and is a memorable, important contemporary feminist text. It reminds me in a way of Charlotte Roche's Wetlands, not in content but in determination and sassy force. In Nutting's words: "It's not to say anyone should be comfortable with my book, but I think that's why the shock at [the book] is so great, because female sexual agency in general is not fully accepted." In summary, Tampa made me happy because it was beautiful, and so nice to see a contemporary novelist playing with the same old tools and making something gorgeous out of it.

This book was recommended to me solely on the risque nature of its subject and it was apparent after reading previous reviews on this site that it would be a very divisive read. I can't stand the British cliche of something being 'marmite' in that it is only possible to love or hate that particular item. Probably because I simply think marmite is just 'okay.' Similarly, I thought this book was just 'okay.' Some of the writing I thought had a delicious twist of phrase to it and addressing the actual topic of a female sexual predator 'hunting' for underage boys within the school setting is a brave one. For me, it never became an uncomfortable read. The scariest pieces were actually the planning and forethought that the lead character would consider when trying to control this slavering sexual monster, not for any moral goodness, just to prevent her from doing something that would get her caught. The biggest downfall is that Nutting really never gives us that principle connection to the main character. The most interesting characters, especially anti heroes, have to have something that causes us to root for them. There has to be a sympathetic core to these people for us to relate to (the TV series 'Dexter' does this fantastically) but that is never achieved with the protagonist here. Another factor is that the lead is described as so incredibly attractive it actually lessens from the more horrific aspects of her actions. It seems that no man with a pulse can resist her. Isn't it a popular male fantasy to have your wicked way with an extremely attractive teacher? It's this aspect and the way the deeds are described that just hit pure fantasy, thus lessen any affect her technically morally corrupt actions should have on the reader. There are some genuine moments of coldness, demonstrating that she is a psychopath and possibly sociopathic but the lack of connection to the main character and a very weak supporting cast damage the both the overall story and tone of the book. Not a terrible read by any means and Nutting does show glimpses of wit with some astute observations with some lovely acerbic undertones. I would recommend this book as something a little different, as a talking point or a glimpse at life viewed from another angle. It was an experience as such, but not one where there were any real emotions wrung out of the story and characters. I was not disgusted, I was not angry and I could not empathise or sympathise... with any of the characters - and that is the biggest issue this book has. If you can't feel connected in a book that is trying to shock or horrify, then something is ultimately missing.

This book is not for the easily offended. It’s not going to be a book that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It’s not a book that you are going to enjoy reading because of its contents. But at the same time, it is a book that you can’t put down. It is fascinating and expertly written by the author who did really well to convey the view point from the sociopath Celeste who has a preference for teenage boys. This book is like a beautiful car wreck. You know you shouldn’t look but you can’t help but stare and that’s how I felt. I knew I shouldn’t be enjoying this book yet I wanted to continue reading on. I wanted to know if Celeste was going to get caught. Was she going to end up in jail? Was she going to take her life? Was justice going to be served? The chapters were long and that did make me take a few days to read it but it may have also been due to the subject matter. Because even though I loved the book, it was still a lot to take in as well. I would suggest to anyone who is considering reading it to go in with open eyes and an open mind. And not to be put off straight away by what it’s about. As the author has written it for a reason to highlight that it’s also beautiful women who can be predators and not just men. And most of the time they get away with it because of their looks, their gender and because teenage boys find it a dream achieved instead of seeing themselves as victims.

Celeste Price is a paedophile. Everything she does is calculated to progress her agenda. She has married a wealthy man, who is happy to trade a healthy sex life and marriage for parading his trophy wife on his arm for his friends. She chose a career, teaching, to place her wholly in front of the 14 year old boys she desires so much every day. She showers in the morning with them in mind. She dresses in the morning with them in mind. She structures her curriculum in such a way to bring up controversial subjects to test her targets. She weighs up the pros of one boy, (quiet, secretive, harder to groom) to another (easily persuaded but more likely to boast). She calculate the risk of walking down a corridor and being able to ass up gropes as accidental collisions. She breaks up fights with the sole purpose of getting between two boys for however short a time it will allow. She is consumed by her choice. We meet her as she begins at a new school and on her very first day she appraises her classes for her next target. Jack, a quiet 14 year old boy is quickly found. She wastes no time in isolating him and testing the waters for his likely compliance. They begin a 'relationship'. But the time is ticking already, almost before it even begins. Not only will Jack age but as she forces him into an adult relationship, she baulks when he treats it like an adult relationship - she doesn't want to say 'I love you', she doesn't want to think about future plans, she doesn't want demands made of her - and that's the curse of the choice she had made, what drives her to fufill her desires. Obviously, her carefully laid plans start to fall apart. It's inevitable and in some ways, it's surprising how quickly Celeste becomes bored after forcing events to her will. Is she entirely hateful? No, she's actually incredibly sad and pathetic. Nutting, it's quite remarkable, has managed to get so deeply into Celeste's character that I was both mesmerised and horrified. I was never completely disgusted by her nor never completely sympathetic. Celeste is not painted as the victim at all, but you can't help but feel that she is the damaged, sad one here. Yep, it's a controversial subject. Yes, it's stomach churning. Yes, it's well worth a read.

Ok, so I mainly read this book because my I have read some pretty strong reviews in the media about the subject of this book, so wanted to make my own mind up. Firstly, it's not the normal genre I would read...far from it and honestly the jury is out. It definitely was thought provoking...I felt slightly uncomfortable reading it and it made me squirm a few times. It left me feeling a little bit nauseous...so, take away the shock factor, what are you actually left with? A story about an attractive female teacher attracted to adolescent boys. Shocking as it is, there is nothing new there. It could have been better...what made her that way?...but no, it was all about the sexual encounters and her banal marriage..what shaped her? Ultimately, sadly, you can google many real life cases of this. Infact, during the later stages of the book, during the trial, it felt like a 'cut and paste' from a real life trial! I wanted more depth and didn't get it.

A difficult subject matter so almost impossible to praise but that being said the book is excellently written and not wanting to give away any spoilers I really enjoyed the last third of the book where our FMC has to constantly deal with the effects of their transgressions, If you know anything about this book the subject matter is a difficult read naturally but if you can separate this what we have is a really interesting perspective to analyse and the way the FMC narrates the story from their POV is certainly intriguing enough to keep you reading I personally read a lot of Splatterpunk and extreme horror but with that comes a knowing of unrealism whereas this book proved difficult because it felt real like I was reading an actual account which leads to my 3 star review its not because of the writing but purely because for me it felt a little too real which did not sit well with me

If you are one of those people who read novels hoping to be offended so that they can write a list of complaints rather than reviewing the book, then you will love Tampa. Well done Alissa Nutting for having the courage to write something controversial and managing to make it so readable and entertaining. Nutting makes it entertaining by keeping her tongue firmly in her cheek - easily missed if you're determined to work yourself up into a frenzy of outrage. Yes, the subject is distasteful, but so is murder and there are plenty of novels about that. It's a novel! We need more authors who are brave enough to ignore the PC Mafia and write without fear. Keep up the good work Alissa.

a book having no substance.it is not a proper crime or proper sex story,just ,having a bit both and not at all enjoyable.

Honestly I just read it because it seem to be a morbid history, it is, and will keep you entertained but felt like entangled you so much with the vocabulary, sometimes I got lost between so much words, constantly I lost track between one and other paragraph.

Although *provocative*, this sort of long essay is neither a real enlightenment on the matter of child-adult psychology or entertaining. It's a very well written, cold hearted story. Who is she talking to? What's the point?

Book in good condition. Fast delivery. Can’t wait to read it. Had to get it here because the library does not carry it.

Strong themes and depiction of child sexual abuse / ped0ph3lia. Should carry an age restriction of 21+ at the very least.