In this raucous collection of true-life stories, actress and comedian Chelsea Handler recounts her time spent in the social trenches with that wild, strange, irresistible, and often gratifying beast: the one-night stand.
You've either done it or know someone who has: the one-night stand, the familiar outcome of a night spent at a bar, sometimes the sole payoff for your friend's irritating wedding, or the only relief from a disastrous vacation. Often embarrassing and uncomfortable, occasionally outlandish, but most times just a necessary and irresistible evil, the one-night stand is a social rite as old as sex itself and as common as a bar stool.
Enter Chelsea Handler. Gorgeous, sharp, and anything but shy, Chelsea loves men and lots of them. My Horizontal Life chronicles her romp through the different bedrooms of a variety of suitors, a no-holds-barred account of what can happen between a man and a sometimes very intoxicated, outgoing woman during one night of passion. From her short fling with a Vegas stripper to her even shorter dalliance with a well-endowed little person, from her uncomfortable tryst with a cruise ship performer to her misguided rebound with a man who likes to play leather dress-up, Chelsea recalls the highs and lows of her one-night stands with hilarious honesty. Encouraged by her motley collection of friends (aka: her partners in crime) but challenged by her family members (who at times find themselves a surprise part of the encounter), Chelsea hits bottom and bounces back, unafraid to share the gritty details. My Horizontal Life is one guilty pleasure you won't be ashamed to talk about in the morning.
This novel is fun. It won’t put you on the list for MENSA or teach you how to initiate world peace, but it is fun. My Horizontal Life is an “action” packed romp through other people’s bedrooms.
Chelsea Handler recounts her tales of one-night stands with zest. She is not embarrassed of the things she’s done or lies she’s told. And she’s told a lot of lies and gotten into a lot of trouble. It’s a fun glimpse into a party-girl lifestyle without the hangover.
Handler is relatable – reckless without being dangerous, blunt without being mean, and funny without edging to far into the ridiculous. A quick read, it’s great for a plane or the gym. Just don’t try to explain why you’re snorting out a laugh while doing your cardio….chances are your gym mates won’t think the genitalia joke is quite as funny without a little context.
This book is light, enjoyable and leaves you eager to find out where Handler goes from here.
