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Lace

by Shirley Conran

Lace is a 1982 novel by British writer Shirley Conran. The novel revolves around the lives of four women: Judy, Maxine, Kate and Pagan. The group become friends when they meet in Switzerland, where Judy is working as a waitress and the other three are at finishing school. Much of the novel is told through a series of flashbacks, where the four women recount their early sexual relationships and experiences. Upon publication, the novel was heavily promoted, with lace garters amongst the merchandise given away. Reviewers noted that the novel was likely to sell extremely well, but others disapproved of its approaches to women's rights. In its most infamous sex scene, a man uses a goldfish as a sex aid by inserting it into a woman's vagina and then sucking it out with his mouth. The novel sold over 3 million copies in 35 countries. It is widely regarded as one of four texts foundational to the bonkbuster genre; the others are Riders by Jilly Cooper, Scruples by Judith Krantz and Hollywood Wives by Jackie Collins. The novel was adapted as a miniseries for American television in 1984. The work was republished in 2012 to celebrate its 30th anniversary. Upon publication the novel was compared...

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