What do you think?
Rate this book
Gigolo: Inside the Secret World of the Super Rich
Ben Foster works double shifts for minimum wage at a care home for boys with learning disabilities. With a young wife and three children under the age of five, he is ground down by poverty and debt.
With a small inheritance from his gran, Ben qualifies as a masseur and is introduced to the mysterious ‘committee’ – a group of society women with one thing in they adore sex and don’t mind paying for it.
With his dark hair, blue eyes, and robust appendage that the ladies dub Big Ben, the shy careworker is drawn into a world of private jets, Parisian sex clubs, state secrets, endless lines of cocaine and orgies in country houses with a Who’s Who of celebrities, MPs and the international super rich.
Ben Foster’s true life story explores the extravagance of old and new wealth in today’s Britain and reveals how the super rich can find no way to relieve their boredom other than with multiple partners and through sex lives that grow ever more kinky and erotic.
As Ben’s bank account swells, he acquires a taste for the good life. But what will happen when his wife discovers he has been giving more than just massages...?
With a small inheritance from his gran, Ben qualifies as a masseur and is introduced to the mysterious ‘committee’ – a group of society women with one thing in they adore sex and don’t mind paying for it.
With his dark hair, blue eyes, and robust appendage that the ladies dub Big Ben, the shy careworker is drawn into a world of private jets, Parisian sex clubs, state secrets, endless lines of cocaine and orgies in country houses with a Who’s Who of celebrities, MPs and the international super rich.
Ben Foster’s true life story explores the extravagance of old and new wealth in today’s Britain and reveals how the super rich can find no way to relieve their boredom other than with multiple partners and through sex lives that grow ever more kinky and erotic.
As Ben’s bank account swells, he acquires a taste for the good life. But what will happen when his wife discovers he has been giving more than just massages...?
- GenresFiction
256 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 4, 2018
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
November 16, 2018
I came across this title on social media and decided to download a sample to see if I would like the writing style. My mind was made up and I ended up buying this book half way through it's very short prologue and devouring it in one sitting!
If you are someone who appreciates a unique page turner that is unlike anything you've ever read before, GIGOLO is a must read! Reads like a diary, it's a true story of real life gigolo Ben Foster and makes for a 'couldn't-put-it-down-read-in-one-sitting' type story. I enjoyed it so much that I even ordered a paperback copy for my bookshelf.
This book would make an amazing TV show, which I'd be sure to tune in every week if that was ever to happen.
Cheers!
If you are someone who appreciates a unique page turner that is unlike anything you've ever read before, GIGOLO is a must read! Reads like a diary, it's a true story of real life gigolo Ben Foster and makes for a 'couldn't-put-it-down-read-in-one-sitting' type story. I enjoyed it so much that I even ordered a paperback copy for my bookshelf.
This book would make an amazing TV show, which I'd be sure to tune in every week if that was ever to happen.
Cheers!
November 19, 2018
FIVE BRILLIANT STARS *****
WOW! What a fantastic read!
What I loved most about it, is that it's one hundred percent real. Ben Foster invites the reader into his life as a male sex worker, giving us every detail of his alluring and complicated story.
You might love it, or you might hate it, but of one thing I’m sure, anyone who reads this book will be highly entertained and it will be hard, if not impossible to put it down.
Married, and a father of three, Ben Foster was struggling to make ends meet, even after working two different jobs. He had inherited some money from his late grandmother and used it to go to school, and became a certified massage specialist, but it wasn’t easy getting clients.
One of his regular clients was a rich man, and Ben would see him once a week in his state. The guy wasn’t very friendly and looked down upon Ben, but one day there was a group of rich and powerful ladies visiting the client’s mother and they all took interest in the dark-haired, blue-eyed masseuse.
After that afternoon, Ben’s life changed forever.
Massage appointments all came with special instructions and many perks. Expensive clothes, beautiful restaurants and more money than he ever saw. Suddenly he was able to keep his family’s refrigerator always stocked, his kids well clothed, and even take them all out on holiday.
For me, the topic in this book opened up so many questions. We always assume we would always do the right thing, pick the right choices, but when life becomes difficult and then you are presented with an opportunity, what do you do, do you take it and repent later, or do you just walk away?
I enjoyed this book very much, it is exciting and bold. The only problem is, I got very attached to the story, so naturally, after I was finished, I still wanted more.
If you are looking for an amazing read that will tease all your senses and will keep you turning the pages until you are done, but are left panting for more, READ THIS BOOK.
WOW! What a fantastic read!
What I loved most about it, is that it's one hundred percent real. Ben Foster invites the reader into his life as a male sex worker, giving us every detail of his alluring and complicated story.
You might love it, or you might hate it, but of one thing I’m sure, anyone who reads this book will be highly entertained and it will be hard, if not impossible to put it down.
Married, and a father of three, Ben Foster was struggling to make ends meet, even after working two different jobs. He had inherited some money from his late grandmother and used it to go to school, and became a certified massage specialist, but it wasn’t easy getting clients.
One of his regular clients was a rich man, and Ben would see him once a week in his state. The guy wasn’t very friendly and looked down upon Ben, but one day there was a group of rich and powerful ladies visiting the client’s mother and they all took interest in the dark-haired, blue-eyed masseuse.
After that afternoon, Ben’s life changed forever.
Massage appointments all came with special instructions and many perks. Expensive clothes, beautiful restaurants and more money than he ever saw. Suddenly he was able to keep his family’s refrigerator always stocked, his kids well clothed, and even take them all out on holiday.
For me, the topic in this book opened up so many questions. We always assume we would always do the right thing, pick the right choices, but when life becomes difficult and then you are presented with an opportunity, what do you do, do you take it and repent later, or do you just walk away?
I enjoyed this book very much, it is exciting and bold. The only problem is, I got very attached to the story, so naturally, after I was finished, I still wanted more.
If you are looking for an amazing read that will tease all your senses and will keep you turning the pages until you are done, but are left panting for more, READ THIS BOOK.
July 23, 2018
I must admit I’ve got a certain weird fascination with gigolo’s so when I’d seen this book was browsing for my next read, my curiosity was piqued. To get the inside scoop to the how’s and the why’s people get into the life of a paid sex worker intrigued me.
Ben started out as a poor married man with three kids, working for minimal pay as a working in a home for special needs kids. He moonlighted as a masseuse for extra cash and he was at the right place, right client, at the right time when his massage side job took a huge turn for the better- working for the rich and famous of the world. Only the rich and famous often have higher expectations than just a massage.
First of all, I think I would’ve connected better with the book had it occurred in the US. The man loved and worked in the UK and many of the. Britishisms, and ways of the rich in England, the hierarchy of sorts was lost on this American. Things are sometimes the same but more often, very different from our neighbors across the pond.
Second, I was rather amazed how easy it was for this guy to get so wrapped up in wealth and forget his kids like he did. I’ve seen a lot of cheating losers in this world, but he’s a father as well. I’m sure he justified his being gone constantly, his wife putting the kids to bed alone and keeping the house up while working at a laundry mat herself. It was about money and moving his family up to a life they’d only dreamed.
It also grossed me out he never used condoms and how many women he had oral sex with. This book does not skimp on details of his exploits. I guess my nurse brain was constantly cycling herpes, chlamydia, HIV! And nobody asked him if he was clean. Ewe. Just ewe.
But all in all, I liked getting a birds-eye view of the life of a gigolo and how he progressed into the life.
Ben started out as a poor married man with three kids, working for minimal pay as a working in a home for special needs kids. He moonlighted as a masseuse for extra cash and he was at the right place, right client, at the right time when his massage side job took a huge turn for the better- working for the rich and famous of the world. Only the rich and famous often have higher expectations than just a massage.
First of all, I think I would’ve connected better with the book had it occurred in the US. The man loved and worked in the UK and many of the. Britishisms, and ways of the rich in England, the hierarchy of sorts was lost on this American. Things are sometimes the same but more often, very different from our neighbors across the pond.
Second, I was rather amazed how easy it was for this guy to get so wrapped up in wealth and forget his kids like he did. I’ve seen a lot of cheating losers in this world, but he’s a father as well. I’m sure he justified his being gone constantly, his wife putting the kids to bed alone and keeping the house up while working at a laundry mat herself. It was about money and moving his family up to a life they’d only dreamed.
It also grossed me out he never used condoms and how many women he had oral sex with. This book does not skimp on details of his exploits. I guess my nurse brain was constantly cycling herpes, chlamydia, HIV! And nobody asked him if he was clean. Ewe. Just ewe.
But all in all, I liked getting a birds-eye view of the life of a gigolo and how he progressed into the life.
Shelved as 'nope'
November 16, 2018🤢 EEECCCAAA.. nojento asqueroso
This man is a walking talking std.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This man is a walking talking std.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2018
Fascinating mix of sensuality and British class that makes me proud to be American. Well written, compulsive, pretty weird withy lots of memorable lines.
July 13, 2018
Fact or fiction? Whichever, this is an unputdownable read as nice, married, father-of-three Ben Foster inadvertently falls into the life of a male 'escort' and sex worker.
The narrative voice is a compelling one and Ben is a nice guy: self-deprecating, charming without being insincere, and all-round good guy (apart from the fact that he's 'cheating' on his wife, of course!)
The more I read, the less I believed, though: for someone who portrays himself (or is portrayed by his ghost-writer... or should that be author?) as an innocent, naive, working-class lad with little education or savoir faire, not only is he self-reflective throughout this narrative, but he's also pretty spot-on in his analyses of class, economic disparities and social inequalities.
There are other points where it's hard to accept the story at surface value: that Ben has sex with around 2000 women in two years, including periods where he's servicing up to five women a day (he's in his thirties, and has what he describes as a physically tiring job as a masseur, as well as a family life - come on!); that his wife never really queries his sudden influx of designer suits, new cars, weekends away, even newly shaved genitals (and saying that they only have vanilla sex in the dark really doesn't explain the latter).
All the same, even if this is a fictionalised version of some underlying truth, I couldn't stop reading this book. It is explicit about the sex so beware if that offends you, and is a rivetting story of the rise and fall of a very modern male sex worker.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley
The narrative voice is a compelling one and Ben is a nice guy: self-deprecating, charming without being insincere, and all-round good guy (apart from the fact that he's 'cheating' on his wife, of course!)
The more I read, the less I believed, though: for someone who portrays himself (or is portrayed by his ghost-writer... or should that be author?) as an innocent, naive, working-class lad with little education or savoir faire, not only is he self-reflective throughout this narrative, but he's also pretty spot-on in his analyses of class, economic disparities and social inequalities.
There are other points where it's hard to accept the story at surface value: that Ben has sex with around 2000 women in two years, including periods where he's servicing up to five women a day (he's in his thirties, and has what he describes as a physically tiring job as a masseur, as well as a family life - come on!); that his wife never really queries his sudden influx of designer suits, new cars, weekends away, even newly shaved genitals (and saying that they only have vanilla sex in the dark really doesn't explain the latter).
All the same, even if this is a fictionalised version of some underlying truth, I couldn't stop reading this book. It is explicit about the sex so beware if that offends you, and is a rivetting story of the rise and fall of a very modern male sex worker.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley
July 16, 2018
He takes a few classes in yoga massage and he is turned from Ben Foster - nice guy, but ordinary guy, with unexciting job, and nice wife – into “Big Ben”, world-class stud, mingling (and more) with A-listers. This is a classic fairy-tale that happens to be real. It’s probably every man’s dream, at one time or another.
At one level, this is like the Kama Sutra and The Joy of Sex all rolled into one. Or, as Foster/Thurlow say, My Fair Lady in reverse: Ben is given a makeover by Vivienne - and a slew of gorgeous, rich, and amazingly raunchy women. They shower him with sex and money. Possibly even happiness.
But there is a poignant sting in the tale too, because nothing lasts forever. The funny thing is even while Ben is giving Olympic gold medal-standard performances, you still worry about his welfare. And the fact that there is a financial crash on the horizon only sharpens the feeling of fear and trembling.
Shrewdly perceptive, half-comic, half-tragic, opening a window on a world of high-class libertines, Gigolo reads like Liaisons dangereuses with less actual letter-writing, but even more libido.
At one level, this is like the Kama Sutra and The Joy of Sex all rolled into one. Or, as Foster/Thurlow say, My Fair Lady in reverse: Ben is given a makeover by Vivienne - and a slew of gorgeous, rich, and amazingly raunchy women. They shower him with sex and money. Possibly even happiness.
But there is a poignant sting in the tale too, because nothing lasts forever. The funny thing is even while Ben is giving Olympic gold medal-standard performances, you still worry about his welfare. And the fact that there is a financial crash on the horizon only sharpens the feeling of fear and trembling.
Shrewdly perceptive, half-comic, half-tragic, opening a window on a world of high-class libertines, Gigolo reads like Liaisons dangereuses with less actual letter-writing, but even more libido.
November 1, 2018
Faced with a barrage of beautiful clients Ben couldn’t help himself, the temptation was too sweet to miss. He not only allowed himself to be swayed by their wealth but by their beautiful bounties, slowly betraying the ones he loves with is insatiable lust and greed. Forgetting about his wife and three kids and the vows and commitment he made, what a shame. Sex and money paved his road and like he said he takes pride in his job, he firmly believed in doing an excellent job, who wouldn’t be. It’s just so sad how he allowed himself fall into that trap and an even bigger shame when he willing made the choice to go that way. This book may sound very adventurous and exciting, have a lot about his sexual exploits, drugs and such, but it’s a very sad story indeed. He became a victim of his own facade, his seductive aura, that of a male masseur, his hands all slathered in oil, too smooth my brother too smooth.
November 2, 2018
Wow! Gigolo was an interesting read and look into the life of the rich and someone just wanting to provide for his family and where that all intersects. You just cant help liking Ben Foster even though you are surprised what he is willing to do considering his normal life. He just seemed like a guy who wasn't a jerk or had any intentional plans...he basically fell into situations and just didn't say no.
I think the most interesting part of this was that it was based on real life. The end sort of left me with a feeling of wait is that how you are going to end this...I want a bit more.
I don't want to say much more because I hate to spoil it but I think it was a good read.
I think the most interesting part of this was that it was based on real life. The end sort of left me with a feeling of wait is that how you are going to end this...I want a bit more.
I don't want to say much more because I hate to spoil it but I think it was a good read.
August 10, 2018
Sinfully delightful. Clifford does something I never thought was possible, he makes me lust after a sex worker.
The story starts out with Ben, a father of three struggling to make ends meet until he is met with a group of rich women, eager to devour his body. From here on out Ben gets sucked into a world of rich, powerful women who not only use him for sex but shower him with gifts. What follows is a sexy story of this man's life as a gigolo and the effects it had on him. Arousing until the very end.
The story starts out with Ben, a father of three struggling to make ends meet until he is met with a group of rich women, eager to devour his body. From here on out Ben gets sucked into a world of rich, powerful women who not only use him for sex but shower him with gifts. What follows is a sexy story of this man's life as a gigolo and the effects it had on him. Arousing until the very end.
July 16, 2018
Really? This is a true story? Seriously?
I don’t read soft porn, especially from a man’s point of view. There is plenty of flesh and genitals in this book- horrifying and interesting, all at the same time.
But in addition to too many descriptions of touching this and that, Ben Foster, the Gigolo, also tells us his personal story from 2005 to 2007- and it’s a good one.
Ben doesn’t describe himself in much detail but from the way women reacted to him, I picture him as tall, well built and good-looking. Ben does share more of his internal life with us, and he comes across as positive, sincere, caring and someone who is adept at examining life.
Until the day he met “The Committee” in the Great Room at a large manor house, Ben had been an average guy. He was a worker- a fisherman, a road paver, a carer. But when he marries and has children he realizes that he wants the best for them. He gets his masseuse certification and his life changes.
“The Committee”, women with titles and/or money, make him over, a la My Fair Lady. Ben goes along with it all, because the money is good, it’s fun and he does want his children to have advantages and education.
Ben does seem to grow from his experiences. He thinks about class differences, and the perils of being limited by one’s “station in life” or labeling oneself as “people like us” vs. the rich. As his fortune rises, and he provides more for his family, even his sweet, unassuming wife begins to change and see a future for herself. Ben weighs it all and concludes that it’s ok to try to improve yourself.
Ben opines throughout the book. He has a passion for massage and teaches us about the techniques. As Ben shares, “The dance of the massage is magical- healers taking broken souls and making them stronger, putting people’s lives back together with our bare hands. Massage is a form of meditation.” Ben is a sensitive and emotive guy.
Ben reveals personal success motivation, via napoleon Hill. “Self-esteem is how you feel about yourself. Self-confidence is how you project that feeling to others.”
But as Ben finally learns, “We are here at the same time. It is not the same as being here together.” All too soon, his life with “The Committee” ends, the number of sexual encounters stops at 2,000, and the economic crisis of 2008 teaches Ben even more.
Was this a good book, a good read? In many ways yes, but I again have to caution you that there are pages and pages of explicit “activities”.
Thanks to Thistle Publishing for an ARC.
I don’t read soft porn, especially from a man’s point of view. There is plenty of flesh and genitals in this book- horrifying and interesting, all at the same time.
But in addition to too many descriptions of touching this and that, Ben Foster, the Gigolo, also tells us his personal story from 2005 to 2007- and it’s a good one.
Ben doesn’t describe himself in much detail but from the way women reacted to him, I picture him as tall, well built and good-looking. Ben does share more of his internal life with us, and he comes across as positive, sincere, caring and someone who is adept at examining life.
Until the day he met “The Committee” in the Great Room at a large manor house, Ben had been an average guy. He was a worker- a fisherman, a road paver, a carer. But when he marries and has children he realizes that he wants the best for them. He gets his masseuse certification and his life changes.
“The Committee”, women with titles and/or money, make him over, a la My Fair Lady. Ben goes along with it all, because the money is good, it’s fun and he does want his children to have advantages and education.
Ben does seem to grow from his experiences. He thinks about class differences, and the perils of being limited by one’s “station in life” or labeling oneself as “people like us” vs. the rich. As his fortune rises, and he provides more for his family, even his sweet, unassuming wife begins to change and see a future for herself. Ben weighs it all and concludes that it’s ok to try to improve yourself.
Ben opines throughout the book. He has a passion for massage and teaches us about the techniques. As Ben shares, “The dance of the massage is magical- healers taking broken souls and making them stronger, putting people’s lives back together with our bare hands. Massage is a form of meditation.” Ben is a sensitive and emotive guy.
Ben reveals personal success motivation, via napoleon Hill. “Self-esteem is how you feel about yourself. Self-confidence is how you project that feeling to others.”
But as Ben finally learns, “We are here at the same time. It is not the same as being here together.” All too soon, his life with “The Committee” ends, the number of sexual encounters stops at 2,000, and the economic crisis of 2008 teaches Ben even more.
Was this a good book, a good read? In many ways yes, but I again have to caution you that there are pages and pages of explicit “activities”.
Thanks to Thistle Publishing for an ARC.
July 10, 2018
Ben Foster is married with 3 children and poor. His wife works in a laundry and Ben works with disabled boys. To help ends meet he does massages for extra money, not realizing that this job would take him inside the world of the rich that include celebrities etc. It all started when he met Vivienne whom gave him a new car and wardrobe and then he is soon referred and making a lot of money. This turns into massage, sex, and money. Soon Ben is addicted to life with money and possibly a debt free one. He leads his wife to believe it's "just massages." Time goes by and soon his wife finds out it's not just massages her husband is doing.
Thank you Mr David Haviland and Thistle Publishing for a copy of Gigolo by Ben Foster. I felt like this was a good read, although it did have a lot of sex, too much for this gal. I don't normally read books like this, however it has a great story line and likable characters even if snobbish and sexually lit. Big time.
Cherie' 3 stars because way too much expletive sex.
Thank you Mr David Haviland and Thistle Publishing for a copy of Gigolo by Ben Foster. I felt like this was a good read, although it did have a lot of sex, too much for this gal. I don't normally read books like this, however it has a great story line and likable characters even if snobbish and sexually lit. Big time.
Cherie' 3 stars because way too much expletive sex.
July 19, 2018
This is such a male book. A male fantasy book, in fact. The story of how Ben Foster, a young married man with three children, who struggles to make ends meet, working in a care home for boys, becomes a gigolo to a group of super-rich women, starts off reasonably enough. Ben has used a small inheritance to become a masseur and when he is taken up as a plaything by these women he starts to earn massive sums of money and to enjoy the good life. And that’s when I lost patience with the book, as it more and more stretched my credulity. At the beginning I empathised with him, but scene after scene of graphic sex (which in my view makes the book pornography) soon become tedious and uninteresting. Except, I assume, for those who enjoy pornography. Clifford Thurlow, the ghost-writer, is apparently writing for a specific market – and the serial rights have indeed been sold to The Sun – and I admit that I am not in that target audience. I will say, however, that the book is well written for what it is and Ben’s own voice comes across loud and clear. He seems a nice chap and I wish him well. I enjoyed learning about his family, and even about the different types of massage techniques. But this account of his rags to riches and back to rags trajectory is just too sensationalist to convince.
August 15, 2018
Ben Foster, an ordinary guy, married with three kids and working hard to put food on the table, finds despite his efforts, his family are still forced to live hand to mouth. Having used a small inheritance to train as a masseur, he brings in a little extra income from the few clients he has managed to net. Late for an appointment one afternoon, fate appears to be on his side, and to his amazement, he is thrown into the world of opulence, grandeur, and sexy, well-preserved women with far too much money and time on their hands. They groom him, use him, but it is the enticement of money, bringing a better life for himself and his family, that drives him to make choices he would have never imagined doing before, and all while overlooking the fact that the harder one plays, there always comes the time when one loses. This is a well-crafted and ingenious novel that hooked me from the very first page, written with extraordinary skill, and luring the reader into the lives of the characters with well-described settings that capture the atmosphere, the sex, the drugs, and the actions played out in each and every scene. I whole-heartedly recommend this book and will without doubt, be reading more from this talented author. Definitely one to keep an eye on.
September 20, 2018
This was not my usual choice of memoir…
This is the tale of one talented and (un? you be the judge)lucky young man’s journey into the world of money and privilege most of us only encounter on television. It was a LOT steamier than I usually read, and such an unusual blend of elements – family drama, VERY explicit sex, and a zen-flavored explication of one man’s approach to life and living. Those are NOT usually found together, and you’d think that combining them would lead to a jarring, discordant mess of a read. On the contrary, I found that the combination rendered the book into a delightful salty-sweet confection of a tale full of morality and questionable decision-making, and drama and fear, and unbridled optimism and equally unbridled glee.
Ben’s tale takes him from living hand-to-mouth (literally) with his wife and young children (yes, he has a family throughout this – which was one of the most difficult points for me to reconcile with his decisions) one day to a world of privilege where money isn’t even thought of because it’s so ubiquitous the next is a wild ride that vacillates up- and downhill at a rate that should by rights make him sick but yet somehow invigorates and energizes him. It should have all felt utterly unbelievable and like a caricature of a tale (or like porn) but the frequent injection of Ben’s views on life, hope, optimism, satisfaction, and what it means to be happy somehow kept it engaging and believable, even at its most dissonant. I don’t know how Foster managed that – except perhaps by actually living it (if that makes any sense).
It’s a very easy read. The story progresses quickly and Foster’s voice throughout is engaging. It is very graphic, with some highly colorful predilections portrayed in painstaking detail. But it’s also a tale of a man struggling to take care of his family – and even if I do not personally agree with the decisions he made along the way to do so, I did find reading about them (and reading about his justifications and internal back-and-forths about them) interesting and a bit of a guilty pleasure… The book claims to be non-fiction. Frankly, it all comes together a bit handily for me to entirely buy that – particularly given the interactions between Ben and his wife as the story plays out. But who knows, they DO say that truth is stranger than fiction!
Thanks to Thistle Publishing for my review copy.
This is the tale of one talented and (un? you be the judge)lucky young man’s journey into the world of money and privilege most of us only encounter on television. It was a LOT steamier than I usually read, and such an unusual blend of elements – family drama, VERY explicit sex, and a zen-flavored explication of one man’s approach to life and living. Those are NOT usually found together, and you’d think that combining them would lead to a jarring, discordant mess of a read. On the contrary, I found that the combination rendered the book into a delightful salty-sweet confection of a tale full of morality and questionable decision-making, and drama and fear, and unbridled optimism and equally unbridled glee.
Ben’s tale takes him from living hand-to-mouth (literally) with his wife and young children (yes, he has a family throughout this – which was one of the most difficult points for me to reconcile with his decisions) one day to a world of privilege where money isn’t even thought of because it’s so ubiquitous the next is a wild ride that vacillates up- and downhill at a rate that should by rights make him sick but yet somehow invigorates and energizes him. It should have all felt utterly unbelievable and like a caricature of a tale (or like porn) but the frequent injection of Ben’s views on life, hope, optimism, satisfaction, and what it means to be happy somehow kept it engaging and believable, even at its most dissonant. I don’t know how Foster managed that – except perhaps by actually living it (if that makes any sense).
It’s a very easy read. The story progresses quickly and Foster’s voice throughout is engaging. It is very graphic, with some highly colorful predilections portrayed in painstaking detail. But it’s also a tale of a man struggling to take care of his family – and even if I do not personally agree with the decisions he made along the way to do so, I did find reading about them (and reading about his justifications and internal back-and-forths about them) interesting and a bit of a guilty pleasure… The book claims to be non-fiction. Frankly, it all comes together a bit handily for me to entirely buy that – particularly given the interactions between Ben and his wife as the story plays out. But who knows, they DO say that truth is stranger than fiction!
Thanks to Thistle Publishing for my review copy.
August 2, 2018
All that glitters is not gold.
In Gigolo: Inside the secret world of the Super Rich, Clifford Thurlow takes us on a thrilling Rolls Royce ride into the seedy upper echelons of English society.
What unfolds is a fascinating and shocking tale of paganism, unconsciousness, and of the shallow depthless world of the rich and entitled.
Ben a masseuse, is a young father and husband to Kelly and looking for ways to improve his and his family’s circumstances.
He is introduced to the green eyed Lady Margaret, and he falls under her spell. He soon meets a passel of rich, titled, women where he’s tossed around like a new toy. Ben becomes lost in a miasma of rich women, and an elite new world.
The author gives us an intimate excursion into the world of the rich and soulless, where anything shiny and new is coveted and the dim and dull are quickly discarded.
A fascinating tale of greed and avarice and a lesson for us all, that all that glitters is not gold.
In Gigolo: Inside the secret world of the Super Rich, Clifford Thurlow takes us on a thrilling Rolls Royce ride into the seedy upper echelons of English society.
What unfolds is a fascinating and shocking tale of paganism, unconsciousness, and of the shallow depthless world of the rich and entitled.
Ben a masseuse, is a young father and husband to Kelly and looking for ways to improve his and his family’s circumstances.
He is introduced to the green eyed Lady Margaret, and he falls under her spell. He soon meets a passel of rich, titled, women where he’s tossed around like a new toy. Ben becomes lost in a miasma of rich women, and an elite new world.
The author gives us an intimate excursion into the world of the rich and soulless, where anything shiny and new is coveted and the dim and dull are quickly discarded.
A fascinating tale of greed and avarice and a lesson for us all, that all that glitters is not gold.
August 11, 2018
Gigolo: Inside the Secret World of the Super Rich
By Ben Foster with Clifford Thurlow
At first glance, some might call this a “beach read” with lots of sex or a “rags to riches, back to rags” story for some young desperate fool – but, and there is a BUT, the writing is superb, as is the introspection that is displayed by Ben Foster as he tries to navigate a world of wealth that is new and beyond belief to him … a world where people and objects are treated interchangeably.
In the end, I would have liked to see his response to this realization expanded upon a bit more.
By Ben Foster with Clifford Thurlow
At first glance, some might call this a “beach read” with lots of sex or a “rags to riches, back to rags” story for some young desperate fool – but, and there is a BUT, the writing is superb, as is the introspection that is displayed by Ben Foster as he tries to navigate a world of wealth that is new and beyond belief to him … a world where people and objects are treated interchangeably.
In the end, I would have liked to see his response to this realization expanded upon a bit more.
August 5, 2018
The British class system is analysed from top to bottom in this unusual book about an ex-fisherman who becomes a gigolo to rich and famous women in order to feed his family. Of course, there are a lot of upsides to being a gigolo - aside from the money - but Ben Foster grows to hate what he's doing. He is gripped in the poverty trap and we are with him all the way as he struggles to find his way out. Likeable bloke and a totally compulsive and well-written book.
August 23, 2018
https://whippetreads.com/?p=292&p... picked up a copy of this book because I have read and enjoyed other books by this publisher (even though it isn't usually the kind of book I gravitate towards) This biography left me speechless (a tough thing to do). Not for the faint of heart, this is a gut wrenching account of overindulgence. It is raw, sexually graphic, moving, and utterly unbelievable. Ben Foster is a massage therapist trying desperately to provide for his wife, Kelly, and their three young children. When he find himself as the private massage therapist for the rich and famous women of London (called the "committee"), he soon realizes that it is not only massage that he is being hired to provide. As he flies around the world on private planes, attends private parties and dinners, he is well aware that he is nothing more than a sex worker being hired to cater to the often outlandish fantasies of these actresses, socialites, and politicians. The most interesting part of this book is the end and Ben's hard fall from grace. An interesting insight into another world, Ben's account will leave you wanting a shower--and wondering how far someone would go to provide for their children.. A stunning and surreal look at class and power, this book is a revelation and a look behind the curtain of society's most cherished.
July 28, 2018
An open and frank account of one guys move into the world of gigolo to the rich and the famous. This is a warts and all account of life as a play thing to rich women and how it’s not always the dream it sounds. I couldn’t put this book down.
Read
August 27, 2018Gigolo weaves together three discourses. The first is a modern Cinderella tale about a struggling Everyman who becomes a boy toy for the rich and jaded, which is frequently provocative and occasionally fantastic. Second, is a social commentary that is simultaneously witty and insightful. What does it mean to be a gentleman? What distinguishes the aristocracy from the common man? What do women really want in a lover? Does our work define us, or do we define our work? Binding these warps and wefts together is a fascinating and illuminating description of various forms of massage therapy and their impact on our health and fitness. This odyssey of self-discovery is reminiscent of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
August 24, 2018
This book is just as much of a roller-coaster ride of excitement and anticipation for the reader, as the real life events it describes were for Ben, a working class boy drawn into the bizarre and uninhibited world of super-rich women. It's not often that you forget you're reading a book these days, but the writer has a great ability to place you inside Ben's head, to allow you to see what he sees, and feel what he feels. This is a book that literally gets your pulse racing as you journey through a world at once attractive and dangerous, populated by characters that are both sophisticated and yet child-like.
I have to say that it's not a book I would give to my grandmother - the descriptive writing style that paints Ben's world so well loses none of its detail as he carries out the duties that books title suggests, but if you are looking for something that has the style and grace of James Bond with the PG rating well and truly stripped away, then this book is for you.
I have to say that it's not a book I would give to my grandmother - the descriptive writing style that paints Ben's world so well loses none of its detail as he carries out the duties that books title suggests, but if you are looking for something that has the style and grace of James Bond with the PG rating well and truly stripped away, then this book is for you.
August 26, 2018
I started this book thinking it was a book based on a true story. As it progressed I became more sure that that was the case, and in the end I belive it all is fiction. It might be a book based on true events, and in a business hard for most of us to understand who is to say that extraordinary things do not happen?
But to be hones I do not care. The book was erotic, but still it was not only what was in the book. You get the feeling that sex becomes a part of everyday life as it is explained in this book, exiting and in details in the beginning and less so in the end.
I missed that we did not get more of the inside of Bens head, but maybe he did not think that much of his situation of the time. If it is a book on true events, I would have loved to get the view of Ben now, looking back on this when he is older.
*Copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review*
But to be hones I do not care. The book was erotic, but still it was not only what was in the book. You get the feeling that sex becomes a part of everyday life as it is explained in this book, exiting and in details in the beginning and less so in the end.
I missed that we did not get more of the inside of Bens head, but maybe he did not think that much of his situation of the time. If it is a book on true events, I would have loved to get the view of Ben now, looking back on this when he is older.
*Copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review*
August 23, 2018
A very fun romp through the world of the super rich!
A great story that men especially will enjoy. Ben Foster is a working stiff who manages through his skill at massages to become part of the world of private jets, Parisian sex clubs, endless lines of cocaine and orgies in country houses with a Who’s Who of celebrities, MPs, and the international super rich. Gigolo is an escapist fantasy with an intriguing, meaningful story to boot. It definitely keeps the reader turning the pages. It’s set in contemporary times, starting in 2006 in the United Kingdom, and makes a sarcastic commentary on today’s wealthy there and pretty much everywhere. The co-author, Ben Foster, has the same name and background as the protagonist of this book, so one is left to wonder: How much of this story is true and how much is fiction?
A great story that men especially will enjoy. Ben Foster is a working stiff who manages through his skill at massages to become part of the world of private jets, Parisian sex clubs, endless lines of cocaine and orgies in country houses with a Who’s Who of celebrities, MPs, and the international super rich. Gigolo is an escapist fantasy with an intriguing, meaningful story to boot. It definitely keeps the reader turning the pages. It’s set in contemporary times, starting in 2006 in the United Kingdom, and makes a sarcastic commentary on today’s wealthy there and pretty much everywhere. The co-author, Ben Foster, has the same name and background as the protagonist of this book, so one is left to wonder: How much of this story is true and how much is fiction?
August 14, 2018
enjoyable read, one that gets me into the world of the super-rich, but also cautions against big money spending. interesting read for those who feel money might solve all problems!
March 20, 2019
A masterpiece
Clifford Thurlow’s “Gigolo” opened my eyes to the secret world of the rich, as the cover portrays. Sometimes we are so absorbed in our own lives that we don’t look out for what’s beyond us. I found Ben’s ( a sex worker) story not only intriguing but also thought provoking. Overall an entertaining showpiece!
Clifford Thurlow’s “Gigolo” opened my eyes to the secret world of the rich, as the cover portrays. Sometimes we are so absorbed in our own lives that we don’t look out for what’s beyond us. I found Ben’s ( a sex worker) story not only intriguing but also thought provoking. Overall an entertaining showpiece!
July 18, 2018
This is a story about a massage therapist who gets involved his head with some very rich society women. Ben works two jobs to keep up with the bills he and his wife Kelly have. With their family of three children, how can he pay for everything? Ben gets a job offer from a group of woman who want more than a massage. It leads to sex and big gifts. His wife is suspicious, but understands how hard he works. A car, money, gifts and trips are only part of it. What he doesn't know is that he is a replacement for the last guy that got dropped. Will Ben be dropped as well and will Kelly find out? How will this end? You have to read this story of sex, coercion, unfaithfulness and loose morals. I enjoyed it up to a point. I got to see how the rich live to an extent. Great plot and writing. I received this book from Net Galley and Thistle Publishing for an honest review and no compensation otherwise.
September 21, 2018
When you see a caption asking you if you are adventurous, what would you do? Me? Well, of course I become intrigued, and because my curiosity gets the better of me, I give in. When I started reading I was honestly taken back a little because of the events that unfolded, and started asking myself what felt like a million questions. Ben and his family, like a lot of families, were down on their luck with finances, and struggled from day to day to make ends meet. When an opprotunity landed itself at his feet, with desperation, he jumped on it, but at that time I don’t think he knew what the opportunity entailed. He was introduced into a world that we, as the average person, didn’t know existed, but there he was, right in the middle of it. As the book went on, I felt different emotions towards Ben and others. I was angry at some of the decisions he made, I wanted to yell at the Committee for putting him in this situation. At times I felt tugs at my heart as he spoke about his past, and dreamed of his future. For an author to make his reader feel like this from the time it started, right to the very end, it was brilliant! Well done to the both of you. Was this fiction...was this real....who knows, but what I do know, is that this was one of the better books I have read in a long time. To some, what the character did was wrong, but, for some, he made us understand why he made them decisions. Again, bravo to you both, I look forward to reading you in the future.
November 28, 2018
There are a few frontiers that should be surpassed through in our lives, and money-test is one of them. When money, women, and power are all in one Novel, it is a true challenge for its main character named Ben, the name which is translated as a son, in Hebrew. But let me start from afar. All those ambitions people, who know the good things of life, must live and in order to live they must have money. Their love of money forces them to work with the rich, and here we come to the real inequality in society, economic inequality. The pillars of society, who are the most photographed men in the daily papers and who easily donate a hundred thousand dollars to a university or a civic hospital, are but returning the money they got from the people back to the people. The beauty of our democracy is that the money thus earned or stolen always seeps back to the people, if not through a university or a hospital then through all the people who depend upon the elite and serve them, down to the house servant. A masseur who squeezes his rich client is but helping him or her to return the money to the people, and he does it with a clear conscience. At that, he has a domestic problem behind him, differing in magnitude but not in nature from the domestic problem of his rich clientele.
Certain social characteristics arisen from the family system, though indirectly, are also mentioned by the author. They may be summed up as the lack of social discipline. Methinks, this is the main theme of the Novel. It makes a man ‘sweep the snow in front of his door, and not bother about the frost on his neighbor's roof.’ Well, this is not too bad. What is worse is that it makes a man throw his refuse outside his neighbor's door. The best illustration is the so-called British courtesy, a very inquisitive topic, which can be defined as ‘the happy way of doing things,’ but so much depends on who it is you are doing things with. Is he or she of your family or a friend of your family? The fact is, the family system stands midway between extreme individualism and the new sense of social consciousness which includes the whole society. The modern society is cut up into little family units, inside which exists the greatest co-operation, but between the units no real bond of unity exists. The readers of this fascinating work, especially those who like all the British things, have to take their time and look at what is between the lines. . . I definitely bid a 5-Star read.
Certain social characteristics arisen from the family system, though indirectly, are also mentioned by the author. They may be summed up as the lack of social discipline. Methinks, this is the main theme of the Novel. It makes a man ‘sweep the snow in front of his door, and not bother about the frost on his neighbor's roof.’ Well, this is not too bad. What is worse is that it makes a man throw his refuse outside his neighbor's door. The best illustration is the so-called British courtesy, a very inquisitive topic, which can be defined as ‘the happy way of doing things,’ but so much depends on who it is you are doing things with. Is he or she of your family or a friend of your family? The fact is, the family system stands midway between extreme individualism and the new sense of social consciousness which includes the whole society. The modern society is cut up into little family units, inside which exists the greatest co-operation, but between the units no real bond of unity exists. The readers of this fascinating work, especially those who like all the British things, have to take their time and look at what is between the lines. . . I definitely bid a 5-Star read.
October 20, 2018
I found Gigolo by Clifford Thurlow a thoroughly enjoyable read.
You root for Ben from the very beginning: he is a good man, hard working and a loving father to his three kids for whom he wants to do better, give them more opportunities in life than he’s had.
He’s used his gran’s inheritance to get a qualification as a masseuse and throughout the novel you can see how conscientiously he does that, how he approaches it philosophically and as a healer.
You get a picture of the hardships he faces to make ends meet on a minimum wage job and when you meet his only paying customer who definitely exploits him by paying him very little for his services, especially considering the wealth he lives in.
So by total chance, one day Ben meets his clients’ mum and the “committee: a circle of her rich and bored friends.
Ben’s good looks and polite albeit innocent manners name the women hire him for his services but healing through the massages they receive isn’t the only thing these rich and bored upper crust women want from Ben.
So our protagonist finds himself propelled in a world where houses don’t have postcodes, where your services are rewarded with the agreed upon fee but you might happen to get a brand new car.
The author paints a vivid picture of the world the rich and famous live in and the stark contrast with Ben’s world is powerful.
With his new clients, money and expensive presents aren’t the only thing to threaten Ben’s integrity: obviously the rich clients expect sex in addition to the massages Ben signed up to give them.
And what man wouldn’t be tempted by these gorgeous, experienced women who show him a world where sex is as sophisticated, daring and rich as the lives his new partners live.
Again another stark contrast with the loving but plain sex life Ben shares with his inexperienced wife.
So, he has to lie to his wife to keep up the pretence about his new profession and choices are made that make us share the dilemma if by selling his services and his body, Ben will end up losing his soul and everything else he held dear before being caught in this whirlwind of wealth and opportunities.
The prose is rich and flows amazingly well, taking us with Ben and making us feel the weight of his choices.
The sex is hot and the novel grips you from the first page until the very last.
I wholeheartedly recommend this as a very entertaining read!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews