Tampa

By: Alissa Nutting

Narrated by: Kathleen McInerney

Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

Celeste Price is an eighth-grade English teacher in suburban Tampa. She's undeniably attractive. She drives a red Corvette with tinted windows. Her husband, Ford, is rich, square-jawed, and devoted to her.

But Celeste's devotion lies elsewhere. She has a singular sexual obsession: 14-year-old boys. Celeste pursues her craving with sociopathic meticulousness and forethought; her sole purpose in becoming a teacher is to fulfill her passion and provide her access to her compulsion. As the novel opens, fall semester at Jefferson Jr. High is beginning.

In mere weeks, Celeste has chosen and lured the lusciously naive Jack Patrick into her web. Jack is enthralled and in awe of his teacher, and, most important, willing to accept Celeste's terms for a secret relationship - car rides after school; rendezvous at Jack's house while his single father works late; body-slamming encounters in Celeste's empty classroom between periods.

Ever mindful of the danger - the perpetual risk of exposure, Jack's father's own attraction to her, and the ticking clock as Jack leaves innocent boyhood behind - the hyperbolically insatiable Celeste bypasses each hurdle with swift thinking and shameless determination, even when the solutions involve greater misdeeds than the affair itself. In slaking her sexual thirst, Celeste Price is remorseless and deviously free of hesitation, a monstress driven by pure motivation. She deceives everyone, and cares nothing for anyone or anything but her own pleasure.

With crackling, rampantly unadulterated prose, Tampa is a grand, uncompromising, seriocomic examination of want and a scorching literary debut.

©2013 Alissa Nutting (P)2013 HarperCollins Publishers

American Psycho for the 21st Century

Oddly enough, the first book that I gave five stars to this year was My Dark Vanessa. Therefore, there is an odd bit of symmetry to giving five stars to Tampa, which stands as a sort of spiritual foe to the victim narrative. Tampa gives you the first-person perspective of a sexual predator, which may make the reader feel a sense of complicity in Celeste's transgressions, if they dare to push through the novel. Nonetheless, I am so glad that I gave this novel a chance.
Some things to know about Tampa, if you are tempted to give it a shot:
1) Like American Psycho, Tampa is a satire, and it is a damn funny novel, too. That said, like American Psycho, there is some content that may be tough for some readers to get through. Tampa is full of graphic sexual scenes between a 27-year-old woman and several 14-year-old boys, so if that is triggering for you, you might want to give this one a pass.
2) Celeste is truly a horrible human being with NO redeemable qualities. She is also a fascinating character with a wry sense of humor. If you are not offended by the novel's subject matter and enjoy dark comedies, Tampa might be right up your alley. Props to Alissa Nutting for making me laugh more than I wanted to while reading this novel.
3) This is not an action-packed thriller. That said, I was never bored by Tampa. This is a narrative about a sexual predator who is constantly manipulating everyone around her to get what she wants, giving the novel a confessional quality to it.
Tampa was brilliant, funny, and never boring. It was a breath of fresh air after reading so many slow-burn thrillers of late.

Disturbing book

Greag Narrator,but a dark book and very disturbing ,very gutsy of the Author fro writing this book.

Go Inside the Mind of a Female Sexual Predator

This book narrates the thoughts that display the psychological & emotional motivations that lie behind the aggressive sexuality of a female sexual predator of teenage boys. These urges lead to perilous situations that threaten the lives of all those involved. It’s a psychological high-wire balancing act of cravings and danger for those involved in these emotional & sexual situations.

woah

this is such a crazy story. although it describes some disgusting images.. it also brings to light that anyone can be a pedo in disguise.

Wonderfully messed up

Perfect for people who aren't disturbed easily and find feeling disgusting to be fascinating.

Great book

The author really gets in the head of Celeste, making her seem real. She’s not a likable character, but there are times I almost root for her. The narrator did a fantastic job as well.

Honestly A Disturbing Story

If you could sum up Tampa in three words, what would they be?

Female Pedophile Tell-All

Would you be willing to try another book from Alissa Nutting? Why or why not?

Probably, the author is a really good writer. I've learned more new words in this book than any other books that I've read so far.

Have you listened to any of Kathleen McInerney’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to any Kathleen McInerney's performance before, however she is GREAT!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, it was a really difficult book to sit through because it was so strange to listen to a mind of a pedophile. You can only take a little dose of it at a time because the story can make your skin crawl. However, the performance was exquisite. Probably one of the best female performers I've listened to so far.

Any additional comments?

This book is pretty graphic in it's sexually content and a little morbid. However, beautifully written and the performance was amazing!.

Uncomfortable

Tampa

The main character is despicable. She’s ageist and ableist and a clear pedophile(or more appropriately hebephile). She is so flawed I liked nothing about her. I went into this read knowing I’d find it hard to relate to her. I stand corrected. Ugh I can’t believe I was able to get as far as I did.

It told the story of a woman very aware of what she was doing, justifying every step of the way in traumatizing the boys she violated. She was a hebephile, a specific pedophile attracted to early teens(especially less developed ones). It’s not a romance but she does manage to manipulate a student of hers to think he wants this exploitation.

Those scenes were super uncomfortable to read because she reveled in how underage he came off. She was an insatiable character, from the moment she woke up to the time she went to bed she thought and fantasized about preteen boys and it was so excessive I am compelled to assume she’s a sex addict. Her behavior was definitely a mental illness.

That being said, with all the bad things I’ve mentioned it was a hard book to both put down AND keep reading. It challenged me(which wasn’t always a positive thing) and while I’ve never read Lolita it has those traits. My disgust was why it was a three. I think if I were a stronger person it would’ve been higher.

This book made me so angry!

...but I finished it because I wanted to know if she paid for her disgusting fetish and the young life she destroyed. It's hard to listen to. The pedophile is a vile, sociopathic nymphomaniac. At times, I was angry with the writer for being so unnecessarily pornographic. I wondered if I was reading about HER fetish. But we are supposed to hate Celeste (which rhymes with molest ha!) because she's downright evil. The secondary 'story' seemed forced and contrived to me. The narrator sounds way older than 26 and is extremely melodramatic but based on the reviews, I guess most people like that. It's a mindf*** for sure. If you like books that mess you up, this one's for you.

Kinda creepy and gross.

All I can really say about this book is that it is so well written that it's repulsive.