overall 19 votes: rating onrating onrating onrating onrating half
editor average: rating onrating onrating onrating halfrating off

Servicing the Pole by Lauri Shaw

Some people have nightmares about showing up to work naked. Other people live them. 

Servicing the Pole is the portrait of a New York stripper—a battle-worn misfit slogging her way through the city’s roughest clubs, watching as the job replaces her personal life, and secretly harbouring rock star ambitions.

As the fast-paced night life’s deceptive promises of easy money gradually give way to the harsher realities of addiction and prostitution, Emily must decide—is this really the person she wants to be?  And if so, at what price?

Note: Servicing the Pole contains some graphic sexual content, graphic violence, and harsh language.


A complete pdf novel

Tags: · · · · · · · · · ·

Listed: Jan 28, 2009

Latest Updates (feed):

Share:

  • Facebook
  • Delicious
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • Twitter

more . . .

Recommendations

People who recommend this story also recommend:

Member Shelves

Member who recommend this include:

Or view the full list.

Have Your Say!

Register or log in to rate, recommend, review, or bookmark this story.

Note: You can monitor reviews for this listing with its review feed.

Vote for it on topwebfiction.com . . .


Editorial Reviews

rating onrating onrating onrating onrating off

Raw

Editor: Sonja Nitschke
March 6, 2009

What first drew me into Servicing the Pole was the quick, succinct voice of the character.  It is written in first person present tense—something that usually bothers me—but I scarcely noticed it when I began to read. 

Servicing the Pole isn’t a happy story—in fact, most of the time I found myself uncomfortable reading it, faced with issues I don’t usually face either in fiction or in real life.  As mentioned by the blurb above, Servicing the Pole is a story about a stripper who has bigger dreams than shedding her clothes.  At first, there is a distinction in her mind between stripping and prostitution, but as the story continues, the stakes become higher and the line begins to blur.  Hard, uncomfortable questions are raised by the narrator which will hopefully be answered in the continuing chapters (so far, there are only twenty six chapters up).

The prose is as raw and undecorated as the story itself.  It reads brutally, often uncomfortably, honest.  I found it refreshing.

If grey, gritty stories are what you like, this might be for you.

5 of 5 members found this review helpful.
Help us improve!  Register or log in to rate this review.

continue with member reviews »

Most Helpful Member Reviews

rating onrating onrating onrating onrating half

Raw and unpleasant – couldn’t stop reading

Member: Janoda
January 31, 2009

This isn’t a nice story. Neither is it hopeful, cheering or even fun to read. But I couldn’t stop reading. Servicing the pole is a well-written story about the daily life of a stripper. Tough, raw and slightly depressing are words that come to mind. The protagonist isn’t really sympathetic and her life is almost pure horror, but because you [more . . .]

rating onrating onrating onrating onrating on

Servicing The Pole

Member: LynnAlexander
February 8, 2009

I am currently reading Shaw’s "Servicing The Pole", and I want to start by saying that I think it is to her credit that she wants to maintain her independence as an author and remain true to her vision for the dimensions of her main characters. I am enjoying the fact that Shaw seems able to [more . . .]

rating onrating onrating onrating onrating on

Stark

Member: Khelden Iituem
November 15, 2009

If Servicing the Pole can be summed up in one word, it is just that; stark.  From the uncompromising prose to the embittered views of the protagonist to the repeated, soul-crushing pathos of the story itself.

Shaw plays with the reader like a cat with a mouse.  The unnamed protagonist finds [more . . .]

3 more reviews available . . .

Your review

Register or log in to rate, recommend, review, or bookmark this story.