Chemical Pink
Pygmalion goes to the gym in this tawdry expos? of the fetishistic, dangerous world of women's bodybuilding. Charles Worthington, a middle-aged, sexually eccentric millionaire, finds his Galatea in Aurora Jeanine Johnson, a single mom with big bodybuilding dreams. Young, blonde Aurora arrives from Savannah, Ga., in search of a new life and a new body on the West Coast. Charles spots her on a beach, then tracks her down at the gym where she is training, and the two strike up a bizarre, co-dependent relationship. In exchange for financial support and full-time training, Aurora becomes her mentor's sexual playthingAthough her instant and ongoing subjugation to the repulsive Charles defies all logic. Together, their goal is for Aurora to win a title in a top national competition. In exchange for working toward her dream, Charles takes complete control of Aurora's lifeAdictating her diet, her lifestyle, her training and her huge intake of steroids. As her training progresses, Aurora loses control over her life and neglects her young daughter, Amy. Supporting characters crawl out from beneath various rocks: a deranged ex-boyfriend named Skip DeBilda, who befriends Amy; Hendrik, Aurora's crooked trainer; and a motley cast of pumped-up grotesques at the gym. The writing is peppered with descriptions of bad outfits and sex acts so arcane as to be downright laughable. Arnoldi does try to provide an insider's look at this outlandish corner of the subculture, based on her own experience as a professional bodybuilderAtoo bad it's overshadowed by the porn. (Mar.) Forecast: This galley came to PW with two author photos, one a glam head shot of Arnoldi, the other of her in a pink bikini, flexing in triumph as the 1992 Southern California Bodybuilding Champion. She looks good in both, but it's obvious which one, if put on the book jacket, is going to galvanize browser attention. In any case, the publisher has some interesting marketing plans, including advertising in Women's Sports and Fitness, that should boost sales.Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.