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Summary: Stands the test of time
Review: My first time reading this "classic". Jong was way ahead of her time as it doesn't even feel dated. It is truly liberating, a validation of women's feelings universally.
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Summary: Waiting for Amazon.com censors......
Review: Fear of Flying (FOF) upset me, a male reader. Protagonist Isidora likes to sleep around, and since 'effing' was so critical to her, she should have become a hooker. My sympathies lie with the poor husband(s) who are apparently clueless and/or insane. Women's lib as depicted in this book is a phony exercise where women attempt 'equal' status with men 'plus' their usual treachery and guile. BTW, this is a redone review after PC amazon censors blocked the first.
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Summary: A milestone of woman's sexual liberation!
Review: One should not forget: Up to the end of the sixties, scientists were still wondering: "Is woman capable of feeling sexual pleasure at all, or is it a male's privilege to enjoy sex?" And Erica Jong gave, so to say, the answer to this question by writing this novel. That is what makes it so important. Jong has managed to contribute to a sexually freer and thus more humanitarian society for both woman AND man.
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Summary: Fantasy is the one place a woman in can have it all.
Review: Released in 1987 under the title, Sereni'ss'ima, a Novel of Venice, the second half of the story is reminiscent of Shakespeare in Love. Maybe this is where Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman got the idea! This novella strikes more at the mind than the heart. Alas, I never fell love along with the heroine, although I too could love Will Shakespeare. I caught glimpses of Jessica's love but never felt it. Jong's tight prose and concrete choices are so good that I recommend them as examples to my ghostwriting clients.
Rating: 
Summary: A disappointing book.
Review: The heroine is a bloody racist (which is taken for wit, I guess). What a turn-off.
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Summary: Every woman should read this book!
Review: This book is one of the most honest books I have ever read. I could not put it down! It was written before I was born but I still felt a strong connection with the protagonist. I have almost every feeling that she had even though it was written for another generation. This says a lot for the pure honesty of this book. It helped me validate my OWN feelings by reading about someone else who was having them too. This book exposes what it is really like to be a woman. It may be controversial or even offensive to some but IT'S REAL. so get used to it...
Rating: 
Summary: Not quite so shocking in the 90s
Review: I picked up this book in my mother's garage about 3 years ago, when I was 18. I admit that I was interested in it because of the sexy cover quotes like "steamy!" and "shocking!" I read it. And it's turned out to be one of my favorite books. Not because it got me hot and bothered.. it wasn't any more "steamy" than an episode of NYPD blue, but because I found myself identifying so much with Isadora's plight... her urge to find herself, to balance her love for her husband with her urge to find the "zipless f***" and to do it all in a society that frowned upon a healthy sexual appetite in women. Some people have found that the novel is self-serving and self-righteous, but not a drop of that came through to me. As a matter of fact, I was shocked to hear it! I loved the book and I think most young women would too - which is why you're hearing a heartfel reccomendation from me!
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Summary: striking empathy for the self-examined intellectual
Review: As an eighteen year old girl in the nineties, guilty of psuedo-intellectualism, staggering self-deception and a general lack of self-confidence, this book comes as a suprise. A suprise in the sense that I was astonished (and thoroughly excited) to have come upon a writer that has the ability to enunciate with remarkable clarity so many of the self-conflicting emotions that are the confusing, frustrating reality of the woman who thinks too much. Jong's mind wanders around issues of society, family, femininity and intellectualism in a way that will strike any serious member of the human race as uncannily familiar. She makes elusive parts of the human psyche tangible in a way that makes the reader feel that he or she has felt that exact same way before, but has simply been unable to express the emotion adequately. To be fair, while in many ways the author's self-centeredness makes the novel extrememly accessable, it sometimes drags it down as well. Within the light, yet poignant, reading Jong often becomes involved in showcasing her educated background in a way that fails to add to the novel. There is a heavy dose of sexuality, but nothing that offends so much as causes cautious empathy. The main character's musings about her sexualiy seem real, yet her experiences seem contrived. Overall, the novel is essential reading for the frequently self-examined soul. Don't think of it as a work of art by a serious master, think of it as if you yourself have taken every truth you ever stumbled upon and woven it around an extravagant education and a fantastic fantasy of a story.
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Summary: This book is still relevant in 1998
Review: I wasn't even born when this book came out (I'm only 20), but I thought it was great. I dream of the ZF!!! I really enjoyed this book and I lent it to my best friend who still hasn't given it back to me. I think the themes in the book are applicable to life as a woman today. I highly recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: Pseudointellectual Garbage
Review: OK. I'll admit that since I was born in 1967, I missed the sexual revolution. After reading FEAR OF FLYING, I am almost glad I did miss it! This book, to me, seemed nothing more than self-serving name-dropping references to supposed cultural ideas and icons who incidentally did not stand the test of time. I think that Jong must have meant this book for people who were alive during this time. A lot of the references seemed to me to be awfully obscure. A real classic work can handle cultural references without making the reader feel as if the author is being condescending and only showing off her education. This book seems to me to just be a showcase for Jong's own insecurity. I expected more emphasis on fantasy and sexuality and less on pseudointellectualism and shallowness. This book has been compared to PORTNOY's COMPLAINT. I find PORTNOY to be a much better character, much more developed and more honest. At least I did not need Who's Who nor Facts on File to read Roth's work! DON'T BUY FEAR OF FLYING. It is a waste of time and money. If you want mental masturbation, simply get a dictionary and a vibrator.
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