Book Review — City of Angels
Chris Burrows’ book City of Angels is an 84 page autobiographical novella published by Club Lighthouse E-book Publishing. This was the first of Mr. Burrows’ four books dealing with crossdressing and transgenderism and has a 2010 copyright.
The introduction to the book reads: “City of Angels is a true first person account by English banker, Chris Burrows, about his shocking and very kinky adventures in Asian transgender land.” The adventures won’t seem “shocking” to transgender readers but it does follow the protagonist through the kinky spectrum of crossdressing, transsexuality, lesbianism and homosexuality. There are also a couple of straight sexual encounters for good measure.
The book’s most interesting attribute is its setting in exciting Asian cities. It begins in Bangkok then moves to Hong Kong and Singapore. Unfortunately, there is no descriptive narrative and that omission leaves the reader without any memorable impression of these vibrant, exotic metropolises.
The story begins upon Chris’ transfer to a bank in Bangkok. While exploring the city’s nightlife, he stumbles onto the Ladyboy hangouts and meets a woman who does makeup and costume design for Ladyboy performers. Through that connection, Chris has experiences with two of the beautiful transgender creatures. The early part of the book as Chris discovers the Ladyboy culture is its most interesting segment. One can imagine how exiting it would be to fall into that world unexpectedly and then have the opportunity to meet and have sex with some of its most beautiful members. Sadly, there is little depth to the author’s narrative about the protagonist’s thoughts, questions, and acceptance as he takes the plunge. The book focuses most of its internal dialogue on Chris’ sexual reactions to the transgenders he meets.
And once the reader moves through a few of the sexual episodes, a pattern emerges that works to defeat the stories rather than improve them as Chris has new experiences. All of Chris’ sexual partners are more beautiful than the preceding one. Whether Ladyboy, Genetic Girl, crossdresser, lesbian or male, Chris’ sex partners are all stunningly attractive. And they all are more than willing to get busy within minutes of first meeting Chris.
And when we get into the midsection of the book when Chris begins crossdressing himself, it turns out that he makes a very attractive and passable woman. So that even though he is a beginner, living in strange lands, he can go out shopping and nightclubbing without a nervous moment or self-doubt. The one facet of this section of the book that rings true is that Chris becomes so obsessed with crossdressing that he forsakes straight vanilla relationships with women to concentrate on his own feminine pursuits. I think we’ve all been through a phase like this to one degree or another.
The book’s protagonist may be a very beautiful crossdresser but he doesn’t seem to be familiar with the concept of “tucking” because his member is constantly springing up and out at the moment he becomes sexually aroused by the beauties he is keeping company with. This is another of the recurring annoyances in the storytelling.
The book ends abruptly after one of Chris’ sexual romps (with the twin sister of another crossdresser, if you can believe that). There is no denouement or epilogue in which the protagonist or author attempts to leave the reader with anything other than a collection of individual sexual encounters. The book compresses a lot of different sex into a short space. If you want to follow a character through more than a dozen sexual encounters with a number of different partners along the sexual spectrum, this is an an easy read and may provide some enjoyment. Keep in mind it is the author’s first effort.
City of Angels
Kindle Edition — $5.99
File Size: 296 KB
Print Length: 115 pages
Publisher: CLUB LIGHTHOUSE PUBLISHING (April 27, 2010)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B004ISKJXI
Category: Product Review, Transgender Fun & Entertainment
About the Author (Author Profile)
I started crossdressing and going out publicly in 1988. I joined the Renaissance group in the Philadelphia area that year and later became chapter leader for two years in the '90s. I always enjoyed writing and wrote for the Renaissance newsletter and magazine throughout my membership years. I've been writing for TGForum for several years now. I also contributed items to LadyLike magazine and other TG publications before the advent of the internet. My hobby-within-a-hobby is singing live as my alter-ego Dina Sinatra and I have had the opportunity to do that with several accommodating performers and in a number of venues over the years since the mid-1990s. In the Diner column items here, I try to relate crossdressing or transgender themes (and my own pet peeves and fetishes) to the larger world -- and vice versa.Subscribe
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