THE TUESDAY EROTICA CLUB

Four women learn that erotica is far more pleasurable than poetry.

When pregnant, neglected wife Aimee’s Tuesday Literary Club switches focus from baroque haiku and dull short stories to erotica, most of its members flee. Only Aimee and three other women, whose ages span decades, are left: Lux, a young secretary; Margot, a workaholic attorney; and Brooke, an artist. Every week, the women gather at the law firm where they work to read their naughty tales, which are not so loosely based on their own sexual adventures and fantasies. In the process, friendships are formed, conflicts arise and romantic relationships are spawned. Margot slowly gives up her obsession with work and begins to lean on the other women. Lux reveals a scandalous office affair and upsets Aimee with her wanton ways. Aimee realizes that there's more to life than an empty home. And Brooke, who has been seeing the same man for more than 20 years, decides it's time to commit. As their writing grows stronger, so do their bonds, leaving them more focused on what they want out of their relations and careers. Lux, who has the richest back story, undergoes the most complex transformation. By the time Aimee's baby is ready to arrive, the women have been stripped of their defenses and insecurities. Who knew writing about and reading aloud dirty sexual peccadilloes could be so cathartic and life-affirming?

Scintillating, often-droll tale of female friendship loaded, of course, with delicious erotica.