Madam cover art

Madam

A Memoir

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Madam

By: Antonia Murphy
Narrated by: Antonia Murphy
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About this listen

What would you do if your husband suddenly left you with two kids to support? Go back to school? Go into real estate?

Or start a new career as a pimp?

Upon discovering that sex work is decriminalised in New Zealand, Antonia Murphy decides to build her own business: an ethical escort agency. It seems like a good idea, but she isn’t sure how it’s done, so she connects with the online sex worker community.

MadamAntonia: Hi! I’m new to all this, and I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit about being a sex worker?

phryne: Well. There’s sex and there’s sex. What do you plan to offer?

These smart, sassy women teach her more than she could have dreamed of—the importance of pineapple juice, how to remove chilli oil from, ahem, sensitive places, and what ‘Greek’ means (hint: there are no togas).

Clueless but hopeful, Antonia launches The Bach: a healthy, safe place where women can earn great money and provide compassionate, shame-free pleasure for clients.
At least, that’s the idea . . .

A poignant and darkly comedic memoir from a mother who opened an ethical escort agency in small town New Zealand—and dared to make a difference. Now a major international TV series starring Rachel Griffiths and Martin Henderson.

©2024 Antonia Murphy (P)2024 Simon & Schuster Audio Women Memoir Business
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This was a really interesting book to listen to, and it was nice to hear about the author's personal life which made the story really well-rounded and not just a story about running an escort agency.

Really interesting.

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I don't mind being very uneducated before this book. It is quite graphic early on but to persevere - an amazing story of survival, family in the greater sense of the word, power, equality and above all...choice. I loved it!

Wow!

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Read/listened to this audiobook in one sitting. Can I just say, your first husband is a waste of space!
I really admire Antonia for her true grit and strength to keep going even when absolutely nothing was going her way - and it didn’t look like her luck was going to change in any way, anytime soon. Bravo to you being a wonderful mum, teaching your children the truth about sex workers being empowered women not choosing this occupation because they literally have no other choice but because often they just love what they do and often they are just there to listen and show some affection that a lot of clients are seriously lacking or missing.
Oh and if Peter ever reads this, “Dude! $45? Really?” SMH
Highly recommended reading and listening and I shall look forward to watching the tv series 👏🏻👏🏻
Nicola Jones
South Australia

What an amazing true story!!

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What a great book. Sometimes funny sometimes sad. To open a brothel at all is hard, an ethical one......even harder

the authors strength

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I devoured this book over 2 days. It’s clear the author had the book in mind from the beginning of her journey researching how the business of sex work works, as the level of detail she is able to recount makes the telling of the story come alive.

Loved the audiobook version as it’s well performed, but also so real in its telling, since the author reads her own words.

So happy for this book’s success, not just being optioned for the screen but already to be in production. I hope it’s success has a transformational impact on how the sex industry should work, to put women’s consent at its centre, and to educate men who receive their sex education from porn which is misogynistic at best and too often violent and non-consensual.

Frank, honest, enlightening, funny

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A great story! An interesting story! An eye-opening story! The sincere and intense love and respect for women will make your heart swell! So glad I ‘read’ this book.

For the love and respect of women

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Doing the mahi and making it work.
Nobody said that life would be easy & this sure isnt a tale that pretends we can rest on our laurels if we only just try.
But it is a good read.
It is interesting & it is inspiring.

Hats off to you, Madam.

Interesting & inspiring.

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Such good writing and narration. Extraordinary story and brilliant entertainment. Definitely going to go to her other books but this one will take some beating

Brilliant

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