The Price: My Rise and Fall as Natalia, New York's #1 Escort Hardcover – November 25, 2008

Natalia had the world by the balls and threw it all away in a year's time.It wasn't all her fault. Her boyfriend / pimp / escort magnate Jason steals all her credit card earnings and then dares the cops to shut his agency down through ever dumber publicity stunts. His ridiculous delusions of the big time lead him to take out regular half-page ads in New York magazine and get himself and his agency written up in gossip columns, and finally encourage a VH1 reality TV pilot, all of which are finally just too much for the DA. The DA would leave them alone if they stayed out of drug distribution (which they did) and stayed out of the media, but Jason in his delusions finally couldn't stop flaunting his escort business, leaving the DA little choice but to shut it down lest a mockery is made of the law. It didn't have to be this way or end this way.But Natalia was going to self-destruct anyway, it just happened faster with Jason's help. Her constant, escalating drug use and partying off the clock drained her cash and damaged her far worse than her occupation itself did, if the latter damaged her at all. When she wasn't taking drugs and partying, she was spending every dollar she made on ridiculous designer clothing: $500 - $650 shoes (dozens of them), dresses as much as $1200, and so on. She reports having the time of her life doing these things, until she goes from constantly snorting big lines of coke to freebasing coke and finally getting addicted to heroin, which even she recognizes was a step too far. The crash and burn of her agency and getting locked up in Rikers for a month (failing to make bail) probably saved her life from a fatal drug overdose, not that she ever recognizes that.I read the book for the actual escorting experience and what she thought of it. It turns out that she loved it and seems to have no regrets about escorting per se by the end of the book. She even takes time in the final chapter to restate that she sees nothing wrong with escorting and thinks it serves a societal good. That's my opinion as well from the outside (having neither experienced nor been an escort). But the book is a missed opportunity to explore the actual experience and her thoughts about it in more depth. If anything, she damages the pro-escort argument with this book, because she destroys her life and nearly loses her life as "New York's #1 escort." This seems to suggest that even at the top, escorting is self-destructive and horrible for women. But what destroys Natalia are the basic, obvious demons: escalating drug use, excessive partying when not on the clock, absurd spending, and a megalomaniac boyfriend / escort magnate who steals from her and tanks the business by flaunting their business and leaving the DA no choice but to take action. Sure, no one seems to have been actually convicted of prostitution, but it took months and an extended trip to Rikers until the law let Natalia off the hook. (Fittingly, only Jason served serious time on a conviction, and that for money laundering.)I do realize that many escorts and hookers are heavy drug users, so it may be naive to try to separate the two activities. Certainly a number of Natalia's clients bring coke into the sessions, and that's got to be a dangerous gateway. Some of Natalia's wildest escapades on the clock were amped up heavily by mutual drug use by herself, another escort and the client. Is it possible to be a high-end escort (or any escort) and bypass the drugs altogether? I'd like to think so. You'll not get the answer or even the question in this book.In the end, I think Natalie McLennan hasn't learned enough from her intense rise and fall as Natalia to sort out the good and the bad and give us insight into whether a happy and fulfilling life as an escort is possible - even a life to be recommended. She's simply too young to have the right insight and understand what readers like me are looking to learn from a book like this. Nonetheless, she tells a jaw-dropping tale. This was a fast read that I couldn't put down. She writes well and knows how to tell a story. As it turns out, it just wasn't quite the story that I wanted to read.The title ("The Price") suggests that the price of being a high-end escort is crashing and burning, but that inference is never explicit or asserted directly. While it's a good title, it's misleading in my opinion and a little too obeisant to the moral police. I suspect that somewhere out there are loads of happy escorts or happily retired escorts thinking, "It didn't have to be that way." I want to read their books. Where is "The Escort Next Door"? (A true story by that name, not the fiction by Clara James.)

Natalie, never fails to drop names on all the products that she owns and wears I think this is a pretty good indicator of where this young woman's brain was at the time of the events in this book. Many young women, in high-end prostitution continually spend their money on very expensive clothing and purses and jewelry because they have such a low self-esteem also are rampant drug use was not surprising on two or three occasions she mentions the fact that she let one of her customers come in her mouth you have to wonder if this was put in the book solely for the readers enjoyment or was it her way of rewarding one of the better customers this is another troubled young woman who had no strong father figure early in her life or at least that's what she wants the reader to believe. Once again the theme is the same, good little girl who lost her way and was led down a path by very bad people Natalie you sold your most valuable possession for money and drugs and maybe with a lifetime of therapy you'll come to terms with this I wonder if you bought any high-end items with the money from this book if you did once again it's repetitive behavior the whole book left me thinking about a famous quote by a psychiatrist whom I've forgotten the name of" the ego is the worst confidence trickster there is, it hides in the last place you'd ever look in itself. I can only hope that you were paid well for this story and there is a certain amount of shame to admitting that I enjoyed reading your book have a happy life and I hope you find someone to love you no one wants to grow old alone respectfully Johnny Irish

I am giving the book 4 stars because it is written very intelligently and honestly. One may disapprove Natalie's actions but she is being very straight forward about who she is.However, I really want to emphasize that this great book does NOT give a true and realistic idea about an average sex worker like myself- not a drug addict, not a nymphomaniac, not bisexual but heterosexual, and last but not least making $150-$250 an hour instead of $1,000-2,000 (from my previous knowledge those charging that much don't last very long in the industry for various reasons, something negative comes up and they have to quit), and working only 6 to maximum 20 hours a week. Most of us don't go on a shopping spree and buy $1,000 shoes and hand-bags, but our mortgages and cars are paid off, and our children are fed, nicely clothed and when the college time comes, their tuition will be taken care of.Natalie is a very interesting character but what she described is not a typical escort career. Nevertheless, this doesn't take away from the quality of the book, and I recommend it to all who want to learn about this unconventional career.

Candid Account of the world of exclusive and expensive escorts.For several years Natalia Commanded the highest price of any New York escort at the city’s most exclusive escort service. There are many details about events in the service’s office, shopping binges and about many clients. The stories are very well written and entertaining. As an adult with libertarian leanings I think that we own and are responsible for what we do with our own bodies. I have never understood why boxers earn millions of dollars legally beating each other to a pulp, But providing services to give people sexual pleasure is illegal nearly everywhere in this country. I think sex work should be legal and an honorable professional Like it is in many countries such as the Netherlands. Men seeking sexual outlets are much safer with escorts in a non-emotionally involved encounter Than with coworkers or acquaintances which usually Do not end well and often involve families breaking up. I think sex workers actually help keep a lot of families together.

Really depressing and boring from another side. Extraordinary life described in very common way. Could be a really good book with the good story, but needs to be developed properly

Interesting read into the escort world and about drug addiction and the impact it has on everyone around you. .

Was recommended by a friend and ate it up in only a few days. You feel like you are living tiny moments along with Nathalie. A beautiful and easy to read piece that gives you a dash of perspective on life and what matters most.

Loved it. Detailed and interesting!

Very good read, couldn’t put it down