What you might not expect is for the book to also be sad and maddening, written as it is, from the perspective of a woman who is escaping from her own personal 'Stockholm Syndrome' past.
Full of juicy gossip and first hand revelations, Holly Madison (former 'number one girlfriend' of Hugh Hefner) pulls no punches in her memoir. While I cannot confidently say she tells it like it is, she certainly tells it like she saw it.
Sometimes self serving (Holly often describes her talent, work ethic and kindness - in contrast to others) and other times full of self recrimination, "Down The Rabbit Hole' attempts to explain, though never justify, how a small town girl from a healthy and happy Alaskan upbringing ended up believing herself in 'love' with a 76 year old man who treated her like a child.
A 76 year old man who happily and openly had sexual relations with other young woman (so long as they were not over the age of 28, that is!).
It is only late in the retelling that Holly really seems to grasp the reality of the strangeness of her time in the PB mansion, when she comes across a framed picture of her posing naked with her Bunny Contemporaries in a mansion room.
Remembering the shoot as being fun and playful and sexy and wonderful, she is surprised to see the picture now as explicit and embarrassing. At this time is seems that the 'Bunny Goggles' have finally and completely slid off and she can see the true sordidness behind the Bunny culture.
As a memoir, 'Down the Rabbit Hole' is biased and sometimes aggressive, but it is also brave and unflinching. Read it for the juicy scandal and the frankly astounding insight into life within the Playboy Mansion.
Holly may not always be lovable, but she is certainly always readable!
"Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a former Playboy Bunny' is available for purchase from Amazon.com via the following link:
'Down the Rabbit Hole' By Holly Madison
Happy reading!
