Exactly how steamy is this story?
PG-13
In a book where the word barbecue means doing it, you know that there's going to be a lot of fogged-up windows. Although nothing in the novel is explicit or talks about specific body parts or sex acts, Jazz gets a PG-13 rating because, like jazz music, it's about so much knockin' boots. But also, like jazz, it's cleverly disguised in oblique references to food, conversations, and music.
We'll throw you a few of the bawdiest quotes to show you what we mean:
They try not to shout but can't help it. Sometimes he covers her mouth with the palm of his hand so no one passing in the hall will hear her, and if he can, if he thinks of it in time, he bites the pillow to stop his own yell. If he can. (2.25)
This is about as explicit as Jazz gets when talking about actual sexytimes. There's nary an adjective, and we think it's fairly tame. However, check out this description, not of sex, but of jazz:
Dorcas lay on a chenille bedspread, tickled and happy knowing that there was no place to be where somewhere, close by, somebody was not licking his licorice stick, tickling the ivories, beating his skins, blowing off his horn while a knowing woman sang ain't nobody going to keep me down you got the right key baby but the wrong keyhole you got to get it bring it and put it right here, or else. (3.16)
Whoa. Whoa there. This is about… music? No wonder everyone was scandalized by jazz. "Blowing off his horn?" "Beating his skins?" Those are referring to playing the trumpet and playing drums, guys. Compare this raunchy description of music to the kind of boring description of (the one) sex scene in Jazz and you have an idea why this is PG-13. It would basically be PG, except for all this innuendo.