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poutineriot's review against another edition
3.0
I can scarcely describe my incredible joy of discovering upon re-reading this smutty classic that yes, even as far back as the mid eighteenth century, if not longer still than that, aspiring authors were already writing poorly in run on sentences with grammar that was dubious at best about that so very feral, nuanced, fraught, and ofttimes sublime of the great human pleasures, which is to say, with no further recourse of preamble nor context, but to get straightaway to the point at hand, bonin'.
Plot: parents die, girl moves to city, nearly prostituted, escapes with her one true love (who she's spent all of five minutes with), out of nowhere he's shipped off by his father, she engages in survival sex work with a series of gross men, most of whom fortunately die, eventually makes it her profession, then by chance runs into her one true love again and the story ends with a plea for virtue. Also all of this happens when the narrator is between 15 and 18. To say that this novel has not aged well understates the point considerably.
Plot: parents die, girl moves to city, nearly prostituted, escapes with her one true love (who she's spent all of five minutes with), out of nowhere he's shipped off by his father, she engages in survival sex work with a series of gross men, most of whom fortunately die, eventually makes it her profession, then by chance runs into her one true love again and the story ends with a plea for virtue. Also all of this happens when the narrator is between 15 and 18. To say that this novel has not aged well understates the point considerably.
exile's review against another edition
2.0
Didn't much like it, don't see why everyone was so offended. Then again, it was a simpler time before Usenet and the like. I somewhat look at trying to read this book as a notch in my library shelves. I've now 'read' a banned book. Woo.
annieb85's review against another edition
3.0
I had never heard of this book and came across it completely by accident while perusing the free books available for my e-reader. I love reading classic novels and thought I would give it a shot. It's definitely not your average classic novel, which is clear early on- in fact I stopped to look up the publication date because I was so shocked at the content. The book starts off okay and seems to have some direction, but it soon seems to become sex scene after sex scene and loses any plot that it had. I almost gave this book 2 stars, but seeing as I did enjoy the very explicit and sometimes hilarious descriptions of Fanny's exploits I decided to give it 3 stars- who knew there were so many ways to describe the male genetalia????
_rusalka's review against another edition
1.0
Well. Fuck me. Glad that's off my shelf.
I did not have a clue that in the 18th Century that you could publish something so detailed in it's sexual content. Let alone it survive 275 years of being published with all the censorship and prudishness over the years when it comes to sex. Credit where credit is due, and I will view those Georgians slightly differently from now on.
But oh my god. If you would like male centered porn from a female POV set in the 18C, then this is for you. There is no plot really. The sex, which there is a lot, is very meh. Also then there is the sexual assault, coercion, attempted rape, non-consensual voyeurism, rape, homophobia, etc.
The red flags in this book in 2023 are astounding, and so much so I will be chucking my copy into the bin instead of a little library as there is no way I want any neighbourhood kids picking this up and thinking this is okay. It's not, and any titillation you may feel from it (and I admit there are a couple of hot consensual pages) is DEEPLY overshadowed by the problems.
And by problems I mean rapey-ness.
I did not have a clue that in the 18th Century that you could publish something so detailed in it's sexual content. Let alone it survive 275 years of being published with all the censorship and prudishness over the years when it comes to sex. Credit where credit is due, and I will view those Georgians slightly differently from now on.
But oh my god. If you would like male centered porn from a female POV set in the 18C, then this is for you. There is no plot really. The sex, which there is a lot, is very meh. Also then there is the sexual assault, coercion, attempted rape, non-consensual voyeurism, rape, homophobia, etc.
The red flags in this book in 2023 are astounding, and so much so I will be chucking my copy into the bin instead of a little library as there is no way I want any neighbourhood kids picking this up and thinking this is okay. It's not, and any titillation you may feel from it (and I admit there are a couple of hot consensual pages) is DEEPLY overshadowed by the problems.
And by problems I mean rapey-ness.
subashka's review against another edition
5.0
Определно не бих казала, че тази книга е просто еротичен роман. Книгата е първата по рода си, основоположник на подобен тип феминистична литература. Изключително ми харесаха бележките под линия от преводача, с които книгата става много по-ясна и читателят паралелно анализира творбата докато я чете.
jenn756's review against another edition
3.0
I asked my daughter to buy me books for my birthday from the '1000 books to read before you die' list. Of course she goes and buys me all the rude ones, so I get Lady's Chatterley's Lover, Lolita, the Golden Ass (possibly not rude but funny title) and Fanny Hill. She didn't buy Delta of Venus, but that's probably because she thought it was a planetary formation.
So I've dutifully read it and yes it's porn, very wordy porn and lots of adventurous words demonstrating admirable verbal dexterity. To give Cleland his due, he did write from the perspective of a woman, and a woman who enjoys herself at that. Fanny manages to squeeze a lot into her youth, she's only turning 19 when the book finishes. Of course Cleland doesn't touch much on pregnancy and not at all on venereal disease. The 18th century prostitute would have been an incubator for virtually every disease known to man, I can't imagine a more unhealthy profession. But fortunately for Fanny she bounces through unscathed, marries her teenage sweetheart and accrues a fortune along the way - oh no, whoops I've given the plot away....
So I've dutifully read it and yes it's porn, very wordy porn and lots of adventurous words demonstrating admirable verbal dexterity. To give Cleland his due, he did write from the perspective of a woman, and a woman who enjoys herself at that. Fanny manages to squeeze a lot into her youth, she's only turning 19 when the book finishes. Of course Cleland doesn't touch much on pregnancy and not at all on venereal disease. The 18th century prostitute would have been an incubator for virtually every disease known to man, I can't imagine a more unhealthy profession. But fortunately for Fanny she bounces through unscathed, marries her teenage sweetheart and accrues a fortune along the way - oh no, whoops I've given the plot away....
hgarciasaxophone's review against another edition
1.0
I’m so glad I finished this book—it took abnormally long because it got to be too much at times.
It’s hard to classify what Cleland’s purpose was in writing this book. Was he trying to redefine virtue? Was he writing out some fantasies he had? Was he just an absolute creep? I have no clue. Fanny Hill is no great heroine. She simply exists and things happen to her. The story line lacked clear continuity and was mostly just episodes/moments. I’m not sure Cleland had a strong plan when he wrote this book and it shows.
Suffice to say, I agree, it is a “book I disdain to defend, and wish, from my soul, buried and forgot” (Cleland).
Don’t think I won’t be using some new silly euphemisms from this book
It’s hard to classify what Cleland’s purpose was in writing this book. Was he trying to redefine virtue? Was he writing out some fantasies he had? Was he just an absolute creep? I have no clue. Fanny Hill is no great heroine. She simply exists and things happen to her. The story line lacked clear continuity and was mostly just episodes/moments. I’m not sure Cleland had a strong plan when he wrote this book and it shows.
Suffice to say, I agree, it is a “book I disdain to defend, and wish, from my soul, buried and forgot” (Cleland).
Don’t think I won’t be using some new silly euphemisms from this book