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dancing_bats's review
dark
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking, Physical abuse, Rape, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Grief, Body shaming, Blood, and Sexual content
chrisu12's review against another edition
2.0
Pending between a 2 and a 2,5 star rating, so 2 stars it is.
Fanny Hill is an old classic, published in 1748. This is one of the older books I've read and it is interesting to read due to that. Added that this is one of the first erotic novels, which caused the book to become banned in multiple places makes the book very interesting.
We had a nice discussion about the book, it was interesting to read, imagine the world Fanny Hill takes place in and imagine how it was received due to its timing and nature.
On the other hand, the erotic scenes where long and detailed, which made them become repetitive at times. The book is progressive in examining the fate of Fanny Hill and her own pursuit of pleasure and taking charge of her sexuality. On the other hand, the books glorifies some of the aspects of prostitution, while many scenes could more or less be regarded as rape, however, if the predator is handsome and the girl likes it, then it becomes alright and exciting in many of the events in the book.
Overall an interesting book, however, the beginning was the strongest and most interesting, after that, the book began to drag out and the sexual encounters felt more and more repetitive and uninteresting. Therefore the low rating
Fanny Hill is an old classic, published in 1748. This is one of the older books I've read and it is interesting to read due to that. Added that this is one of the first erotic novels, which caused the book to become banned in multiple places makes the book very interesting.
We had a nice discussion about the book, it was interesting to read, imagine the world Fanny Hill takes place in and imagine how it was received due to its timing and nature.
On the other hand, the erotic scenes where long and detailed, which made them become repetitive at times. The book is progressive in examining the fate of Fanny Hill and her own pursuit of pleasure and taking charge of her sexuality. On the other hand, the books glorifies some of the aspects of prostitution, while many scenes could more or less be regarded as rape, however, if the predator is handsome and the girl likes it, then it becomes alright and exciting in many of the events in the book.
Overall an interesting book, however, the beginning was the strongest and most interesting, after that, the book began to drag out and the sexual encounters felt more and more repetitive and uninteresting. Therefore the low rating
bupdaddy's review against another edition
2.0
It's just what everyone says, a novel length "Dear Penthouse" letter. I became a worse person for having read it. The world becomes a worse place every time someone reads this.
bikes_books_yarn's review against another edition
3.0
I had no idea when I read this that people could be so naughty "back then". Heh. I am thinking I wouldn't even blink at the book now and would probably grumble at the lack of plot - but when I was a teen and I read this - it was shocking and kind of funny.
ckjaer88's review against another edition
2.0
It's a fine kind of sexual memoir, but the writing is horrible to read, even for one accustomed to the old way of writing. He went a little overboard. that said the story isn't that interesting and you don't connect with Fanny. Old school porn is all it is. Really old school.
balletbookworm's review against another edition
3.0
Ehhh? It is titillating as hell in places but also really scary in the predatory way that the procuresses basically kidnap Fanny and groom her to be compliant in the brothel. Also sex writing by a dude in an era when accurate knowledge of lady parts is unlikely....yeah, no. But some scenes seemed very modern, mid-eighteenth century language aside.
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????