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ipomoea's review against another edition
1.0
This was a review copy I got from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I don't even know what was going on here, some sort of terrible Story of O ripoff and then a handful of whatever the author thougtht might titillate a reader. No plot, terrible characters.
I don't even know what was going on here, some sort of terrible Story of O ripoff and then a handful of whatever the author thougtht might titillate a reader. No plot, terrible characters.
xeni's review against another edition
3.0
Although set in one of my most favorite time periods, and filled with lots of yummy hot scenes, this book was rather boring in it's main plot line. Especially after 3/4th into it.
The first part makes for a very interesting "manual", if you will, on sex and all that goes with it. Of course, mixed in with perfect-reactions Victoria. (Honestly, if I read "and then we came together in perfect climax" one more time, I'm going to chuck my iphone out the window or something!)
As with most erotica stories, this one focused a lot more on the sex aspects and less on the main plot line. The overall writing style did make up for the lack in plot, thank goodness. I very much enjoyed all the instructions that the young ladies were given and perhaps if I was new to the whole sex-scene I'd be more fascinated.
Conclusion: It's a fun story, set in a fun time period, but don't expect too much from it.
The first part makes for a very interesting "manual", if you will, on sex and all that goes with it. Of course, mixed in with perfect-reactions Victoria. (Honestly, if I read "and then we came together in perfect climax" one more time, I'm going to chuck my iphone out the window or something!)
As with most erotica stories, this one focused a lot more on the sex aspects and less on the main plot line. The overall writing style did make up for the lack in plot, thank goodness. I very much enjoyed all the instructions that the young ladies were given and perhaps if I was new to the whole sex-scene I'd be more fascinated.
Conclusion: It's a fun story, set in a fun time period, but don't expect too much from it.
literarygeorge's review
1.0
Full review at For Your Literary Pleasure
I have many feelings about this book and not many of them positive, sorry. I was fuming only 4% into the book and it didn't improve at all. There is no plot outside of Victoria going to the finishing school and learning about sex which I don't think that constitutes a plot at all, forgive me if I'm wrong. This one dimensional story is barely interesting, its like an erotic description of the variations on sex jumping from one sexual encounter to the next. There is no character development, I know as much about Victoria at the end that I do at the start of the novel. The only saving grace is Meadows writes erotic scenes well and if you're just wanting some erotic bit of reading with no plot then by all means, this is your novel! However, I appreciate a little more substance and plot - after all I am wanting a story not a collection of explicit scenes. Sadly, these weren't the reasons I was fuming. While "The Education of Victoria" attempts to take a feminist stance and talks about freeing women to become independent it fails horribly. I tried to give some leeway here because Meadows sets the novel during the reign of Queen Victoria but I just can't.
From the moment Victoria steps into her "supposedly liberal" finishing school everything is male focused. What she and the girls are taught is for the benefit of men. I don't want to read a book about the narrow focus on, and dominance of, men in society - I see it everyday thank you very much. Yet this novel attempts to cover the masculine focus by trying to convince readers the purpose of the sexual finishing school is to free and empower women. How can you empower women by relaying the message that all sex is for and about men? This kind of mixed message is the problem with women's sexuality in current society - there is a misguided understanding that sexual encounters are for the benefit of men and that women should aspire to be their sexual fantasy, nothing more. It shrinks women into one dimensional beings whose worth is determined by their attractiveness to males.
What I have always loved about the erotic romance genre is plethora of leading ladies who own their sexuality beyond physical appearance or the approval of men. They are confident in themselves, in what they want/need and aren't afraid to get it. But in this novel there is no mention of the academic studies the girls at the finishing school undertake and everything Victoria gains or loses is through sex. Obviously this young lady is quite intelligent but the story is consumed by her ability to have and give sexual pleasure to men. This novel confuses strong, sexual and powerful women with a heavily male focused understanding of sexuality and slaps a female empowerment sticker on top. Take this stunner of a quote "...you must learn when servicing a man, his pleasure is paramount and you should not divide your energy pleasuring yourself as well as him." There is so much wrong with that sentence I can't even. It has nothing to do with female empowerment and everything to do with men - how a woman can best please a man. BAHUMBUG! Despite the time period I just can't accept this novel.
I'll give the book two ratings for those of you who aren't concerned with plot...
1/5 as a novel 4/5 erotic scenes
xxx Literary George
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I have many feelings about this book and not many of them positive, sorry. I was fuming only 4% into the book and it didn't improve at all. There is no plot outside of Victoria going to the finishing school and learning about sex which I don't think that constitutes a plot at all, forgive me if I'm wrong. This one dimensional story is barely interesting, its like an erotic description of the variations on sex jumping from one sexual encounter to the next. There is no character development, I know as much about Victoria at the end that I do at the start of the novel. The only saving grace is Meadows writes erotic scenes well and if you're just wanting some erotic bit of reading with no plot then by all means, this is your novel! However, I appreciate a little more substance and plot - after all I am wanting a story not a collection of explicit scenes. Sadly, these weren't the reasons I was fuming. While "The Education of Victoria" attempts to take a feminist stance and talks about freeing women to become independent it fails horribly. I tried to give some leeway here because Meadows sets the novel during the reign of Queen Victoria but I just can't.
From the moment Victoria steps into her "supposedly liberal" finishing school everything is male focused. What she and the girls are taught is for the benefit of men. I don't want to read a book about the narrow focus on, and dominance of, men in society - I see it everyday thank you very much. Yet this novel attempts to cover the masculine focus by trying to convince readers the purpose of the sexual finishing school is to free and empower women. How can you empower women by relaying the message that all sex is for and about men? This kind of mixed message is the problem with women's sexuality in current society - there is a misguided understanding that sexual encounters are for the benefit of men and that women should aspire to be their sexual fantasy, nothing more. It shrinks women into one dimensional beings whose worth is determined by their attractiveness to males.
What I have always loved about the erotic romance genre is plethora of leading ladies who own their sexuality beyond physical appearance or the approval of men. They are confident in themselves, in what they want/need and aren't afraid to get it. But in this novel there is no mention of the academic studies the girls at the finishing school undertake and everything Victoria gains or loses is through sex. Obviously this young lady is quite intelligent but the story is consumed by her ability to have and give sexual pleasure to men. This novel confuses strong, sexual and powerful women with a heavily male focused understanding of sexuality and slaps a female empowerment sticker on top. Take this stunner of a quote "...you must learn when servicing a man, his pleasure is paramount and you should not divide your energy pleasuring yourself as well as him." There is so much wrong with that sentence I can't even. It has nothing to do with female empowerment and everything to do with men - how a woman can best please a man. BAHUMBUG! Despite the time period I just can't accept this novel.
I'll give the book two ratings for those of you who aren't concerned with plot...
1/5 as a novel 4/5 erotic scenes
xxx Literary George
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xeni's review against another edition
3.0
Although set in one of my most favorite time periods, and filled with lots of yummy hot scenes, this book was rather boring in it's main plot line. Especially after 3/4th into it.
The first part makes for a very interesting "manual", if you will, on sex and all that goes with it. Of course, mixed in with perfect-reactions Victoria. (Honestly, if I read "and then we came together in perfect climax" one more time, I'm going to chuck my iphone out the window or something!)
As with most erotica stories, this one focused a lot more on the sex aspects and less on the main plot line. The overall writing style did make up for the lack in plot, thank goodness. I very much enjoyed all the instructions that the young ladies were given and perhaps if I was new to the whole sex-scene I'd be more fascinated.
Conclusion: It's a fun story, set in a fun time period, but don't expect too much from it.
The first part makes for a very interesting "manual", if you will, on sex and all that goes with it. Of course, mixed in with perfect-reactions Victoria. (Honestly, if I read "and then we came together in perfect climax" one more time, I'm going to chuck my iphone out the window or something!)
As with most erotica stories, this one focused a lot more on the sex aspects and less on the main plot line. The overall writing style did make up for the lack in plot, thank goodness. I very much enjoyed all the instructions that the young ladies were given and perhaps if I was new to the whole sex-scene I'd be more fascinated.
Conclusion: It's a fun story, set in a fun time period, but don't expect too much from it.
heatherreadsbooks's review
1.0
And that was when I became a whore.
Imagine you walked up to a guy and said "What is your most ridiculous, unbelievable sexual fantasy?" It wouldn't be that farfetched for him to say, "I wish there was a school where they taught women how to pleasure men, and I was one of their lab rats."
Not farfetched as a ridiculous fantasy, but as a story it's completely and utterly tragic. Yes, a book like this will have sex. But not at the expense of any plot. ANY plot.
Victoria is caught with a farmhand touching her boob so her dad sends her to a school for ladies, but - whoops! - he's sent her to a school that will teach her to be a sexual minx. And from about two seconds in, she can't keep her hands out of her own pants - or her school mates' for that matter - and is cock hungry.
You can't afford coal? Don't worry - suck a cock! Financial strains - suck a cock!
If you take one lesson, it's that sucking a little cock can get you out of anything. Actual plot points (which aren't actually relevant to the plot) are skipped over. And then, then, it essentially boils down to gang rape being the tipping point.
You want to talk unrealistic? This is it. I'm not going into the technicals, but having worked at Ann Summers if you came in and said that [X way in book] was how you were having sex, we'd be surprised you could even walk.
God, I hate 50 Shades with an almighty passion, but the limited vocabulary was at least... clear? It was repetitive and dull, but here I honestly cringed at terms like 'love canal', the fact that every cock the author has seemingly ever seen is purple, and - the best of all - the end of a penis being like a little red onion.
Waste of time. Even if you wanted to read exclusively sex scene after sex scene, it's cringe-worthy.
Imagine you walked up to a guy and said "What is your most ridiculous, unbelievable sexual fantasy?" It wouldn't be that farfetched for him to say, "I wish there was a school where they taught women how to pleasure men, and I was one of their lab rats."
Not farfetched as a ridiculous fantasy, but as a story it's completely and utterly tragic. Yes, a book like this will have sex. But not at the expense of any plot. ANY plot.
Victoria is caught with a farmhand touching her boob so her dad sends her to a school for ladies, but - whoops! - he's sent her to a school that will teach her to be a sexual minx. And from about two seconds in, she can't keep her hands out of her own pants - or her school mates' for that matter - and is cock hungry.
You can't afford coal? Don't worry - suck a cock! Financial strains - suck a cock!
If you take one lesson, it's that sucking a little cock can get you out of anything. Actual plot points (which aren't actually relevant to the plot) are skipped over. And then, then, it essentially boils down to gang rape being the tipping point.
You want to talk unrealistic? This is it. I'm not going into the technicals, but having worked at Ann Summers if you came in and said that [X way in book] was how you were having sex, we'd be surprised you could even walk.
God, I hate 50 Shades with an almighty passion, but the limited vocabulary was at least... clear? It was repetitive and dull, but here I honestly cringed at terms like 'love canal', the fact that every cock the author has seemingly ever seen is purple, and - the best of all - the end of a penis being like a little red onion.
Waste of time. Even if you wanted to read exclusively sex scene after sex scene, it's cringe-worthy.
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