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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
Interesting because of the creative exercise of writing for someone else’s requirements. Wide range of tone and style. Occasionally too long and too clinical, probably the patron’s influence.
I liked Little Birds much better. You have to read this a little at a time, and you have to be in the mood for it. I thought I would like this a lot more than I did.
As a book marketed as erotica for women, I was shocked to find many disturbing and repulsive chapters within. Descriptions of incest, pedophilia, and necrophilia don’t even begin to cover the contents of this book. Even the chapters which featured normal sexual encounters came off as degrading and demeaning to the women involved. Most of this book reads like a man’s personal fantasy of revenge and humiliation on the women who have somehow wronged him in the past. And we are supposed to believe that the women in the stories are finding these experiences enjoyable…
Of course this book was written in a different time, but it is hard to imagine an average person enjoying this erotica when it comes off as shock value porn written by someone on the extreme fringes of society. There is hardly anything relatable to be found in this book. On top of all this, I truly can’t see how this has been heralded as a feminist work when it features so much female exploitation. Controversial opinion perhaps, but “female sexual liberation” is the antithesis of empowerment in a patriarchal society which values women on their sexuality, youth, and submission.
Of course this book was written in a different time, but it is hard to imagine an average person enjoying this erotica when it comes off as shock value porn written by someone on the extreme fringes of society. There is hardly anything relatable to be found in this book. On top of all this, I truly can’t see how this has been heralded as a feminist work when it features so much female exploitation. Controversial opinion perhaps, but “female sexual liberation” is the antithesis of empowerment in a patriarchal society which values women on their sexuality, youth, and submission.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
challenging
Oof. This book took me a really really long time to finish because i couldn't really read the word 'buttocks' more than 12 times a day alright? That's my limit.
Warning: sorry in advance if i discuss sensitive themes in a crude manner- i tried.
So basically this is a book about sex. It's not a sexy book. I don't think the objective is to be like turned on or anything; it's an exploration of sexuality. Good sex, bad sex, immoral sex, loving sex, hate-sex, emotions that surround sex, the type of sex different types of people might prefer and sexuality.
A lot of elements in this book are super questionable. There's incest, assault, cheating, pedophilia etc which are of course unarguably WRONG. They are always, always immoral and inexcusable. But what was really interesting to me with this book is that Nin writes these stories from the point of view of the characters involved and (very surprisingly) without any judgement.
I thought it was a refreshing take on human sexuality where we acknowledge the humanity in ALL the parties involved. It's super interesting to read that the 50 year old woman who groomed a little boy was brutally sexually assaulted in her youth which was the reason she opened up to the 17 year old- because of his innocence. Obviously, this is no excuse for grooming or taking advantage someone, but it's an acknowledgement of the human behind it. It's super easy to dismiss the terrible acts humans commit (in this book, by using sex) by labelling them as all round bad people, but to recognise the good and the bad parts about them and still recognise that their act should be punished and is despicable, is what is truly difficult and requires a mature understanding of human nature.
Of course, this whole book isn't a collection of stories of people being sexually assaulted. I liked how each character showed the complexities and nuance in human thinking and behaviour. Each character was different and had their own personality, regardless of whether they were meant to be likeable or not. One of my favourite stories was Elena because it had so many instances where i really UNDERSTOOD the character even though I had never lived anything close to the life she was living.
"Pierre, who had done more than any human being to draw her out of the caves of her secret, folded life, now threw her down into deeper recesses of fear and doubt. The fall was greater than she had ever known, because she had ventured so far into emotion and had abandoned herself to it.
...
The most terrifying aspect of her feelings was that she was unable to shrink back as before, to shut out the world, to become deaf, colorblind, and to throw herself into some long-drawn-out fantasy, which she had done as a girl to replace reality."
Elena was really out there feeling all these relatable feelings huh
There's also a brief alternate storyline about how her gay friend loves her a lot so he dates a man who is exactly like her personality-wise but he's a man not a woman? Which obviously makes her feel all her complicated feelings because she used to have a crush on her friend until he told her he was gay so she got closure but then he's in love with her mirror-image-but-male now she's feeling inadequate with her sexuality. There's also a mention of how the man who is her personality-twin feels like Elena's friend doesn't really see him for him, and doesn't acknowledge the more masculine part of him or something WHICH WAS REALLY INTERESTING TO ME OKAY??
I loved reading about all these morally grey characters and their complicated emotions so much but there was so much goddamn sex I had to take multiple breaks in when reading the book because i kept getting bored and rolling my eyes when someone whipped out their penis for the 26372726th time. (Which is my fault I shouldn't have picked up erotica if i couldn't deal with too much sex)
Lastly, if you think that any of the themes mentioned above can be triggering for you, or it's too 'out there' you really don't need to read this book I'm raving about because no piece of literature is worth compromising your mental health for. If you have had any of these unfortunate experiences my heart goes out to you and i hope you are recovering well YOU DONT NEED TO READ THIS BOOK OKAY I'm not sure if I've framed my disclaimer in a sensitive way tbh.
This book was a cool experience for me personally and it made me think about a lot of things I hadn't considered before so I liked it.
Warning: sorry in advance if i discuss sensitive themes in a crude manner- i tried.
So basically this is a book about sex. It's not a sexy book. I don't think the objective is to be like turned on or anything; it's an exploration of sexuality. Good sex, bad sex, immoral sex, loving sex, hate-sex, emotions that surround sex, the type of sex different types of people might prefer and sexuality.
A lot of elements in this book are super questionable. There's incest, assault, cheating, pedophilia etc which are of course unarguably WRONG. They are always, always immoral and inexcusable. But what was really interesting to me with this book is that Nin writes these stories from the point of view of the characters involved and (very surprisingly) without any judgement.
I thought it was a refreshing take on human sexuality where we acknowledge the humanity in ALL the parties involved. It's super interesting to read that the 50 year old woman who groomed a little boy was brutally sexually assaulted in her youth which was the reason she opened up to the 17 year old- because of his innocence. Obviously, this is no excuse for grooming or taking advantage someone, but it's an acknowledgement of the human behind it. It's super easy to dismiss the terrible acts humans commit (in this book, by using sex) by labelling them as all round bad people, but to recognise the good and the bad parts about them and still recognise that their act should be punished and is despicable, is what is truly difficult and requires a mature understanding of human nature.
Of course, this whole book isn't a collection of stories of people being sexually assaulted. I liked how each character showed the complexities and nuance in human thinking and behaviour. Each character was different and had their own personality, regardless of whether they were meant to be likeable or not. One of my favourite stories was Elena because it had so many instances where i really UNDERSTOOD the character even though I had never lived anything close to the life she was living.
"Pierre, who had done more than any human being to draw her out of the caves of her secret, folded life, now threw her down into deeper recesses of fear and doubt. The fall was greater than she had ever known, because she had ventured so far into emotion and had abandoned herself to it.
...
The most terrifying aspect of her feelings was that she was unable to shrink back as before, to shut out the world, to become deaf, colorblind, and to throw herself into some long-drawn-out fantasy, which she had done as a girl to replace reality."
Elena was really out there feeling all these relatable feelings huh
There's also a brief alternate storyline about how her gay friend loves her a lot so he dates a man who is exactly like her personality-wise but he's a man not a woman? Which obviously makes her feel all her complicated feelings because she used to have a crush on her friend until he told her he was gay so she got closure but then he's in love with her mirror-image-but-male now she's feeling inadequate with her sexuality. There's also a mention of how the man who is her personality-twin feels like Elena's friend doesn't really see him for him, and doesn't acknowledge the more masculine part of him or something WHICH WAS REALLY INTERESTING TO ME OKAY??
I loved reading about all these morally grey characters and their complicated emotions so much but there was so much goddamn sex I had to take multiple breaks in when reading the book because i kept getting bored and rolling my eyes when someone whipped out their penis for the 26372726th time. (Which is my fault I shouldn't have picked up erotica if i couldn't deal with too much sex)
Lastly, if you think that any of the themes mentioned above can be triggering for you, or it's too 'out there' you really don't need to read this book I'm raving about because no piece of literature is worth compromising your mental health for. If you have had any of these unfortunate experiences my heart goes out to you and i hope you are recovering well YOU DONT NEED TO READ THIS BOOK OKAY I'm not sure if I've framed my disclaimer in a sensitive way tbh.
This book was a cool experience for me personally and it made me think about a lot of things I hadn't considered before so I liked it.
This is my first erotic novel. Also my first Anaïs Nin novel. It took me about 2 months to really digest the things I read about. I enjoyed this book, but there was so much to take in. I honestly knew that I was getting into heavy erotica. I hadn't expected it to be such a beautiful read.
At first, I have to admit that I misunderstood this novel. This novel is a group of short stories. Delta includes things like incest, rape, and pedophilia. I figured out that erotica in this sense isn't supposed to turn you on, as much as to go to places other writing can't possibly explore. To push taboos and expand your mind. I looked past some of the grossest
But this is extremely good stuff.. it is a writing that is pure, and one that is rarely seen in today's market. The book has a perfect weaving of characters and themes that make up the sensual eroticism of the book. While she takes a dark approach to everything, I believe she is trying to shock and disturb you. There are some difficult scenes, ones that will make you gasp and groan at them. They will shock you because they are taboo.
This is literature, not erotica, it has taken some freedoms and explored the darkness of man, but it is quite beautiful, and even more brilliant.
I can't write this review without mentioning something crucial, that an extremely broke Anais Nin wrote porn at a dollar a page for an unknown collector who kept telling her to write less literary crap, more of the in and out. This pissed her off and made her anger, due to the fact she believed he was destroying everything interesting about sex. This is so relevant because it is basically the same debate people are having today about internet porn.
So she keeps punishing him for it. Incredible sensual stories that are marked with taboo and shock the senses. She is basically ruining his mood. I find that to be quite hilarious in itself.