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shinebythemoon's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.25
I do have to admit that Anaïs Nin is not a bad writer, but this is not a good book, AT ALL. I do not understand how anyone can possibly enjoy these stories: rape, pedophilia, and racism (among other things) do not belong in a erotica book.
(Trying to add content warnings but there are so many I'm sure I'm forgetting some.)
(Trying to add content warnings but there are so many I'm sure I'm forgetting some.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Moderate: Incest, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Racism, and Toxic relationship
inlaraland's review
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
For a book that was supposed to contain striking revelations on sexuality and women's inner lives, I found myself just getting angry every time I read each story. I definitely took into consideration the age of when this piece was written, but it wasn't enough for me to actually enjoy this work. Anais Non is an unconventional writer, and she definitely can craft a story. The problem is that I just couldn't overlook the themes in Little Birds: from the nonchalance in the way the topic of pedophilia was handled, to the discussion around non-consent and rape, the clear depictions of racism and fetishization, and the fact that misogyny was laced into every chapter. I can see how this might have been provocative for its time but I found no empowerment in this story in relation to the female characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Pedophilia, Racism, and Rape
wrenxavier's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Little Birds - a man goes to extreme lengths (completely renovating a dilapidated apartment and purchasing exotic birds to create a little zoo) in order to live across an all-girls' school and lure little schoolgirls into his apartment when his wife is gone. Manuel's narrative is very explicit in describing his pedophilic desires
The Woman on the Dunes - man and woman hook up on the beach, after which she tells him of how she was sexually assaulted while they were watching a public execution. The text says that the man paused every now and again to see if she would try to stop him and she says that she felt pleasure at the end, but considering that it's hammered in how the crowd was crushing them to the point that she couldn't move and was consumed by fear at what she was witnessing, it just reads repulsive
Lina - Lina is a jealous, toxic lesbian who is homophobic. That's it.
Two Sisters - it begins with a father who sits his beautiful children on his lap so he can put his hands up their dresses and their brothers who practice sex with their sisters. Those sisters find men, cheat on those men and ultimately end up miserable.
Sirocco - racism. So much racism. "I was marrying China. I could barely see him as an ordinary man. [...] Somehow I was in love with the idea of China, so much that it seemed to me that my husband was no longer a white but an Oriental. I thought he smelled different from other men." What.
The Maja - wife doesn't want to be naked for husband, doesn't want him painting other women. Her anxiety and jealousy grow to a point that she has to take sleeping pills; said husband takes advantage of her drugged sleep so he can strip her and paint her without her consent. Some time passes, she walks in on him humping her naked paintings and proceeds to have sex with him in order to establish dominance
A Model - the one story with the only likable character. A brief sketch about the highs and lows of the modelling world, being prized, rewarded and commodified for beauty.
The Queen - an ode to Bijou, herein described as a frigid and faithless queen of the whores
Hilda and Rango - big yikes. (I mean all of it has been yikes so far.) Hilda resents her husband because she has to make the moves in the marriage. She meets Rango, tries to make a move and is rejected because she "made the gesture of a whore". Hilda confesses that her husband forced her to be like that (but no, he literally doesn't do anything); which is enough to redeem her to Rango, who is interested in breaking her into submission, which he does. "She learned to be active, bold, but she suffered, because she was by nature extraordinarily feminine. Deep down she had the belief that woman could easily control her desire, but that man could not, that it was even harmful for him to try to. She felt that woman was meant to respond to man’s desire." No. Just no.
The Chanchiquito - slight sexual attraction to animals helps facilitate love life
Saffron - sixteen year old Fay marries forty-six year old Albert. She thinks it's real love, then finds him having sex with his servants and is abruptly heartbroken because he's never been able to do so with her until she comes back after shopping for saffron. This is the last line: "Afterwards he said happily, “You smell like a colored woman.” And the spell was broken."
Mandra - brief description of two affairs
Runaway - Jean, who originally had noble intentions to help a lost child, has sex with her. She then goes on to have sex with his much older roommate, who he described as not being worried about because "he did not believe Pierre could take a real interest in her; she was too much of a child."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Lesbophobia, and Sexual harassment
literarytaurean's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Fantasies/k!nk/etc don't exist in a vacuum and I don't think we should write things like this because in a way it normalizes to a certain degree. But this book, in a vacuum, morals aside, I overall enjoyed reading
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, and Sexual harassment
booksbyjazz's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and Toxic relationship