Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - This Is Pleasure

Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

This Is Pleasure by Mary Gaitskill

18 reviews

aoib's review

reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book isn't my cup of tea.
The writing is wonderful, so it is clear how talented the author is. However, the theme of the story is… really an acquired taste. I generally try to remain open to characters with different views than mine and controversial subjects, especially when they are handled with such good writing and pacing, but at times this book felt just like a rant from a conservative politician or a Twitter incel.
The characters are completely terrible people, with troubling opinions about public conduct and what constitutes harassment. That some of this opinion comes from a woman is even more worrying.
There is a moment in which the main female character compares women to horses and another in which Quin - the definition of a nice man in a main character -, faced with a sexual harassment lawsuit, defines his conduct as an expression of the 'values of freedom and honesty about politeness'. This is just laughable.
'This is pleasure' is the first book I've read by the author, so I really can't say if it's her own opinion or if it's a situation similar to Lolita, in which we have to question the characters and what they represent.
Well, I reiterate what I mentioned above: this story isn't my cup of tea, but it's still a well-written book.

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aryaa_05's review

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challenging dark reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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yvieharris's review

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dark medium-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.5

Half a star purely because it was beautifully written

Absolutely hated it. Maybe I’m too angry, but Margot was a sympathiser and I understand there are two sides to the story but alas, she did not hold him accountable and it made the book seem to !? maybe not condone, but it felt remorseful that finally women are standing up for themselves and society is losing gentlemen??

anyway, I hated it. luckily it was only 80 pages long, but I especially hated the positive outlook at the end, as if he could continue his life with no remorse or punishment for what he’d done?? idk maybe that’s just me & I’ve met multiple Quin’s in my life and maybe I’m too angry to understand any deeper hidden meanings in this book

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gosiacal's review against another edition

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challenging reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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librarymouse's review

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challenging emotional funny reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This is Pleasure is very well written with a compelling narrative that switches between perspectives and with easily consumable sentence length and structure.
This is Pleasure gives an interesting perspective on sexual harassment in the workplace, and the idea that people can be grandfathered into respectability because they came from a different time. Quinn's lack of understanding of how his actions impact those around him doesn't show malice, exactly, but instead how he views himself to be a good person. He knows that he's different from the younger generation who are more attuned to the fact that women are people, but he doesn't understand the idea that he is in a position of power. Margo being from a similar generation and having the foundation of their relationships be her turning him down makes their relationship quite complicated in the face of the allegations against Quinn because she believes that if she was able to turn him down why weren't the other young women able to do the same. There is a lot of internalized misogyny in these characters. Aside from referencing the accusers as being like Shakespearean witches and calling one of them "a little bitch", Quinn views the women he interacts with as players in the game that is his life. He asked them on to play with him in the intimate and sometimes uncomfortably sexual space he creates in conversation. He's gregarious and powerful in his field, and he draws people in while simultaneously disgusting them. Margo's oscillation between anger at and love for Quinn makes her character particularly interesting to view through the lens of her interactions with other women. She decided that Quinn was better than her female friends because one of them didn't help her in a time of need. At the same time, she disregards the needs, fears, and heartache that plague Quinn's wife and daughter because of his "flirtations" and later the accusations against him. She admits to letting them fade into the background of her relationship with Quinn. For such a short read, this book was very interesting. Most of my friendships exist outside of this space, but every so often at work I'll have an interaction where an older man references me as doll or pretty, and asks me to bag up his book for him because "women always do it better", or one who always asks for help finding a specific variety of books in a specific section because he knows it means I'll have to kneel in front of him to get them. I'm glad to not have people like Quin as intimate friends, but I'm also glad to have read this to get a glimpse into their psyche.

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parisa0npluto's review

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challenging dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

i only enjoyed this book because i believe that all art is intentional. i don't think mary gatskill is idealizing these characters, if she was this book wouldn't get the rating it has from me.

men really don't know what to do with the power society gives them over women. they're supposed to 'take the lead', but also not ask for consent. it's all fucked.

the metaphor about the man on his knees begging and barking for a kiss was surprisingly well done.

sexual assault/abuse is a systematic issue and giving it a human face helps us get a step or two closer to realizing that, quin was kind and funny and weird, and everyone thought the "weirdness" was just a part of him. they accepted him. everything the author did with his character was so intentional. he did weirdly kind stuff for people he barely knew, but he also didn't respect their boundaries. i also love that margot called her friend's accusers 'little bitches' and then when he in turn, made comments about her childhood abuse, she was deeply hurt. that's how white feminism works most of the time lmao.

most of the critique regarding this book is related to its main characters. these aren't characters you're supposed to be liking, and that's why a majority of people don't know how to read/interpret this book. i do believe she painted the MeToo movement in bad lighting in a lot of places. but she's a 70-year-old heterosexual white woman so i can't say i didn't go into it not expecting exactly that! men get away with a lot of shit, they need to be held accountable. saying that r@pe is the only bad thing a man can do to a woman? wrong, objectively. power dynamics ensue everywhere and if a man grabs a woman's nipples without asking, that too in a public space, she is expected to go along and laugh and blush. that's what the movement is about, these things are profoundly wrong & can spiral into much worse.

okay book overall, but i do hope men never find this book xx

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mmaack24's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

fantastic. challenges the way people like me view the me too movement, and is extremely nuanced. asks for compassion in the best, deepest way it possibly could. at times uncomfortable. gripping and interesting, and so thought-provoking i could have listened to the whole thing in one sitting. a bit more lewd than i had expected, which made it a bit challenging in some parts for me personally.

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