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3.0 AVERAGE
3.0 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An interesting dive into what this type of relationship may come around to being like. It felt legitimate but also leaning towards fantasy that may be held by the writer.
I think it’s a must read, foundational book for anyone interested in BDSM and kink as a whole.
The prose has a unique flow and one that I enjoyed, however I could understand how it wasn’t for everyone. Translation I also felt was rather good with a few hiccups here and there.
I think it’s a must read, foundational book for anyone interested in BDSM and kink as a whole.
The prose has a unique flow and one that I enjoyed, however I could understand how it wasn’t for everyone. Translation I also felt was rather good with a few hiccups here and there.
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Incomodidad y no le encuentro un sentido s la historia.
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I picked up this book as I am interested in, and partly involved with, the BDSM lifestyle. This book seems to get a lot of praise as a staple classic of the lifestyle, with the original author being inducted into the Leather Hall of Fame and the like, so I figured I’d indulge in a bit of culture.
This book was a very hard read for me - not because of the content, but because of the work of the translator. The book is riddled with spelling and grammatical errors which can leave the reader stumbling. This isn’t helped by the original author’s tendency to go on for far too long about unnecessary details for pages at a time, but perhaps that’s just what you get when reading classics.
The content itself was quite mild. In most places, I would say that this is more an analysis of a fantasy than the fantasy itself, and it this doesn’t seem to be written to get the reader off. For that, I did enjoy this book, but it was hard to reach this enjoyment through the pages of unnecessary details. The ending of the book was also extremely sudden, but perhaps only because a final part had been removed from the copy I was reading.
The subtle inclusion of sexual behaviour involving adolescents was… strange. I appreciate that this book was revolutionary at its publication, and introduced a lot of new ideas to the concept of BDSM, but the fact that this original material very comfortably involves what it describes as “children” in sexual performances is unnerving. I honestly get the impression that this book portrays the mistreatment of adolescents in this way as normal. I’d like to think that there is an underlying message or observation that I’m just not getting, but several characters are very clearly groomed with no qualms from the text. I am not disturbed by the presence of these topics, just how the book handles it - and I would not say it was handled in a way that should be widely publicised.
Overall, I’m glad I read this book as I feel I’ve learned a little about the historical origins of a lifestyle I’m familiar with, but it felt more of a dull slog than a fun pastime.
This book was a very hard read for me - not because of the content, but because of the work of the translator. The book is riddled with spelling and grammatical errors which can leave the reader stumbling. This isn’t helped by the original author’s tendency to go on for far too long about unnecessary details for pages at a time, but perhaps that’s just what you get when reading classics.
The content itself was quite mild. In most places, I would say that this is more an analysis of a fantasy than the fantasy itself, and it this doesn’t seem to be written to get the reader off. For that, I did enjoy this book, but it was hard to reach this enjoyment through the pages of unnecessary details. The ending of the book was also extremely sudden, but perhaps only because a final part had been removed from the copy I was reading.
The subtle inclusion of sexual behaviour involving adolescents was… strange. I appreciate that this book was revolutionary at its publication, and introduced a lot of new ideas to the concept of BDSM, but the fact that this original material very comfortably involves what it describes as “children” in sexual performances is unnerving. I honestly get the impression that this book portrays the mistreatment of adolescents in this way as normal. I’d like to think that there is an underlying message or observation that I’m just not getting, but several characters are very clearly groomed with no qualms from the text. I am not disturbed by the presence of these topics, just how the book handles it - and I would not say it was handled in a way that should be widely publicised.
Overall, I’m glad I read this book as I feel I’ve learned a little about the historical origins of a lifestyle I’m familiar with, but it felt more of a dull slog than a fun pastime.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence
Moderate: Sexual violence, Trafficking, Abandonment
Minor: Pedophilia, Racial slurs
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book came highly suggested to me by someone that enjoys this lifestyle. When I say lifestyle, I'm talking about S&M. I personally enjoy these types of books. I've read Anne Rice's Sleeping Beauty trilogy, the 50 Shades of Grey series, etc. These types of books don't shock me, they stir a little bit of something inside of me, but it's definitely not shock nor disgust.
I've always researched a book or inquired about a book prior to reading it, because in all honesty, I want to read something that I know I'll like. I'm not going to read a book about space ships because it doesn't interest me. After reading a few reviews that some people posted on here about how HORRIBLE and how DEGRADING this book is towards women..... if you know anything about the S&M lifestyle you'll know that a lot of it has to do with absolute SUBMISSION and DOMINATION. With that said, if those are not topics that you like, then you shouldn't read these types of books, much less read them and review them based on how offended you are that someone out there wrote something so degrading. If it's not your cup of tea, then you should have stopped reading it by the 3rd page when you realized what it was about.
On to other things......
The reason I gave this book only 3 stars is not because I didn't enjoy the story. My 3 start rating is due to the spelling errors, incomplete sentences, etc. I believe that this book was originally written in French and then translated. Had a little more time been spent on doing final edits to the English version, I'm sure I would have rated it better.
Lastly, the way the story ends feels a little rushed. I flipped the page thinking I would be opening a new chapter but was surprised to see that I had reached the end. You're left thinking that something is missing, that the book is really not complete.
I've always researched a book or inquired about a book prior to reading it, because in all honesty, I want to read something that I know I'll like. I'm not going to read a book about space ships because it doesn't interest me. After reading a few reviews that some people posted on here about how HORRIBLE and how DEGRADING this book is towards women..... if you know anything about the S&M lifestyle you'll know that a lot of it has to do with absolute SUBMISSION and DOMINATION. With that said, if those are not topics that you like, then you shouldn't read these types of books, much less read them and review them based on how offended you are that someone out there wrote something so degrading. If it's not your cup of tea, then you should have stopped reading it by the 3rd page when you realized what it was about.
On to other things......
The reason I gave this book only 3 stars is not because I didn't enjoy the story. My 3 start rating is due to the spelling errors, incomplete sentences, etc. I believe that this book was originally written in French and then translated. Had a little more time been spent on doing final edits to the English version, I'm sure I would have rated it better.
Lastly, the way the story ends feels a little rushed. I flipped the page thinking I would be opening a new chapter but was surprised to see that I had reached the end. You're left thinking that something is missing, that the book is really not complete.
As part of my book club. Even disregarding the subject matter this was a harder book to read simply on writing style. Perhaps it was the translation but the lack of dialog, lots of continuous stream narration and no real breaks made it hard to pick a stopping point. Still it was short and I read it in about four days and I am looking forward to discussing it in my book club.