A review by booknerd85
The Sins of the Cities of the Plain by Jack Saul

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? No

2.0

I bought this book because it was on a list of LGBTQ+ classics. I should have read the description better. 
I saw this book compared to works by De Sade in other reviews, and I agree that there are a lot of similarities. Taboo subjects, a lot of sex with adults, minors, siblings, and animals. What we do have to keep in mind though is that this author was a sex worker from a (far too) young age, and De Sade was a nobleman. Saul was abused for money, De Sade probably paid money to abuse others. Did I enjoy reading this book? Not really. The prose was good, the puns were funny (Lady Furbelow, Mr Inslip, Mr Comeagain), but the social commentary was confusing at best, and sex is not something I really enjoy reading about. I did like learning new words though, and I did not know that an old word for lesbianism was tribadism. Still not entirely sure what gamahuching is, and I'm scared to google it.
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