Take a photo of a barcode or cover
myfriendsfeet 's review for:
Histoire d'O | Story of O
by Pauline Réage, Sabine d'Estree
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