Torn between giving this three and four stars - how many novels can claim to have (possibly) influenced one of the most famous revolutions in history? And while it didn't grab me to the extent it has many others, I still found it a very enjoyable read, which certainly doesn't show its age. While the "scandalous" depiction of the decadence and corruption was surely ground-breaking and controvertial in its time, there's nothing in it now that would shock a modern reader. That may say some unpleasent things about our current society, but that's a thought for another day. In any case, there's enough in the novel that speaks of the interplay of sexuality and power between the sexes to keep a reader enthralled, even without the excitement of "scandal".

The use of the epistolary format is brilliantly done here, cutting between the expository letters between Merteuil and Valmont that allow the reader to follow the plot, and what are effectively faulty narrator letters in all other correspondance. Even Choderlos' organization of the letters is masterful, keeping several correspondances in the air at the same time, allowing the reader to juxtapose the cooly detached converstaions between the two manipulators, and the deluded thoughts of their victims. That being said, while the epistolary stytle employed is technically brilliant, it imposes a level of detachment that kept me from truly becoming invested in the fates of the characters.