The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty
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Erotic Literature?
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Casey
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rated it 5 stars
Jan 22, 2008 11:59PM

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I read these books about 10 years ago when I was in my late 20s. I didn't have any interest in traditional romance novels because they were too, what's the right word....bland? I must admit, I was totally shocked and offended from the beginning of the 1st book. I couldn't stop reading, though. As I read more, and continued to be shocked and surprised by the violence and degradation (although by this time I got the gist and was getting used to the graphic level of detail), I did think the writing was good.
Her approach to eroticism was interesting and effective, but my preference would be different. Ideally, something with the love, fascination and chemistry of the characters in Twilight, with a little more "action" and detail. I think those books are actually more erotic in some ways, because they left just enough to the imagination, without compromising on the sweetness of the characters.








The Story of O by Paulene Reage.

Like BDSM.
Not only do I consider The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty (and Anne Rice's other Beauty books) to be literature, I consider it to be fine literature. It also turns me the fuck on.

Like BDSM.
Not only ..."
They definitely turn up the heat and get the hormones jumping......quickly


I absolutley agree... :)

Not for the faint of heart is absolutely correct!! I found myself looking away to wipe the visuals out of my mind from time to time.. lol.

If you haven't seen it already, you might enjoy watching and listening to Anne Rice herself talk about her Beauty series in a two to three minute video clip at YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjHGBZ...


I think these books are definitely literature and also amazing reads. But I have to agree definitely not for the faint of heart.
I'm also with Bethany you should definitely check out Joey W. Hill's novels, and even if you just want to kind of experience her writing without getting yourself into the novels check out her blog http://www.storywitch.com/ she has vignettes that you can read and also free short stories, an excellent writer who definitely knows how to tell an amazing story.
@ Bethany, have you read the rest of Joey's Knights of the Boardroom series? I think the first and second books have a little more of the "shocking factor" since they draw a fine line between non-con.



Bottom line, she describes "Beauty" as pornography, and it is, in the sense that it's written for the purpose of arousing the reader. But it goes far deeper thn anything else I've read -- including "O" -- into our unacknowledged drives and desires. I think it deserves to be taken seriously -- more than O, perhaps, which was maybe written by a woman, but written to gratify her lover, so repeats the usual male-dominance fantasies and in the end becomes (maybe on purpose) a grotesque parody. "Beauty" starts grotesque and gets grotesquer, and goes on being grotesque till the reader has to accept it on its own terms. Quite an achievement!


I also thought it was super hot.


Where as Screw The Roses Send me the Thorns became the go to primer for safety and techniques the Beauty series was one people could identify with their role. It is a piece of fiction that affected many peoples choices in the live world.
I found them a good read and saw another side to the author I have enjoyed reading. To define books based on the erotic as not good literature puzzles me. I am glad to hear they are available in the libraries

I did expect more from the book, just from the reviews & praise others had provided. My only complaint - is the boredom level, not the subject matter, or the delivery of it.


by ann rice this was so different for ann rice l I found at parts the shockvaue was the olny part of the story. it was not smut at part it was humitation ,ddegredation , rape , and oragies every where . if you are going to do a hard core D/s book do it right lplease read SUBMISSIVE BY ANYA HOWARD THAT IS HOW IT IS DONE WELL!!!!!!!!!!

So there are things that different people participate in and seek out in this life choice. D/s has been defined in my 30 years in this life choice as Dominance and submission at times to mean the mental aspect of the power exchange. S/m is often defined as the physical exchange of a relationship. Of course both with differing degrees of giving and raking control. I felt Rice did an adequate job in showing that exchange. It is fiction and has to be taken in that vein.
For you define what is humiliation for another or degradation simply means it is something you do not or would not seek in this life choice, but you do not have the right to define anther's view or need of that as negative. Many people are very turned on and seek the very thing you do not appreciate in the book.
How "IT" is done well is defined by the people in that relationship. Often it is said a submissive can negotiate and a slave does not. That also is defined in each relationship.
The advent of the internet and and chat have turned a life choice into a fetish ball so to speak with a lot of people seeking kink in the bedroom or on Saturday night, on the internet or someones else's ideal of what submission "really" is.
In years past there were private groups and still are some have been around for years. Not a place someone can just drop into. people live this life choice daily and thrive in their choices. "No" is a very respected and real part of this life choice, that is where consensual comes in.
I stand by my previous post on here that it is a good book for someone questioning this life to examine the defined roles. Better yet take the time to pick up a copy Of Screw The Roses Send Me the Thorns for an explanation of the life and safety and definitions.
Anne Rice is an excellent writer and I appreciate her works but never got into the vampire books.
Try the Marketplace series also for another look. Just stay out of the so called sites on line that are written by people who have six month of online experience and have become experts on the life choice.. for any reality.

yes kasey i think i agree with you now that i think about it is a life choice D/s what happenen s in these book is abuse thankx for reminding me that i had fogotten what 2 people choose is very drrerent than what happens in this book
i accually know what subs are and ungerstand a great deal about and read about bondage and choices . I miswrote when i caleed any thing other than abuse of these so i apologize and relax i got your point fixed it. so let move on humitlstion degredation is not a part of D/s bondage or 2 people con. action in those aares abuse is rape and slavery taken from yor home and used as a slave for the purpose of other with out your choice inthe first 2 books i stand by what i say now and thanks for reminding me i miswrote
i still think the first two are ranchy and the third much better and fantacy driven. my fatantacy ia not to hang upside down from the front of a bar naked after scrubbing the floor with a tooth broush also naked oh yeah i am a princess slave bought at a slave auction ripped from my home.

good erotic litrature is all over the place not ann rice version bieve me. just go to smashword..com and therre are tons off it
it is stil crap and i gve it 2 stars out of respect fot the authors good worh i am sure this will get a few peoples backs up but our own DARREN GETS BETTER ST WRITTRN EROTIC LIT THIAN THIS JUST FOR SHOCH VAULE PUT THAT IN YYOUR PIPES THSTS HOW I FEEL ABOUT HOW POORly THIS WAS EROTIC LIT



Liza, I totally agree. I loved the first two books in the series, but the third lost me...until the very last scene.
As you note, Exit to Eden had a lot of potential that was squandered by fade to black scene endings. The movie was a HORROR SHOW. ::: shudder :::
I suspect Anne's heart wasn't really in Exit or Belinda; her heart was definitely (along with other body parts) in the Beauty series though :)

I personally enjoyed all three books.
Sure opened my eyes, that's for sure.





i agree it was a did not finish for me - i was hard pressed to find it erotic - it was borning
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