Nine and One Half Weeks: A Memoir of a Love Affair

Rating:
Summary: A very thought-provoking read
Review: There was a film released in the 80's of the same name. Without doing any research, one could take a wild guess and say that it was very, very loosely based on this book - except the film completely misrepresents what this book is about.

So what is this book about? An unnamed woman meets an unnamed man in New York in the 70's. She becomes completely enthralled by him. The relationship (which lasts nine and a half weeks, hence the title) is very different from any she has experienced before. She relates the story in a detached manner, neither sensationalising nor downplaying any particular parts of it.

It occurs to her at some point that she is a slave in a BDSM relationship. She states that she had read The Story of O when she was younger but never envisioned that any of it might be appealing to her.

There are the insightful comments into the life of a slave, such as: "I was flooded by an overwhelming sense of relief at being unburdened of adulthood" and "I've gone beyond my limits", which makes one wonder whether this is fact or fiction.

Fact, fiction, fantasy--who cares--this is a truly riveting read and extremely well done, although at times it can be somewhat disturbing. One that stays in the memory long after turning the last page.

Rating:
Summary: A very thought-provoking read
Review: There was a film released in the 80's of the same name. Without doing any research, one could take a wild guess and say that it was very, very loosely based on this book - except the film completely misrepresents what this book is about.

So what is this book about? An unnamed woman meets an unnamed man in New York in the 70's. She becomes completely enthralled by him. The relationship (which lasts nine and a half weeks, hence the title) is very different from any she has experienced before. She relates the story in a detached manner, neither sensationalising nor downplaying any particular parts of it.

It occurs to her at some point that she is a slave in a BDSM relationship. She states that she had read The Story of O when she was younger but never envisioned that any of it might be appealing to her.

There are the insightful comments into the life of a slave, such as: "I was flooded by an overwhelming sense of relief at being unburdened of adulthood" and "I've gone beyond my limits", which makes one wonder whether this is fact or fiction.

Fact, fiction, fantasy--who cares--this is a truly riveting read and extremely well done, although at times it can be somewhat disturbing. One that stays in the memory long after turning the last page.