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Summary: A Story About Slavery
Review: I come to this book for love and sex. I was wrong. It has nothing to do with love or even sex. It is a story of violence and slavery. And how effective violence is, in the author's whimsical imagination, in enslaving women. Just like history of slavery and colony rule in 19th century and early this century has shown us, slave owners always justify themselves by that slaves enjoy being exploit by nature. That slaves enjoy to be whiped, used, exploited, and disposed at owner's will. That is why O was told to be always available, accessible, and obedient sexually to her owner Rene. She was finally given away and exploited to death. I wish I have the opportunity to exploit the author the way Rene exploit O, no matter the anonymous author is a male or female. That satisfys my feeling of revenge and probably the cruelty inside me.
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Summary: Exciting stuff but ultimately boring
Review: The individual scenes in this book can be very erotic and powerful. However, beyond the description of the actual events, this story goes nowhere. In the end, the things O is willing to have done to her stretch the bounds of believability.
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Summary: Deliciously erotic
Review: I have always been a fan of light S/M (aka D/S)and even though 'O' transcends the level of play I have always found enjoyable it is still an excellent read and trip into classic erotic lit.For a nice intro to S&M Try "Sensuous Magic : A Guide for Adventurous Couples" by Pat Califia. An excellent book to learn the ropes with! :p
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Summary: O what a story
Review: For the serious erotica reader this is one of the finest works around. Not for the faint of heart. Give up your feminist whiles and give into the story of O and you are sure to enjoy your read. The author wrote the book for her lover who was married and what a gift. Also check out Heroitca, Anais Nin's Delta of Venus and MJ Rose's Lip Service for other great reads.
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Summary: "O" is a most accurate single-text primer on D/s behavior...
Review: IF you only have One text on 'bdsm' behavior in your personal library... this novel should be It! "O" was given to me by Elaine in 1978 without a word of explanation. After reading and rereading it over the years, I am grateful to "E" for introducing me to the "Master James" inside. I have found that simply mentioning "The Story of O" to certain women unlocks a unique door to explore and share their true nature. I believe "O" to be a true cult classic much as "A Boy and His Dog" is to Don Johnson fans, and "The Rose" is to an understanding of love. In the beginning I thought "O" was mere fiction, however, towards the end I began to realize the "Reality" those pages hold for the reader who has an open mind. Over the years I have personally Discovered lifestyles within lifestyles, behavior within behavior, realities within curiosities, Needs within desires. If you read Only One text on the subject of D/s, it has to be "O" which is a 'novel'... or Is it?
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Summary: Zen of S&M
Review: It is a good book to meditate on. To notice ones thinking and how one might judge things. I found Story of O a great book for disciplining my etiquette and manners. I also liked how Pauline Reage wrote, she got the idea across in proper etiquette. The book had a unique romantic nature about it that many books lack. The ending is a bit odd although, but still a good book to introduce one into the subject of S&M. I suggest anyone who needs discipline of any sort read this book.
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Summary: Highly arousing...
Review: This was my introduction, if you will, to sadomasochistic erotic literature. Not very personal, but still very arousing!
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Summary: the wierd and strange in literature
Review: I read the story of O long ago. recently I have read quite a few more quite odd novels from french authors. I read Villiers de l'ilse d'adam (one name) and his catholic novels and quite a few horror stories. I like Gerard de Nerval's Aurelia, because it is a modern vision of a man ( the author himself ) lost in hell. It is well written and compelling. Read reage and nerval has led me to read even more wierd novels.
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Summary: Provokative or Provincial?
Review: Maybe it's because she wrote the book so long ago, but I really got the impression that Reage was trying too hard with the shock effect in this novel. Any initial shock wears off shortly, because sexually explicit descriptions are so indiscriminately employed! Therefore, by the fifteenth page, The Story of O loses any potential eroticism it might have suggested at the beginning; actually, I found the story pretty banal by the end. It's still worth the read, though--if for no other reason to discover what all the hype is about, and for those first fifteen-or-so pages.
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Summary: Deliciously erotic while exposing human vulnerability
Review: Ten years ago I had the pleasure of stumbling onto this book in an airport book store. I held onto my copy for as many years because of the strange intoxicating power it had on me after I finished reading it. Maybe it was because I found "O" intriguing and memorable or maybe because I could somehow relate to whatever it was that made her continue to explore her feelings. Something that may only have been a curiosity at first though became as addictive as a powerful drug, causing her to lose complete control of reason, of reality. I was fascinated by the sadism and though I'd never experienced what "O" had I understood her need to continue with the game. It left quite an impression on me then and now. There's a bit of "O" in all of us, I suspect.
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