What We're Reading: 'The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty' by Anne Rice
Posted at 6:00 PM Dec 18, 2008
By Bonnie Ruberg
We dolls don't read romance novels. At least, not ones that we normally admit to or talk about. No, we read philosophy and go to grad school and have only super intellectual things to say. Right? Well, not always. This doll for one has been greatly enjoying A. N. Roquelaure's (i.e. Anne Rice's) trilogy The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty. No, it's not vampire Anne Rice, as Twilight appropriate as that would be. And thank goodness no, it's not born-again Christian Anne Rice -- what is up with that? -- but erotica Anne Rice. Written back in the 80's under a fake, French, sexy-sounding name, these three books take a classic fairytale and turn into a decadent, sadomasochistic bedtime story I probably would have been the only child who would've enjoyed. The book's cover says it "beckons the reader into a sensuous world of forbidden dreams and dark-edge desires." Yuh-huh.While I'm normally pretty stuck up about the fiction I read -- Is it well-written? Is it original and not cliché? -- this stuff is just too fun to look down on. No, it's not great literature, but it's still a lot better than your typical romance novel, with a lot less teasing and a lot more outright maiden-taking. Check out this passage from the first pages of the book, when our prince first wakes up Beauty:
As he broke through her innocence, he opened her mouth with his tongue and pinched her breast sharply. He sucked on her lips, drew the life out of her into himself, and feeling his seed explode within her, heard her cry out. And then her blue eyes opened.
Yeah, you know it's good. So go on and read for yourself. Or better yet, tell us what you're reading.
Comments
I may or may not have read those books... They get a little TOO wierd for me by the third one. It goes from kinky to WTF.
Or so I've heard.
Posted 12/19/2008 at 08:00:21 AMBut is this Batshoot Insane Wanky Anne Rice?
And I'm currently reading Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley.
Posted 12/19/2008 at 09:59:18 AMDear God, the hardest thing about that book was knowing that Rice generally intended the "erotic content" to be arousing. Suffice to say it's more confusing, so much so, even the characters are befuddled by their half their actions.
Posted 12/20/2008 at 01:17:05 AMI loved this series...beginning to end.
Posted 02/28/2010 at 10:26:51 AM