Taming the Beast
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Review
"'A hard-hitting debut about modern adolescence' The List 'The Australian novelist eschews the obvious child abuse narrative for a more complex look at the nature of violence and sex in this emotional rollercoaster' Herald 'A thought-provoking and searing first novel' The Age 'Far too well-written to be discarded as shock-smut' Arena 'By the end of Taming the Beast - through which I forgot to eat - I felt terrified, feverish, and green at the gills. And utterly awed' Big Issue in the North"
Independent, December 2, 2005
I was very impressed by Taming the Beast Maguire heads into extraordinarily dark psychosexual territory, withholding any easy answers
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
48 of 49 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The back-of-book blurb for this compares it to Zoe Heller's Notes on a Scandal, but the only similarity is the basic theme of a relationship between a teacher and student. In every other way, this Australian novel could not be more different.
Sarah Clark is a 14 year-old student seduced by her English teacher, the vile yet oddly appealing Mr Carr. Sado-masochistic sex follows before teacher takes off leaving Sarah to spin out of control for the rest of her teen years. Just when you think this is another abused-child-turned-bad book things take a suprising twist when the adult Sarah initates a relationship with her former teacher. What follows is the darkest, most painful portrayal of an obsessive relationship I have ever read.
Taming the Beast is a little bit Lolita and a little bit The Great Gatsby with huge servings of the Marquis de Sade all mixed into a gripping, heartbreaking story written in a fresh, original voice. If you're squeamish about graphic sex you'll have a hard time, but otherwise I recommend it to anyone interested in literature, love and female sexuality and power.
30 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is so hard to categorize, insofar as it deals with lots of issues. It starts off as a teen fantasy, when a 14yr old girl is relatively graphically seduced by her teacher in the classroom; it then turns into a slightly contrived beautiful-but-messed-up-and-all-the-more-attractive-for-it novel where the same girl, now a poor student/waitress living in a bedist, literally has sex with anyone who looks her way - including boyfriends of friends and her own best friend.
She's almost your typical beautiful waif, very slightly built, with the mettle of someone who's had your had-knocks education, and is just aching to be rescued by a big handsome stranger.
It's actually a testament to the skill of the author that you don't abjectly despise her, and as her life, and behaviour, spiral even further, you get a sense that this might not be your typical novel.
When our heroine bumps into her former teacher, the book sharply veers away from its predicted "Hollywood" path.
What follows is a shocking, insightful and painful look at what a truly dysfunctional, mutually abusive relationship can be when both people involved fundamentally loathe themselves.
With the loss of a major character, it could have become twee, but that person's disintergration is so beautifully written, it'll make you catch your breath for a second.
If you want hardcore sex, this isn't the book for you, because you'll have to go through many pages of beautifully written novel to get to the "good bits" (having said that, Ms Maguire really doesn't hold back when it comes to it); but if you want something that'll initially give you a slight tingle, then veer off into something that takes the breath from you and makes you cry, you'll enjoy this book very much.
She's almost your typical beautiful waif, very slightly built, with the mettle of someone who's had your had-knocks education, and is just aching to be rescued by a big handsome stranger.
It's actually a testament to the skill of the author that you don't abjectly despise her, and as her life, and behaviour, spiral even further, you get a sense that this might not be your typical novel.
When our heroine bumps into her former teacher, the book sharply veers away from its predicted "Hollywood" path.
What follows is a shocking, insightful and painful look at what a truly dysfunctional, mutually abusive relationship can be when both people involved fundamentally loathe themselves.
With the loss of a major character, it could have become twee, but that person's disintergration is so beautifully written, it'll make you catch your breath for a second.
If you want hardcore sex, this isn't the book for you, because you'll have to go through many pages of beautifully written novel to get to the "good bits" (having said that, Ms Maguire really doesn't hold back when it comes to it); but if you want something that'll initially give you a slight tingle, then veer off into something that takes the breath from you and makes you cry, you'll enjoy this book very much.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book really got to me. It tells the story of Sarah, a very intelligent but emotionally neglected 14 year old girl who is seduced by her sadistic teacher. Sarah's grows up along best friend Jamie who has to watch her downward spiral of obvious self destruction.
It is not the graphic sex that really shocks but the dispair of the main characters - Jamie in particular who is the only normaility that Sarah has ever known that holds you hostage to this book. I literally could not put it down. I spent most of the time furious, sad and confused by the characters. It gets under your skin. A beautiful, haunting, well written exercise in breaking your heart. Maguire has true talent.
Read it.
It is not the graphic sex that really shocks but the dispair of the main characters - Jamie in particular who is the only normaility that Sarah has ever known that holds you hostage to this book. I literally could not put it down. I spent most of the time furious, sad and confused by the characters. It gets under your skin. A beautiful, haunting, well written exercise in breaking your heart. Maguire has true talent.
Read it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Either gratuitously exploitative or searingly honest...you decide!
Emily Maguire has a breathless talent and a fascination with the cloying nausea of intoxication. This is a book which forces you to throw back a full tequila shot then immediately... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ian Kirkpatrick
Readable
Gripping and very readable. It was a book I easily got into and did enjoy but it wouldn't enter my top ten.
Published 1 month ago by MJ
Disturbing
I've just finished this book and felt swept up in the violence and lust of the relationships.
Well written and compelling, I found it hard to put down. Read more
Well written and compelling, I found it hard to put down. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Sparkler
dark and memorable
The lovely Sarah Clark is seduced by her horrible teacher Mr Carr. Didnt necessarily like all that happened to Sarah , there are some very bleak parts to this story , but it is... Read more
Published 5 months ago by cartoon
boring in the extreme
I don't feel this lived up to it's billing at all. The main problem with this book is that the characters are all so implausible and unlikeable so that by the end of the book i... Read more
Published 11 months ago by N. Armstrong
Amazing
I used to be a bookworm, but haven't finished a book in about two years - since I was fourteen. From the first few pages, that dive straight into how she's seduced by her teacher,... Read more
Published 19 months ago by JustBreathe
A book you'll love to hate...
This book was disturbing from the off and it took me a long time to decide whether or not I actually liked it. Read more
Published on 8 April 2010 by Nicola F (Nic)
Absolutely worth reading
I read this a few months ago and have since passed it on to two other people. One friend gave it back to me after a few pages, not liking the explicit sexual content, but the... Read more
Published on 19 Jan 2010 by Beached Whale
A chilling read!
This book wasn't the typical girl has an affair with a teacher kind of book, the main character Sarah is a complex person which provokes your imagination. Read more
Published on 29 Dec 2009 by Stephanie Eta
Great book.
This book was amazing, it really is a psychological thriller. The only let down was the ending but otherwise it was packed with emotion, violence and sex. Read more
Published on 9 Aug 2009 by Bronte May
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