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Story of O
 
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Story of O (Paperback)

by Pauline Reage (Author), John P Hand (Translator)
4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (31 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 208 pages
  • Publisher: North Star Line (27 April 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1562010352
  • ISBN-13: 978-1562010355
  • Product Dimensions: 17.4 x 10.6 x 1.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,525,811 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #12 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > R > Reage, Pauline

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Product Description

Synopsis
O is a young, beautiful fashion photographer in Paris. One day her lover, Rene, takes her to a chateau, where she is enslaved, with Rene's approval, and systematically sexually assaulted by various other men. Later, Rene turns O over to Sir Stephen, an English friend who intensifies the brutality. But the final humiliation is yet to come.

From the Back Cover
ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS EROTIC NOVELS OF ALL TIME

'A rare thing, a pornographic book well written and without a trace of obscenity' Graham Greene

'A highly literary and imaginative work, the brilliance of whose style leaves one in no doubt whatever of the author's genius...a profoundly disturbing book, as well as a black tour-de-force' Spectator

'Here all kinds of terrors await us, but like a baby taking its mother's milk all pains are assuaged. Touched by the magic of love, everything is transformed. Story of O is a deeply moral homily' J.G. Ballard

'Cool, cruel, formalistic fantasy about a woman subjected - at the prce of the great love of her life - to the gamut of male sado-masochistic urges' Birmingham Post

The sequel to Story of O is also available from Corgi Books. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Customer Reviews

31 Reviews
5 star:
 (16)
4 star:
 (6)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (4)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (31 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars good read, 22 Jun 2006
This review is from: Story of O (Paperback)
Telling the story of a woman who is so in love with her lover that she is willing to endure pain and humiliation, "The Story of O" is not for the faint hearted, or in fact the weak stomached.

After reading this book and wanting someone elses opinion on it, i have passed it on to my friends. All 4 of them that a passed it too, have been unable to read it, claiming it too be 'sick' and 'disgusting'. In fact, so many people who read this book, miss the point of it entirely, or don't read far enough to understand the beauty of the story.

My only let down about it was that, even written decades ago, it still feels like a book written with a sequal in mind. And don't even get me started on the paragraph containing the "Alternate Ending." My initial feeling about the ending is that Reage intended to make the alternate ending the ACTUAL ending, but was then advised against it as it closed any doors for another book. A great shame.

Apart from this, a truely beautiful, but greatly misunderstood story.
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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Erotic literature at it's best, 17 Jun 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Story of O (Paperback)
Written, in a time when erotica and SM were strictly taboo, this novel is devoid of the coarseness that is usually found in works handling the subject.
The cover tells that this is neither a work of fiction nor an autobiographical account. I believe it to be a combination of the two.

From the very first page I was gripped. Who indeed, would think that a walk in the park would lead so quickly to a journey which would change ones life, so completely, forever? So in love is O, that at the Chateau Roissy she abandons all sense of self, stability and safety and commits utterly to her lovers desires, to a live of submission.

A wonderfully written, deeply sympathetic and highly erotic novel, that will be read again and again.

I would also recommend this book, to anyone trying to gain an understanding of SM.

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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars In ways disappointing, yet still a classic, 1 Oct 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Story of O (Paperback)
It is impossible not to like the Story of 'O', when in so many ways it allowed freedom of expression to sadomasochists, both literary and practical. For so many people, both female and male, reading it must have been the point at which they realised that they were not alone. Sadly, it fails to live up to its reputation as a novel. The plot is simplistic and poorly constructed, there is no real ending, and the writing is not what it might be. Other, less well known authors such as Amanita Virosa and Maria del Rey have taken the basic same plot and improved it, while it is poor indeed beside the erotic fiction of Penny Birch or Janine Ashbless. Then again, these authors might never have got started without Reage.
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 		 Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Story of O
Might be a surprise if you have no previous knowledge of book but very interesting details of a submissve female responding to her master/masters
Published 3 months ago by H. HUNT

5.0 out of 5 stars A love story.
I enjoyed this a lot. It was actually quite time, as erotica goes, but delicately written. The character of O is sublimely submissive and the tale is told beautifully.
Published 5 months ago by Binary Star

5.0 out of 5 stars The Identity of Pauline Reage
The Story of O was written by Anne Desclos. Dominque Aury, cited as the author in the blurb above, was another of Desclos' noms de plume. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Martin Slythe

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, powerful and sensual classic
Having read other readers' reviews (which I enjoy doing), it appears that this book has a very mixed bag reception. You either love it or hate it. I'm with the former camp. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Liz der meaner

5.0 out of 5 stars An erotic masterpiece
I don't know what I could possibly add to any discussion of this erotic masterpiece, so I'm happy just to contribute my voice to the chorus of praise. Read more
Published 19 months ago by D. Arceneaux

5.0 out of 5 stars Could not put it down
This is a book which I had often heard of but never really come accross. Afer starting the book i found i could not put it down as it is just so entertaining. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Sarah Lakey

3.0 out of 5 stars Outdated Much?
Don't get me wrong, I found this book compelling and could hardly put it down. Although the way it is written is impossible to read and follow the plot. Read more
Published on 8 Feb 2007 by G. Piper

4.0 out of 5 stars expand your horizons
Not a genre I had previously read and probably wouldn't again, but there was something compelling about the book. Read more
Published on 17 Jun 2006 by B4 member

1.0 out of 5 stars Poor
As an avid reader of erotic literature both for pleasure and academic reasons, I was compelled to read 'The Story Of O' as it is mentioned in many other works. Read more
Published on 25 Jan 2006 by L. Felthouse

5.0 out of 5 stars Totally eye opening!
I have never experienced such emotion as when I was reading this the delicious words set out so wonderfully made me feel so alive and gave me some great bright new ideas.
Published on 28 Sep 2005

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