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Book Review of Story of O

Story of O
Story of O
Author: Pauline Reage
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Paperback
reviewed on
Helpful Score: 2


This is a BDSM novel. If you are not into that, don't read it.

The first thing I noticed about this novel is that the narrative is a bit strange (I'm not sure if this is owed to translation or not). The narration is third person, and comes across as passive (appropriate for being told in a submissive's narrative). The part that's strange is the leaps back and forth in time. There will be something going on in the present, then the narration will explain what happened for the next week, and then leap back to the present.

Her training sessions were intriguing, and I just wish they were written in more detail. I think my biggest disappointment though was the lack of character development until the last quarter of the book.

The situation O finds herself in is one that many people do (though maybe not to this extreme). "How much am I willing to do for the one I love?"

The ending is just plain depressing. An unexpected twist, and very disconcerting.

Overall, an enjoyable read.