The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty: A Novel (A Sleeping Beauty Novel)
Before E.L. James’ Fifty Shades of Grey and Sylvia Day's Bared to You, there was Anne Rice’s New York Times best seller The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty
In the traditional folktale of "Sleeping Beauty," the spell cast upon the lovely young princess and everyone in her castle can only be broken by the kiss of a Prince. It is an ancient story, one that originally emerged from and still deeply disturbs the mind's unconscious. In the first book of the series, Anne Rice (author of Beauty's Kingdom), writing as A.N. Roquelaure, retells the Beauty story and probes the unspoken implications of this lush, suggestive tale by exploring its undeniable connection to sexual desire. Here the Prince awakens Beauty, not with a kiss, but with sexual initiation. His reward for ending the hundred years of enchantment is Beauty's complete and total enslavement to him . . . as Anne Rice explores the world of erotic yearning and fantasy in a classic that becomes, with her skillful pen, a compelling experience. Readers of Fifty Shades of Grey will indulge in Rice’s deft storytelling and imaginative eroticism, a sure-to-be classic for years to come.
"Articulate, baroque, and fashionably pornographic." —Playboy
In the traditional folktale of "Sleeping Beauty," the spell cast upon the lovely young princess and everyone in her castle can only be broken by the kiss of a Prince. It is an ancient story, one that originally emerged from and still deeply disturbs the mind's unconscious. In the first book of the series, Anne Rice (author of Beauty's Kingdom), writing as A.N. Roquelaure, retells the Beauty story and probes the unspoken implications of this lush, suggestive tale by exploring its undeniable connection to sexual desire. Here the Prince awakens Beauty, not with a kiss, but with sexual initiation. His reward for ending the hundred years of enchantment is Beauty's complete and total enslavement to him . . . as Anne Rice explores the world of erotic yearning and fantasy in a classic that becomes, with her skillful pen, a compelling experience. Readers of Fifty Shades of Grey will indulge in Rice’s deft storytelling and imaginative eroticism, a sure-to-be classic for years to come.
"Articulate, baroque, and fashionably pornographic." —Playboy
"Something very special . . . at once so light and yet so haunting." —The Advocate
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Community Reviews
Fascinating and transformative. I tried to read this book when I was younger, and I was so overwhelmed (and appalled) by its contents that I had to put it down. It recently came up in conversation and I was convinced to attempt to read it again. This time around, I found a great degree of appreciation for the reworking of this fairy tale. Instead of appalling, the story was imaginative, lush, and almost hypnotic. The world was entirely foreign, and the gradual change in Beauty was captivating to witness. I admit: the nature of this story is not for everyone as it might be difficult to fathom for some, but if you approach it with an open mind, the reader might find a degree of appreciation for the work, the world, and the characters within it.
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