Review: The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty (Book ) by Anne Rice

The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty (Book 1)

by Anne Rice

Paperback, 253 pages

Published

December 1999 by New Amer Library Trade

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Ending: ?

Details from Goodreads:

From bestselling author Anne Rice, writing as A.N. Roquleaure. 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. Now Anne Rice's retelling of the Beauty story probes the unspoken implications of this lush, suggestive tale by exploring its undeniable connection to sexual desire. Here the Prince reawakens 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.


REVIEW:

HOLY SWEET SLEEPING BEAUTY what have they done to you?
I’m speechless, awe and of course disgusted at the same time.

One of the 'I bought it before I know it' book. Heck, the elegance of the cover and my curiosity brought me here. Oh and the beautiful line “...at once so light and yet so haunting...”
Yeah! Haunting indeed, only in a bad way!

I’m never been a big fan of Disney princesses. Well except to Mulan (is she one of "them"?) anyway, even if I’m not their big fan, I know the stories. Heck, we even theater play that in our school looonnggg time ago. Guess who’s the idiot princess was. Me! Oh, I don’t have a choice people. When you’re one of the tallest bamboo-like girls at our school surely you understand.

The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty is a retelling of the Grimms’ classic fairytale "Sleeping Beauty", isn’t that so obvious? While all the fundamentals are there, the enchantment, the deep slept princess, the almighty prince who claimed Sleeping Beauty, these elements are taken and deeply woven into a whole new tale, far darker and far more disturbing.

I’m deeply curious what a very wholesome fairytale classic would be like if retelling it as a classic erotica. What would be the elements that will be taken and added? More on that kind of stuff. At first I’m just completely shock and the curiosity inside me build up 'harder' than I expected. Oh, Not that kind of hard. use your imagination guys. haha -I’m not going for the details, It’s just too censored to hear.

I didn’t said that I liked it because truth must be told, I am not. This is a kind of book that I might puke if reading it for about half hour or higher a day. There was a palpable excitement from the first half of the book until it goes unbearable (esp. the prince story) Good thing that I’m a bit of an open minded person and this book is written beautifully.
A.N. Roquelaure or aka just Anne Rice super graphic details caught me off guard and drag me to her vivid world full of haunting tale of princes and princesses happily ever after.

Well, there is something for all to appreciate.