Product Description

Rice writing as A. N. Roquelaure.

In the traditional folk tale "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. 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5036 in Books
• Published on: 1999-05-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Review
* "One of the most wonderful, erotic, sensual books ever written" - Sting on INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE. *"a literary odyssey into a world of forbidden lust...the same kind of skillful writing that brought respectability into the works of Henry Miller, Anais Nin and D.H. Lawrence" - UPI

About the Author
A Roquelaure is the pen name of Ann Rice, a well published author of various gothic vamprire novels. She lives in California.

Customer Reviews

Twisted Sexuality Meets Fairy Tale Fantacy
I had read the reviews of this book before I purchased it myself. I am quite glad I did because it somewhat warned me for want I was getting myself into. This is definately one of those books where the population that reads it will be clearly devided in the middle between love and hate. Personally, I loved it. In fact, I cannot wait to read the next 2 of the trilogy. Definately be prepared for graphic sexual acts and very carefree sexuality. That is what about 75% of what the book is about. The storyline is simple, but the characters go through complex emotions as what happens in the story goes on. If you have just a hair of freakiness in you somewhere......you will enjoy it. Its not a story about love.....its definately a story about sex. Those with just that little bit of interest in this type of book will definately be hooked. I was quite please and definately reccommend it.....but not for the more "conservative" type. Give it a try though....might spark something up in you....then again....it might freak you out. Definately worth it. Enjoy your reading!

An Erotic story that will leave you yearning to be tied up..
Okay, so I wasn't YEARNING to be tied up. But I have to admit, the thought crossed my mind more than once after about 50 pages through the novelette. And I actually enjoyed the fact that within the first 3 or so pages she was out with her S&M activities already. Kind of a neat twist to the normal "romance" novel...where you have to wait half way through the novel before anything spicy happens. This book - no matter what anyone says, is erotic. Many things in our society today are still very taboo, and A.N. Roquelaure does a great job without shyness of portraying an S&M slavery society. It's a turnon to read, but would I really want to be Beauty? Nooooo thank you. I will however live vicariously through Beauty and read the other two books with gusto. The only reason I gave the book 4 stars is because it lacks a bit more of a storyline....c'mon Anne!!! I've read your other books, you could have added a BIT more of a storyline in there! Otherwise, BRAVO, BRAVISSIMO!

Not for everyone
As you have no doubt noticed, the reviews of this book vary widely. I just got it and wasn't really sure what to expect, but I can't put it down. Heed the bad reviews; it is certainly not for everyone. However, I am a big snob concerning erotica, and I have never liked Ann Rice before, and I was very pleasantly surprised by this book.

The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty is not at all realistic, though why anyone would be looking for realism in a fairy tale/erotica combination that begins with the Prince breaking a spell of a 100-year sleep is beyond me. Everyone is impossibly beautiful, but so are all the princesses in Grimms' fairy tales and the principals in most erotica. I, for one, enjoy reading about a bunch of beautiful, exquisitely dressed people within impossibly opulent settings.

There certainly are a lot of spankings, nearly in every chapter. If you like that kind of thing, you won't be bored. If it's not your cup of tea, it might get old. I don't find it monotonous; maybe repetitive, but that's not necessarily bad. The Marquis de Sade is repetitive too; spanking is repetitive by nature. There's a lot going on in The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty besides spanking as well. Many of the principals are what would be considered underage in the present-day United States, and consent is questionable at best. Again, you're the judge of whether that would turn you on or off.

The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty is at heart a Nouveau-Décadent work. I just reread Beardsley's Under the Hill and Rice's book is very reminiscent of that style. (By the way, most Décadent works are unrealistic and light on plot.) If you like Sade or Mirbeau, or certain passages in Petronius or Suetonius, you'll probably like this. If you don't like eroticized violence or overwrought language, or you want erotica with consensual, loving, adult partners of clearly defined sexual orientation, this is not for you.