Carrie's Story: An Erotic S/M Novel
by Molly Weatherfield
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Book Summary Information
Author: Molly WeatherfieldEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-07-26
ISBN: 1573441562
Number of pages: 220
Publisher: Cleis Press
Book Reviews of Carrie's Story: An Erotic S/M Novel
Book Review: Excellent Essay on Submissive Girl Story. Not quite the best
Summary: 4 Stars
`Carrie's Story' is written by Molly Weatherfield who is described on a front cover blurb as a neo-Victorian erotic romance writer. Personally, I am very happy that there is very little which is Victorian, neo or otherwise, about Ms. Weatherfield's way of telling a story. On the other hand, this novel owes a rather sizable debt to `The Story of O'. This borrowing has a generally positive effect for the reader, except for the fact that Ms. Weatherfield simply does not come up to Ms. Reage's standard in building a successfully paced story or in capturing the state of mind of the story's heroine.
To the good, Ms. Weatherfield has placed her story smack in the middle of 21st century San Francisco. This is a great relief to those who find the trek to Medieval Europe of the science fictional world of Gor a bit trying on the imagination when we search out good stories of this genre. The author lightly seasons the narrative with references to important San Francisco venues such as Chez Panisse and the Zuni Café, plus side trips to Napa Valley. Other very clever references to Shubert's `Trout Quintet' and well-known works of fiction are just enough to give a good patina of civility to the book. The high point of cultural references is the clever allusion to the Thomas Pynchon's novella, `The Crying of Lot 49'. The pun of the title fits neatly into the situation of the character in this novel.
Also to the good, Ms. Weatherfield has succeeded in picturing a very realistic long-term discipline relationship between two people. Much of this, I am sure, is attributable to the influence of `The Story of O'. It is very easy to overplay the amount of time, in the long run, that a person can erase their pre-relation life to that of the will of their master. A normal working career with an after hours relationship based on well-established rules is the name of the game. It is also much more interesting psychologically to paint a person who lives in the world but whose mind belongs to another person.
This is where some problems creep into the quality of the storytelling. The submissive lead character, Carrie, is simply not presented in such a way that we see the kind of psychic rewards which come from a full time master / submissive relationship. The narratives of various scenes give no hint of the kind of mystic bonds created by physical and mental submission. The life in Carrie's mind is little more intense than what has been described as the Stockholm syndrome, where captives attach themselves to their captors in much the same way that children attach themselves to parents because their entire well-being depends on favors from parents / captors. `Stockholm syndrome' may play some role in a master / submissive relationship, but it is certainly not the most important part of the relation between an independent agent like Carrie and her various masters.
Another weakness of the story is the level of suspension of disbelief one has to attain to believe some of the situations in the novel. Some of the venues of `The Story of O' are just slightly implausible, unless you happen to live in Las Vegas, where all of this seems possible. Ms. Weatherfield's organizations and venues are really quite implausible. If one is to be erotic and gain the advantages of staying within the realities of the modern world, you can't go about inventing Astrodome sized buildings in the middle of Paris dedicated to a plainly illegal activity.
All that being said, I found many of Ms. Weatherfield's inventions, especially her description of legal legendermains used to justify erotic slavery to be very satisfying. I am entirely willing to believe these fictions would survive a French court, but I am less certain of how they would fare in an American court outside of San Francisco. I also found her limitations on the dominance submissive relation to be an excellent service of the realities of human relations.
Overall, this is an excellent, satisfying novel, better than many, and almost as good as the best in its genre. My only real disappointment was in the weak ending. It didn't even end in a whimper. It seemed to be entirely written to facilitate a sequel. But then, a sequel matching the quality of this book will be very welcome indeed.
Summary of Carrie's Story: An Erotic S/M Novel
“I had been Jonathan?s slave for about a year when he told me he wanted to sell me at an auction. I wasn?t in any condition to respond when he told me this.? So begins Carrie?s tale of uncompromising sexual adventure. Set in San Francisco and Napa Valley, this is an erotic journey into the netherworld of slave auctions and training regimes. Imagine Story of O starring a Berkeley Ph.D. in comparative lit who moonlights as a bike messenger and has a penchant for irony, self-analysis, and anal sex. “My favorite neo-Victorian erotic romance writer ... bring on the ponies!? — Susie Bright
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