Una trilogía difícil de puntuar, no necesariamente agradable para cualquier lector. Es por eso, y teniendo en cuenta las opuestas reviews que encontré sobre ella, que decidí esperar a leer sus tres partes para analizarla con un poco más de "completitud". En conjunto se llevan sus tres estrellas, aunque el segundo me resultó mejor que los demás, quizás por la introducción de otros personajes, que modifican, en cada capítulo, los puntos de vista. Pasamos armoniosamente de la tercera persona de Bella, a la primera de Laurent o Tristan. Cada libro transcurre en un ambiente diferente (el elegante castillo, el rudo pueblo, y el seductor sultanato) para culminar en un esperable final feliz, como cualquier cuento de hadas que se precie de tal. Anne Rice toma el mito de La bella Durmiente como punto de partida para tejer un relato que es mucho más que una obra de erotismo con temática BDSM. La autora vampírica (me niego a asociarla a su reciente despertar chupacirio) toma los elementos eróticos presentes en el originario cuento de hadas, que forman parte de un variado cúmulo de interpretaciones que se hicieron, y los vuelve explícitos, literales. Pero este es sólo el puntapié inicial para construir un universo de seducción, batallas con uno mismo, y riquísimos análisis sobre la naturaleza del ser humano que incluso echan por tierra las críticas feministas que se le ha hecho a la Bella Durmiente primigenia. Acá los "amos" son hombres y también mujeres; los "esclavos" también son hombres y mujeres. Pero todos son príncipes, o sultanes; todos son hombres libres en igualdad de condiciones. No hay palabras de seguridad, pero sí hay una voluntad explícita y clara de someterse. Vuelvo a aclarar que no es una obra para cualquiera. Se entiende que a muchos les haya resultado chocante. Hay escenas de violencia, agresión, masoquismo y humillación, pero todo dentro de un clima cuasi poético y de un ambiente prácticamente inverosímil. Es imposible tomárselo literal, meterse en la historia como si de verdad fuera posible plantarse frente a una trama racional, real, factible, terrenal. Anne Rice se permite explorar ciertos límites, reflexionar sobre la capacidad del ser humano para someterse y dejarse llevar por los deseos, aun a costa de la posición social, del "qué dirán", del poder, en un terreno donde eso es más creíble. Ella parece decirnos "ok, olvídense de las reglas y los preceptos, en este universo eso no vale". Ni la literatura clásica, ni creo yo la pornografía tradicional, puede permitirse plantear las cosas con las reglas de esta trilogía. Sería un espanto, moralmente rechazable para cualquiera. El discurso políticamente correcto, lo que la propia moral nos dice que debe gustarnos u horrorizarnos, hubieran puesto el freno. Pero La trilogía de la Bella Durmiente, con el rapto, el castigo y la liberación, sigue siendo un Cuento de Hadas, esos donde pasan cosas imposibles pero que de niños capturaban nuestra atención, y que siempre terminan teniendo finales felices, y en donde "la maldad" tiene hasta su encanto. La diferencia es que acá hay otras reglas.
In the final volume of Anne Rice's deliciously tantalizing erotic trilogy, Beauty's adventures on the dark side of sexuality make her the bound captive of an Eastern Sultan and a prisoner in the exotic confines of the harem. In "Beauty's Release", Anne Rice makes the forbidden side of passion a doorway into the hidden regions of the psyche and the heart.Part of the allure of this version for me was a release from the utter crudity of the European castle and village. Religious and philosophical thoughts of the region combine to show them that they are simply cogs in a grander scheme, and they take pleasure and freedom in this anonymity. The first moment of their sultanic experience is to be degraded even more. Their being transformed into sexual toys is considered by their captors as destroying their intellect. They thus become mute animals that have no other level of existence than this very sexual drive and desire to satisfy all sexual and also cruel pulses in the sultan and his court. But this third volume shows the metaphoric or even allegorical dimension of the trilogy. Beyond the erotic speculation in the book, Anne Rice shows how degrading a human being leads to the discovery she says, the building of a new consciousness that will have a lasting existence. Human beings are emerging in their humanity or even humaneness through the difficulties and the challenges they encounter, and first of all the degrading and enslaving situations. The more overpowered one is, the greater his psychological strength. This is kind of optimistic because many human beings are destroyed through these experiences and experiments. But it is based on the concept of resilience in human beings : their capacity to resist degredation, not by rebelling, but by reinforcing their psyche. Upon completing the series, it helped to think of it anthropologically as if these strange undercurrents were the results of a completely different culture. In that respect it was quite interesting to observe the push for control, compliance, dominance, and love, and question whether that can be squared with ideas of entwined aggression and tenderness. Anne Rice provides the framework and fairy tale, but readers must ultimately decide that answer for themselves. Book Details: Title Beauty's Release (Conclusion of the Erotic Adventures of Sleeping Beauty, 3)Author Anne Rice writing as A. N. RoquelaureReviewed By Purplycookie
What do You think about Beauty's Release (1999)?
A fitting end to this High-Fantasy erotic series complete with HEA for all the characters we’ve come to love. "Yes," I thought, “Do it harder. Whip me soundly for what I have done. Let the blaze of pain grow brighter, hotter.” But it was not coherent, what I thought. It was like a song in my head, made up of rhythms – The strap, my cries, the creak of the wood… I actually enjoyed this much more than the other two books which preceded it. I was particularly pleased with the way that the Sultan’s castle was described, as well as all the luscious debauchery contained within.A Note on this Series:I’ll not go so far as to pretend that these books represent some sort of hallmark for the genre (or of the D/s Lifestyle in general), but they are a journey worth taking if you have the metaphorical balls for it. I’m not even going to try and pretend that I don’t wield these books as a weapon against those who are ignorant enough about the D/s Lifestyle to call Fifty Shades of Grey and its fuzzy handcuff contemporaries BDSM… Not that those books aren’t entertaining for what they are (Modern Romance with a slightly erotic, slightly kinky kick)… But let’s endeavor to call a spade a spade, people… Before someone gets their feelings hurt…These books are completely over-the-top graphically sexual & and descriptive to the point of making the reader squirm… However, I find the psychology of the submissive much more accurate in Anne Rice’s fantasy land than it is often portrayed in the soft-core BDSM-light Erotic Romances which come across my path more frequently. “…I felt as I always did at the core of punishment: The coming of a tranquility, a quiet place in the very center of frenzy, in which I could surrender all the parts of my being.”
—Shurrn
I'm a little sad to see this trilogy is over. It was a steamy little diversion for me the past few weeks, and I'll miss it. The 3rd book is not as delicious as the first, but I am satisfied with the ending. Happily ever after is different for everyone; Beauty's happens to include being whipped and dominated. Far be it for my incurable hopeless romantic streak to argue. Apparently, I still love it when the princess gets her king, nipple clamps and all. I saw the Beauty/Laurent connection a mile a
—Lene
Stockholm syndrome. That's what all these "slaves" have. It's the only explanation for why they don't want to leave their captivity. Or else Anne Rice is just f'ed up. There is so much wrong with these books I really don't know why I read them all. I have the same problems as many other reviewers had, that everything is so clean, where are the body fluids? I'm not sure how much anal probing people can be put through without some damage going on. Also apparently they have built in birth control and STD control, or I guess it's a fairy tale and disease doesn't exist because I can't imagine this society isn't rife with gonorrhea and syphilis. It's also interesting (or not) that they kept getting warned that the village is terrible then the Sultanate was even worse when they kept getting treated at least slightly better.This installment also inexplicably tells us Laurent's story mostly and almost ignores Beauty. This could have been a whole new series. Also someone should tell Rice that ponies get treated better than her human "ponies" do. So I do get BDSM but I've always understood it to be consensual nothing in this series is consensual which is why it wasn't very erotic at all. Rape isn't erotic and in this book unlike the others they are all of a sudden "raped" especially in the Arabic land, which kind of bordered on racist. I hate to tell her that all of these sexual encounters were raped which brings us back to my original statement. Stockholm syndrome. Rubbish.
—Lisa
