Writing as AN Roquelaure, Anne Rice gives us a new erotic fairy tale with The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty. I’ve been in the middle of The Interview with the Vampire for some time now as I couldn’t get past how hard it was to read. The good news, The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty is so much easier. It is also so different from a vampire novel, that I’m not sure what to make of it. The bad news, it’s harder to read.
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.
The story begins with a young prince finding Sleeping Beauty and claiming her as his (and when I say claim her, this is where the erotica comes in). It’s not a kiss that awakens the beauty, but a carnal action that sets the tone for the novel. The blatant sexual overtures begin in the first chapter and they evolve into even more degrading moments for our young Beauty. However, through all of this degradation, there is this simple understanding that it is not meant as a punishment, but more as a tribute to her beauty. There is an underlying sense that there is nothing to be ashamed of when one is nude. The human body is perfection, a piece of artwork, and it should be shown off and not hidden away.
Quite honestly, this is probably what turned me off of The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty – how degrading the actions toward Beauty and other characters were. This was probably one of the hardest books I’ve had to read and I’m including all those English Lit books I had to do during high school. I don’t have a problem with erotica, there’s a lot of it I like, but this one went over my boundaries. Maybe I’ll be able to get through it later, but at this time, I have better books to read.
Overall, while I found the concept of the novel to be intriguing, it wasn’t that engaging and was a lot more hardcore than I was prepared for. It is definitely a novel to have open while you’re reading something else, something a little lighter. Honestly, there were times I had to set it down just because it disturbed me that much, which is pretty much why this is a DNF for me. I needed something lighter and got absorbed in other books. I have yet to get the urge to go back and pick up The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty.
Read Order:
the Claiming of Sleeping Beauty
Beauty’s Punishment
Beauty’s Release
I am glad to read this review and find that I am not simply skittish.
I too had a very hard time reading this series. They were suggested to me by a friend after I gushed about the thrilling combination of sex and violence in the Anita Blake Series.
I had to give the books back to my friend after numerous attempts to read but really really not liking the tone… I guess I’m my mother’s daughter. LOL She would physically rip a romance into pieces if the story line condoned sexual mentalities that she did not agree with (repeated rape/ prolonged physical abuse/ mindless zombie women).
I didn’t destroy the books – but I didn’t finish them either. And I am pretty sure I moved on to a Chick Lit novel directly after.
Miranda
I didn’t really like Interview with a Vampire, either. I did like The Mummy–but it seems like there’s always something missing in her novels for me.
I’ve loved Anne Rice’s books since I first read The Vampire Lestat in 1995 and I didn’t read this series until a couple years ago. They’re definitely VERY hardcore but I thought the themes of dominance and submission were interesting in a psychological way.
You should definitely try the next Vampire Chronicles books, they’re completely different than Interview because they’re told from Lestat’s point of view (and you soon come to realize that Louis was a whining child and Lestat isn’t the monster he was made out to be). :)