diceman's review
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
janelleaimi's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
autumnsmartin's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
ruledbymagic's review
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
0.25
vallebre's review
4.0
Well, what is there to be said about Sasha Grey's maiden voyage into fiction?
Anyone who knows anything about the author beyond the fact that she's a former pornstar knows at least one thing - she's fucking smart. Indisputably smart. She has a keen observation and a very unique voice that's clearly all her own. I really enjoyed her narration style for the first-person perspective of the main character - her internal dialogue is really, really good and an entire chapter on the merits of cum-play was more than just provocative, it was actually very well articulated and illustrated.
The book itself gives you a bit of a wrong impression, though - the Juliette Society is not the focus of the story in the way you may have been expecting. I was looking for a deeper dig into the Society itself, the roots, the members, etc. Perhaps I've been too spoiled by Suzanne Collins in wanting to know exactly how a society works so it can be overthrown efficiently. The bulk of the story is spent with the narrator lamenting her lack of a sex life with her boyfriend Jack as well as describing the particulars of her sexuality as it expands and becomes more all-encompassing. While that angle may have had, let's face it, a porno-like aspect about it (nubile young girl meets sexually incandescent other young girl and it ignites her lackluster sex life by pulling her into things she never imagined doing or wanting to do), it was handled surprisingly well. It's also nice to see a female protagonist who is unabashedly, unapologetically sexual without it being rooted in childhood abuse or serious emotional dysfunction. Grey didn't rely one bit on the tired old tropes of why women want to fuck - she simply let us take a peek into the mind of one. I appreciate the hell out of that.
Which of course, brings us to the sex scenes. Even had I not known Sasha Grey was the one writing the book, it would have been clear that someone with a lot of adjacency to porn was behind it. The scenes are very explicit and very visual, very clearly painted pictures. They're good, they read like a porno. Very effective though just as disjointed as some porn movies make sex scenes seem - there were times when they felt shoe-horned in for the sake of being titillating. Still, considering the purpose of the novel, I can't say I was surprised. My only real complaint is the sporadic use of "butthole", which will never, ever be a sexy word and almost breaks the flow of the setup. At one point, the narrator opines that she doesn't find any slang terms for a penis other than "cock" to be sexy, that "dick" does nothing for her. I appreciate that - "butthole" does nothing for me except remind me of all the bad insults I used to sling in third grade.
Her skewering of Bundy, a character who seemed to be based heavily on that asshole whose name I've already forgotten that's now in jail but started the whole Girls Gone Wild franchise was laugh out loud good. I loved it. My only issue was the way he was supposed to be sympathized with to some degree at the end as a poor, pitiful guy with no chance who had made shitty choices because he had never been taught otherwise. Bundy is a rapist. He films girls who are clearly intoxicated performing sex acts they regret and profits off of them. There's nothing redeeming about the guy in any way.
The climax (hehe) was predictable - who didn't see that the old guy from the party was Jack's politician boss? The near-murder felt like a neat wrapup on a story I was hoping for more depth from, a quick way to explain it all away in the last few seconds. It was a little unsatisfying. But, I did rather like the ending, the careful, precarious balancing act between the narrator and the murderer, a mutually assured destruction arrangement. I'm sure that wasn't what people were expecting, and while the moral ambiguity of the decision can be readily criticized, it felt realistic. Our narrator isn't a heroine. She's not out to change the world or save lives or rid the world of evil. She's a college girl who wants to save her own ass and the subsequent ass of the man she loves.
In short, it was a good read. Quick, very witty, interesting prose, interesting concept. I do recommend - and I hope Sasha Grey writes again.
Anyone who knows anything about the author beyond the fact that she's a former pornstar knows at least one thing - she's fucking smart. Indisputably smart. She has a keen observation and a very unique voice that's clearly all her own. I really enjoyed her narration style for the first-person perspective of the main character - her internal dialogue is really, really good and an entire chapter on the merits of cum-play was more than just provocative, it was actually very well articulated and illustrated.
The book itself gives you a bit of a wrong impression, though - the Juliette Society is not the focus of the story in the way you may have been expecting. I was looking for a deeper dig into the Society itself, the roots, the members, etc. Perhaps I've been too spoiled by Suzanne Collins in wanting to know exactly how a society works so it can be overthrown efficiently. The bulk of the story is spent with the narrator lamenting her lack of a sex life with her boyfriend Jack as well as describing the particulars of her sexuality as it expands and becomes more all-encompassing. While that angle may have had, let's face it, a porno-like aspect about it (nubile young girl meets sexually incandescent other young girl and it ignites her lackluster sex life by pulling her into things she never imagined doing or wanting to do), it was handled surprisingly well. It's also nice to see a female protagonist who is unabashedly, unapologetically sexual without it being rooted in childhood abuse or serious emotional dysfunction. Grey didn't rely one bit on the tired old tropes of why women want to fuck - she simply let us take a peek into the mind of one. I appreciate the hell out of that.
Which of course, brings us to the sex scenes. Even had I not known Sasha Grey was the one writing the book, it would have been clear that someone with a lot of adjacency to porn was behind it. The scenes are very explicit and very visual, very clearly painted pictures. They're good, they read like a porno. Very effective though just as disjointed as some porn movies make sex scenes seem - there were times when they felt shoe-horned in for the sake of being titillating. Still, considering the purpose of the novel, I can't say I was surprised. My only real complaint is the sporadic use of "butthole", which will never, ever be a sexy word and almost breaks the flow of the setup. At one point, the narrator opines that she doesn't find any slang terms for a penis other than "cock" to be sexy, that "dick" does nothing for her. I appreciate that - "butthole" does nothing for me except remind me of all the bad insults I used to sling in third grade.
Her skewering of Bundy, a character who seemed to be based heavily on that asshole whose name I've already forgotten that's now in jail but started the whole Girls Gone Wild franchise was laugh out loud good. I loved it. My only issue was the way he was supposed to be sympathized with to some degree at the end as a poor, pitiful guy with no chance who had made shitty choices because he had never been taught otherwise. Bundy is a rapist. He films girls who are clearly intoxicated performing sex acts they regret and profits off of them. There's nothing redeeming about the guy in any way.
The climax (hehe) was predictable - who didn't see that the old guy from the party was Jack's politician boss? The near-murder felt like a neat wrapup on a story I was hoping for more depth from, a quick way to explain it all away in the last few seconds. It was a little unsatisfying. But, I did rather like the ending, the careful, precarious balancing act between the narrator and the murderer, a mutually assured destruction arrangement. I'm sure that wasn't what people were expecting, and while the moral ambiguity of the decision can be readily criticized, it felt realistic. Our narrator isn't a heroine. She's not out to change the world or save lives or rid the world of evil. She's a college girl who wants to save her own ass and the subsequent ass of the man she loves.
In short, it was a good read. Quick, very witty, interesting prose, interesting concept. I do recommend - and I hope Sasha Grey writes again.
logopoetics's review
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Some areas read like personal essays on topics, like rants. Overall, the story arc wasn't strong enough and the ending lacked a satisfying conclusion. There were elements that were interesting and characters I liked well enough, but I didn't feel there was an arc of growth.
Read the whole thing in 4 hours during a night of insomnia.
Read the whole thing in 4 hours during a night of insomnia.
sophie's review
2.0
I long ago grew out of the phase where I was intrigued by things designed entirely to shock, and that's pretty much all there is to that. The writing style is easy to read and drew me in, which is probably why I finished the book and gave it two stars instead of just one. Even without all the shock factor in the book, there's so little resolution in anything to do with the plot.
opalthefruit's review
1.0
I felt giving it one star was possibly unfair, but it doesn't deserve two. It was hit and miss, but mostly miss, with some really awful metaphors, and a lot of trying very hard to cram in as many famous, good films as possible, to make it seem less lowbrow. There were some amusing moments, but then lashings of misogyny and my least favourite part was when a female character was described as being that woman in the office all the guys think just needs a good fuck, and the female protagonist agrees with them. It got more and more over the top as it went on and the ending wasn't great, at all. That's basically all I have to say about it.
leahmichelle_13's review
3.0
When I heard about The Juliette Society by Sasha Grey, I was torn. I don’t read novels that fall under the 50 Shades genre. They’re not Chick Lit novels, they don’t appeal to me in the slightest. I keep being sent them and I wish publishers would realise that just because I run a Chick Lit website, it doesn’t mean I want to read 50 Shades or it’s numerous, numerous counter-parts (so many counter-parts that it’s bordering on excessive). I keep hoping the genre will die quietly, but so far it hasn’t, but it’s not a genre I’ll ever read; it doesn’t work for me. But I read a preview of The Juliette Society and I was very intrigued. So, I said yes to reviewing it and I’m glad I did because it’s not yet another version of 50 Shades of Grey, instead it’s more of a thriller set in the 50 Shades-universe (which is a shame, actually, as it’d have worked just as well set in any other universe).
You don’t want to read about how I’d describe The Juliette Society when the synopsis above does it sufficiently that I could never, ever write it better. It’s those first few sentences above that made me want to read The Juliette Society – along with the intriguing title, and beautiful turquiose cover which is so simple and beautiful. It didn’t take me very long at all to read the novel as it’s not particularly long, but there’s a lot going on. Grey is obviously a very clever person and the writing is fantastic, her take on life and sex and everything in between is fascinating to read and Catherine was a very complex character (sometimes, perhaps bordering on too complex, as at times my poor brain struggled to remember everything that was occurring in the novel).
For the most part, I really enjoyed The Juliette Society. Not my normal fayre, no, but enjoyable. Definitely complex, massively, massively complex and you need to be paying attention while you read to make sure you remember who everyone is. Grey states in the novel – repeatedly – that plot is subservient to character, always. But I found in the novel that it was the other way around. I felt the plot drove this novel, not Catherine. Catherine narrated the novel, yes, but her name is only mentioned a handful of times, and it’s a good job I caught it otherwise she’d have been nameless and faceless. The books driving force was The Juliette Society, of which there wasn’t as much information as I’d have liked – Catherine tells us we need to start at the beginning to find how she got to be part of this secret inner circle, but when we do eventually get to the inner circle, the novel is over soon after. It was a very open ending, not something I usually get on board with, but it works for this novel. The Juliette Society was a very interesting read, and if Grey writes a second novel, I’ll be reading it because she is a fascinating writer.
You don’t want to read about how I’d describe The Juliette Society when the synopsis above does it sufficiently that I could never, ever write it better. It’s those first few sentences above that made me want to read The Juliette Society – along with the intriguing title, and beautiful turquiose cover which is so simple and beautiful. It didn’t take me very long at all to read the novel as it’s not particularly long, but there’s a lot going on. Grey is obviously a very clever person and the writing is fantastic, her take on life and sex and everything in between is fascinating to read and Catherine was a very complex character (sometimes, perhaps bordering on too complex, as at times my poor brain struggled to remember everything that was occurring in the novel).
For the most part, I really enjoyed The Juliette Society. Not my normal fayre, no, but enjoyable. Definitely complex, massively, massively complex and you need to be paying attention while you read to make sure you remember who everyone is. Grey states in the novel – repeatedly – that plot is subservient to character, always. But I found in the novel that it was the other way around. I felt the plot drove this novel, not Catherine. Catherine narrated the novel, yes, but her name is only mentioned a handful of times, and it’s a good job I caught it otherwise she’d have been nameless and faceless. The books driving force was The Juliette Society, of which there wasn’t as much information as I’d have liked – Catherine tells us we need to start at the beginning to find how she got to be part of this secret inner circle, but when we do eventually get to the inner circle, the novel is over soon after. It was a very open ending, not something I usually get on board with, but it works for this novel. The Juliette Society was a very interesting read, and if Grey writes a second novel, I’ll be reading it because she is a fascinating writer.
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