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A review by katerrinah
The Mammoth Book of Lesbian Erotica by Barbara Cardy
1.0
I’m writing this review 193 pages in. I’m not sure when I’ll finish this book (although I am marking it as read), there’s too much triggering content and I’m not enjoying reading it (and I don’t mean that in the sexual way).
I have to say that I am quite disappointed by this book. I have a mixed relationship with erotica, I can say that it is the only genre I don’t like reading. I bought and tried to read this book mainly because I wanted to read about lesbians and this book was advertised as being “sensual” and a really good read. Not really though. The writing is crappy (with only one story so far that was well written in the literary sense). I’ve read 500 word Destiel fics that are better written. In fact, even though I’ve read a lot of crappy fandom fics that were clearly written by 13 year old girls who are total virgins and learnt everything they know about sex from other 13 year old girls who are also total virgins, I could compile an extensive (and much better) book of erotica (yeah t would mostly be M/M but so what).
Warning: TMI ahead
I have never really read any F/F erotica before, I’m used to the M/M stuff that the fandoms dominate. I had really high hopes, sadly I was let down.
My first issue was the majority of the storied in this book do not read like stories by women about men, all I could think about while reading it was how much like “lesbian” porn (you know, girl on girl action solely aimed at men) it was. Very little sensuality – maybe that’s just me as sex in my mind is never just about “fucking” (in the detached clinical sense), sex is tied up in my mind with love and romance and emotion and all that. Most of the stories use the work “fucking” in the most heterosexual sense (one person fucking (dominating, penetrating forcefully etc) another more submissive person, with the pleasure being focussed entirely on what one partner wants). Not to mention all the shitty euphemisms for female genitalia (although they did make me laugh).
Second issue is too many dildos. Why. Why. I’m a lesbian, I don’t like dick, or dick-shaped objects, penetrative sexual acts are just plain disturbing, the total opposite of sexy
Third was a lot of the stories had significant consent issues. I understand that there are women out there who like that kind of thing, but I don’t, it’s majorly triggering! I’d expect the dubcon and the BDSM in the mammoth book of kinky lesbian sex. I skip read most of the stories when it became obvious that consent was not navigated realistically. I can tell you, if I put my hand on the boob of a distraught friend and started groping her I’m pretty sure she’d consider that sexual assault. It really frustrates me that people write these stories without portraying sex how it actually is. In a TV show I love, two women questioning their sexuality get together, and they have the consent talk without being all unsexy. So it is possible to do that, people who say “well of course real life isn’t like that, this is just a fantasy” piss me off. Give your “fantasies” trigger warning please!
Fourthly I understand the difficulties of writing short stories, a task I fail at (I’ve never written anything under 20,000 words), but honestly the characterisation was terrible. So many times in this book a woman walks past a mirror and we get an in-depth breakdown of her appearance. Which is not how it works, when I walk past a mirror I don’t think “I saw an attractive face with bright blue eyes, short tussled hair, slightly chubby figure in a loose grey tee and my favourite deep green jeans”. No one I know thinks that about themselves, EVER. Unless I’m getting dressed. I can’t actually remember if I read an essay on this or I plan to write one but honestly that’s not how you characterise, it’s too cliché and it makes me cringe.
This book represents a lot of things that I have about average writers who want to be good but just aren’t. I’m very, very frustrated right now and am going to go read Dante to make myself feel better about books.
I have to say that I am quite disappointed by this book. I have a mixed relationship with erotica, I can say that it is the only genre I don’t like reading. I bought and tried to read this book mainly because I wanted to read about lesbians and this book was advertised as being “sensual” and a really good read. Not really though. The writing is crappy (with only one story so far that was well written in the literary sense). I’ve read 500 word Destiel fics that are better written. In fact, even though I’ve read a lot of crappy fandom fics that were clearly written by 13 year old girls who are total virgins and learnt everything they know about sex from other 13 year old girls who are also total virgins, I could compile an extensive (and much better) book of erotica (yeah t would mostly be M/M but so what).
Warning: TMI ahead
I have never really read any F/F erotica before, I’m used to the M/M stuff that the fandoms dominate. I had really high hopes, sadly I was let down.
My first issue was the majority of the storied in this book do not read like stories by women about men, all I could think about while reading it was how much like “lesbian” porn (you know, girl on girl action solely aimed at men) it was. Very little sensuality – maybe that’s just me as sex in my mind is never just about “fucking” (in the detached clinical sense), sex is tied up in my mind with love and romance and emotion and all that. Most of the stories use the work “fucking” in the most heterosexual sense (one person fucking (dominating, penetrating forcefully etc) another more submissive person, with the pleasure being focussed entirely on what one partner wants). Not to mention all the shitty euphemisms for female genitalia (although they did make me laugh).
Second issue is too many dildos. Why. Why. I’m a lesbian, I don’t like dick, or dick-shaped objects, penetrative sexual acts are just plain disturbing, the total opposite of sexy
Third was a lot of the stories had significant consent issues. I understand that there are women out there who like that kind of thing, but I don’t, it’s majorly triggering! I’d expect the dubcon and the BDSM in the mammoth book of kinky lesbian sex. I skip read most of the stories when it became obvious that consent was not navigated realistically. I can tell you, if I put my hand on the boob of a distraught friend and started groping her I’m pretty sure she’d consider that sexual assault. It really frustrates me that people write these stories without portraying sex how it actually is. In a TV show I love, two women questioning their sexuality get together, and they have the consent talk without being all unsexy. So it is possible to do that, people who say “well of course real life isn’t like that, this is just a fantasy” piss me off. Give your “fantasies” trigger warning please!
Fourthly I understand the difficulties of writing short stories, a task I fail at (I’ve never written anything under 20,000 words), but honestly the characterisation was terrible. So many times in this book a woman walks past a mirror and we get an in-depth breakdown of her appearance. Which is not how it works, when I walk past a mirror I don’t think “I saw an attractive face with bright blue eyes, short tussled hair, slightly chubby figure in a loose grey tee and my favourite deep green jeans”. No one I know thinks that about themselves, EVER. Unless I’m getting dressed. I can’t actually remember if I read an essay on this or I plan to write one but honestly that’s not how you characterise, it’s too cliché and it makes me cringe.
This book represents a lot of things that I have about average writers who want to be good but just aren’t. I’m very, very frustrated right now and am going to go read Dante to make myself feel better about books.