Customer Reviews

Carrie's Story

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I discovered the world of bdsm a mere three months ago (I'm 34) and can't quite believe how much I didn't know about myself before this. Let's just say I'll never go without it again. Anyway, since this discovery I have been reading everything I can get my hands on, from really bad stuff like Laura Reese's 2 books to stellar short stories like Mark Pritchards' "Lessons in Submission" to all of Roy Stuart's erotic photography.

Carrie's Story is my absolute favorite for so many reasons. Not only is it not over-romanticized, not only is the sex fascinating and hot, but Carrie's smartass internal monologue sounds so much like my own! On the surface she is compliant and submissive, yet inside she is wry and cynical and sort of astonished at the irony of what she's doing -- and she tells the story with that voice. And the story is just so... believable; the author got all the details right, from her bike messenger outfits to the punk rock references. I actually read the book a second time and marked all the places where I exclaimed out loud at how exactly it expressed something I felt. Like when Carrie admits how much she loves the exquisite unfairness of the arrangement, and when she wonders how -- without clear instructions and commands -- people having vanilla sex EVER get it right, and when she begins to understand the peculiar logic and integrity of their arrangement -- how it's about him expressing his wishes and her simple obligation to fulfill them exactly.

The book is flawlessly written, intelligent, and never talks down to its readers. So, if you are thinking about engaging in power exchange sex, read this book! Carrie's Story will show you how a smart(-...) girl does it.

At the outset, I should say that once you have read Carrie's Story you will probably want to read the sequel "Safe Word". This book is outstanding as an exploration of BDSM. Told from the submissive's viewpoint (ie as a first person narrative) it affords us a marvellous insight into the mind of someone who would place themselves at the mercy of another person, fully understanding of the pain and suffering that might result. But of course it also provides the answering motivation, the intensity of experience, the absolution from decision, the pleasure obtained from subordinating one's own desires to those of another.

It is the self-critical (what other reviewers have termed sassy) self-awareness of the central character that carries throughout this novel that makes it so special. This is delivered in a light-hearted, but brutally honest manner.

No question it is highly erotic. But there are many other novels that achieve that. This one transcends the mere erotic and captivates the reader. The author generates a tension that draws the reader on and enfolds you in the story. I have not found that in an erotic novel since reading The Story Of O - and I can give Carrie's Story no better praise than that comparison.

If you enjoyed The Story Of O then Carrie's Story and the sequel Safe Word will enthrall you.

I discovered the world of bdsm a mere three months ago (I'm 34) and can't quite believe how much I didn't know about myself before this. Let's just say I'll never go without it again.

Anyway, since this discovery I have been reading everything I can get my hands on, from really bad stuff like Laura Reese's 2 books to stellar short stories like Mark Pritchards' "Lessons in Submission" to all of Roy Stuart's erotic photography.

Carrie's Story is my absolute favorite for so many reasons. Not only is it not over-romanticized, not only is the sex fascinating and hot, but Carrie's smartass internal monologue sounds so much like my own! On the surface she is compliant and submissive, yet inside she is wry and cynical and sort of astonished at the irony of what she's doing -- and she tells the story with that voice. And the story is just so... believable; the author got all the details right, from her bike messenger outfits to the punk rock references.

I actually read the book a second time and marked all the places where I exclaimed out loud at how exactly it expressed something I felt. Like when Carrie admits how much she loves the *exquisite unfairness* of the arrangement, and when she wonders how -- without clear instructions and commands -- people having vanilla sex *ever* get it right, and when she begins to understand the peculiar logic and integrity of their arrangement -- how it's about him expressing his wishes and her simple obligation to fulfill them exactly.

If you are thinking about engaging in power exchange sex, read this book! Carrie's Story will show you how a smart[minded] girl does it, and she'll make you want to.

Carrie's story is well written, a fairly quick read and is not as quite disturbing as The Leash (which is another book I recommend.)
Molly Weatherfield, the author, grabs your attention from the beginning. She uses bold and unpretentious language, particular situations (sometimes grippingly exotic, sometimes routine) to detail the journey of Carrie into the world of BDSM.
I really liked the mental gymnastics that Carrie undergoes in almost every scene/situation. The author uses these mental workouts to show how Carrie progresses as a novice in the culture to a submissive that embraces what she is.
Nothing that the author writes is outside the realm of possibility or even imaginative probability. She is even able to weave some of the insight into the mind of the Dominant into the story as well (although that is a small part, and I believe, only present in order to assist in telling Carrie's story of submission.)
I recommend, not only for those who are involved in BDSM, but also those who might have a passing interest; or someone who wants a little more than routine erotica.

Carrie is one of those stereotypical "so smart yet so naive" grad students that embarks on this path of BDSM seemingly out of the blue. Her master is the sterotypical "rich guy with too much time" character that has somehow maintained a sizeable fortune and a housekeeper that fully participates in his antics. At some times Carrie seems to find comfort and pleasure in being a slave for Johnathan, then at other times it seems she's only going along with it as some sort of 30-day trial. Some of the scenes are so far fetched that the book lost some its appeal...[the slave auction was the most out there episode in the whole story and it was hard for me to grasp the idea that an operation that big and sophisticated would not have attracted some outsider attention - same thing with the pony farm]. I thought the ending left a bit to be desired, it seemed to rushed...like the author just ran out of things to say. But for all its faults I couldn't put it down and read it the day I got it. Once I resigned myself to the story being just fantasy (not based on reality) it got more entertaining.

I read this book in one night. A powerful story of what's behind S/M and B/D. Some was shocking and some erotic. Very explicit and intelligently written. Weatherfield explains in such detail the experiences of being trained, re-trained, and what real slavery is about in this mini-world of master and slave. The writing was well written and no reader will be disappointed. This book cannot be placed in a certain genre...it is erotic, historical in some sense, and yet pure non-fiction. I was captivated by each character that "Carrie" encounters. I didn't feel sorry for her either. She knew with a well-bred mind every single moment would take her closer to what she had chosen. This is not some story about being stolen, ravished, and completely truamatized...but a story of one who want to take the experience to every avenue that she could. A well told story for anyone interested in finding out about this topic, new to the world of this, or simply just want a very good read. I could not put this book down.

`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.

This book represents some of the best contemporary erotica of any kind, and of the BDSM world in particular. Compared to most, the setting is realistic and believable, the character's relatively well-developed and three-dimensional, the sex and domination accurate and colourfully depicted. What's more, there is a wry sense of humour which runs through the narrator's relating of the story and its details which is smart but not too over-the-top. Highly recommended!

While I am no self-inflated intellectual trying to critique this story, it's sentence structure or otherwise, I will agree with others that this is one "hot" read. I am a full time, lifestyle D/s person and these scenarios [or ones similar] happen all over this country. [Trust me.] This sub-culture is not often written about or depicted accurately and I do believe that this author captures some of Carries mental "processes", as they truly occur real-time. There are some amazing parallels in this story that perhaps are missed by "vanilla" folk, perhaps not of this ilk entirely, or perhaps just newly embarking on their own personal journey. In any case, the story is believable, familiar and lovely. It's sequel is well done, but perhaps not as enticing as this novel.

I most certainly enjoyed Molly Weatherfield's book about a college student who enters the world of d/s. Carrie doesn't know why she likes being dominated and beaten but she does and she finds the a more than suitable teacher in the handsome Jonathan. If you a looking for detailed scenes of graphic sex you won't find it in this book. It's more along the lines of just stating the fact it happened and more time is spent on how Carrie felt and the more practical matters that happen in the d/s world. I truly appreciated the sense of humor laced through out the book and the comments were some of those I would make myself, made it seem very contemporary and real.If there is a downside to it all there are a few nit picky items such as Carrie's family isn't explained at all and the fact she will be disappearing from the mainstream of life for a year; and why did Jonathan have to turn into some sort of sentimental fool.This book reminds of the 'the slave' by Laura Antinou and if you liked that you will also enjoy this work.