Customer Reviews

The Confessions of Wanda von Sacher-Masoch (Re/Search Classics)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a fascinating read (I devoured it in 2 days) about some murky corners of human nature. Every woman who is in a relationship with an abusive, perverted, manipulative partner should read this book to see where such things may lead -- what a big toll they take; what a nonsensical journey it is (and how harmful to children of such couples).

Of course, at the time when the events described in that book took place (2nd half of the 19th cent.), women were more dependent on men for survival, especially when children were involved, but you can nevertheless imagine someone being in an identical situation today.

I really loved the personal, biographical tone of this book, and the quaint picture of life in 19th cent. Europe that it brings to life. It left me hungry to learn more about the writer -- how and where she eventually died, what happened to her son, if she left any other personal papers -- but a google search was disappointing.

The reason I have not given this book 5 stars is because the quality of translation is embarrassingly poor. Also, the book has been published in a very sloppy, amateurish way. There is a complete absence of professional editorial care; there are no explanations of obscure, historic names; the illustrations are ridiculous (silly, contrived and contorted images where readers would have enjoyed some relevant old photos of people and places mentioned in the book).

But in spite of all that, I'm glad this book was made available in English. It would be good if it was republished as a part of a well-researched and properly illustrated monography.

It is interesting to realize what an ineffectual,fop her husband really was.Just because he was male he could play games to tittilate himself without much regard for his partner,a lowly woman.

high quality paperback. this book offers insight into the legend of Von Sacher-Masoch, his life and times thru the eyes of his wife who made it all possible. billed as a feminist classic- this story is a prime example of what a woman will do for love and survival. A good read. Not what you would expect. Read this book.

For some people Leopold Von Sacher-Masoch is a great artist, for other an inspiration, but if anyone takes his fiction to heart, you need to read this book first. Here you'll read about how the man she thought was her savior turned into a nightmarish character who used money and her children to get her to publically and privately transgress her own morals and her own desires. I'm not convinced that the translation is the best and frankly the translators need more time giving us their creditials. I also found the images that are included to be distracting from the main message: she was abused, she was never a dominant or a sadist. Wanda's life is a sad reminder that women have not been legally equals to men for most of human history and that any "incidents" of SM we see in the past is probably not BDSM but instead a reflection of the abuse that such unequal societies promote and sanctify.

Wanda really makes you feel sorry for her. This is a sad tale of an abusive spouse in a very cold sounding Europe. Definitely well written and worth your time. Read it!