Customer Reviews

Desires

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DESIRES contains some of the most sensual and literary fiction available today. While many other erotica anthologies tend to either forgo the sensual aspect in favor of dry, intellectual writing or rely on clichéd stories, DESIRES beautifully merges lush descriptions of sexuality with thought-provoking, emotional scenarios.

The variety of writing styles from the 24 talented authors provides an outstanding complement to the stories themselves. For example, Robert Schaffer's "Fried Blonde Tomatoes" is a hard-edged, sharp narrative about a man's craving for "burnt-out blondes," while Elana White's "Wee Sunny Garrett" is a highly poetic and rewarding story about a woman's rediscovery of herself in the warmth of a French village. James Martin's "The Civil Servant" is a delicious story involving a wife's sexual commands over the telephone, and Debra Hyde's "Weigh Station" is a reunion of two lovers and the subsequent revelation of both masochistic tendencies and futile realizations. There are also excellent stories by well-known erotica authors such as Maryanne Mohanraj, Cecilia Tan, Maxim Jakubowski, and Thomas Roche. The stories involve a range of exceptional characters and situations, all of which appeal to the intellect as well as the libido. This emphasis on the intellect especially distinguishes this anthology.

Another element that sets DESIRES apart from the norm is the discerning and intelligent "dialogue" between the two editors, which touches upon such issues as porn versus erotica, Barthes' and Battailes' respective philosophies about eroticism, the psychological aspects of erotic fiction, "sex as ritual," and Tantric philosophies. The dialogue serves to enhance the collection by providing greater insight into the essential meaning of both the chosen stories and erotica as a genre.

DESIRES is a truly superb and unique collection, with the editorial dialogue providing a very stimulating closure to the book. Collections such as this one serve not only to hold erotic fiction to a much higher standard, but also to encourage both readers and writers to examine the emotional and intellectual underpinnings of sensual literature. With DESIRES as a model of excellence, the erotica genre will surely attain the literary respect and authority it so deserves. Read it for pleasure and for both sexual and intellectual stimulation!

I've never sent a review in to Amazon before, but this book is a little different. Benedicks and Sengupta have collected some of the best erotic stories I've read in quite some time. Not only have they published stories in the book from writers such as Jakubowski, Mohanraj, Roche and Reed. They have introduced me to some new and very talented authors. Authors I hope to see more of in the future. The stories are erotic, romantic, hot, humorous, and lusty. A very beautiful gamut of reading material. I hope to see more from them in the future. This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

I'd like to mention that this is the most sophisticated collection of erotica I've come across . . . Of course, "sophisticated" is usually conceived of as being opposed to "fun" (or, more appropriate here, "really sexy"). I have to say that this isn't the case with *Desires*. I bought a copy, on a whim, for my partner on Valentine's Day. As sugary sweet as that often regretable holiday may be, this book is free from all that watered-down, pre-processed sentimentality that is usually a hallmark of soft-core sex writing. Which isn't to say it's not tender . . . very quietly and beautifully tender. Also attractive is the very intelligent afterward--a conversation on the nature and appeal of erotica between the two editors. Dialogue seems an appropriate note for the book to end on, as each of the stories depicts characters having their own kinds of arousing "intercourse."

This is book is a tantalising potpourri of scintillating erotica. With twenty four short stories and an very interesting appendix, by Adrienne Benedicks and Shivaji Sengupta, the reader is introduced to the different erotic writing style of different Authors. It is unusual to find an erotic book of such a sophisticated quality that grips the readers imagination from start to finish and then compels you to go back and start reading it again and again. A well written work of art.

Desires is a collection of erotica that features many sexy stories which also have strong literary merit. Editors Adrienne Benedicks and Shivaji Sengupta have fulfilled their goal of raising the level of erotic fiction,which all too often is confined to pushing the buttons of arousal while recycling cliches and cliched situations. Stories like "Bottomless in Bourbon" by Maxim Jakubowshi, "Crooked Kwan" by Cecilia Tan, Sengupta's own "The Lady and the Chauffeur," and Marilyn Jaye Lewis's "Stranger than Fiction" provide trenchant dialogue, lean but intricate plots that explore interesting cultural configurations ranging from the encounters of different classes, nationalities, and subcultures, strong descriptive elements, and emotional as well as erotic clout. I also enjoyed the editors' dialogue that serves as an Afterword to the collection. Benedicks and Sengupta engage in a fascinating discussion of two strikingly different attitudes toward the erotic in literature and culture.

Desires is a beautifully put together book with enticing cover art and provocative stories. AmarMira has done an excellent job. Desires is a great compilation of well-known and soon-to-be well-known erotica authors. I applaud Benedicks and Sengupta on their choice of contributors and eagerly await volume two.

Stories like "The Awakening Moment" (D.E. Rider) and "Bottomless in Bourbon" (Maxim Jakubowski) lift this collection of erotic stories above the norm. Some are earnest, some coolly lyrical, others heart-pumping drum calls to lust. The variety is refreshing and, while the list of established authors impresses, no reader will turn the final page of _desires_ without a hot new pen to pursue.