Customer Reviews

Lofting

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I read "Lofting" all in one weekend, mostly under the covers ... And the characters have stayed in my mind like the heroes and heroines of the best classic tales. Likable, complex men and women with strong and sometimes unreasonable passions -- the people in this story draw you in, and of course, the fascinating erotic scenes tend to keep you there. Marceau speaks the truth about sex and the sexes, and she's so damned funny! I found myself re-reading the book's online conversations to see if they would still make me laugh a second time, and they did -- and a third, as well. It's some of the wittiest dialogue I have ever read. "Lofting" is more than the tale of one woman's sexual odyssey, it's a tribute to what this kind of adventure can and should be, and it tells us what is going on in the heart of a bright, sweet woman as her adventure unfolds. I bought a copy as a gift for a sensuous friend -- I haven't done that with many books. Bravo, Marceau. I can't wait for the sequel.

One thing is true. This book is smarter than your average erotica. But that doesn't make it hotter. I found that some of the language was a little bit ridiculous, (I've never met a soul like Andres online)and the sex scenes never quite involved me. It was, perhaps, a little too "lofty" for my baser tastes.

Having read erotivca for 12 hours a day for the past 20 years I have Alma Marceau's book, Lofting, come across my suggested reading list over and over that I finally decided to bite the bullet and buy this book ...

For the followers of pure erotica I'm not sure if you would enjoy this book since most of the book is written with an 'in your face' kind of manner delving into sex rather than into the erotic. Is there a difference, well yes, in erotica people would have sex in a departemnt store because the lights went out and the opportunity was there, in this book they have sex in a department store considering a Sunday afternoon outing.

We follow our heroine, Claire, through a sexual awakening after meeting Andres in an on-line chat room. Andres, is able to start this trip for Claire by showing her what cyber sex is all about and then he encourages her to start eploring her sexuality with people near her in order to continue the spice in their internet and phone sex sessions ...

The book is wonderfull and written for the intellectual snobs in all of us. 'A pfennig for your thought's ' is the type of converstaion that is common and interesting querida .....

After reading most of the other reviews here on amazon.com, I couldn't wait to get my mitts on "Lofting." Everyone wrote reviews about how intelligent this book was supposed to be. Well, having been a reader of a lot of kink over the years, I thought that I couldn't possibly be disappointed in what was described as "intelligent fiction." Boy was I wrong.

It started with such promise: a curious woman, Claire, engages in a kinky exchange with a distant friend, Andres, over the internet. They've never met in real life, but there is such chemistry between them...

This story had all the makings of a great adventure in erotic kink, but somewhere along the way, Alma Marceau lost control of her plot, and it turned into a typical, cheesy story about sterotyped BDSM sex. How disappointing.

Instead of following the very erotic, chemistry-laden, and mysterious internet relationship with Andres, Marceau tosses Claire to a new love-interest: a typical Dom-ish character named Nick. Marceau then tries (tries waaaay too hard) to make him dark and mysterious. She fails. He comes across as a cookie-cutter Dom with standard attributes. Yawn.

Throughout the story, Marceau adds in bits of foriegn phrases and references to literature and philosophy, but it comes across as ultra-contrieved: a attempt to be witty about being witty.

The last 30 pages or so was basically a 4-person orgy, with Claire as the whipping post, and it was so poorly written and bland that I almost couldn't make myself finish reading it. If you want to read some good kink, try "The Marketplace" series by Laura Antoniou, the "Two Moons" series by Chelsea Shepard, or the very erotic "Blue: the Color of Desire" by Patrick Linney.

I read the reviews and was very excited about getting this book, but then I found it disappointing. The main character was not terribly likeable (maybe that's just a personality clash between her and I, though) and the plot didn't seem to move very well. Honestly, I can't really remember any true specifics with what I disliked, but I definitely remember the general annoyance and disappointment I had afterwards. Maybe I'll re-read it and write a more coherent review later... *grin* All in all, it wasn't worth the money I spent on it, though I WOULD agree that it was worth the time spent reading it.

You know what they say - porn is one handed reading.

But good erotica is more.

Well Lofting is most assuredly two handed reading - you need the other hand to look up words in the dictionary.

Can erotica be intelligent ? You bet - Marceau proves it.

Finally! A profoundly intelligent book that is hot, funny, erotic and compelling. Lofting takes you on a wonderfully eloquent trip through a transition period in the life of the main character. You'll feel that a cross between Dave Barry, Marquis de Sade, and Erich Segal have been paid to rewrite your journal and combine it with your fantasies. It's a powerfully sexy story with enough realism and straightforwardness to take your breath away and leave you hungry for more.

Well, it starts out well. The conceit of email sex is skillfully done. In fact, the sexy emails are the only good thing about this book, and when the author unwisely moves away from them, about mid-way through the book, the entire thing falls flat. Aside from the emails, the book is filled with unbelievable characters engaging in anatomically dubious acts described in trite sentences - over and over and over and over. By the end the book has degenerated into a mash of plot-driven pseudo S&M.

Other people's reactions to this book are proof positive that the genitals and the brain are not connected.

This book is a delightful surprise! I came across it when my girlfriend and I were considering buying a loft and looking for some advice. I got advice all right, and it certainly has helped make my girlfriend and me very happy, but it was on a whole other level! And it wasn't really the sex, though it's riveting, page-turning stuff. And it wasn't the concept of "lofting" per se--I'm virtually asexual when it comes to online relationships--though that was a fascinating world to discover. No, it was the literary wit of the thing! Ms. Marceau clearly has a gift--for the nonverbal, it goes without saying--but also for the easy transition from scenes of intimacy to the rhythms of the street, from arousing narrative description to philosophical wordplay. Her lightning-like allusions and brilliant turns of phrase serve to deepen the enduring interest of this book and of its amazing cast of attractive characters. (Everyone will find someone to lust after in these pages.) You will read passages over and over, not just to revisit, say, the young girls in the stables or the sleepy studs in the "loft," but also to discover even more new delights hidden away in the many folds of this intricately complex presentation of promiscuity. Whether she is lingering over a Madeleine or deftly picking apart the telltale scraps of some potted meat, Marceau knows just what it is a reader wants when it's time for a break from the routine.

I have to agree with another reviewer--that I finished the book with disappointment and a general feeling of "ick." Worse, I was actually enjoying it until about half-way through. Then it just went awry. It made me feel like the way you do when you discover that an aquaintance--who has the possiblity of being a great friend--turns out to be a jerk. As I continued reading, (to continue the comparison) you have to go on with the perfunctory friendship...in this case to finish the book.

I agree that it is not stupid banter between two people, but more intelligent in its language, however, big words and "lofty" references do not a great story make. It is like they are just jammed in there (the words I mean) and the ideas aren't ever really developed. Think of someone who drops their new-word-a-day-calendar vocabulary on you to impress you.

I never felt that it could really be happening or that the characters were real. Okay to read, but I am sorry that I spent the money on it. Not my style. Bummer, because it had such good potential. Still looking for the confluence of the erotic and the eloquent.