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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Double-edged sword of notoriety,
By A Customer
This review is from: Ordeal (Paperback)
Linda Lovelace's third book (and the first to be directly quoted from her, instead of other sources) unwinds a horror tale of abuse at the hands of her crudely ambitious husband, Chuck Traynor. Chuck appeared at a time in Linda's life when she was feeling restricted by her parents at age 21, and had a poor self-image. She lapped up his flattery and "star treatment" at first, since he seemed to be an "important businessman". Later, his behavior was straight out of a "cult recruits" manual: get girl to rebel against her parents, remove her (symbolic) umbilical cord, then attach your own cord and make her your love slave. After this, Chuck's methods went from pouring on the charm to veiled threats to outright abuse (classic pimp profile). Linda relays nightmarish stories in which she was regularly subjected to rape, prositution and physical pain. One day, Chuck just happened to trot her out to another crudely ambitious filmmaker, who was fascinated by Linda's talent for oral sex. The movie "Deep Throat" was born, and the rest, as they say, was history. Linda maintains that she never had the strength or courage to leave Chuck until all of these celebrities (like Hugh Hefner and Sammy Davis, Jr.) became part of her life, and in effect, took away some of Chuck's power over her.Some skeptics have suggested that Linda's book is a potboiler to make money now that she can't get any more pornography work (because of her age). There are certainly sections that I felt Linda could have elaborated on, such as her getting pregnant as a young adult, and giving up her baby for adoption. Maybe as part of the "Chuck Traynor" story it's not relevant, but when you're trying to make the case that poor self-esteem played a large role in your actions, it seems strange not to explain your out-of-wedlock pregnancy in a little more detail. There is also a section when Linda, working on the set of "Deep Throat", laughs out loud at a joke, and realizes that she feels good because she "belongs" and she's "part of a group". She doesn't explain why she would want to be a part of any group that's into pornography, since she spends the whole book talking about how degrading it was. Overall, though, I don't agree with the "sour grapes" theory. Linda made very little money as a porno star under Chuck Traynor's management, but she could definitely have made a bundle once she left him and got her own attorney. The fact that she chose NOT to become another Marilyn Chambers or Bambi Woods is consistent with her allegations. Also, Linda never claims that "females" hate pornography, prostitution, etc. She sites several examples of women who are into it, or at least claim to be, such as Andrea True. Women who aren't, as Linda claims she wasn't, are most often brutally forced into "scenes" (what could have caused all her bruises in "Deep Throat" if it wasn't a beating?). Whenever I see reviews of "Ordeal" that talk about how "sexy" it is, it's completely baffling. Unless, of course, one finds gang-rape, bestiality and torture erotic. If anything, "Ordeal" is a very unflattering portrayal of the so-called "Sexy 70's", since most of the people mentioned in the book are "brothers under the skin" like Hugh Hefner and Chuck Traynor. There's very little compassion or generosity among most of the "cast"; self-love and instant gratification are the buzzwords with this aptly named "Me" Generation. For those who were hoping for a sexy play-by-play with celebrities galore, this chilling look at the Ultimate Male Fantasy is sure to have all the effects of a cold shower. It's not a heavy-handed argument against pornography per se; it simply peels away the gold glitter and leaves the tarnish underneath for all to see.
29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I miss having her speak out for us who are too scared too,
This review is from: Ordeal: An Autobiography by Linda Lovelace (Hardcover)
I'm an ex-sex worker. I now belong to Sex Workers Anonymous. I've lived this industry and I know the crowd Linda spoke about in her books. She had the courage to write about what wasn't just her experiences - but also many of ours experiences - but we go off into hiding and fear once we leave rather then speak out like she did knowing what it could and did cost her. I watched while people who knew nothing of this industry attacked her for speaking out about this industry doing what men do - always blame the woman/victim. Speaking out about what really goes on in this world affected her health deeply from the stress and contributed to her early death I'm sure. She's not the only one who had lasting health problems to deal with after having left the sex industry though no fault of her own. In America - a man can go to jail for raping his wife - but not for raping a sex worker. What people don't realize is that many of these men, women and children are living out Linda's story - they can't get out without fear of themselves being killed or their family members. I knew a pimp once who would hold a woman's child hostage until she came back each night with "his" money. One night she got arrested and wasn't able to come home on time. The pimp cut off the left arm of this six year old girl. Anyone who thinks you can't be held in this business against your will - obviously hasn't been there and should shut up about something they know nothing about. I consider Linda a martyr for taking all the guff she took to tell our stories and to try to enlighten people about what goes on every day - but we don't have the guts to tell about our stories ourselves. Anyone who wants to know what this industry can really be like - should read her stories. If all she wanted was to keep making money and just made this up to sell books - she would have done what Xavier Hollendar or Norma Jean or Heidi Fleiss - did. Sell a hell of a lot more books feeding into the american myths about this business - without any of the flack she took for telling the truth. The woman had the courage of a lion - not only to survive what she did - and to live to tell about it - but also to tell about it in the hopes that us "unknowns" are more believed when we try to tell our stories and try to get help to get out.
22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Life is truth and media often illusion.,
This review is from: Ordeal (Paperback)
In 1972, with the release of "Deep Throat" the most famous porno film ever made, Linda Lovelace was known as an open-minded, attractive and liberated young lady who enjoyed sex and wasn't afraid to say so. ORDEAL chronicles the real truth of her life. She was the victim of a violent, manipulative mentor who insisted she prostitute herself and perform in sex movies for easy money. This book doesn't disparage the actual movie "Deep Throat" which is still considered one of the best adult films for its unusual storyline and quirky humour. What the book does do is expose the horrific tactics used to manipulate a woman into doing this movie. Lovelace's life would not be unique but neither would it be every porno stars story. Despite her fame, much of her life was sour - abusive partners, poverty, and being the subject of crude jokes and staring. ORDEAL covers all of these aspects as does the books excellent sequel "Out Of Bondage". ORDEAL is a good book because it sets the record straight. Hopefully, it serves the dual purpose of Linda Marchiano getting her true horror stories off her chest and drawing attention to the fact that such a chain of events can happen to other young women. One is absolutely sympathetic to Lovelace throughout the book, despite the fact she makes herself a TOTAL victim. That's questionable. I read a novel version of "Deep Throat" which intended to pad out the movie. Naturally, it made Linda a cute and sexy gal that just loved to please. Many a mans fantasy I suppose, but this real account of the stars life continually reinforce the message - "It's a fantasy story. Sex, humour and willing to please girls cannot exist without darker emotional undercurrents." Read ORDEAL for a well-written, intelligent but disillusioning true tale.
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