Customer Reviews

Return to the Chateau (Story of O, Vol. 2/#05990)

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

 

 

Having read The Story of O and found it to be rich in description and intensely erotic I was totally disappointed by the sequel which was neither. Being a double spaced this book was also a lot less material for the money. It built to nothing and did little to grow the character of O. As others will be curious enough to buy and read the book anyway because of its heritage I can't blame them for it, but warn that they will be just as disappointed as I was.

After reading all the reviews here, it's obvious there's something few reviewers understood about this book. It was not written as a 'sequel.' It is actually the closing chapters of the Story of O, which the original publishers cut off that book. This is why it's so short, and why the descriptive details are fewer--you are reading the ending of the Story of O, where the reader is already familiar with all the sensual details. Read the last chapters of any novel, and you will find the descriptions are less detailed for the same reason. Florid description gets redundent at the end of any story.

Now about the end of the tale. For those who were hoping for some sort of happy-ever-after, love trumps all kind of ending: forget it. This is a woman's journey down the dark path of self-destruction. It's nihilism at its best (or worst), depending on how you look at it. For O to suddenly reverse course would be out of tune not only with the story itself, but with O's character. If you started this ride with the Story of O, I highly recommend finishing it with these missing chapters. Put the two together and read it as a whole, the way it was intended.

After searching for this book for so long, I finally found it - unfortunately. I guess there was nothing left to do after the Story Of O. Absolutely nothing happens in this book. The writing style doesn't even seem the same. You are much better off getting The Passive Voice by G.C. Scott. That book is written in the style of the Story Of O only not quite as dark.

The book was cut into two parts by the publisher withoutPauline Reage's knowledge. I have read several other reviews by otherreaders here on Amazon, and just wanted to add some info andimpressions. History-wise, "Reage" was a very well knownwoman, a feminist in France in the 50s. She died within the last tenyears. There is a full-length book interview with her that I own thatis out of print, published when the book was first re-released in theUSA in the 70s... quite fascinating. So, to clarify, what has beenpublished on "O" is 1) The original truncated book in Francein the 50s and USA from the 70s on. 2) The original ending as"Return to the Chateau" in the late 70s or 80s. 3) Eitherjust before or just after, a rip-off called "Story of O"Part II that makes "O" into a dominatrix. 4) At least oneillustrated version of the original book. 5) A film version in the70s -- reviewed in Time Magazine at the time, starring Corinne Clery-- hot, hot, hot-- and 6) the 10 part Video set sold on Amazon.com --also pretty darn hot. Contemporaneous with "O" in the 50'sa book called "L'Image" (the Image) was also published bysomeone rumored to be Reages lover... I can also say that I find thebook wholly well-written, erotic, fascinating and interesting, but cannot avoid doing so due to my own interests. Some of the scenes inthis book, as well as Part I, are quite indelible in my mind. Oh,well, I am probably at 1000 words. .... ....

The main point in reading this is to see what happened after the story ended for O in the first novel. I thought that, without giving away any spoilers, it was a good read. I could understand that some might have found it lacking but, for me, it was just to see what happened and giving The Story of O a sequel was a good idea. If you are a fan of the first bdsm classic, you might want to try this one, as well. Also see Story of O.

I was anticipating a continuation of the overwhelming sensuality found in the Story of O. My hopes were not only thwarted, they were dashed. Return to the Chateau portrayed a dark heavy scenario... O's desertion by her Master, discarded and unwanted, forced into a life little better than that of a common prostitute. It is incomprehensible to me that the two books were written by the same author. Obviously when this was written, the author was sadly disillusioned by the Lifestyle she once so warmly and passionately embraced.

This book was great, but did not compare to Story of O. I was disappointed. I still recommend this if you are curious about O.

Hrm, i was thinking about reading this one, as a sequel to O, but i think i'll go with the "New Story of O" instead... which covers O becoming a Domme (or Mistress, if you prefer) and is similar with Crepax's Story of O, Volume III (lovely artwork and interpretation in the Crepax series as well, all three volumes)...

Very, very short, not at all like The Story of O. Not the same energy, excitement. Could not stand the ending, OMG! Huge let down.

Story of O had me fascinated but the sequel just left me feeling disappointed. If you have read O, then I would advise you to stick with its endings rather than the one offered by Return to the Chateau, as it is simply a let-down.