Customer Reviews

The Torture Garden: Complete and Unexpurgated

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This book by Octave Mirbeau caused an uproar when it was initially published in, I believe, 1900. And it is no surprise. It is, in essence, a look at ancient methods of torture as an art form. It will either shock you or repel you; it is like a duck pate: either you love it or hate it. I personally think it is one of the most remarkable novels ever written. If you can see past the grotesque and graphic descriptions you can appreciate the extraordinary originality of this work. It is an excellent example of "decadent" literature: artificiality outdoing nature; "seeking" - to quote Chimera from Flaubert's fantastic work "Temptation of St. Anthony," - "new perfumes, larger blossoms, pleasures still untasted"; deep philosophical discussions of obscure topics; longing for greatness of bygone days; traveling in exotic places. It is certainly not for weak-minded. But to say that this book is nothing more than people talking about disgusting topics is really looking at it very superficially. I personally feel this book is not any more repulsive than most of Stephen King's cookie-cutter horror novels, with much more food for thought. I'm very happy to see this novel in Kindle edition.

Blah blah blah. That's it. This book is a bunch of people talking endlessly about justifications for their own behaviors. I drifted for much of it because it is so badly written and so damned boring.

Should you try, yourself: Good luck.