The Sleeping Beauty Novels: The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty / Beauty's Release / Beauty's Punishment [BOX SET] (Paperback)

~ A. N. Roquelaure (Author), (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Anne Rice casts her lurid gaze upon the the traditional tale of "Sleeping Beauty" under the pen name of A.N. Roquelaure. Her re-telling of the Beauty story probes the unspoken implications of this lush, suggestive tale by exploring its undeniable connection to sexual desire. Reminiscent of the charged erotica of her novel Belinda. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

Celebrate the daring gifts of Anne Rice, writing as A. N. Roquelaure, with this beautifully repackaged boxed set of the three erotic novels in her acclaimed Sleeping Beauty trilogy.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 724 pages
• Publisher: Plume (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452156610
• ISBN-13: 978-0452156616
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 4.9 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (170 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,526 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

102 of 114 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read!, March 17, 2000

By	Sandra Cooper (Fresno, California) - See all my reviews

When I read the first of the Sleeping Beauty books by Anne Rice, I read it in an afternoon. I immediately went out and bought the remaining two books in the trilogy. I had purchased the first one out of curiosity, after paging through it. At first, these books may seem to be just a lot of sex, and S and M type of stuff, but there is more to it than that. Rice explores the feelings of the characters and how they adjust to their situation and surroundings, and how they relate to each other in such an extraordinary setting. I found myself reading as fast as I could to find out what happened to Beauty and her friends. If you are offended by extremely explicit and graphic sex, you would not like these books. But if that doesn't bother you, and you like a sense of fantasy and seductiveness, these are the books for you.

102 of 115 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Erotica A La Anne, February 13, 2002

By	W. Carol "dog lover" - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Sleeping Beauty Novels: The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty / Beauty's Release / Beauty's Punishment (Paperback)

Many years ago, as rumor has it, Anne Rice set out to prove that the world of erotica was not limited to male writers. It was her contention, so the story goes, that a women could contribute to this genre just as well, if not better.

And so, under the pen name A. N. Roquelaure, Anne created a trilogy of intense sado-masochistic erotic novels loosely based on the fairytale "Sleeping Beauty."

To say that these books are overwhelmingly intense is not to state the case. It is possible to read them without having a predeliction toward the acts that are graphically described on almost every page, but be warned that Anne, aka Roquelaure, pulls no punches, and there is absolutely nothing subtle or hinted at in these books.

Like everything Anne wrote before "Memnoch the Devil," the Beauty Chronicles are works of genius, in my opinion. They contain the same richness, the same historical detail, the same darkness as all of her later books to come, including her chronicles of the witches, and the vampires. I am not a regular reader of such novels, so I cannot compare them to others of the genre, but I venture to say that these books have to stand out as unique at the least, mind-blowing at the most.

It is easy to understand the deep eroticism of Rice's witch and vampire books after sampling the Beauty chronicles. For many many years, I imagined Rice as a veritable cauldron of bubbling thoughts, erotic and otherwise, sane and otherwise, struggling to break free. These three books seem to prove the point, which is why I can view them as more than trash.

Anne knew what she was doing, and she did it, as only she can, in a spectacular manner. Again, be warned: If you are going to read the Beauty Chronicles, expect pure, savage erotica, with nothing hidden or explained away. I read these novels to gain more insight into what makes Rice tick. I did not come away unshocked or unscathed, but I certainly read her later works with a new understanding.

42 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A thoroughly exciting read..., July 6, 2000

By	Juliette Miranda "Juliette Miranda" (Chicago) - See all my reviews

Though I was skeptical at first, I rapidly found that this series is stimulating, colorful, and entrancing. Anne Rice does a wonderful job of delving into the thoughts behind submission, offering beautifully written descriptions of the desires of the characters. To truly appreciate this body of work, one really must read all three books in the series. By following Beauty through all the books, you can watch as her character developes and see how she comes to understand and love her submission. As well, the ending of the third book ties everything together as only a fairy tale can. I loved this series, and although I would have liked a bit more variance in the punishment scenes, I still find myself pouring over the books and my favorite passages.