Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A dark masterpiece, August 27, 1998
By A Customer
Undoubtedly Sade's chief novel, "Juliette" describes the lengthy adventures of a beautiful young whore who uses her body to obtain the money and power she craves. Her numerous sexual adventures are described in minute detail, as are her equally numerous murders and other less pleasant debaucheries. The whole is punctuated with philosophical discussion regarding the nature of sex, God, and mankind. This is a very intense book, and one which has upset and offended many, many people since it was first published in the 1790's. If the subject of sex offends you, do not read this book. However, if you can stand a cold, dispassionate account of the human sex drive, and its function and meaning, then read "Juliette" immediately. One final comment - Sade's writing is often dismissed as "repetitive," but what could be more repetitive than the physical motions of sexual intercourse?
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Dark Masterpiece, December 18, 2000
Amidst the gratuitous sex and abhorrent violence, this book contains a philosophy of pure libertinage that should not be ignored. The 10% of this work that is not pornography details a unique, startling, frighteningly base school of thought that I have not encountered before or since reading this (rightfully) immortal tome. Man, as protrayed in Juliette, is a self-serving, solitary beast that will commit acts of the most extreme depravity on a mere bout of caprice. Life is meaningless, God is dead, and no one matters save for yourself. This extreme nihilism is said to be the "right" way to live by Sade's characters, for nature allows their every "misdeed." Many would deem this mindset insane, but I ask them "why is it insane?" Is it not true? In the book, and in reality, it is only the subjectively chosen morality of other men that prevents us from acting on our most insidious desires. There is no right and wrong, because everything is permitted by nature. The adamant atheism, blasphemy, violence and selfishness entailed in the book is what makes me respect it so. I reccomend this work to every free thinker that can sit throught 1100+ pages of scatology. It is worth weeding through the shocking, occasionally repetitive porn to feast on the juicy nuggets of philosophy within.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Extraordinary Quest, July 28, 1997
By A Customer
This is just a quick note upon finishing this novel, and words simply fail me. One surely comes to mind and that is "Whew!" If there is anyone else out there who has succesfully completed this book and was taken so deep for so many good hours, please send me an email and let me know what you thought! For those of you who just happen to be in here and are unfamiliar with Sade, then I really don't think this is the book to start off with! It's frightening 1,205 pages would scare a lot of people away, but I just simply love to get into a huge novel! This was sex scene after perverse and twisted sex scene every page jammed packed with "kink" and loads and loads of sodomy! The amazing thing is, when you come to the last page of this monstrosity, it all comes together and makes sense and you finally realize that there actually WAS a story going on and you were just too wrapped up in Sade's sex, as are the characters, to notice what was going on around you all the time!Incredible read. Maybe I will do it again in a few. . .YEARS
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