A strong point in favour of "Female Submission: The Journals of Madelaine" is the quality of the writing. Varrin has a formal, almost 19th century style. If you are like me, and find yourself correcting poor grammar when you are reading porn, or you can appreciate a well-constructed sentence, or you often don't find porn sexy because of the insipid or boring use of language, Varrin's journal may fit the bill.

Another strong point in favour of the book is it's sociological interest. Varrin, a professional dominant, enjoys the submissive role when off the job. She writes eloquently about the cognitive dissonance this causes others in her NYC BDSM community, and the criticism that this has generated. She also has penetrating insights into BDSM communities she visits abroad. As an overview of some the interpersonal and social bullshit one might encounter in BDSM communities, her journal provides an interesting record.

A third reason to read this book involves Varrin's accounting of and insight into the psyche of female submissives. I felt a powerful resonance with her descriptions of her emotions. For example, when she describes the pleasure she gets from preparing her Master a perfectly grilled sandwich in the same way she describes the pleasure of his fingers in her pussy, I understand what she is getting at. She also has a good grasp of how sexual shame, fear, and pain play into sexual arousal.

Finally, the sex in the book: some of the scenes are very hot. For example, the enema scene, the MMF fisting scene, the description of Madelaine/Varrin's extreme sexual responsiveness, all made me wet. On the other hand, the vast amount of aggressive face fucking was repetitive and therefore not very sexy. I suppose this is a drawback of reading a blow-by-blow (giggle) account of someone's sex life. It may be fun to relay on certain activities as a sexual mainstay when you are *doing* it, but the same activity again and again in literature gets dull.

I was surprised by one of the sexual scenes, it had aspects I had not ever considered. Below is a sample:

"After two more cruelly deep thrusts of his cock, I felt it coming up. I tried to swallow it back down but Niles wouldn't let me. He found the retch spot in the back of my throat and worked it mercilessly . . . All I wanted to do was let him use me as sadistically and humiliatingly as he pleased. My mind blanked on everything but his cock down my throat. My quim spurted and oozed. He continued to pump me . . . My vomit surrounded his cock then ran down it and his balls. The vomit ran down my chin, neck, and belly . . . it snaked its way down between my spread open legs and over the lips of my quim. Soon a steaming little heap of it was on the floor between my legs . . . I started to rub and smear myself with my own vomit."

I wasn't able to tell if this passage turned me on or freaked me out. I had never considered cock-induced vomiting as a possible dimension of BDSM. But I see how it plays easily with loss of control of the body, shame at body functions, and pleasure at breaking the taboo, all themes that are prominently featured in my sexuality. Even as I write this, I can't tell if I think it's incredibly hot or weirdly upsetting. For that reason alone, the book was worth reading for me. It pointed at some uncharted territory.

Given the long history of the confessional in erotic literature, before reading it, I assumed the book would be fiction pretending to be a diary. My bad. The book actually seems to be Varrin's journal. How can I tell? There are lots of (non-erotic) details about the inadequacy of British bathrooms, the petty infighting and interpersonal politics in BDSM communities she encounters, the specifics of meals she cooks for her lover, and what they watch on television. This slowed down the sexiness. This meant that if I was going to read the book and masturbate at the same time, I had to skip pages to get to the good bits.

The other drawback to it being (I think) a personal journal is that you end up reading things you are better off not having read. For example, Varrin-- a luscious redheaded beauty judging from her pic on the book jacket-- is involved in an orgy with several other extremely Beautiful People. They have a conversation about how much more fun sex is with Beautiful People, that regular people are just not as good. As a regular woman, I have secretly feared that is what the Beautiful People said behind our backs. Getting confirmation of this fear was an experience I could have lived without. ;) Back to therapy with me now, I guess. I think that's what you get for reading other peoples' journals.