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I received many emails after writing this review from people defending Pauline Reage and the lack of reality in some of the scenes in her book. It appears that, in an interview, she let it be known that she was challenged by her lover and employer, Jean Paulhan, to write the book when he stated that no woman was capable of writing an erotic novel. To prove him wrong she wrote the Story of O - which went on to become an award winning and extremely controversial success. Even in France, in the 1950s, such blatant sadomasochism was horrifying to many - to the extent that obscenity charges were brought against the publisher and author and publicity on the book was banned.

There is a follow up to the book - a conclusion - titled Retour a Roissy, though I've never seen nor read it.

I can only say the book is quite wonderful for someone not actually involved in sadomasochism who wrote it as a challenge! That knowledge does make some of the more obvious physical impossibilities more forgivable, to me at least.