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Taming the Beast
A dazzling debut from one of Australia's most gifted young writers
"Maguire keeps the prose crackling and the dialogue lively ... from the first page to the last." Publishers Weekly
Sarah Clark's life is irrevocably changed at the age of 14 when her English teacher, Mr Carr, seduces her after class. Their affair is illegal, erotic, passionate and dangerous - a vicious meeting of minds and bodies. But when Mr Carr's wife discovers the affair, he has to choose between them and moves to another city with his family.
Sarah is devastated and from that day on her life is defined by a series of meaningless, self-abasing sexual encounters, hoping with each man that she will experience the same delicious feelings she had with Mr Carr.
Seven years later Daniel Carr walks back into Sarah's life and she is drawn once again into the destructive relationship. Is Sarah strong enough to "tame the beast"?
PRAISE FOR EMILY MAGUIRE
"At the heart of ... Emily Maguire's work lies an urgent need to pull away at the interconnecting threads of morality, society and human relationships." Sydney Morning Herald
"what you get, along with a sharp mind and a keenness to investigate cultural confusions, is an engaging ability to put the vitality of the story first." Weekend Australian
"Maguire keeps the prose crackling and the dialogue lively ... from the first page to the last." Publishers Weekly
Sarah Clark's life is irrevocably changed at the age of 14 when her English teacher, Mr Carr, seduces her after class. Their affair is illegal, erotic, passionate and dangerous - a vicious meeting of minds and bodies. But when Mr Carr's wife discovers the affair, he has to choose between them and moves to another city with his family.
Sarah is devastated and from that day on her life is defined by a series of meaningless, self-abasing sexual encounters, hoping with each man that she will experience the same delicious feelings she had with Mr Carr.
Seven years later Daniel Carr walks back into Sarah's life and she is drawn once again into the destructive relationship. Is Sarah strong enough to "tame the beast"?
PRAISE FOR EMILY MAGUIRE
"At the heart of ... Emily Maguire's work lies an urgent need to pull away at the interconnecting threads of morality, society and human relationships." Sydney Morning Herald
"what you get, along with a sharp mind and a keenness to investigate cultural confusions, is an engaging ability to put the vitality of the story first." Weekend Australian
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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March 19, 2011First of all, I would like to thank Iyah for recommending this book to me based on the fact that she believed me to be extremely perverted, I think.
You know sometimes how you guys have to remind me to give a book a star rating because I accidentally forget? No. Not this time. I won't rate this book. I CAN'T rate this book.
This book is so many conflicted things. Filthy, dirty, shocking, perverted, angry, degraded, frustrated. It's raw, honest, painful, sorrowful, empty, begging, pitiable.
I hated it. I loved it. I despised it. I forgave it. I understood it and yet reviled it.
This is not an easy book to read. This is not a satisfying book to read.
I hated Daniel. I still do and I always will. He is an abusive, perverted, violent, selfish, megalomaniacal monster.
But whilst I will flat out say I hated every character in this book, Daniel is the exception. He's the exception because he's the only one I hated for every word on every page with every part of myself. The other characters I hate because I love them, if that makes sense. I hate Sarah because I wanted to steal her away and heal her. I hated Jamie because he wanted to do the exact same thing and he failed. I hated Mike for various complicated reasons.
Maguire doesn't go easy on you. She softens nothing, gives you no ease, no satisfaction. She doesn't want to. She tells a tragic, painful story and spares no details. Her writing is as violent, unpredictable and changeable as Daniel and Sarah's "love affair".
Reading this novel was not about love. I didn't love this novel. More like I read this novel for the same reason that Daniel and Sarah were together. Some kind of sick, irredeemable compulsion that wouldn't release me and that I felt helpless to stop.
Fortunately, unlike Daniel and Sarah, I'm strong enough to stop.
You know sometimes how you guys have to remind me to give a book a star rating because I accidentally forget? No. Not this time. I won't rate this book. I CAN'T rate this book.
This book is so many conflicted things. Filthy, dirty, shocking, perverted, angry, degraded, frustrated. It's raw, honest, painful, sorrowful, empty, begging, pitiable.
I hated it. I loved it. I despised it. I forgave it. I understood it and yet reviled it.
This is not an easy book to read. This is not a satisfying book to read.
I hated Daniel. I still do and I always will. He is an abusive, perverted, violent, selfish, megalomaniacal monster.
But whilst I will flat out say I hated every character in this book, Daniel is the exception. He's the exception because he's the only one I hated for every word on every page with every part of myself. The other characters I hate because I love them, if that makes sense. I hate Sarah because I wanted to steal her away and heal her. I hated Jamie because he wanted to do the exact same thing and he failed. I hated Mike for various complicated reasons.
Maguire doesn't go easy on you. She softens nothing, gives you no ease, no satisfaction. She doesn't want to. She tells a tragic, painful story and spares no details. Her writing is as violent, unpredictable and changeable as Daniel and Sarah's "love affair".
Reading this novel was not about love. I didn't love this novel. More like I read this novel for the same reason that Daniel and Sarah were together. Some kind of sick, irredeemable compulsion that wouldn't release me and that I felt helpless to stop.
Fortunately, unlike Daniel and Sarah, I'm strong enough to stop.
September 10, 2013
You know what I don't like in fiction with erotic content?
A sexual relationship that seems rather pathetic and silly.
A sexual relationship that is violent. Not pseudo violence/BDSM games, mind you, extreme physical pain inflicted by both parties.
A sexual relationship where someone is repeatedly used. And often raped.
A sexual relationship that's literally filthy--sex in a crap hole of an apartment, up against a dumpster with rotting food and rats, etc.
A sexual relationship with seriously unsexy sex.
And worst of all: A sexual relationship where both parties pretentiously quote literature at each other as foreplay.
I won't even get into the other ways in which this book proved to be disappointing, in every conceivable way--psychologically, plot-wise, writing-wise, dialogue-wise, character-wise, and beyond. Everyone's fucked up and no one is in the least bit likeable or nuanced or even marginally interesting.
Hated. This. Book. In case that wasn't obvious.
A sexual relationship that seems rather pathetic and silly.
A sexual relationship that is violent. Not pseudo violence/BDSM games, mind you, extreme physical pain inflicted by both parties.
A sexual relationship where someone is repeatedly used. And often raped.
A sexual relationship that's literally filthy--sex in a crap hole of an apartment, up against a dumpster with rotting food and rats, etc.
A sexual relationship with seriously unsexy sex.
And worst of all: A sexual relationship where both parties pretentiously quote literature at each other as foreplay.
I won't even get into the other ways in which this book proved to be disappointing, in every conceivable way--psychologically, plot-wise, writing-wise, dialogue-wise, character-wise, and beyond. Everyone's fucked up and no one is in the least bit likeable or nuanced or even marginally interesting.
Hated. This. Book. In case that wasn't obvious.
January 17, 2014
★★★★ 3.5 disturbingly fascinating stars!
Taming the Beast was a deeply disturbing, fascinating, haunting, sad, unforgettable and beautifully written story. From the moment I started reading it, I could not put it down. The author managed to both impress me and disgust me with certain scenes and descriptions and to say that I "enjoyed" reading this book does not sound quite right. What I would say though is that it made me think and it made me FEEL all the different emotions the main characters where going through, even though I couldn't exactly relate to them, and THAT in my opinion is always the telltale sign of a good book.
It's definitely a book that manages to leave an impression and that will stay with me for a very long time.
I will not go into to much detail about the storyline because that would ruin your reading experience. This story is basically about a bright, young girl who falls in love with the wrong person. From there on out her life pretty much takes a nosedive and she lands on a destructive path that may or may not become her downfall. I should warn you though that the story starts out with a fourteen year old girl Sarah who gets seduced by her thirty eight year old teacher, Mr. Daniel Carr, and ends up having an affair with him. Then, when his wife finds out, he leaves his teaching position and moves his family to another state. That's when Sarah's left feeling heartbroken because she'd actually fallen in love with Mr. Carr. Eight destructive years later, they meet again and realize that their passion for and obsession with each other only seems to have grown over the years.
If ever there were people completely and utterly obsessed with each other it would be Sarah and Daniel. They were constantly in a battle of wills. Apart, the two of them are still somewhat "normal", but together they're simply out of control. Some quotes to clarify my point:
I actually felt sorry for Sarah and the way the men in her life used her. Her life was truly miserable even though I felt like she could have done something about it and changed it for the better. I want to applaud the author for making this feel like such a "light read" while the actual content was so utterly depressing. Although I felt uncomfortable and frustrated at times while reading this book, I loved the author's descriptive writing style and I think she did an amazing job at writing a highly unique debut novel. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of her work in the future!
"But then, life is a constant withering of possibilities. Some are stolen with the lives of people you love. Others are let go, with regret and reluctance and deep, deep sorrow. But there is compensation for lives unloved in the joy of knowing that the life you have - right here, right now - is the one you have chosen. There is power in that, and hope."
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August 11, 2016No rating
“When two people were completely bound in the expression of love, they ceased to be separate individuals and become one creature. The act of passion, when properly performed, created an organism larger than the sum of its parts; it created a beast with two backs, but one soul.”
If I had the chance to rewind time, I would’ve chosen to not read this book – it’s too poisonous and in general, too much. I’m all for dark reads – the darker the better – but this is the kind of book that leaves a permanent impression on your mind and has the capacity to stain souls and mess with your psyche. It’s impossible to escape unscathed from the emotional damage and mindfuck.
If you are looking for a student/teacher read, I suggest you look elsewhere. This book is dark, disgusting, and demented and the end result from reading is not rewarding or fulfilling. While the writing was magnificent, I hated the story, hated all the characters, hated the choices they made and ultimately, I hate myself for reading this book.
P.S. I know this review is way shorter than my usual ones but all you need to know about the plot is what the blurb tells you. In all honesty, I would NOT recommend this book to anyone. There is some beauty and hope to be found within this story, but the ugliness completely overshadows it.
“When two people were completely bound in the expression of love, they ceased to be separate individuals and become one creature. The act of passion, when properly performed, created an organism larger than the sum of its parts; it created a beast with two backs, but one soul.”
If I had the chance to rewind time, I would’ve chosen to not read this book – it’s too poisonous and in general, too much. I’m all for dark reads – the darker the better – but this is the kind of book that leaves a permanent impression on your mind and has the capacity to stain souls and mess with your psyche. It’s impossible to escape unscathed from the emotional damage and mindfuck.
If you are looking for a student/teacher read, I suggest you look elsewhere. This book is dark, disgusting, and demented and the end result from reading is not rewarding or fulfilling. While the writing was magnificent, I hated the story, hated all the characters, hated the choices they made and ultimately, I hate myself for reading this book.
P.S. I know this review is way shorter than my usual ones but all you need to know about the plot is what the blurb tells you. In all honesty, I would NOT recommend this book to anyone. There is some beauty and hope to be found within this story, but the ugliness completely overshadows it.
September 3, 2025
⋰˚☆ 1
ೃ⁀➷
What a terrible way to start this month. I can’t believe I pushed through instead of DNF-ing.
This book follows Sarah, a fourteen - year old groomed into having an affair with her thirty-eight year old English teacher, Daniel. - Seriously, what’s with all the male english teachers being creeps? Needs to be studied. This book has consecutive coitus scenes that are extremely explicit, and uncomfortable. This story also leans into the tired narrative of the predator as the “victim” and the child at blame. They end up departing from each other , but end up coming back together years later as Sarah struggles with trauma, neglect, and questioning coping. They end up reuniting, and it just gets continuously worse. This was just the plot, but the characters were awful as well. I completely sympathize with the victim, Sarah, but gosh her coping mechanism was contentious. They’re both pretty depraved, but he 100% had an influence. Super disturbing & sad.
ೃ⁀➷
What a terrible way to start this month. I can’t believe I pushed through instead of DNF-ing.
This book follows Sarah, a fourteen - year old groomed into having an affair with her thirty-eight year old English teacher, Daniel. - Seriously, what’s with all the male english teachers being creeps? Needs to be studied. This book has consecutive coitus scenes that are extremely explicit, and uncomfortable. This story also leans into the tired narrative of the predator as the “victim” and the child at blame. They end up departing from each other , but end up coming back together years later as Sarah struggles with trauma, neglect, and questioning coping. They end up reuniting, and it just gets continuously worse. This was just the plot, but the characters were awful as well. I completely sympathize with the victim, Sarah, but gosh her coping mechanism was contentious. They’re both pretty depraved, but he 100% had an influence. Super disturbing & sad.
July 13, 2014
Review from Way Too Hot Books
What did just happen? Again I am in position where I have no clue how to write a review. It took me some time before I could make myself sit down and say something coherent and not sound like a little kid that's just learning how to talk. Taming the Beast is not a book for everyone. It deals with so many twisted, messed up things - I can't decide with what to begin with. Taming the Beast could open up some old wounds if you were victim of abuse, so think carefully before you pick up this book.
I'll have to insert few spoilers. This is not kinky, dark erotica. This is not the book that plays with your sexual fantasies. Taming the Beast is the story about abuse and way it affects lives of everyone involved. Told from perspective of Sarah and her best friend Jamie, it deals with the subject of pedophilia and the sexual abuse. Sarah was only fourteen years old when she had sex for the first time - in the classroom, with her teacher who is twenty four years older than her. I will repeat - he is her 24 years older teacher. Now you probably think it was a rape. Well, that is a tricky part - it would probably be a rape if Sarah didn't react the way she did. (And you are confused! I know, trust me. I figured some things out much later.) But does it make okay? Hell no!
But the story doesn't stop there - we will get a fast forward and meet Sarah again - this time she is very smart and beautiful college student known for her sexual exploits and Jamie, her only friend who knows the truth, as her constant guardian. She is an epitome of liberated woman, but just on the outside - everything she does is because Sarah is broken and doesn't know how to deal. Her reckless actions doesn't affect only her, but everyone around her.
What made this book so intriguing is the way author gave you this two possible outcomes - what might have happened years back while she had set across from Jamie first time she met him and what did happen with Mr. Carr, and years later again - what might have happen if Mr. Carr didn't came back. All "might-haves" are there between the lines and your heart breaks for that girl who never really grow up and the boy who tried to save her all his life. It's not just Sarah who was victim of abuse, in some indirect way Jamie was a victim too.
Emily Maguire doesn't just talk about victims - she goes one step further and gets in the head of abuser. You will realize just how horrific everything actually was when you read about his motivation and reasons for his actions. Both him and Sarah are victims and abusers at the same time.
Should you read this book? I honestly do not know. If you think that you can deal with this topic, you should - Taming the Beast is not light read and it's not novel about secret fantasies that should give you few hours of mindless fun. This is a kind of book that will hunt you for the rest of your life.
What did just happen? Again I am in position where I have no clue how to write a review. It took me some time before I could make myself sit down and say something coherent and not sound like a little kid that's just learning how to talk. Taming the Beast is not a book for everyone. It deals with so many twisted, messed up things - I can't decide with what to begin with. Taming the Beast could open up some old wounds if you were victim of abuse, so think carefully before you pick up this book.
I'll have to insert few spoilers. This is not kinky, dark erotica. This is not the book that plays with your sexual fantasies. Taming the Beast is the story about abuse and way it affects lives of everyone involved. Told from perspective of Sarah and her best friend Jamie, it deals with the subject of pedophilia and the sexual abuse. Sarah was only fourteen years old when she had sex for the first time - in the classroom, with her teacher who is twenty four years older than her. I will repeat - he is her 24 years older teacher. Now you probably think it was a rape. Well, that is a tricky part - it would probably be a rape if Sarah didn't react the way she did. (And you are confused! I know, trust me. I figured some things out much later.) But does it make okay? Hell no!
But the story doesn't stop there - we will get a fast forward and meet Sarah again - this time she is very smart and beautiful college student known for her sexual exploits and Jamie, her only friend who knows the truth, as her constant guardian. She is an epitome of liberated woman, but just on the outside - everything she does is because Sarah is broken and doesn't know how to deal. Her reckless actions doesn't affect only her, but everyone around her.
What made this book so intriguing is the way author gave you this two possible outcomes - what might have happened years back while she had set across from Jamie first time she met him and what did happen with Mr. Carr, and years later again - what might have happen if Mr. Carr didn't came back. All "might-haves" are there between the lines and your heart breaks for that girl who never really grow up and the boy who tried to save her all his life. It's not just Sarah who was victim of abuse, in some indirect way Jamie was a victim too.
Emily Maguire doesn't just talk about victims - she goes one step further and gets in the head of abuser. You will realize just how horrific everything actually was when you read about his motivation and reasons for his actions. Both him and Sarah are victims and abusers at the same time.
Should you read this book? I honestly do not know. If you think that you can deal with this topic, you should - Taming the Beast is not light read and it's not novel about secret fantasies that should give you few hours of mindless fun. This is a kind of book that will hunt you for the rest of your life.
March 27, 2011
Before reading my passionate and lusty review of this book, I want to warn everyone that I'm not an erotic genre lover or sex addict or both. It was an accident that I liked this book because of its deeper meaning besides having sex with a teacher and with a restless book. I rated it higher than what I expected when I started reading it, every letters of every words of this book delivers a very strong emotion of a girl who needed someone to comfort her.
Sometimes, I ask myself, why do prostitutes sell there sexy body and big tits for money even though they knew that there are still jobs available for them. Of course, there are at least thousands of reasons behind this mysterious question of my curious mind, and this book reminds me of one out of thousand reasons that we can formulate.
I lived nearby McArthur Highway, the one with uncountable number of bars trying to seduce singles, foreigners or maybe married men wanting to have a dirty night or simply they want to enjoy there sex life. Every time I pass over McArthur Highway I always see poster of nude women in there windows or even on there name board at the top of there stalls.
One time, a local television show, Imbestigador investigated one of the bar in McArthur Highway and they found out that there are sex live happened in the bar. I mean the guy and the girl are both having sex in front of the customers and I was like, OMG, what on Earth have they done to themselves! Same comment I gave to this book, in fact this book is better than watching that news.
This book is hotter than any books I've read in my entire life, I may be hypocrite but I want to accept the fact that the book was ok. Some said it was shallow, and I opposed to the fact that I find it meaningful. Some said he likes the book because he liked a girl like Sarah, I opposed to the fact that I find Sarah a bitch and not a typical woman for longer relationship. (Well, it depends to the person.) Taming the Beast is a story of a girl who enjoyed sex in a very young age, she was raped, busted, and played.
Sarah Jane Clarke, a smart, intelligent, literature freak and a 22 year old lady who enjoyed having sex with all the men she met every night. Reader always asked this question every time they read it that what really happened to her that she became a sex addict or a nymphomaniac? It was well explained on the first part of the book, unfortunately there is a specific event in her life that changed her entire life and it was stated in the near end part of the book. When she was 14 years old, she had a crush on her English teacher and tutor, Daniel Carr, who teaches her to ejaculate, anal sex and many more that makes her bitchy in the entire story.
One thing that really stroke my mind is that, a teacher should be someone to protect his or her student but Mr. Carr is a person who become influential in a negative way. He have sex with a minor and slaved her, she rented prostitutes and etc, that he don't deserves the criteria of becoming a teacher. In the positive way, this makes the story better, or let me say tackled deeply the life of Sarah in the later part of the novel and the story of minors who become victim of sex. For me there are only three roads for those girls or guys, they become sex addict, trauma or moving on. Unfortunately Sarah takes the road of a nymphomaniac.
After months of having a relationship with Mr. Carr, the only person who knows her secret was her best friend, Jamie Wilkes. He had this sensitive feelings to Sarah, he likes her but at the same time hate her. When Mr. Carr leave the school, Sarah become desperate to look for another guy to have sex, and she search and search. Until she find someone to have sex and it was his best friend and his best friend's friend, Mike. Both are married and having a wonderful time with Sarah. Not a typical book for Filipinos and I'm sure some understands me.
What really makes me feel down, is that Sarah is desperate to have an affair to Carr although Carr leaved her and came back without a single sign. She become a sex toy! Never mind that scene, I can't get my mind out of that chapter. Reading this books was like reading sex-sex-sex-kiss-sex-kiss-sex and end up Sarah's crying and everyone is leaving her. That makes the author forced to end the story short!
This picture makes me laugh! No further comment, I can't help but to laugh all night. Guys why not try this with your partner, LOL!
Rating - Taming the Beast by Emily Maguire, 2 Sweets and two (2) sleepless nights. (I'm sure some saw I rated this book 4 but I decided I gave this one 2. Why? I don't know my instinct shouted number 2 while writing this review. Kidding. Well, there are parts that I find it too nasty for me to accept and I'm a conservative type even though I wrote like Sarah.)
Challenges:
Book #17 for 2011
Sometimes, I ask myself, why do prostitutes sell there sexy body and big tits for money even though they knew that there are still jobs available for them. Of course, there are at least thousands of reasons behind this mysterious question of my curious mind, and this book reminds me of one out of thousand reasons that we can formulate.
I lived nearby McArthur Highway, the one with uncountable number of bars trying to seduce singles, foreigners or maybe married men wanting to have a dirty night or simply they want to enjoy there sex life. Every time I pass over McArthur Highway I always see poster of nude women in there windows or even on there name board at the top of there stalls.
One time, a local television show, Imbestigador investigated one of the bar in McArthur Highway and they found out that there are sex live happened in the bar. I mean the guy and the girl are both having sex in front of the customers and I was like, OMG, what on Earth have they done to themselves! Same comment I gave to this book, in fact this book is better than watching that news.
This book is hotter than any books I've read in my entire life, I may be hypocrite but I want to accept the fact that the book was ok. Some said it was shallow, and I opposed to the fact that I find it meaningful. Some said he likes the book because he liked a girl like Sarah, I opposed to the fact that I find Sarah a bitch and not a typical woman for longer relationship. (Well, it depends to the person.) Taming the Beast is a story of a girl who enjoyed sex in a very young age, she was raped, busted, and played.
Sarah Jane Clarke, a smart, intelligent, literature freak and a 22 year old lady who enjoyed having sex with all the men she met every night. Reader always asked this question every time they read it that what really happened to her that she became a sex addict or a nymphomaniac? It was well explained on the first part of the book, unfortunately there is a specific event in her life that changed her entire life and it was stated in the near end part of the book. When she was 14 years old, she had a crush on her English teacher and tutor, Daniel Carr, who teaches her to ejaculate, anal sex and many more that makes her bitchy in the entire story.
One thing that really stroke my mind is that, a teacher should be someone to protect his or her student but Mr. Carr is a person who become influential in a negative way. He have sex with a minor and slaved her, she rented prostitutes and etc, that he don't deserves the criteria of becoming a teacher. In the positive way, this makes the story better, or let me say tackled deeply the life of Sarah in the later part of the novel and the story of minors who become victim of sex. For me there are only three roads for those girls or guys, they become sex addict, trauma or moving on. Unfortunately Sarah takes the road of a nymphomaniac.
Hypersexuality, or excessive sexual drive, are medical terms for a desire to engage in sexual activities at a level that is considered abnormally high in relation to normal development or culture and at a level that causes distress or serious problems for the person affected or to persons associated with them. It is considered to be a psychological disorder characterized by a hyperactive sex desire and an obsession with sex, and lowered sexual inhibitions. Hypersexuality in women has historically been known as nymphomania or furor uterinus, while in men, the disorder has been known as satyriasis. - Wikipedia
After months of having a relationship with Mr. Carr, the only person who knows her secret was her best friend, Jamie Wilkes. He had this sensitive feelings to Sarah, he likes her but at the same time hate her. When Mr. Carr leave the school, Sarah become desperate to look for another guy to have sex, and she search and search. Until she find someone to have sex and it was his best friend and his best friend's friend, Mike. Both are married and having a wonderful time with Sarah. Not a typical book for Filipinos and I'm sure some understands me.
What really makes me feel down, is that Sarah is desperate to have an affair to Carr although Carr leaved her and came back without a single sign. She become a sex toy! Never mind that scene, I can't get my mind out of that chapter. Reading this books was like reading sex-sex-sex-kiss-sex-kiss-sex and end up Sarah's crying and everyone is leaving her. That makes the author forced to end the story short!
This picture makes me laugh! No further comment, I can't help but to laugh all night. Guys why not try this with your partner, LOL!
Rating - Taming the Beast by Emily Maguire, 2 Sweets and two (2) sleepless nights. (I'm sure some saw I rated this book 4 but I decided I gave this one 2. Why? I don't know my instinct shouted number 2 while writing this review. Kidding. Well, there are parts that I find it too nasty for me to accept and I'm a conservative type even though I wrote like Sarah.)
Challenges:
Book #17 for 2011
April 13, 2017
“Real love should draw no blood from the loved and buckets from the lover.”
I have not, in a while, read a book that left me so emotionally engaged! I do not think I have the words to sum up what this book will make you feel: at times sad, enraged, disappointed, disgusted, repulsed …and so on, and so forth.
I was mostly okay, up until that fourth part, it is mainly the reason why I gave it 4 stars, even though this is an excellent 5-stars book: with outstanding writing (something that is probably the most important to me), plot, characters, everything; but I had to take my own feelings into consideration, because this book did disturb me, so yes, it is subjective.
Taming the Beast follows a path of a young, damaged woman on the road of self-destruction. It is a portrayal of abuse, in its truest form. Not only was she
She is like an addict, constantly repeating the same things in the hopes of gaining something higher, but constantly falling back down..
The ending;
But then, life is a constant withering of possibilities. Some are stolen with the lives of people you love. Others are let go, with regret and reluctance and deep, deep sorrow.
I would not recommend this book to everyone; I’m afraid that people would not see its beauty, would be too repulsed to find a message amongst that horridness.
And I think many people don’t understand Sarah – why she did not go to the police or don’t consider this abuse if she wanted it… No, this is abuse, even if she was not aware of it!
Therefore, to write this book, the author needed a great understanding of human psychology and behaviours of an abused person, and I think, to read it, we do too.
"... It was about connection. It was about looking at another human being and seeing your own loneliness and neediness reflected back. It was recognising that together you had the power to temporarily banish that sense of isolation."
Read
September 18, 2013i'm not going to rate this book. I am, however, going to talk about it.
If you're looking for a teacher-student romance , I personally don't think this fits the bill. I wouldn't call the disturbing relationship that this 38 year old married man with children started with his 14 year old clueless English student romantic. In fact, romantic would be the last word I would use to describe this book. When I got to the second page and the story went right into their first sexual encounter I thought, "Well, that's one way to start an affair." It simply came out of left field. You see, I was still thinking that I was going to read a romance story. I had absolutely no idea that this was a story about abuse (both physical and emotional) and the consequences that this 38 year old man left for this poor girl to deal with when he left her.
At one point as I was reading one of the million sexscapades this girl has (if you don't think highly of your neighborhood slut, good luck reading this one). I haven't felt so conflicted in my feelings about a heroine in a very long time. Sarah was a classless (I had no issues with this) selfish (huge issue with this) whore (no issue with this). The selfish bit was what had me shaking me head and thinking, "Why am I still reading?...oh, that's right, my morbid curiosity strikes again." She sleeps with anything that can get their dick up, and that's fine. I think by the end of it I understood why she did this, but at that point I didn't care.
When I got to 70% I thought, "Okay, the plot thickens, maybe something will happen now?..." I'm about to go into full blown spoiler mode now, so if you do not like spoilers do not read.
.
It's not a story for the weak hearted, that's for sure. I can't say I didn't like it because after having hours to process it, I guess in a sense I'm glad it wasn't your typical story. I wouldn't consider this a romance, though. I would say this is a story about a 14 year old girl who is abused by her English teacher that grows up slutting around because he left her and she doesn't know how to sort out the feelings she's left with. She doesn't know how to deal with the only person (ever) in her life that has told her he loved her, leaving her so she decides to shut out love from her life. She decides to turn a blind eye to the person who does love her, who would do anything for her, who would die for her, because she's too worried about having just a physical connection with someone. It's a story about a girl who reunites with the bastard who shaped her to be this heartless cow and starts an abusive relationship with him again.
So that's it: physical and emotionally abused girl falls into the same trap twice because she wants to be manipulated and tossed around. Because she is so self-destructive and thinks so little of herself that it makes this all right.
If you're looking for a teacher-student romance , I personally don't think this fits the bill. I wouldn't call the disturbing relationship that this 38 year old married man with children started with his 14 year old clueless English student romantic. In fact, romantic would be the last word I would use to describe this book. When I got to the second page and the story went right into their first sexual encounter I thought, "Well, that's one way to start an affair." It simply came out of left field. You see, I was still thinking that I was going to read a romance story. I had absolutely no idea that this was a story about abuse (both physical and emotional) and the consequences that this 38 year old man left for this poor girl to deal with when he left her.
At one point as I was reading one of the million sexscapades this girl has (if you don't think highly of your neighborhood slut, good luck reading this one). I haven't felt so conflicted in my feelings about a heroine in a very long time. Sarah was a classless (I had no issues with this) selfish (huge issue with this) whore (no issue with this). The selfish bit was what had me shaking me head and thinking, "Why am I still reading?...oh, that's right, my morbid curiosity strikes again." She sleeps with anything that can get their dick up, and that's fine. I think by the end of it I understood why she did this, but at that point I didn't care.
When I got to 70% I thought, "Okay, the plot thickens, maybe something will happen now?..." I'm about to go into full blown spoiler mode now, so if you do not like spoilers do not read.
.
It's not a story for the weak hearted, that's for sure. I can't say I didn't like it because after having hours to process it, I guess in a sense I'm glad it wasn't your typical story. I wouldn't consider this a romance, though. I would say this is a story about a 14 year old girl who is abused by her English teacher that grows up slutting around because he left her and she doesn't know how to sort out the feelings she's left with. She doesn't know how to deal with the only person (ever) in her life that has told her he loved her, leaving her so she decides to shut out love from her life. She decides to turn a blind eye to the person who does love her, who would do anything for her, who would die for her, because she's too worried about having just a physical connection with someone. It's a story about a girl who reunites with the bastard who shaped her to be this heartless cow and starts an abusive relationship with him again.
So that's it: physical and emotionally abused girl falls into the same trap twice because she wants to be manipulated and tossed around. Because she is so self-destructive and thinks so little of herself that it makes this all right.
January 7, 2018
OhSarahohSarahohoh...I wish someone would've stolen her away from Mr. Carr, made her hot chocolate and hid her somewhere far away from parents and predators.
I cannot say that I'm shocked that her teacher seized the opportunity. That's the reality of the world we live in. The fact that he wounded and ravaged her when they resumed their relationship years later slightly nauseated me, but hey, different people, different tastes. And what can you do when two adults are in a destructive relationship? That's their choice. And wasn't he her victim as much as she his?
That doesn't mean that I didn't find it hard to grasp Mr. Carr's attempts at . How could this man with two young daughters not
Some reviewers mentioned how they hated Sarah for continuously making all the wrong decisions. How what happened to
But! Have you never experienced someone sweeping you off your feet so completely, that whether you should give up everything you are is not even an issue that crosses your mind? Especially not when you’re THAT young and vulnerable, insecure and oblivious to what you can become?
I loved the delicate ending. Had feared that Sarah would eventually snap out of it just like that, especially after what happened to one of her friends. I'm grateful for Maguire's subtlety. Her ending is realistic and true to the story, yet full of hope and opportunities.
"But also", Mr. Carr said. "You could look at it the way I do. If your mother hadn't been so distant and unloving, maybe you wouldn't have been such an easy fuck."
I cannot say that I'm shocked that her teacher seized the opportunity. That's the reality of the world we live in. The fact that he wounded and ravaged her when they resumed their relationship years later slightly nauseated me, but hey, different people, different tastes. And what can you do when two adults are in a destructive relationship? That's their choice. And wasn't he her victim as much as she his?
That doesn't mean that I didn't find it hard to grasp Mr. Carr's attempts at . How could this man with two young daughters not
Some reviewers mentioned how they hated Sarah for continuously making all the wrong decisions. How what happened to
But! Have you never experienced someone sweeping you off your feet so completely, that whether you should give up everything you are is not even an issue that crosses your mind? Especially not when you’re THAT young and vulnerable, insecure and oblivious to what you can become?
I loved the delicate ending. Had feared that Sarah would eventually snap out of it just like that, especially after what happened to one of her friends. I'm grateful for Maguire's subtlety. Her ending is realistic and true to the story, yet full of hope and opportunities.
January 14, 2011
I couldn't put into words all my reaction for this book. And my head is all confused so right now my face probably looks like this.
o.O
I was actually thorn between rating this book 2 stars or 4 stars.
I wanted to rate it 4 stars because for an erotic literature, this book is quite interesting. The sex scenes, the emotions and the actions are in full detail. So much detail that probably if you have a very wild imagination it would be like watching a BDSM pornographic video.
And probably a lot of erotica readers would love this book.
However...
I settled in rating it 2 out of 5 because the plot was shallow.
So yeah we have Sarah Clark a high school student who was seduced by her English Teacher and later on she embarks on a very sadomasochistic affair with him. She's got a best friend who is thoroughly in love with her. ( Urgh..the best friend being involve in the love triangle is wearing me out.) After her old teacher left her, she went crazy for sex and f*cked withprobably every single man she met. The reason? She was trying to find the same connection she had with her old man. She's horny all the time. Her old teacher turned her into sex maniac.
But she had a choice right? And she decided not to do anything about it.
Anyway.
After 8 years the old man came back, and just like before their sexual affair started again. (Except now it's legal since she's not a minor anymore.) They have this abnormal and unhealthy sexual relationship. She was practically his sex slave and she didn't even mind. They would totally do each other every single hour of every single day. I mean it. Did I mention that 80% of this book has sex scene in it? It felt like every single chapter.
All these happened and was happening and still her best friend is in love with her. Not once that he thought of her as a whore.
Which got me pretty pissed off. Because she was a whore. All the other male characters in the book are head over heels for her and I don't know why. I can't see her as a very stunning and amazing person. Interesting maybe and unbelievable but that's just it. She's all screwed up. I just don't get her.
The story is about her, and how her life was ruined by her family, her tragic past and the her sadist old teacher. It's about how screwed up her life was and how she screwed it up some more. I hated that she's all hopelessly fucked up and still her bestfriend, Jamie loves her. No matter what she did. No matter how much or how many times she had broken his heart, he still remained in love with her. Even when he was sleeping with his brother and his friend. Even when he was married and has a daughter.
What was that? So yeah, Sarah could be anyone. I don't know I haven't met anyone like her but I believe that somewhere in the world, out of the 8 billion human beings, there's a girl that's exactly like Sarah Clark. But is there someone like Jamie? Well maybe. Yeah. But I believe that people can move on. The more you hurt a person, the more you push that person away from you. People get tired from loving you. Specially when you're a selfish, self-centered evil bitch like Sarah.
So I hope authors would drop that all out supporting and loving best friend characters.
When I started reading this I was hoping that I'm in for something very deep and very meaningful read. But I got a book that only has violent sex, polyandry and stupid horny male characters.
But if you're into scorching hot sex story. This will do.
o.O
I was actually thorn between rating this book 2 stars or 4 stars.
I wanted to rate it 4 stars because for an erotic literature, this book is quite interesting. The sex scenes, the emotions and the actions are in full detail. So much detail that probably if you have a very wild imagination it would be like watching a BDSM pornographic video.
And probably a lot of erotica readers would love this book.
However...
I settled in rating it 2 out of 5 because the plot was shallow.
So yeah we have Sarah Clark a high school student who was seduced by her English Teacher and later on she embarks on a very sadomasochistic affair with him. She's got a best friend who is thoroughly in love with her. ( Urgh..the best friend being involve in the love triangle is wearing me out.) After her old teacher left her, she went crazy for sex and f*cked with
But she had a choice right? And she decided not to do anything about it.
Anyway.
After 8 years the old man came back, and just like before their sexual affair started again. (Except now it's legal since she's not a minor anymore.) They have this abnormal and unhealthy sexual relationship. She was practically his sex slave and she didn't even mind. They would totally do each other every single hour of every single day. I mean it. Did I mention that 80% of this book has sex scene in it? It felt like every single chapter.
All these happened and was happening and still her best friend is in love with her. Not once that he thought of her as a whore.
Which got me pretty pissed off. Because she was a whore. All the other male characters in the book are head over heels for her and I don't know why. I can't see her as a very stunning and amazing person. Interesting maybe and unbelievable but that's just it. She's all screwed up. I just don't get her.
The story is about her, and how her life was ruined by her family, her tragic past and the her sadist old teacher. It's about how screwed up her life was and how she screwed it up some more. I hated that she's all hopelessly fucked up and still her bestfriend, Jamie loves her. No matter what she did. No matter how much or how many times she had broken his heart, he still remained in love with her. Even when he was sleeping with his brother and his friend. Even when he was married and has a daughter.
What was that? So yeah, Sarah could be anyone. I don't know I haven't met anyone like her but I believe that somewhere in the world, out of the 8 billion human beings, there's a girl that's exactly like Sarah Clark. But is there someone like Jamie? Well maybe. Yeah. But I believe that people can move on. The more you hurt a person, the more you push that person away from you. People get tired from loving you. Specially when you're a selfish, self-centered evil bitch like Sarah.
So I hope authors would drop that all out supporting and loving best friend characters.
When I started reading this I was hoping that I'm in for something very deep and very meaningful read. But I got a book that only has violent sex, polyandry and stupid horny male characters.
But if you're into scorching hot sex story. This will do.
November 20, 2013
As disturbing as this book was and as dislikable every single character was, I still loved the story. It showed how easy love can turn into obsession, how easy is to cross that line. Jamie loved Sarah but his love bordered on obsession, in my opinion. As far as Sarah goes, I don't think she ever loved Daniel, I truly don't. She was infatuated as a young girl with her teacher, and later on, she was obsessed with him and everything he represented. Daniel, sick and perverted old man, was always obsessed with Sarah. Yes...this book is about obsession at its lowest and most basest form, and emotional and physical abuse. Who the hell cares about feelings, and what's wrong and right, when you are getting it from the only person you've ever wanted. Who cares about decency if you're going to be walking away after you've orgasmed a couple times? After you've experienced mind-numbing bliss...certainly no one in this story seems to care of the consequences of their actions. And as sick and disturbing as it was to read, I loved the rawness, the selfishness, and the cruelty of every single character. I couldn't stop reading.
Between cursing, cringing in certain scenes, and hating every single character, I also got Part Two Sarah. She was looking and searching for that *something*, hoping that the next man she slept with would be it, but sadly it never happened. But aren't we all searching for that something though? Some of us get lucky and find it, and some of us never do. Sarah was on self-destructive mode and her brakes were Jamie...but like a true addict, you won't stop doing your drug of choice until you've hit rock bottom and *you* decide to stop on your own accord, no matter how much help and support you've had all along.
Anyway, great book, gripping writing, and one hell of a f*cked up ride.
Between cursing, cringing in certain scenes, and hating every single character, I also got Part Two Sarah. She was looking and searching for that *something*, hoping that the next man she slept with would be it, but sadly it never happened. But aren't we all searching for that something though? Some of us get lucky and find it, and some of us never do. Sarah was on self-destructive mode and her brakes were Jamie...but like a true addict, you won't stop doing your drug of choice until you've hit rock bottom and *you* decide to stop on your own accord, no matter how much help and support you've had all along.
Anyway, great book, gripping writing, and one hell of a f*cked up ride.
September 14, 2013
“Real love should draw no blood from the loved and buckets from the lover.”
It feels wrong to "like" this book. This is not the type of book that you typically enjoy or take pleasure in reading. It invokes too many emotions. There are too many feelings stirred up inside of me to adequately describe this tormenting piece of fiction. This gut wrenching portrait of a young woman's journey was unlike anything I've read before. This book is not a romance novel, it is not a happy tale, nor a heart warming story. This is a deeply disturbing read.
The author takes her time and allows every little detail to build up, and it happens bit by bit, in a downward unstoppable spiral. This book is:
Raw
Sickening
Wild
Painful
Repulsive
Manic
Heartbreaking
“The thing I never understood about love is that it can't be quelled, like lust can. With love, if you follow its call, if you give in to it, it just gets worse. The more you have, the deeper you go, the more you need.”
The characters in this story are all flawed. Sarah Clark, the main character is one of the most self-destructive characters I have ever read about. She is not a likable character, or a heroine in any sense of the word. She is a sad, lonely, lost girl whose innocence was taken, never to be regained. Sarah is searching for something. Something to fill the void in her life, something to numb the pain, something to make her happy, something to make her forget. Her search leads her on a path of:
Obsession
Lust
Heartbreak
Addiction
Pain
Tragedy
Manipulation
"So many men and boys and faces and cocks and hands and lips and tongues. Gentle, rough, loving, impersonal, fast, slow, needy, indifferent, handsome, ugly, young, old, sober, wasted, sick, mean, go down, get up, against the wall, under, over, back, front, tied up, hair pulling, bed smashing, window breaking, face slapping, ear licking, eyelash kissing, whispers, shouts and love and hate..."
Beast (noun): a cruel, coarse, or filthy person.
The beasts in this book could not be tamed, nor did they wish to be tamed. The demons could not be exorcised. The scars could not be erased, and the memories could not be forgotten. Innocence lost could not be found, words spoken could not be undone.
Do I recommend this? The choice belongs to the readers, but if I could do it over again I probably would save myself from this. Why? This story is too toxic, too intense, overall just too much. It will stay with me for a long time.
The Bait
by John Donne
Come live with me, and be my love,
And we will some new pleasures prove
Of golden sands, and crystal brooks,
With silken lines and silver hooks.
There will the river whisp'ring run
Warm'd by thy eyes, more than the sun ;
And there th' enamour'd fish will stay,
Begging themselves they may betray.
When thou wilt swim in that live bath,
Each fish, which every channel hath,
Will amorously to thee swim,
Gladder to catch thee, than thou him.
If thou, to be so seen, be'st loth,
By sun or moon, thou dark'nest both,
And if myself have leave to see,
I need not their light, having thee.
Let others freeze with angling reeds,
And cut their legs with shells and weeds,
Or treacherously poor fish beset,
With strangling snare, or windowy net.
Let coarse bold hands from slimy nest
The bedded fish in banks out-wrest ;
Or curious traitors, sleeve-silk flies,
Bewitch poor fishes' wand'ring eyes.
For thee, thou need'st no such deceit,
For thou thyself art thine own bait :
That fish, that is not catch'd thereby,
Alas ! is wiser far than I.
Rating: 3 I Can't "Like" This, But I Can't Hate It Stars
February 4, 2008
nabokov is turning over in his grave. yuck.
October 19, 2011
14 year old Sarah is seduced by her 38 year old teacher and they embark on an affair that is passionate and violent, until his wife discovers he has been cheating and he chooses to move away to save his marriage. Sarah self destructs with meaningless sex with everyone she meets until years later her ex-lover comes back to continue their destructive affair.
There is no plot to this book just sex sex sex and it got boring after 40 pages of it especially with all the sexual violence and humiliation thrown in for good measure. The guy is a paedophile who groomed a student and subjected her to all kinds of violence which she seemingly enjoyed, and basically destroyed her life.
I knew there was going to be a lot of sex in the book when I lifted it in the charity shop but I wasn't expecting it on nearly every bloody page. I'm not a prude about sex in books(hey I read Urban Fantasy and Paranormal romance mostly!) but this was just too much and it became a very vile piece of paedophile porn pretending to be a book. I certainly won't be going near this author again.
There is no plot to this book just sex sex sex and it got boring after 40 pages of it especially with all the sexual violence and humiliation thrown in for good measure. The guy is a paedophile who groomed a student and subjected her to all kinds of violence which she seemingly enjoyed, and basically destroyed her life.
I knew there was going to be a lot of sex in the book when I lifted it in the charity shop but I wasn't expecting it on nearly every bloody page. I'm not a prude about sex in books(hey I read Urban Fantasy and Paranormal romance mostly!) but this was just too much and it became a very vile piece of paedophile porn pretending to be a book. I certainly won't be going near this author again.
April 18, 2017
Very harrowing read. Tough content. Excellent psychological insight into characters.
never-gonna-read
February 14, 2018A sexual relationship that starts when the heroine is 14??!! WTF! 😳😱🤬🤭
January 22, 2015
This is not an easy read.
If you aren't a fan of Lolita than you probably should stay far away from this book.
This story it's bitter.
There is nothing blithe about this book.
It's crude and the author doesn't hold anything back while describing a few scenes that made my heart bleed for the heroine.
I must admit Miss Maguire it's the queen of dark novels!
If you aren't a fan of Lolita than you probably should stay far away from this book.
This story it's bitter.
There is nothing blithe about this book.
It's crude and the author doesn't hold anything back while describing a few scenes that made my heart bleed for the heroine.
I must admit Miss Maguire it's the queen of dark novels!
April 12, 2012
In every way I look at it, I don't have any idea on how to rate this book. Moreover, I don't know what to say in this review. But before I say anything else, I'd like to say that I read this out of pure curiosity of what the book's really about than just lust.
Well, I'd say it is first disgusting. VERY disgusting. I mean like, EEEWWWHATTHEHECKUGHWTF! With all the things Sarah's doing and thinking at the age of 14, I didn't know how to react. And I want to be honest, I didn't fully read the book. I'd feel guilty if I give a long and thorough review of the book. So I'll end this review right away.
Even though almost every other page of the book talks about people losing themselves in sex, well I know there's more to this book than just that. I'm afraid I can't say exactly what it is because the book still left me shocked and speechless and I can't quite get my mind straight.
And with the story? Well, it was all TRAGIC. And sad. That much I'm certain of.
More to that, I don't think recommending this book to people would be a good idea. But I think I'll recommend this to those very open-minded people. People who don't mind reading teenage girls having sex with teachers and then becoming a nymphomaniac as an after-effect. But then still being able to see beyond all those and appreciate the underlying content of the book.
Well, I'd say it is first disgusting. VERY disgusting. I mean like, EEEWWWHATTHEHECKUGHWTF! With all the things Sarah's doing and thinking at the age of 14, I didn't know how to react. And I want to be honest, I didn't fully read the book. I'd feel guilty if I give a long and thorough review of the book. So I'll end this review right away.
Even though almost every other page of the book talks about people losing themselves in sex, well I know there's more to this book than just that. I'm afraid I can't say exactly what it is because the book still left me shocked and speechless and I can't quite get my mind straight.
And with the story? Well, it was all TRAGIC. And sad. That much I'm certain of.
More to that, I don't think recommending this book to people would be a good idea. But I think I'll recommend this to those very open-minded people. People who don't mind reading teenage girls having sex with teachers and then becoming a nymphomaniac as an after-effect. But then still being able to see beyond all those and appreciate the underlying content of the book.
December 7, 2016
This book shattered me completely. So twisted, so heartbreaking, so desperate, and beautiful, and tragic, and real. I cried, my heart bled.
I wish I could read this again for the first time. Commence epic fucking book hangover.
I need to binge on all things Emily Maguire.
I wish I could read this again for the first time. Commence epic fucking book hangover.
I need to binge on all things Emily Maguire.
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July 20, 2011
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When your sexually abused at the age of fourteen by a half genius -half psycho pedophilic, what the bloody hell will you do? Will you run the hell out and call a police, keep it to yourself and have a psychological trauma about it or accept things and be addicted with it?
We all have a choice what path will we take, there’s no destiny or fate but choice and free will. You’re now in that place because that’s the one you have chosen. And hypothetically the course of action is to always take the easy way out.
Ironically, Sarah ended up that way or she think she is.
Taming the beast is disturbing in a way of things that should been because it doesn't take the easy way out and appalling in a way that I surely won’t understand the obsessive-compulsive characteristics of Emily's world have. However, despite those things, the crappy cover, the nearly every page sex scenes and the masochism "things" in it. I find it meaningful and have redemption in patches.
I will admit; it’s not just a simple tale of sexual abuse or a typical pornography novel for me.
I’m totally surprise of how the story was 'ugh hmm' decently written, and the 'find-the-sexual-tension-part-of-a-literature-book' things give this book more superior than any other erotic books inside out.
Now, let’s go to the negative parts of my feelings toward the book.
The concept is interesting and half way through it, some of the characters took my heart away. However, the last pages were a big disappointing. It’s like having a whiplash for a sudden and then 'puff' its gone. And the Sarah and Daniel increasing sexual violence is what I called "competedious" - Completely compelling at first to completely repetitive that I find it’s tedious.
When your sexually abused at the age of fourteen by a half genius -half psycho pedophilic, what the bloody hell will you do? Will you run the hell out and call a police, keep it to yourself and have a psychological trauma about it or accept things and be addicted with it?
We all have a choice what path will we take, there’s no destiny or fate but choice and free will. You’re now in that place because that’s the one you have chosen. And hypothetically the course of action is to always take the easy way out.
Ironically, Sarah ended up that way or she think she is.
Taming the beast is disturbing in a way of things that should been because it doesn't take the easy way out and appalling in a way that I surely won’t understand the obsessive-compulsive characteristics of Emily's world have. However, despite those things, the crappy cover, the nearly every page sex scenes and the masochism "things" in it. I find it meaningful and have redemption in patches.
I will admit; it’s not just a simple tale of sexual abuse or a typical pornography novel for me.
I’m totally surprise of how the story was 'ugh hmm' decently written, and the 'find-the-sexual-tension-part-of-a-literature-book' things give this book more superior than any other erotic books inside out.
Now, let’s go to the negative parts of my feelings toward the book.
The concept is interesting and half way through it, some of the characters took my heart away. However, the last pages were a big disappointing. It’s like having a whiplash for a sudden and then 'puff' its gone. And the Sarah and Daniel increasing sexual violence is what I called "competedious" - Completely compelling at first to completely repetitive that I find it’s tedious.
April 27, 2010
A small autobiographical opening:
Once upon a time, a very lovely and Dangerously Younger girl sat back on my couch and kissed me. "I'm a train wreck," she said, "and you're a predator. We're pretty much the perfect couple."
Which is one way of saying that Emily Maguire's "Taming the Beast" is stunningly powerful. And of course a clear way of saying there was never a chance that I wouldn't fall in love with her heroine. But anyone who knows me knows that Maguire's Sarah Clark is probably the epitome of the BRDYTW girl--- Bookish Reclusive Dangerously Younger Train Wrecky ---and exactly the girl I've pursued in dreams all my life.
After all...a girl of 20 who brings a nameless middle-aged man home, then interrupts him while he's violating her to quote from "Jane Eyre" and make him recall the novel from his own days at university--- that's exactly the kind of girl I'd fall for. And Maguire's heroine is very much a girl who'll haunt my dreams from now on.
(It makes it all the better that the novel came recommended by a beautiful BRDYTW girl from NZ, who told me it was pretty much like her own life)
"Taming the Beast" is powerful, scorchingly hot, sad, funny, with a central character who's utterly stunning. Finely written, with a keen eye for irony and darkness.
I realise--- and friends have reminded me ---that my own take on the novel is probably deeply morally flawed and only confirms that I'd always be cast as the villain in any Lifetime Movie of the Week about a girl like Sarah. Which is true.
But this is still a deeply powerful, sexy, dark and breathtaking story.
Once upon a time, a very lovely and Dangerously Younger girl sat back on my couch and kissed me. "I'm a train wreck," she said, "and you're a predator. We're pretty much the perfect couple."
Which is one way of saying that Emily Maguire's "Taming the Beast" is stunningly powerful. And of course a clear way of saying there was never a chance that I wouldn't fall in love with her heroine. But anyone who knows me knows that Maguire's Sarah Clark is probably the epitome of the BRDYTW girl--- Bookish Reclusive Dangerously Younger Train Wrecky ---and exactly the girl I've pursued in dreams all my life.
After all...a girl of 20 who brings a nameless middle-aged man home, then interrupts him while he's violating her to quote from "Jane Eyre" and make him recall the novel from his own days at university--- that's exactly the kind of girl I'd fall for. And Maguire's heroine is very much a girl who'll haunt my dreams from now on.
(It makes it all the better that the novel came recommended by a beautiful BRDYTW girl from NZ, who told me it was pretty much like her own life)
"Taming the Beast" is powerful, scorchingly hot, sad, funny, with a central character who's utterly stunning. Finely written, with a keen eye for irony and darkness.
I realise--- and friends have reminded me ---that my own take on the novel is probably deeply morally flawed and only confirms that I'd always be cast as the villain in any Lifetime Movie of the Week about a girl like Sarah. Which is true.
But this is still a deeply powerful, sexy, dark and breathtaking story.
May 21, 2015
In many ways Emily Maguire's Taming the Beast feels like a companion novel to Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita. But instead of getting inside the head of a charming liar like Humbert, Maguire examines how an illicit romance between a teacher and student can impact the lives of just about every one involved.
At the age of fourteen, Sarah Chalke is seduced by her English teacher. At first it's their love of words and literature that brings them together, but one afternoon things become heated and the two begin an illicit (and illegal) romance, including lots of after school encounters. Sarah keeps the affair a secret from everyone but her best friend, Jaime, who is secretly in love with Sarah. Things end with Mr. Carr's takes a new job at a different school and decides to try and work things out with his wife, who has become aware of the affair.
The emotional and psychological impact of the affair follows Sarah for her entire life, influencing every relationship and decision she has after that. Despite having an interest and drive to further her education, Sarah is estranged from her conservative family and forced to make it on her own in the world, taking on a string of short-term lovers, none of whom satisfy her needs in quite the same way Mr. Carr did. Sarah even strings Jaime along over the years, including during Jaime's engagement, marriage and becoming a father. In many ways, Jaime sees himself as the only thing keeping Sarah from going off the deep end and maybe he can save her if he simply loves her enough.
Then one day, Mr. Carr wanders back into Sarah's life and things go from bad to worse. Controlling and manipulative, Carr wants to dictate to Sarah all aspects of her life.
Taming the Beast is a book full of fascinating characters, none of them extremely likable. Each character is blinded by self-destructive tendencies and an ability to justify their behavior to themselves as "doing the right thing." In many ways, this is a novel about addictions and self-delusion. It makes for a fascinating read for the first half of the book, but once Mr. Carr shows back up things take a left turn and the novel never quite recovers. It makes a bunch of likably unlikable characters completely unlikeable and I found myself becoming frustrated with the bad choices everyone was making. Maybe that's what Maguire is going for in the novel. I'm not one who feels that every book should have a "happy ending." But it still feels like this one just misses the mark when it comes to sticking the landing.
At the age of fourteen, Sarah Chalke is seduced by her English teacher. At first it's their love of words and literature that brings them together, but one afternoon things become heated and the two begin an illicit (and illegal) romance, including lots of after school encounters. Sarah keeps the affair a secret from everyone but her best friend, Jaime, who is secretly in love with Sarah. Things end with Mr. Carr's takes a new job at a different school and decides to try and work things out with his wife, who has become aware of the affair.
The emotional and psychological impact of the affair follows Sarah for her entire life, influencing every relationship and decision she has after that. Despite having an interest and drive to further her education, Sarah is estranged from her conservative family and forced to make it on her own in the world, taking on a string of short-term lovers, none of whom satisfy her needs in quite the same way Mr. Carr did. Sarah even strings Jaime along over the years, including during Jaime's engagement, marriage and becoming a father. In many ways, Jaime sees himself as the only thing keeping Sarah from going off the deep end and maybe he can save her if he simply loves her enough.
Then one day, Mr. Carr wanders back into Sarah's life and things go from bad to worse. Controlling and manipulative, Carr wants to dictate to Sarah all aspects of her life.
Taming the Beast is a book full of fascinating characters, none of them extremely likable. Each character is blinded by self-destructive tendencies and an ability to justify their behavior to themselves as "doing the right thing." In many ways, this is a novel about addictions and self-delusion. It makes for a fascinating read for the first half of the book, but once Mr. Carr shows back up things take a left turn and the novel never quite recovers. It makes a bunch of likably unlikable characters completely unlikeable and I found myself becoming frustrated with the bad choices everyone was making. Maybe that's what Maguire is going for in the novel. I'm not one who feels that every book should have a "happy ending." But it still feels like this one just misses the mark when it comes to sticking the landing.
November 25, 2013
"Sarah Clark felt like a freak for two and a half years. It started when she received a leather-bound copy of Othello for her twelfth birthday and ended when her English teacher showed her exactly what was meant by the beast with two backs."
I don't have any idea on how to rate this book. I don´t even know what to think about it! That´s how confused I am right now.
This book is too toxic, too dark, too twisted, too shocking, too depresing...simply too fucked-up. It´s definitely too much for me.
I hated main characters. They are almost despicable!
Sarah Clark, as a 14 year old child, was a victim of abuse by her 24 years older English teacher and she liked it (because of a lack of parental warmth). Later, she had a sick sexual affair with him until he left her because of his family. As sweet sixteen she was raped and her family turned their backs to her. Her only "safe harbour" was her BFF Jamie, and she ruined him too...
As a young woman (21) she is beautiful and smart, but she is also self-destructive sex-addict, she´s sad, broken and miserable...
Mr Daniel Carr, her English teacher, is a manipulating, cruel, psyhotic bastard and sadistic pedophile...
In my opinion, there is NO excuse for a man in Mr Carr´s position taking advantage of a girl who thinks she´s more grown up than she is. A teacher having sex with an under-age student is wrong in all kinds of ways, and nothing makes it right.
Who is The Beast in this book?
They both are. And the beast could not be tamed...
Should you read this book?
Frankly, I don´t know...
P.S. I'm surprised that noone of the characters in this book contracted STDs.
I don't have any idea on how to rate this book. I don´t even know what to think about it! That´s how confused I am right now.
This book is too toxic, too dark, too twisted, too shocking, too depresing...simply too fucked-up. It´s definitely too much for me.
I hated main characters. They are almost despicable!
Sarah Clark, as a 14 year old child, was a victim of abuse by her 24 years older English teacher and she liked it (because of a lack of parental warmth). Later, she had a sick sexual affair with him until he left her because of his family. As sweet sixteen she was raped and her family turned their backs to her. Her only "safe harbour" was her BFF Jamie, and she ruined him too...
As a young woman (21) she is beautiful and smart, but she is also self-destructive sex-addict, she´s sad, broken and miserable...
Mr Daniel Carr, her English teacher, is a manipulating, cruel, psyhotic bastard and sadistic pedophile...
In my opinion, there is NO excuse for a man in Mr Carr´s position taking advantage of a girl who thinks she´s more grown up than she is. A teacher having sex with an under-age student is wrong in all kinds of ways, and nothing makes it right.
Who is The Beast in this book?
They both are. And the beast could not be tamed...
Should you read this book?
Frankly, I don´t know...
P.S. I'm surprised that noone of the characters in this book contracted STDs.
June 16, 2011
This might be the worst book I have ever read. Not only did it deal with a terrible subject matter, an authority figure having sex with a student, but it was degrading to disgusting in the way it handled the subject, and the main character's dealing with her experience. I am no prude and enjoy a good erotic book, but this is just nasty.
Not only is the subjecty matter distasteful, the book is poorly written. I wish there was a negative star for this one. I seldome do this, but I tossed this one in the trash where it belongs.
Not only is the subjecty matter distasteful, the book is poorly written. I wish there was a negative star for this one. I seldome do this, but I tossed this one in the trash where it belongs.
December 15, 2013
HEARTBREAKING.... HOLLOW........HAUNTING.... review to come..
March 16, 2021
This book is not for everybody. It's raw, unflinching and at times difficult to read. But it's also gripping, heart-rending and a brutally honest piece of writing. It took guts to write this book, to keep going until its raw, bitter and yet hopeful end.
There is a lot of sex in this book. But it's not erotica, or porn. It's a book about trauma and vulnerability and the ability of a predator to justify his behaviour and manipulate his prey. There is a searing honesty to this book, which given its subject matter, makes it really hard to read at times. But I was totally drawn in by this story. I couldn't put it down.
As a writer, I was captured by the lean prose, the precise choice of words, but above all the unflinching devotion to the integrity of the story. There are sexual predators out there in the real world who do destroy lives. They pick their victims carefully, groom them, manipulate them. Maguire opens up this world, and it is disgusting and terrifying. But she also gives her protagonist, Sarah, the ability to see past the pain.
As the novel drew to it's violent close, I expected Sarah to destroy herself. But Maguire is a skilful writer, and she remained true to the story while giving Sarah an edge of hope at the end, a sliver of insight into the popssiblity of a different and better life.
If you love great writing, if you look for integrity within a story, if you're willing to follow a writer into the abyss and have the guts to stick with the story as she did, then read this book.
There is a lot of sex in this book. But it's not erotica, or porn. It's a book about trauma and vulnerability and the ability of a predator to justify his behaviour and manipulate his prey. There is a searing honesty to this book, which given its subject matter, makes it really hard to read at times. But I was totally drawn in by this story. I couldn't put it down.
As a writer, I was captured by the lean prose, the precise choice of words, but above all the unflinching devotion to the integrity of the story. There are sexual predators out there in the real world who do destroy lives. They pick their victims carefully, groom them, manipulate them. Maguire opens up this world, and it is disgusting and terrifying. But she also gives her protagonist, Sarah, the ability to see past the pain.
As the novel drew to it's violent close, I expected Sarah to destroy herself. But Maguire is a skilful writer, and she remained true to the story while giving Sarah an edge of hope at the end, a sliver of insight into the popssiblity of a different and better life.
If you love great writing, if you look for integrity within a story, if you're willing to follow a writer into the abyss and have the guts to stick with the story as she did, then read this book.
April 21, 2012
Emily Maguire has a breathless talent and a fascination with the cloying nausea of intoxication. This is a book which forces you to throw back a full tequila shot then immediately demand another two.
I had equal parts of fascination and revulsion for Sarah Clark. Maguire claims that Sarah is profoundly unsure of herself, yet I was profoundly unsure of Sarah as I was forced to witness her spiral into self-degradation. Maguire’s writing is so powerful, so disturbing that I found myself alternating between almost throwing the book across the room and desperately trying to finish it. I can’t remember when a book affected me so violently.
It is not a comfortable read. It is by turns tender then repellent and ferocious. But it is insistent; it demands to be read. Maguire skilfully manipulates your emotions so that you become as confused about Sarah as she is about herself. The pace is relentless, but for me the book became progressively more difficult to read as it became darker, so much so that I began to question why it was that I was so gripped by it.
It can only be testament to Maguire’s abilities as a writer to elicit this compulsion alongside such uncomfortable voyeurism and raw abhorrence.
This is a book that you need to judge for yourself and decide whether it is gratuitously exploitative or searingly honest. Having finished it I still can’t decide, but I know that it will stay with me for a long while to come.
I had equal parts of fascination and revulsion for Sarah Clark. Maguire claims that Sarah is profoundly unsure of herself, yet I was profoundly unsure of Sarah as I was forced to witness her spiral into self-degradation. Maguire’s writing is so powerful, so disturbing that I found myself alternating between almost throwing the book across the room and desperately trying to finish it. I can’t remember when a book affected me so violently.
It is not a comfortable read. It is by turns tender then repellent and ferocious. But it is insistent; it demands to be read. Maguire skilfully manipulates your emotions so that you become as confused about Sarah as she is about herself. The pace is relentless, but for me the book became progressively more difficult to read as it became darker, so much so that I began to question why it was that I was so gripped by it.
It can only be testament to Maguire’s abilities as a writer to elicit this compulsion alongside such uncomfortable voyeurism and raw abhorrence.
This is a book that you need to judge for yourself and decide whether it is gratuitously exploitative or searingly honest. Having finished it I still can’t decide, but I know that it will stay with me for a long while to come.
March 16, 2015
This is a very well-written and intense book, that will disturb and likely disappoint readers looking for a happy romance. Those looking for a challenging and engrossing read, with interesting and complex characters, will find much to absorb them.
Sarah is only 14 when she embarks on a sado-masochistic sexual relationship with her 38-year-old English teacher Daniel Carr. (Bear in mind that the book is set in Australia, where the age of consent is 16 and perspectives on underage sex are considerably different than in the US). Daniel Carr then deserts her and her life goes to pieces for the next seven years, when they finally reunite. He is arguably more destroyed by the relationship than she is but it is highly destructive on both sides.
Taming the Beast is about the forbidden and the destructive power of love and sex. It features complicated and illegal relationships and mature activity. If you are of a sensitive disposition or easily offended, just skip it, it's not for you.
If you can cope with an interesting and harrowing read, and one that is also very gritty and realistic compared to many coming-of-age and "student teacher" novels, then there is much of interest here.
It's an enthralling read and will leave you as conflicted as Nabokov's Lolita may do. The heroine clearly starts out as a victim, but what is she by the end of the book? Has she reclaimed her agency?
Sarah is only 14 when she embarks on a sado-masochistic sexual relationship with her 38-year-old English teacher Daniel Carr. (Bear in mind that the book is set in Australia, where the age of consent is 16 and perspectives on underage sex are considerably different than in the US). Daniel Carr then deserts her and her life goes to pieces for the next seven years, when they finally reunite. He is arguably more destroyed by the relationship than she is but it is highly destructive on both sides.
Taming the Beast is about the forbidden and the destructive power of love and sex. It features complicated and illegal relationships and mature activity. If you are of a sensitive disposition or easily offended, just skip it, it's not for you.
If you can cope with an interesting and harrowing read, and one that is also very gritty and realistic compared to many coming-of-age and "student teacher" novels, then there is much of interest here.
It's an enthralling read and will leave you as conflicted as Nabokov's Lolita may do. The heroine clearly starts out as a victim, but what is she by the end of the book? Has she reclaimed her agency?
December 8, 2016
3.5 star rating
Wow. Honestly I don't even know what to say or what to feel. Right now I am odd and hurt because of the ending in this book-or this book period. Don't worry I will not spoil anything for you guys!
This is a dark dark and very twisted story but what I like about this was that the author did not give a predictable ending/A predictable story either.
For myself I think that the book is OK writing wise. It uses a lot of literature and that's what I like most about it is the literature used it. But for me personally I thought it was an OK book within OK story. I like dark erotic books, really I do, but this one pushes my limits a bit.
The characters are written well for how they were supposed to be portrayed. My favorite character was Jamie actually. Sarah was an interesting character.
Overall of the book was OK. Not really for me entirely. Well I read this author again? Really I do not know. I feel as though a story like this, and how she portrayed it is a hit or miss.
3.5 stars
Wow. Honestly I don't even know what to say or what to feel. Right now I am odd and hurt because of the ending in this book-or this book period. Don't worry I will not spoil anything for you guys!
This is a dark dark and very twisted story but what I like about this was that the author did not give a predictable ending/A predictable story either.
For myself I think that the book is OK writing wise. It uses a lot of literature and that's what I like most about it is the literature used it. But for me personally I thought it was an OK book within OK story. I like dark erotic books, really I do, but this one pushes my limits a bit.
The characters are written well for how they were supposed to be portrayed. My favorite character was Jamie actually. Sarah was an interesting character.
Overall of the book was OK. Not really for me entirely. Well I read this author again? Really I do not know. I feel as though a story like this, and how she portrayed it is a hit or miss.
3.5 stars
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