The Exquisite Thing

by Joyce MacIver

Book by MacIver, Joyce

Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

Reviews

[DoctorM · Rating 4 out of 5]

An oddly eerie and unexpected s/m novel, and one that's all the most intriguing in that the hardcover version appeared in the late 1960s, before "Story of O" and fashion photography had made s/m chic. The heroine is tall--- a six-two girl ---and talented and not the schoolgirl or frigid housewife of so many s/m tales. MacIver may be arguing that the leggy Angela is so abstracted from life that she can experience sexual sensation only by being spanked or whipped, though Angela certainly takes to her new tastes with a fierceness and exaltation that does frighten her partners. Worth reading--- and especially for the climactic scenes at a fetish club in Spain.

[Dorota Skrzypek · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many things that are really wonderful about this book. First of all, it's a superb account of a sexual coming of age, albeit sexually unconventional in many ways. Angie, the main character is haunted by both an event that happened during her adolescence and her fears of acquiescing to a dull, numbing normalcy present in so many of the everyday faces she sees. Thus begins her quest for The Exquisite Thing: Something that will command her body yet understand her mind.

Underneath Angie's new sexual experiences is her unpredictable nature, which can be so open and loving in one moment, and so volatile and frightening the next it keeps you guessing at almost the pace of a thriller, yet the internal monologue is as honest as anything you've read in popular chick lit. The exhilarating ride takes you to a few unexpected places, and just when you think you've deciphered it all, the book takes a final twist that makes you glad you didn't flip to the end before you began.

Joyce MacIver wrote this book in 1969 and it still passes the test of modern time. The feelings and themes are as prominent today as they were when the sexual revolution began and I suspect will be pondered for decades to come.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it be a bit more erotic. Good story, though.

[Rhonda Baughman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential literature.