I read/owned this book many years ago, and eventually sold the book to a used bookstore, because I could not see myself reading it for a second time. I confess that I only picked this de Sade book in particular (I was curious about de Sade anyway) because of the title character. Since my name is so awesome (har har), I gravitate toward characters who share it with me.
I did like the book, and it did open my eyes to new things... but damn, if this book is not disturbing. The sex is kinky every time, but I found myself nodding off and skimming when any of the characters started ranting about something they didn't like.
Essentially, this book (well all of them, really) was a way for de Sade to talk about the things he hated the most. Which is quite a bit - virginity, marriage, the government, the clergy, anything vanilla, pregnancy, babies, vaginal sex (because anal sex is so much better), etc. Nothing is untouched, the list goes on and on. There are several "lectures" given by several different characters, and I think the funniest are the ones about virginity and marriage given by priests and nuns who are all having sex with each other. Virginity must be banished and no one should ever get married. The irony is hilarious. Also, murder is a frequent side effect of everything, no consequences anywhere (why would there be consequences, justice as we know it does not exist anywhere in this story).
Sex in this book includes: the taking of everyone's virginity in the book (this is not very far off the mark), sex with clergy, beating, spanking, sex using torture objects, blood play, anal sex, pedophilia, heterosexuality, homosexuality, orgies (sex with just two people involved in this book is actually very rare), sex involving fecal play, rape, incest, being sexed until someone dies (usually a woman), having sex with dead people. The only thing I don't remember occurring is bestiality, but if I read it again, I would not be surprised to find it buried in there somewhere. Juliette gets pregnant with her father's baby, has an abortion, and talks about how wonderful it was because it made her so much slimmer and more fit than she was pre-pregnancy. When she does eventually give birth to a child, she uses her for sexual favors at an older age, but otherwise pretends that her daughter doesn't exist. I'm pretty sure she ends up killing her father, and the last scene in the book involves Juliette facilitating her sister Justine's death, in a sexual way, of course (Justine stars in another de Sade book).
The "point" of the book is that morality, religion, law, etc., and other similar concepts don't mean anything, and you should find and take the pleasure you need, no matter who gets hurt. This is not a book for someone with a weak stomach. And it is NOT a romance novel. I don't EVER support censorship for any reason, I support free will and ability to judge ideas with your own mind; but this book was banned for good reasons. Some people would not be able to handle this. If the movie "Quills" bothered you in any capacity (a story based on Marquis de Sade's imprisonment) DO NOT READ THIS.