Belladonna

Rating:
Summary: Long on masochism, short on revenge
Review: "Glossy cover, catch the eye/ Belladonna watch you buy." It looks above the average rank of romance by the promise of "A Novel of Revenge" on the cover - anticipating a modern-day version of "The Count of Monte Cristo", I bought it. But as I read it I saw no real evidence of the character's hardening or adopting the cruelty of her persecutors, as is surely the point with revenge novels. Instead what we see as the plot moves along is a pretty woman exploiting her cool beauty without becoming hardened herself - which will satisfy the romantics amongst you but leave everyone else vaguely annoyed. The plotline is glitzy, pacy and fairly glamorous (and the heroine gets the necessary multi-millions whilst still managing to retain her integrity!) but the only time I got any hint of the sexual psychology the book promises was the "Diary" section two-thirds of the way through. Moline is evidently a skilful erotic writer, and perhaps her mistake was trying to make her woman a triumphant dominatrix when she's better at presenting her as a victim. The above average review I give it is due to the erotic writing: buy it if you want a light read this summer, but if you do want a psychological study involving money, revenge and eunuchs try Durrenmatt's play "The Visit" instead.

Rating:
Summary: An unsettling and extraordinary read.
Review: Abounding with character and ingenuity, BELLADONNA is Fitzgeraldean in its range and richness. This novel with all the emotional appeal and intrigue of a Shakespearean play, but with a tone as contemporary as any great writer of this decade, is an unforgettable achievement by a gifted writer. With a compelling cast of characters and the maelstrom of personal triumphs and adversities, BELLADONNA is a masterpiece. It is as formidable as The Great Gatsby, The Sun Also Rises, and An American Tragedy.

The wonderful idiosyncratic Tomasino Cennini took me on a journal permeated with intelligence, sacrifice, joy, and suffering. A journal that will not easily be forgotten.

Karen Moline has created a novel vigilant in its truth and compelling in its ignitable treachery. Teeming with revenge, BELLADONNA is a captivating read. I couldn't put it down. ... Joylene Butler

Rating:
Summary: Spellbinding, erotic tale of revenge and redemption
Review: As I perused the new releases searching for an excuse to hibernate for the weekend, the silvery jacket emblazoned with clasped hands in ruby red gloves, the shadowy image of a woman in the background, captured my eye. "Belladonna," a tale of revenge -- read the small print under the title. Botheration. I knew that from the jacket design -- those shimmering crimson gloves being the dead giveaway. Oh ho, those were but minor clues -- a tease if you will -- of the diabolical story of Isabella Ariel Nickerson and her cousin, June, hapless Midwesterners, lured by the quest of a tiara into the decadent labyriinth of pre/post-War English aristoocracy. Sold into sexual bondage for a million pounds to a man known as His Lordship, Ariel is liberated by -- of all things -- twin eunuchs -- one of whom is the narrator of this cunning, clever tale. I was neither prepared for the acerbic wit with which this Machiavellian legend is told, nor for the gripping, intricate details of post-War life in Tuscany redolent with basil, biscotti, grappa and hot sulphur springs. The high life of Manhattan with all its pretentious foibles later becomes the focus as Ariel transforms herself from the victim into the enigmatic Belladonna, owner of a swank club bearing her name, and embarks on a compelling quest for her captor. Have we all not thought of revenge? Come now, of course we have. Belladonna does it for us with methodical skill and determination, thanks to the help of a coterie of confidants. Sucked into the story by a high-speed literary vacuum, I couldn't help but champion her cause. Underlying all tales of revenge is also the pursuit of hope, love and redemption, which Moline also shrewdly provides. Entranced and enthralled, my nose burrowed into the pages, I subsisted on frozen dinners and tofu shakes rather than put the book down. It should have come with a warning label: Stock refrigerator, do laundry and pay bills before embarking on this erotic and spellbinding adventure.

Rating:
Summary: My favourite!
Review: Belladonna is definately one of the best books I've ever read. Moline has a fabulous way with words, and develops her characters intensely. I've read the book over and over, and never tire of it. She keeps you in suspense constantly, with swiching to and from the "Diary" section. I'd recommend it to anyone; it's a great leisure read.

Rating:
Summary: Much More Than Sex and Revenge
Review: BELLADONNA

I admit, I picked up this novel for the sex. I expected a light but juicy story about glamorous people and their hidden lives. What I found was much more compelling, much more provocative -- just more.

Belladonna has been promoted as "A Novel of Revenge." A beautiful and innocent young American woman is kidnapped by powerful European aristocrats, then held as a helpless sex slave. Later, she gets them back, and then some. All true, but it doesn't begin to cover the depth of Karen Moline's characters, or the bitter truth in their responses to whatever life throws at them. Instead of going for cliches, she goes for gritty reality, every time. Nothing on the dust jacket mentions the rich thematic layers she weaves into a hypnotic cloth: the power dynamic that operates under the surface of all relationships; or how imprisonment of the mind can be much stronger than any physical ties that bind. Heavy stuff, but Moline serves it up skillfully in a perfect literary souffle.

On a more tender note, she also explores how "family" is truly defined by unconditional acceptance and support, not by genetic connection. I love the way she takes a group of walking-wounded individuals and joins them together with more commitment to each other than you'd find in many birth families.

This writer knows the meaning of style. Her narrator, Tomassino, doesn't just tell the story, he confides it to you with gossipy delight, as witty and entertaining as your favorite gay hair stylist. I actually heard the abridged book on audio tape, read by actor Tim Curry, before I read the novel. Unlike so many audio books, where the reader drones on tediously, Curry brings the story to life, acting out every part with amazingly subtle changes in accent and tone. You always know which character is speaking. The only drawback of the tapes is their abridgment...more than half of the book's text is cut out. So of course, I had to read the book, too.

I'm not sure Belladonna is for everyone, but I can tell you this -- since I can't stop talking about it, several of my friends had to run out and buy it. They couldn't put it down either.

Rating:
Summary: Heartbreaking and hopeful tale of survival
Review: For two weeks, Belladonna completely commanded every free moment of reading time I could scrape together. Written in first person, the story being related by the charming Tomasino -- friend and devoted protector of the heroine -- leads you delicately and carefully through the story of a woman tortured and broken then reborn in the persona of Belladonna. I felt every ounce of pain suffered by all the players in their quest for revenge. Not only do they suffer from the evil of their enemies....but from their own desire for revenge. No tidy remedies in this lovely work! No indeed! Satisfying, yes....but painful at the same time.

Karen Moline captures the subtle suffering of this woman in the aftermath of her captivity and dehumanizing trauma. The fear. The terror of human contact. The burning need to make her enemies suffer -- oft at the expense of those who are her loved ones. Who could read this and not be moved?

This story grabbed me by the heart and often! by the throat. The author artfully gave the pieces of the puzzle -- even the most disturbing details -- exactly when needed. Even the most intimate details not presented to offer a cheap thrill.....but to reveal the source of our heroine's twisted need for isolation and control.

I was sad to see it end when I reached the final page. Not for the squeamish, by no means, but if you enjoy an emotional journey, you won't be disappointed. I can recommend this book without one reservation. Get it. Read it.

Rating:
Summary: The best trashy novel ever.
Review: I am a voracious reader with varied but usually elevated tastes. However, I read this in one sitting on a flight from France and I have never read any book so compelling. It isn't art but it is the best that a novel as entertainment can be. I'm not sure if men would like it- they'd probably just read the kinky sex parts - which are genuinely disturbing when you realize the psychological damage done to the title character. I loved this book. The prose is sometimes clumsy but the story is fascinating, erotic, and also very moving. It's a rare combination and a lot of fun to read.

Rating:
Summary: Fractured and unsatisfactory revenge
Review: I did like this book, it had its moments...BUT... the narrative style was incrediably distracting. First person removed is great for some stories but not one where the psychological condition of the main character is the prime motivator for the events to follow.

When I finished the book I found myself disliking the character of Belladonna, not for what she did, but for what she did not do. The character was a cop-out, a mythical figure who very conveniently and without explanation, becomes human.

There were too many facinating aspects of this story that were not addressed, and too many chapters about stupid adulterers and their come-uppances at Belladonna's hand. All in all an okay book, but one that was NOT about revenge. Definitely beach reading.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but too long....
Review: I enjoyed this book, but at times the author went on and on too much about things. I would have liked it better, if she just cut to the chase and didn't drag it out so much.
The ending was ok, but a bit melodramatic. Reading the diary part really hooked me, and I think wanting to know what happened to the heroine is what kept me reading through the slow parts.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I had such high hopes for this book when I read the synopsis. However, by the second page, I was already turned off. The narration is incredibly pretentious and distracting while the story takes way too long to unfold. I did, however, enjoy the excerpts from Belladonna's diary which recounts the events of her imprisonment. If the rest of the book was as kinky and exciting as those parts, it would have been a great story. The book is worth a read simply for those areas (conveniently printed in italics which makes browsing extremely easy!), but you may want to skim the rest of the story.