By withholding nearly all the details of her marriage, upbringing, and formative relationships with men (and women), she misses the opportunity for a more genuine self-realization and creates a void of understanding that tempts the reader to see all men in this light. This is disappointing on both fronts. There may be kind, compassionate, thoughtful men out there — one or two even exist in the book — but somehow they are not accessible to her. The question she really never asks is: Why?
Sex
Book Review: Good in a Crisis by Margaret Overton
by Chris Malcomb
March 11th, 2012
The Weekly Listicle Is Rated NC-17
by Dan Fields
December 2nd, 2011
Censors save the NC-17 rating for extra special cases, and in practice it feels like much less artificial than, say, PG-13. Something about these films transcended the extremely liberal boundaries of the R rating, and in most cases the reasons are still apparent.
Bloody Sexy Things: Adapting Clive Barker
by Dan Fields
June 28th, 2011
Clive Barker has lent his eyes and hands to virtually every medium, from page to the screen to the stage to the canvas to the console. However, film fans know him particularly as a horror master. There is so much undermined material for gifted fantasy filmmakers that perhaps we could dispense with further Candyman sequels and retire the Hellraiser juggernaut with contented hearts, and enjoy a Clive Barker renaissance clad in all new colors.
Valentine’s Day Fallout, Chapter Two: Love Most Peculiar in My Dog Tulip
by Dan Fields
February 15th, 2011
It is difficult to describe the feeling that My Dog Tulip leaves in one’s heart once the lights come up. The best answer is that you will probably feel several, which may contradict one another. That, and not really the questionable content, is what makes it a love story for grown-ups.
Movie Review: No Strings Attached
by Julia Rhodes
January 22nd, 2011
Studios are beginning to cater to the “hookup culture” people are wringing their hands about. The worst thing about No Strings Attached is its “teachable moment” ending: nobody’s capable of sex without feelings, didn’t you know?
Movie Review: Sex and the City 2
by Julia Rhodes
May 29th, 2010
Abu Dhabi, in case you were unaware, is the “new Middle East” and Dubai is “over.” With its blinding ivory dunes, gold-tipped mosques, and shimmering blue oceans, the possibilities for beauty here are endless. But we’re meant to remember that the loveliest things in the frame are the shoes, the clothes, and the four main characters, so DP John Thomas drops the ball on the scenery, opting instead for decorator porn and an “ooh shiny, diamonds and beautiful cars!” sensibility (because, you know, women love the shiny).
Book Review: Wild Romance: A Victorian Story of a Marriage, a Trial, and a Self-Made Woman by Chloë Schama
by Elinor Teele
April 26th, 2010
A secret affair. A scandalous sex-filled trial. A tell-all novel. If it’s any consolation to Tiger Woods and Jesse James, they’re not the first to be stripped down to their Jockeys on a worldwide scale. Welcome, William Charles Yelverton, Victorian seducer.
Happy Birthday, NC-17!
by Julia Rhodes
March 29th, 2010
The basics of the MPAA’s rating system (from here). Oh, NC-17. You’re like that friend who’s always getting stupid at parties and killing everyone’s fun. And yet it’s impossible to ignore that person, and when it’s time to blow out the candles everyone shows up anyway. Cinematical notes that this year marks the 20th birthday [...]
Book Review: I Don’t Care About Your Band by Julie Klausner
by Julia Rhodes
March 2nd, 2010
If the book were a movie, it would be rated R; the author’s got a dirty mouth (or pen, if you prefer) and hormones out the wazoo, and this book is not your mom’s dating guide. But for modern women it’s a refreshing and smart reassurance that they’re not alone in their woes.
Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, and Rent Boys: Professionals Writing on Life, Love, Money, and Sex
by John R. Guthrie
October 14th, 2009
And those names: JenniferBlowdryer, Sinnamon Love. Sebastian Horsely, a male prostitute, of course. Horsely advocates the trade as follows; “The difference between sex for money and sex for free is that sex money always costs less.”
Casanova by Ian Kelly
by Elinor Teele
December 3rd, 2008
Ah, Casanova. Men want to be him, and women want to be with him. Or is it the other way around? He’s Romeo with cojones, Bond without the Beretta, a man more sinned with than sinning. In the annals of sexual conquest, there has seldom been a more entertaining and knowing chronicler. Casanova, according to Casanova, was a legend.
Love Junkie by Rachel Resnick
by Kelly Hartog
November 12th, 2008
It takes an enormous amount of courage for Resnick to put her life story on the page. Her writing is as stripped, raw and intense as her emotions, and at times you don’t want to read further. But you do, anyway, with a kind of abject horror. The two main men that parade through her life, who ultimately woo, use and abuse her are truly the type of guys your mother would warn you to stay far away from.
Erotic Art of Ancient Pompeii
by Judith Harris
February 14th, 2008
A favourite theme which recurred again and again in wall paintings was the satyr creeping up behind a nymph to catch her by surprise. In at least one case the nymph, her veil ripped away, turns out to be a hermaphrodite, to the satyr’s theatrical dismay, and the observer’s amusement. Some wall paintings showed homosexual sex and, because African motifs were popular, another depicted picnicking pygmies enjoying a group orgy under a tent.
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
by Julie Ellam
June 21st, 2007
Repression, fear and even loathing run through her mind as she braces herself for what is to come after their meal. We are told in the first sentence that they are ‘young, educated and both virgins’ and she is unwilling to alter this state. Her only knowledge of sex is derived from a manual and she has convinced herself that she is without desire.
Campus Sexpot by David Carkeet
by Kelly Hartog
April 10th, 2007
Naturally, the publishing of this book complete with its intrigue, loose morals, and the real citizens’ names thinly disguised, set the town on its ear.

Latest CLR Blog Entries
The Fourth Wall: A Film and Television Blog
100 Greatest Gangster Films: The Godfather: Part III, #75
When You See Sparks: A CLR Music Blog
Album Review: Iggy Pop’s Après
After Image: Art, Architecture and Design
The Forgotten Sculpture of John B. Flannagan
Alone Together: A CLR Theater Blog
Less Than Kind by Terence Rattigan: Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, England.
Dance Vine
Smuin Ballet and Diablo Ballet: Two Praiseworthy Bay Area Dance Companies
The Dialogue Tree: A Video Game Blog
Overachievers: In Pursuit Of 1000G
CLR's most popular articles
- The Killing Recap: Openings (Season 2, Episode 6) (4,421 views)
- House Recap: ‘Everybody Dies’ (Season 8, Episode 22 – Series Finale) (3,690 views)
- The Massive Effect a Boss Makes (3,283 views)
- Kick-Ass and the Hit-Girl debacle (2,687 views)
- The Killing Recap: Keylela (Season 2, Episode 7) (2,495 views)
- House Recap: ‘Holding On’ (Season 8, Episode 21) (2,461 views)
- House Recap: ‘The C-Word’ (Season 8, Episode 19) (2,256 views)
- Sherlock Recap: 'The Reichenbach Fall' (2,200 views)
- House Recap: ‘Post Mortem’ (Season 8, Episode 20) (2,166 views)
- Photo Essay: North Korean Propaganda Posters (2,123 views)
- Photo Essay: North Korean Propaganda Posters (184,844 views)
- The Help by Kathryn Stockett (171,933 views)
- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (75,512 views)
- Kick-Ass and the Hit-Girl debacle (74,676 views)
- Erotic Art of Ancient Pompeii (56,454 views)
- Video Game Review: Mass Effect 3 (51,193 views)
- Images from How To Photograph an Atomic Bomb (45,618 views)
- Frida Kahlo at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (44,469 views)
- The Strange World of Quantum Entanglement (37,084 views)
- The Road by Cormac McCarthy (34,691 views)
Get The Latest California Literary Review Updates Delivered Free To Your Inbox!
Powered by FeedBlitz
Recent Comments:
- The Killing Recap: Sayonara, Hiawatha (Season 2, Episode 9): Jen notes: If they pull the plug, can we campaign to get Holder his own show?
- House Recap: ‘Everybody Dies’ (Season 8, Episode 22 – Series Finale): Debs notes: Brilliant and insightful summary. Def agree with the Edelstein theory (that Stacy’s scene was written for...
- The Killing Recap: Sayonara, Hiawatha (Season 2, Episode 9): Victor notes: As usual Brett, your review is right on the money. This was a surprisingly decent episode, as it went back to what it did...
- Mad Men Recap: “The Christmas Waltz” (Season 5, Episode 10) : Benson notes: Though I thought this episode was much stronger than others this season, I still am looking for characters...
- The 2012-2013 Television Season: An Overall Look: Brett Harrison Davinger notes: @Ivey West So there’s one thing in the world of television that I can’t blame on NBC. Thanks for the...
Follow the California Literary Review on Twitter: @calitreview
