Bondage - Hardcover

Davis, Patti

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0671869531 ISBN 13: 9780671869533

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 1994

Synopsis

After meeting Anthony, a hot shot Hollywood director, Sara, usually the sexual aggressor in her encounters with men, finds the roles changing as Anthony takes complete control over her

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Reviews

A smorgasbord of irresponsible, unprotected sexual relations, this attention-grabbing novel by the Reagans' rebellious daughter ( The Way I See It ) seeks to show that bondage doesn't always mean S & M. Davis also suggests that strong women are, deep down, either diesel dykes or little girls waiting to meet a dominant man. Costume designer Sara is just such a straight-but-butch type, a 35-year-old woman from Santa Monica who is ordinarily wise to guys on the make. But she's struck dumb by movie director Anthony, and they tumble into the sack repeatedly (she trusts him on the basis of a plastic card that declares him HIV negative). Although Anthony's penchants for tying her up and for the occasional unannounced menage a trois disturb Sara, she cannot shake her obsession with him. Meanwhile, Sara's friend Belinda has fallen for a cult leader who later rapes her, setting up a facile contrast between rough play and actual violence. For readers who relish the explicit scenes, there's additional prurient interest in Sara's lesbian attraction to Belinda, perhaps created to show that caring is the key to a successful relationship. Still, this temptation doesn't amount to much, and heterosexual lust is the major focus here. Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club alternates; author tour.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The author's fifth novel details the adventures of movie costumer Sara in her search for Mr. Right, which leads only to a European film director of note who's into kinky sex. Davis stumbles onto a plot late in the game here: Sara's best friend, movie hairdresser Belinda, is raped by her New Age guru, with repercussions from his Manson family-type followers. Sara is a lively enough character, but all the men are (sexual) bozos from the word go. (That may well be the author's point.) Davis lifts herself out of the swamp of Danielle Steel cliches with some decent writing: the novel ends on a nicely deserved point of feminist rage, and the fully X-rated sex is interestingly handled from a genuine female point of view--somewhat rare in this genre. Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club alternates; previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 10/15/93.
- David Bartholomew, NYPL
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Davis' career as a writer continues to jerk along. Previously, her literary efforts have been based entirely on being the daughter of Ronald and Nancy Reagan. Davis worried this bone until even she must have tired of it. Now, as the title of this book so simply and eloquently says, she's moved on to bondage. Will her fans move with her? It's anybody's guess. Davis probably felt very daring writing this poor man's version of The Story of O, but the only thing really going for it is its camp value. Sara, the heroine, and her friend Belinda both have problems with men and domination. Sara's confusion leads her to a dungeon in the home of a powerful Hollywood producer while Belinda's leads her to jump off a cliff. Before that, there's lots of psychobabble about relationships and lots of sex--his and hers, hers and hers, his and two hers, well, you get the picture. Much of it is rough sex as well, with rape, whips, and daggers all playing roles. Not that any of it rings true. The final scene, in which Sara gets back at her lover, Anthony, by luring him to the dungeon and tying a few Boy Scout knots where they'll hurt the most may elicit groans from Anthony, but expect giggles from everyone else. The flap copy states that Davis is an actress as well as a novelist. Ain't flap copy grand? Ilene Cooper

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 1994
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0671869531
• ISBN 13: 9780671869533
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320