Classic Erotica: Nine and a Half Weeks by Elizabeth McNeill
About The Book:
The classic erotic memoir of an intense and haunting relationship that spawned the film.
This is a love story so unusual, so passionate, and so extreme in its psychology and sexuality that it takes the reader’s breath away. Unlike The Story of O, Nine and a Half Weeks is not a novel or fantasy; it is a true account of an episode in the life of a real woman.
Elizabeth McNeill was an executive for a large corporation when she began an affair with a man she met casually. From the beginning, their sexual excitement escalates through domination and humiliation. As the affair progresses, woman and man play out ever more dangerous and more elaborate sado-masochistic variations. By the end, she has relinquished all control over her body and mind.
With a cool detachment that makes the experiences and sensations she describes all the more frightening in their intensity, Elizabeth McNeill beautifully unfolds her story and invites you to experience the mesmerizing, electrifying, and unforgettablly private world of Nine and a Half Weeks.
You’ve seen the movie, but you should read the book as well. Not only is it so very New York, but it’s fast, filthy, and clearly written by a woman. While calling it a classic may seem premature (it is only 38 years old) it stands out sharply as a daring feat, largely because it is such a personal account of an apparently true story. The complete twenty-four-seven power dynamic is still shocking today, as is their more physical play.
Nine and a Half Weeks is visceral and intense and well worth a read if you haven’t already.
