As Francesca

by Martha Baer

Book Overview

Elaine, ambitious and hardworking, plays by the rules at the office so well that she's on the brink of an impressive promotion. But in the cyberspace world she visits every night as "Francesca," her... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553067540
• ISBN13: 9780553067545
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Broadway Books
• Length: 274 Pages
• Weight: 0.96 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.9" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Erotic with an engaging plot and well developed characters

_As Francesca_ tells an intriguing story of one woman's adventure to find the ultimate sexual encounter. This novel is unusual in that it is simultaneously erotic and plot-driven. The characters are interesting and original. I recommend this book to anyone who has an open mind about sex or wishes they did.

Easy Entertainment with sex thrown in

My 4 stars are based on the fact that it's a very entertaining book with some kink and online sex thrown in.... if that's your cup of tea - go for it.

Proust in cyberspace

There are three main things I loved about this book. One is the gorgeous use of language. Two are the incidental insights that grace almost every chapter -- sensations that we have all experienced in private moments, but never put a name to, and are amazed to discover that someone else has seen the same phenomenon. Like Proust. Three is the intellectual conceit that is the engine of the book: that somehow there is a relationship between public power(dominance) and private submissivenss. Politics as a sado-masochistic exercise. I don't necessarily think the paradigm holds true, but it's certainly fascinating to explore.

A Decent Summer Read

Overall quite a decent effort. Think Pauline Reage meeting William Gibson; as told by Dilbert. The characters kept my attention and the story flowed quite well, predictable perhaps but never boring. To be read while working on your tan.

Mesmerizing

For a first-time effort, Martha Baer does an exceptional job of intermingling suspense and erotica in As Francesca. Her protagonist, Elaine, like so many working women, finds herself in a less-than-perfect career. Elaine finds her only way to move onto the fast track is by stimulating her mental focus through submission to an on-line dominatrix. When she mistakenly logs on using her real name, the suspense begins. Baer's characters are strikingly similar to those I've encountered in my own working life - the icy female supervisor, the unapproachable department head, the gossiping underlings. Readers looking for "juicy" sex will be disappointed - As Francesca is a tale which examines the relationship between the nocturnal and the diurnal, and the consequences when the masks we wear are stripped away.