Oubliette's review of The Mammoth Book of Lesbian Erotica edited by Barbara Cardy

An erotic anthology that certainly lives up to its name

Reviewed: 07 Jun 2012 by Oubliette

Lovehoney kindly sent me a copy of the "Mammoth Book of Lesbian Erotica" to review as a product tester.

As the introduction suggests, this isn't just an anthology for lesbians - it's a great read for anyone who enjoys a bit of girl-on-girl action, particularly bi-curious individuals or couples looking to spice things up with a bit of fantasy. However, I was pleased to see this wasn't just another example of mainstream "lesbian" erotica - these stories actually feel like they were written by and for women who sleep with women, capturing the emotional intensity of the characters' experiences as much as the physical intimacy, making them far more engaging and enjoyable to read.

There are actually 55 short stories in total - a couple more than the official description suggests - so at £7.99 you're getting plenty of value for your money (I've had my copy for over a month, and still haven't managed to read all of the stories yet). The book is about the same size as a typical paperback novel. Although the artwork is tasteful and not too explicit, the ladies on the cover and label on the spine (which reads "lesbian erotica" in large font) means it's probably not discreet enough to be left lying around the house without causing a few raised eyebrows.

I was a little surprised at the amount of kink, like spanking and bondage, included in the list along with the more vanilla stories, but it's all pretty tame stuff - nothing too scary or intimidating if this isn't usually your cup of tea.

I would have preferred to be able to search for stories with a certain theme by glancing at the index, as there doesn't appear to be much of an order to how the stories are organised in this book. But having said that, all of the stories are quite short, so it's not hard to flick through the book to find the sort of thing you're looking for.

It might be a little on the tame side for connoisseurs of erotic fiction, but this book is certainly entertaining enough for most readers, and definitely worth a try if you're looking for an anthology to start your collection or a "quickie" read :)