All Comments on 'Ides of March - Review'

Thanks for your review! I also read Part 3 of your story. I scored all three parts as 4s. Only positive is at least they didn't re-marry.

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Love the review!! Hopefully, some of the ANONs whose reading comprehension doesn't quite capture it all (or is it the we writers' skill at 'showing' that doesn't succeed?) will read this for clarification. 5/5!!!

This review is a reflection of CURRENT society; self-entitlement is priority with no regard to responsibilities for the kids they create. The cavalier attitudes, such as, kids are resilient they will bounce back - is F'up, with these parental values?!?!

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Modern LW stories seem devoid of the husband/wife responsibilities to the children they have brought into this world via eager explicit sex.

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Few LW stories follow the failure/damage to family life from the kids point of view and into their future relationship/marriage ordeals.

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I detest RAAC's for intentional CHEATERS, Barbara & Linda. As the harm to the kids is never analyzed just a presupposition that IF the CHEATERS get back with their husbands/victims all will be forever fairy-tail good for the family and kids - BS. We are to ASSume TRUST has been fully restored (with enough drugs maybe).

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Many Reader's seem to want Hallmark fantasy-island moment; the Hallmark ending kiss, solves all woes, happy happy happy. OR Reader's are scarred and only want the worst to solve their blood lusting hate.

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LW is a tough crowd to please but there are +dozen writers in the past 20yrs that have written interesting complex and thoughtful stories with minimal carnage required.

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3***, hooyah --- too many L readers want their happy pill fix.

Yes, I really appreciate the review: an incredible insight into how you approached the story. Thank you!

I think the author views his/her story as a classic comparing it frequently to GA’s February Sucks. While both are celebrity hall pass stories this one didn’t come close to FS status. It was an enjoyable read, but frankly pretty standard hall pass fair. I did read this essay and it provided some insight as to the author’s mindset while writing it.

Okay, so I can understand not wanting to bother an editor, but then what is the reader to make of this?

They go through life ambiguous to their surroundings…(oblivious maybe?)

They must choose between egregious and moral (simply does not compute)

Plutonic date should probably have been platonic

So far, it seems that you’re a pretty good story teller…and you have “for sale” books. I can only imagine that you’ve also got a very patient editor. This Anon appreciates your efforts in the free realm. LPN offers reasonable advice, but he needs to focus his writing on his own work, rather than comments. Haven’t heard from him in a while!

While I believed it wise to wait on rating and commenting until having read this review after the 3 parts, this reader, QuickMagazine, remains conflicted. Cookingwithgas had scored well with me so far (I've yet to sample "Joe B. Trade," which dropped today), but in the final analysis, I've got to go with a 3 for the whole shebang. While he explains himself well in this review, I've got to go with the majority and admit that I did not like how the story came out. Not so much that they reconciled, but it just didn't feel realistic. While cookingwithgas described the possibility of Rob finding "a new love interest" as something the AUTHOR could have facilitated, I disagree. Someone like Rob would be far more in demand at their age than someone like Barb. It would be distinctly UNREALISTIC that Rob wouldn't have found someone new over that 6 year period. Unless, of course, Barb had made some real effort to reconnect, which in this story did not happen. Obviously, people of wit and honor can disagree - LPN, for example, has cheered this on. So what I did with that limp score (3) is average out the high quality writing and real thought he (CWG) put into this, with what I felt was an unsatisfying outcome due to its being unlikely, not to mention way too quick. Sayeth QuickMagazine.

No excuse, no forgiveness for her, she is far worse than Linda. She plans it and lets it play out the fact she only got to on a fluke makes it even worse the asshole who took her back is not the honourable man he started out as.

The betrayal story is all about Barb, with Rob just being the fall guy, the prop of a husband. But the reconciliation story is ALL about Rob. And its interesting how both stories are an inverse of each other. Barb fucked over her marriage because she had an opportunity she valued more than her husband or her self respect. Rob reconciled with Barb because apparently he had No opportunity, or ability, to move forward with a better wife, a better woman. Barb became a slut because she wanted to and had a fantastic opportunity for amazing sex. Rob became a willing cuck when he took Barb back because he wanted to and had no opportunity for a better partner. Barb was the complete winner, with a delayed trophy, while Rob was the complete loser, with the delayed failure. Barb gets Rob back just like the old marriage, and she doesn't even have to make a commitment or take any vows. Rob gets Barb back for one reason only, she's still available and as she ages she realizes she needs a paycheck and medical insurance. Even when Barb is late coming home Rob the cuck is threatened, but doesn't say or do anything to rock the boat. If Barb is still fucking the Beast once in a while Rob will never know, nor want to know. Pathetic. Nice job, you completely nutted the husband. And thanks for the effort.

That was like reading a high school book review.

It should not be included as a Literotica story!!!

Linda might've known the football star would've been there at the restaurant and prob thought she would go along with it if she was asked but that was more of wishful thinking and prob the extent of her planning. Barb on the other hand was not the same as she pre-planned it..

I applaud the effort. But it just doesn't work.

Pretty much everything about the politics aspect seemed out of focus and often inaccurate. Especially, the implicit assertion that the political changes were relevant to beliefs about relationships. The stories would have been much better without any politics at all.

Barb's thought process during the date and the sex just didn't seem likely at all. Didn't ring true. That's likely because you never really give us a believable rationale for what she really wanted from the beginning.

I still don't understand what her plan was for divorce. First, she wanted a different life. But wait, she also wanted her old husband. Did she ever actually decide? And then the key to getting him back was filing? What? And so she was helping him by lying to him when she said she wanted divorce? Sorry. Still don't understand how lying is helping.

And then six years are gone. She's gotten all her jollies screwing around. So all set for a reconciliation. Because hubby can't do any better.

The concept was worthwhile. The execution just never really engaged. Didn't make the sale. Reconciliation could be sold in a story like this (maybe not for the haters, but for the rest of us). But you really need to sell it. And you just didn't make it work.

Blah, blah, Barb is a pathetic piece of shit who wasn't shown to have done much in the way of earning any trust with her ex.

Rob just seems weak aside from some basic self improvement.

OMG if this in the introduction to the story then it must be bigger than WAR and Peace Not sure I have 5 years to read it

Your last paragraph is very defensive because your story conclusion totally sucked. Keep telling yourself that your Part 3 was a completely plausible good ending that was faithful to the characters because... well, "because I wrote it dammit." To quote the lovely Barb who impatiently wanted to get her soon to be ex home, Grow a Pair" and in this case, admit you fucked the pooch with a lousy 3rd Part and conclusion to your story.

It is an interesting conclusion that you come to. Looking at all sides and after reading your story twice through I think it can be boiled down to something very simple....

His wife knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that her actions would hurt her husband, worse thing she could do other than murdering him or killing him or his children.

She knew this, and purposely CHOSE to do what she did.

The divorce was completely justified and good riddance to her. Your ending where they got back together again really stretched credulity. Like your other stories it is very well written, but is such a fantasy ending that it got a low score as it did.

That is just my opinion though.

As a side note, thank you for writing your stories, always wonder what I am going to get when you pop up.

Sincerely,

Payenbrant

I think part 3 was terrible, not saying it should be BTB.

I can see you wanted a reconciliation l, but part 3 was too rushed! Both spouses immediately reconciled way too quickly.

You didn’t disclose about Billy and what happened to him and Barbara! In part 2, it was stated that Barbara started dating Billy, but in part 3 she acted if she didn’t!

If you want a good RAAC story, you need to build it up.

First of all, you wrote a very well told story. There is nothing to complain about. In terms of content, however, I do not agree with your statements.

You sketched the two protagonists Barbara and Rob in detail in your story. You portray Barbara as a cosmopolitan person who discovers new things and meets new people through her writing. Nevertheless, she manages her household, the children and her husband. You didn't say a word until after her cheating that she expected more out of her marriage and life than she's gotten so far.

You describe Rob as a person who, due to his accident and his experiences, sees his worldview more and more in black and white. In other words, he has clear ideas about things and measures his surroundings and things in his life according to this scheme.

Barbara plans her scam from the moment she participates in the bidding without informing her husband of what the consequences might be. She does this consciously because she knows he would be against bidding. After her "win" you make this tough woman out as if she were so overwhelmed by the feelings that she forgets all important things like informing her husband, arranging how to proceed etc. and makes off with her "prize". . From participating to cheating, she does everything consciously and without remorse. Only after the "deed" has been completed does she show feelings for her husband and family. But not what her action may have done to them psychologically, but she is afraid of losing her marriage and family. So no sense of guilt but fear of loss.

Rob should now, although you have drawn him as a man with clear principles and clear views, come to terms with his wife's adultery or accept it.

Your characters don't match! You built them differently! And your degree reinforces this contrast even more: You make a reconciliation after 6.5 years of divorce and justify it with forgiveness and love! That doesn't add up.

Yes, Rob can forgive what she did, but that doesn't mean he has to take her back. And if he does, then you have to explain his complete change in his worldview. Just saying something like this happens millions of times in our society is not enough to explain this change.

It was not a story.

No stars.

You're a pussy backtracking just because you got called out for.

You're the kind responsible for the erasure of men. There's loving wife and humiliation aside and then there's your kind of shit writing, pussification of a man and glorification of the cheating woman.

Give a revised touch to this. Make sure Barbara is punished for it by ridding her of the money and kids. Making the third parties, their friends and trying to make the readers hate the man failed.

Barbara is a cunt and will remain to be. And You're a horrible person to give acceptance for such a character.

OMG If the story is as bad as this so called feminest preamble then I am not sure i am game to read it ??????Oh well a slack sat night so i will try

Putting any responsibility for Barb's catastrophic whoredom is part of the reason you scored so low.

You would need to write a different story because the one you wrote showed a narcissistic, irredeemable whore and a man who did nothing to deserve it and was simply pathetic afterwards.

I made a mistake, I agree with anonymous 4 months ago. It was not a story but I can't remove my score. Glad it was only 3*s.

The last para shows the writers twisted thought process! If one even has an ounce of self respect… the thrill of the auction date will never overcome once sense of what’s right or wrong! The bullshit the writer propagates seems straight out of the DEI shit for some of the top educational uninstitutions!surely not a graduate of PENN or Harvard right?

Ha Ha Ha ! What a load of Feminist, Liberal Bullshit ! Although you list no gender, this is written from a woman's point of view. There is no sense of morality here, just excuses for the wife's choices. Choices to betray her vows and her family. 1 Star on your "Review" .