Aphrodite: A Memoir of the Senses by Isabel Allende
Isabel Allende, the worldwide Chilean author, who has written nearly 20 books including The House of the Spirits, Of Love and Shadows, Eva Luna, Stories of Eva Luna, The Infinite Plan, Daughter of Fortune, Portrait in Sepia, among others, celebrates the pleasures of the sensual life in Aphridite.
Allende, brings her magical storytelling powers to a highly personal and charmingly idiosyncratic look at the intertwined sensual arts of food and love with the book Aphrodite.
In Aphrodite Allende is blending personal reminiscence with folklore from around the world, historical legends, and memorable moments from literature—erotic and otherwise—Allende spices her narrative with equal portions of humor and insight.
Assembling a feast of fascinating facts about the aphrodisiac powers of food and drink, Allende serves them up with both convincing admiration and due irreverence. She offers suggestions, both ancient and modern, for luring a lover, kindling sexual ardor, prolonging the act of love, and reviving flagging virility. Dipping into the cauldron of history, she reports on the lascivious appetites of everyone from the emperor Nero to Catherine the Great to France’s notorious Madame du Barry.
A personal ode to the pleasures of food and sex, Aphrodite celebrates the sensual life with joy and imagination. Allende’s exuberance, storytelling powers, and naughty sense of fun make this memoir an irresistible treat for the senses.
