Aphrodite: A Memoir of the Senses

by Isabel Allende

Other authorsRobert Shekter (Illustrator)
Hardcover, 1998

Status

Available

Call number

863

Tags

Sacred and Magical Sexuality, Aphrodisiacs, Recipes

Genres

Collection

Anna

Publication

HarperFlamingo (1998), Edition: 1st, 315 pages

Description

New York Times bestselling author of The House of the Spirits, Isabel Allende celebrates the pleasures of the sensual life in this rich, joyful and slyly humorous book, a combination of personal narrative and treasury of erotic lore. Under the aegis of the Goddess of Love, Isabel Allende uses her storytelling skills brilliantly in Aphrodite to evoke the delights of food and sex. After considerable research and study, she has become an authority on aphrodisiacs, which include everything from food and drink to stories and, of course, love. Readers will find here recipes from Allende's mother, poems, stories from ancient and foreign literatures, paintings, personal anecdotes, fascinating tidbits on the sensual art of foodand its effects on amorous performance, tips on how to attract your mate and revive flagging virility, passages on the effect of smell on libido, a history of alcoholic beverages, and much more. An ode to sensuality that is an irresistible blend of memory, imagination and the senses, Aphrodite is familiar territory for readers who know her fiction.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member riofriotex
Although subtitled as a memoir, this is really more of a part cookbook, part anthology. Allende wrote this after "Paula," a memoir that ended with the death of her 28-year-old daughter after a year in a coma from a genetic condition at the end of 1992. A grief-stricken Allende thought she might
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 never write again, but creating this lighthearted book helped restore her. It’s a lovely blend of recipes and research on food and drinks that have erotic properties or aphrodisiac power, mixed with folklore, a pinch of history and literary excerpts, and some of Allende’s own experiences. Most of the recipes were developed by Allende’s mother and are grouped into sections on appetizers, salads, soups, main dishes, sides, and desserts. I learned some … interesting things about some foods that I can’t repeat here! (well, okay, here's one suggestion from page 59: "Try long, firm asparagus served with two new potatoes at the base of the stem...")

This was a fun read but probably not very practical as a cookbook, unless you are a cookbook collector.
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LibraryThing member spacecommuter
Luscious and frothy...just a fun book all around to read. It features recipes that supposedly stir the senses (and other things besides). It's a great thing to read immediately after finishing the equally quirky and ethereal "Law of Love" by Laura Esquivel. Or maybe that's just me.
LibraryThing member estellen
Recipes, stories and fantasies - sensual and anecdotal fun...
LibraryThing member AnnieHidalgo
No one author has ever done more to introduce me to the sensuality of food. And rice pudding, no less. There were many, many other foods mentioned, but that one will always stand out. This book is a biography, with interspersed recipes. Forget an island getaway - my idea of the perfect romantic
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 weekend may involve this book, Laura Esquivel's Like Water For Chocolate, and a few recipes from Nigella Lawson. Ok, that's not ALL it would involve, but the way to the human heart is through the stomach, isn't it? That saying isn't just for men. (Or for people with a very poor grasp of anatomy - thanks, Terry Pratchett). Mmm, food....Figs, and oysters, and champagne, and a night under the stars... you should read this book. You won't be sorry.
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LibraryThing member anglophile65
I was so taken by this book years ago, that I'm very interested in reading it again since I have no memories of what it was about, just that I loved it :)
LibraryThing member mrsdanaalbasha
This book should be banned for people younger than 18; with that said I read it at 18 and found it grotesque. I enjoyed the recipes, some stories but the rest of the short stories and tales were horrific to me and quite sexual. I found it exaggerated and inordinate. Not my cup of tea.
LibraryThing member mrsdanaalbasha
This book should be banned for people younger than 18; with that said I read it at 18 and found it grotesque. I enjoyed the recipes, some stories but the rest of the short stories and tales were horrific to me and quite sexual. I found it exaggerated and inordinate. Not my cup of tea.
LibraryThing member AAPremlall
Brilliant and entertaining. Love her sense of humor.

Subjects

Aphrodisiacs Literary collections
Cookery, Spanish

Language

English

Original language

English

Original publication date

1998

Physical description

315 p.; 6.13 inches

ISBN

0060175907 / 9780060175900

More

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