One of the great things about life is its cultural diversity. I recently stumbled across The Sixteen Pleasures by Robert Hellenga. I thought it might be erotica and decided I’d give it a shot and, if it became tedious, put it aside. It is not erotica and far from tedious, at least for those who prefer literature about the human experience rather than thrilling events. The protagonist is a 29-year-old American book conservator who travels to Florence to aid in the restoration of art damaged in the terrible flood of 1966. She eventually winds up working in the library of a convent, where nuns discover a rare work of erotica bound together with a book of prayer. How much will it bring at auction once restored? That is one of the intrigues of the novel. Another is the May-December romance on which the heroine embarks. Throughout the narrative she reminisces about her family. Most of the book is her first person account. A small part is a narrator’s, which follows the woman’s lover. The prose, dialogue and characterizations are first rate. The nuns are humanized, not stereotyped. Although there are scores of classical references and the use of other languages, mostly Italian, it never comes off as pretentious. I was so impressed that the author was able to do an entire novel largely from a woman’s point of view. I’ve done so in one short story, and doubt I’d ever feel confident doing it in a lengthy work. Yes, Hellenga is the father of three daughters, but I suspect many writers who have daughters would find it difficult to write so convincingly from the female point of view, at least in a serious novel. I have four nieces who are almost like sisters to me, and I still wouldn’t attempt an entire novel from a woman’s point of view. Anyway, the book was Hellenga’s first, published in 1995. He has written five others and many short stories. He has spent considerable time in academia, teaching creative writing. I don’t hold that against him. On a scale of five, I rate The Sixteen Pleasures four. Twelve years after its release, it has a decent ranking at Amazon, currently 358,201 out of the eight million. Readers are still discovering it. Well done, sir. I admire an author who proceeds despite almost certain commercial failure.
I had no luck selling books on the street today. I gave away three to women who have donated and bought from me. One was mercenary -- Amazon.com for Dummies to Marie, who I hope will learn how to post a review of my books there.
Vic's 4th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
Vic’s Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
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