Aphrodite: A Memoir of the Senses
Written by Isabel Allende
Narrated by Isabel Allende and Gabra Zackman
3.5/5
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About this audiobook
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.
Isabel Allende
Isabel Allende is the author of twelve works of fiction, including the New York Times bestsellers Maya’s Notebook, Island Beneath the Sea, Inés of My Soul, Daughter of Fortune, and a novel that has become a world-renowned classic, The House of the Spirits. Born in Peru and raised in Chile, she lives in California.
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Reviews for Aphrodite
250 ratings9 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I am so happy to have found this audiobook. I have loved this book for so long.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I 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 :)
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5An unforgettable journey into the realm of eroticism which incorporates many things sometimes we easily ignore.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Brilliant and entertaining. Love her sense of humor.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5This 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.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5No 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 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.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Recipes, stories and fantasies - sensual and anecdotal fun...
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Although 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 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.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Luscious 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.