Aphrodite: Amazon.co.uk: Isabel Allende: Books

Amazon.co.uk Review

There is something about reading suggestive material that awakens the senses--too often ignored in the fray of modern life--and fires the imagination. Perhaps it brings us back to those breathless, palpitating moments from childhood when puberty was a rosy smudge on the horizon and sex was an abstract term. Aphrodite is a long, savoury, enthralling ode to sensuality.

In this bawdy memoir-cum-cookbook, Allende has put together an apothecary of aphrodisiacs, from snake's blood and rhinoceros horn to the more commonplace and more palatable oysters, "those seductive tears of the sea, which lend themselves to slipping from mouth to mouth like a prolonged kiss...can be purchased in bottles, but there they look like malignant tumours; in contrast, moist and turgid in their shells they suggest delicate vulvae--a prime example of food that appeals to the eye." Chapters such as "Alligators and Piranhas"; "Supreme Stimulus for Lechery"; "Bread,God's Grace"; "Forbidden Fruits"; and "The Saucy Way to Foreplay" offer categorical listings on the aphrodisiac qualities of meats, spices, fruits and vegetables and alcohol. A few chapters into the book, one begins to wonder what foods aren't considered erotic: "the shape of the wheat head is considered phallic, which proves human imagination knows no limits." Wine (no surprise there) is recommended because "it lessens inhibitions, relaxes, and fosters joy, three fundamental requirements for good performance, not only in bed but at the piano as well." However, as in many situations, moderation is key: too much and you may find your guest asleep in the soup.

Allende dismisses nouvelle cuisine in favour of earthier foods and more satisfying portions. More than 100 recipes are provided, from sauces and soups to hors d'oeuvres, supplemented with her voluptuous commentary. Recipes such as Mykonos Sauce, with walnuts, pistachios, basil, garlic and milk; Widower's Figs; Filet Mignon Belle Epoque; and Alicante Cream Soup, with leeks, prawns, oysters, paprika, and cream will have you in an apron (and perhaps not much else) in no time.

"If cookbooks make up part of your library," Allende notes, "books on eroticism should, too." And what more delightful combination of the two than Aphrodite, which provocatively underscores the relationship between sustenance and sexuality, and the aphrodisiac qualities of watching a man cook: "[Women] suppose that if he can remember how many minutes frog legs can tolerate in the skillet, how much greater reason he will have to remember how many tickles our G spot demands." Spiced with litanies of lust and longing from Anais Nin, W.B. Yeats, Pablo Neruda, and Lady Onogoro, and enriched with Allende's warm humour and lusty joie de vive, Aphrodite will tantalise your senses and engender lascivious grins. Recommended in delicious but moderate doses, this book is not for the faint of...er, heart. --Jhana Bach, Amazon.com

Review

‘Allende’s writing is so vivid we smell the countryside, hear the sounds, see the bright birds, the scorched earth, smell and even taste the soft fruit.’
The Times

‘Allende is incapable of telling a bad story. She writes of her own experience with a kind of wild candour. Her heroically sustained narrative, her lovingly prepared plots and surprise inventions explode in an exaltation.’
Independent

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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

A feast for the senses 15 May 2001

By pamela hansford

Format:Paperback

Food, Sex, Isabel Allende, if you love any or all of the above then this is a must have! From the first page the author welcomes you in like an old friend, she then leads you thru. history, literature and her personal loves and life and leaves you feeling titilated and hungrey for more! Keep it in the kitchen or by your bed but definatly have it within easy reach!

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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

Pure aphrodisiac material 11 July 1999

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

One word simply describes Aliende's latest : Aphrodisiac. This is not only in reference to the recipes of the book but also to the way she writes .Her stories of her life , the myth are all belnd marvelously put together and the result is a bible of what Aliende calls "The love of food and the food of love". Definetely for those who see food as more that a biological need.

A Feast of Pleasures! 21 Feb 2011

By Mr. E. W. Palmer

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This writer was my inspiration, following the death of my wife, and I have read all but one of her books. The use of language, the understated humour and the possibilites that the recipes, included in the book, are a delight. As a keen (and competent cook), I am looking forward to "having a go", not for the aphrodisiac potential, because at 73, with mild prostate cancer, I might be wasting my time and effort. However, one never knows!!!
Everyone should read this author's books.