Socrates, Jesus, Buddha - Frederic Lenoir

It has been a long while since I have read anything on religion, God, faith, beliefs, salvation and especially any religious master. And so when one of my students showed me this book and urged me to read it I accepted it as new variety to my reading list which is always very long and eclectic, believe me!
The author of this book, Frédéric Lenoir writes about three great masters: Socrates, Jesus and Buda which he considers to have been the three men who changed, adapted or created most traditions, beliefs, and followers in the whole world. Or so, the three most influential individuals ever known to man.
He writes on each and every aspect of these three men's lives - from their preaching, followers, sexuality, family life, childhood, birth, history, death, personality, physical appearance, miracles, teachings - and on the list goes. It is very detailed and in my opinion an excellent book as well since the author doesn't try to convert you or make you go to his side of view but instead he points out their history, writings and the facts we have on them and leaves the rest up to you. He takes you in a trip that is based on these three character's lives enriching your thoughts and opening up your head to what you always thought was so, when the truth is that there is just SO much more! 
When the author touches on their financial resources and means of living he points out how Jesus reminds us that the human being needs more than just material possessions to be a total human. The same way, Socrates attests that a man is only truly a man when he searches the truth and does all in his reach to leave ignorance behind. And for Buda, the meaning of human life consists in overcoming the illusion of our own ego, by tapping into our interior. All wise sayings.
One of my favorite quotes in this book though comes from Socrates when his best friend questions him about what is justice and he answers: "Justice isn't something which can be defined, it has to be practiced." 
Desire is another topic brought to the fore in this book. It shows us how all the human suffering, wars, discussions and fights are brought on because we don't know how to control our body against our own desire. Our body -led by its desires - is the one who calls the shots. We are controlled by desire and all that happens in our life and our society is based on what others desire and what they do to get what they desire. Desire has always been something that has been a big mystery and question in my mind, something I always wished to understand better, to find out what comes behind it and how we can loosen its grip in our life to the barest minimum. And maybe that is where Buda, Jesus and Socrates come when they speak of leaving it all behind, forsaking it all, becoming poorer than the poor, giving of ourselves to the world and others and letting go of all that we have in us which might control and keep us back in our decisions and relations with all that is around us. And then you see, that is just too much for me - it's not what I desire! Hah!, there it goes... the same old desire! 
I will end here saying that even after all I know, read and heard about religion (including this book), I am still searching for truth, for freedom of mind, for the real thing - and because I am still looking and going after it I know that I will somehow, in my own way, find it because I know that the search for the truth is what brings true liberty: liberty to the individual who frees himself from tradition, from authority, from the society's dominant opinions; and most of all is given the greatest liberty, the interior liberty that comes from the human being that learns how to truly know and dominate himself. That's what I pretend to learn - and that is what I am still learning.  


Book Review:
A fascinating look at the communality and enduring relevance of three of history's most influential figures.   Socrates, Jesus and Buddha have each, in their own way, shaped the modern mind; their messages and philosophies are three cornerstones of the way we think. Through years of research, Frédéric Lenoir has come to understand that their teachings converge on a number of critical points. In his new book he looks at the origins of these three monumental figures, and how their common message of individual responsibility and tolerance remains as pertinent as ever.

How did these men come to their vocation? What do we know of their childhoods, their families, their personal lives? Each was revolutionary in their time, breaking substantially with the traditions and received wisdom of the era, but none of them wrote anything down themselves. 

Their teachings have reached us via the lessons and transcriptions of disciples, sometimes only being written down many years later. What impact has this oral interpretation had on their message? What did they actually say themselves and what has tradition subsequently added? Lenoir tackles all of these questions, comparing across the three figures, as well as analysing both the content and form of their teachings. 

He discovers that at the heart of all of their ideas is the notion of a personal spiritual quest that was instrumental in creating a new kind of man: an autonomous individual, responsible for his choices and actions, and not beholden to any group. This message, which so powerfully overturned the prejudices, dogmas and rites of their respective periods, still has much to teach us today.

Socrates, Jesus, Buddha will surprise and enlighten laymen and experts alike.

The Wordsworth Book of Classic Erotica

This has been literally the longest book I’ve read in my life – almost 1500 pages long – and yet it has been a slow and pleasant read. It’s a composition of many different erotic stories being that each one unfolds in pretty much the same way and manner:  sex!!! Some are quite pornographic while others are lighter and even up to a certain point somewhat romantic. You can’t be a conservative person while reading this book because every luxurious and libidinous topic imaginable appears: from pederasty to incest, rape to sadomasochism, gays and lesbian intercourse, anal and oral sex, and on the list goes. It most definitely isn’t a book for most people and you need to read it a little at a time to be able to get to its end specially because it is really repetitive and can become quite boring if you try to read it all at once. I must even admit that many things about sex which I had NEVER heard or imagined existed I found out through reading this book. Many sexual fantasies were totally unheard of to me and a lot of times I caught myself not believing my own eyes. And yet this book was written many, many years ago so that just proves that since the beginning of times sex was (and still is) the biggest pleasure known to men – and women as well of course! The one thing I do wonder though is about the authors and how their own personal erotic experiments must have added to the salacious stories they have written. One of the stories for example is called “The Autobiography of a Flea” and it’s exactly that: a flea’s own porn autobiography telling what he sees in rich and eloquent English – one of the reasons for this is because it was one of the very first erotic novels ever written by a lawyer – think about that, huh?! In total there are eleven different stories in this large book. Below are their titles and a book review copied and pasted from someone that read it someday before. Here they go:

 A Weekend Visit: A gentleman(?)is invited to the home of his lover. The weekend end is spent cavorting with not only the young lady but with her mother and young ward too. Not just one at a time too but with them alltoghether and with the ladies too finding the pleasures of their own sex. Interesting but downside is that only one man is present and the sex acts get rather repetitive.

Beatrice: This is a very literate book. It is written in a very different style from the normal books in the genre, and reads surprisingly well. Another major strength of this book is to convey emotions and feelings with amazing brevity. The story is told from a first person perspective, and the gradual sexual education of a young Beatrice at the hands of family and friends is very slow and delicious.The test of good erotica is that it should get you off, and keep you coming back to the same passages again and again, for more. This one is a true classic that way, comparable to the exploits of Mrs. Saxon, Lady Francesca Ballington, Eveline, etc. PS - if you are prone to being offended easily, why read erotica anyway. This one breaks a lot of taboos, and that is why I love it. 

Justine: This work is the most celebrated of the novels of the Marquis de Sade. Execrated by de Sade's contemporaries, it is a novel of depth and psychological insight. It tells the tale of the virtuous Justine, who, forced to make her way in the world suffers frightful humiliations.

 The Autobiography of a Flea: The Autobiography of a Flea is an anonymous erotic novel first published in 1887 in London by Edward Avery. Later research has revealed that the author was a London lawyer of the time named Stanislas de Rhodes.^[2]

The story is set in France and is narrated by a flea who tells the tale of a beautiful young girl named Bella whose burgeoning sexuality is taken advantage of by her young lover Charlie, the local priest Father Ambrose, two of his colleagues in holy orders and her own uncle. Bella is then employed to procure her best friend, Julia for the sexual enjoyment of both the priests and of her own father.

The book was adapted into a 1976 pornographic film (see film adaptation).

 The Pearl: Follow the story of Beatrice in Volume One, Lady Pokingham, where sordid adventures in the sexual underworld are commonplace, and virginal fantasies, flagellation, and Catholic guilt manifest themselves as streams of erotic poetry. In Volume Two, La Rose d'Amour, a young man is influenced by his lusty young cousins, who invite him to join an illicit club of debauchery and brandy-saturated orgies, where pearl necklaces and see-through negligees are the only dress codes required.










The Romance of Lust: This is not for everyone. If you are into incest, anal and homosexuality you may want to give it a read. It was a little too much for               me to read at times.

    Venus In India: Captain Devereux is posted to India, far away from his beautiful young wife and child, and at first is devastated at the parting. But when he comes across Lizzie Wilson, the wife of one of his fellow officers, her ample bosom and open thighs prove more than enough consolation. And when her husband objects to their dalliances, no matter—for the regiment Colonel's three young daughters, Fanny, Amy, and Mabel, are more than eager to be initiated into the ways of adult love!
Set in colonial Hindustan, each sinuous line in this tale provides proof that tropical heat and erotic lust are perfect bedfellows. Also known as Love Adventures in Hindustan, this story was originally published in Amsterdam in 1889.

 Maudie: Maudie is an up-to-date courtesan of the 1920s. In her house on the banks of the river Thames she provides all manner of erotic entertainment for her circle of friends. However, Maudie and her companions are photographed by "The Daily Mirror" and are forced to flee the country.



















My Lustful Adventures: A CLASSIC OF VICTORIAN EROTICA! In this exemplar of late 19th century erotica, the pseudonymous author describes the most memorable night of his life. Rescuing two high class ladies from ruffians, he is rewarded with a night of lustful adventures.

The Way of a Man With a Maid: The Way of a Man with a Maid is an anonymous, sadomasochistic, erotic novel, probably first published in 1908. The story is told in the first person by a gentleman called "Jack", who lures women he knows into a kind of erotic torture chamber, called "The Snuggery", in his house, and takes considerable pride in meticulously planned rapes which he describes in minute detail.

The Time In Between

"The Time in Between" is one of those novels that grips you with it's simple language and captivating main character: Sira Quiroga. It's the story of an ordinary woman who learns through life and its hardships. The story revolves around the Spanish Civil War and the WWII in Spain and a lot of characters belonging to that period of time show up. I guess a big reason why this book appealed so much to me is because the main character - which is also somewhat of a common person turned into a heroine - is a woman who at first is weak minded, uneducated, naive and has no sense or idea about all the big mysteries in life. And yet she starts from scratch after many heartbreaks and difficulties, refusing to give up no matter what her circumstances in life are and from there she goes on to become a classic spy working for the Americans during the WWII. Maria Duenãs portrays a woman with a very strong and correct character but who also doesn't hesitate in fighting for what she knows is right, putting herself in risks, and having a cause to live and die for. All of this added together is what gives the book a touch of intrigue, suspense, mystery and danger. And romance. Of course romance. Despite everything that the main character goes through she is not above the human feelings of the heart and in the end it all ends up in a beautiful romance. 


Book Review: 

INTRODUCTION: Maria Duenas holds a PhD in English Philology and is currently a professor at the University of Murcia. She has also taught at American universities, is the author of several academic articles, and has participated in various educational, cultural, and editorial projects. After her immensely successful novelistic debut in 2009 in Spain with El Tiempo entre Costuras translated this year as The Time in Between, she is currently working on her second novel.

"Between Youth and Adulthood . . .

At age twelve, Sira Quiroga sweeps the atelier floors where her single mother works as a seamstress. At fourteen, she quietly begins her own apprenticeship. By her early twenties she has learned the ropes of the business and is engaged to a modest government clerk. But everything changes when two charismatic men burst unexpectedly into her neatly mapped-out life: an attractive salesman and the father she never knew"

The Time in Between has been translated by Miguel Saenz.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: A huge bestseller in Europe, The Time in Betweenintrigued me quite a lot when I read its blurb and the praise offered to it in various places. I asked for and was lucky to get an e-arc from the publishers and on opening the novel I was swept by its voice and narrative flow, so despite what turned into a somewhat rough first 50 pages, I kept turning the pages...

"A typewriter shattered my destiny. The culprit was a Hispano-Olivetti, and for weeks, a store window kept it from me. Looking back now, from the vantage point of the years gone by, it’s hard to believe a simple mechanical object could have the power to divert the course of an entire life in just four short days, to pulverize the intricate plans on which it was built. And yet that is how it was, and there was nothing I could have done to stop it."

The Time in Between is a first person narration from Sira Quiroga who is raised by her single seamstress mother in the Madrid of the 20's and 30's. After the opening paragraph above that hooked me on the style, the novel slows down for a while - one thing I cannot abide is silly narrators and for the first 40-50 pages Sira makes some really dumb decisions that one can see for a mile that are dumb in an obvious manner, so while the actions of the heroine are understandable somewhat as due to lack of maturity, etc, they are presented in the novel in quite an annoying fashion. However once we get past the "we've seen it coming, now let's get on with the real story" moment,The Time in Between gets its footing and it never looks back

The Time in Between flows so well that despite its 600+ page length I was shocked to see the novel ending and I could have read another 600 pages easily; actually the ending is good and satisfying to a large extent but the book could have gone on for a while more for sure. Maria Duenas definitely knows how to spin a story and I would say that she proved here to be one of those natural born storytellers whom the audience can listen to for a long time...

The other main strength of the novel beside the voice and the narrative flow, is the world building; or if you want the recreation of the atmosphere of the Spanish Marocco and later Madrid in the turbulent years from 1936 to the 1940's. Filled with expatriates, intrigue, even decadence but also with poverty and anger, the main cities ofTangier and Tetouan where the action takes place in the first part of the novel come fully to life and we see quite a few facets as Sira's fate twists and turns. This part is exceptional once we pass the first 50 pages. 

Later when the action moves back to the Iberian mainland and to a Madrid devastated by the civil war and sullenly hunkering down under the new order, the atmosphere becomes bleaker but the optimistic voice of Sira never falters.

As slight negatives, The Time in Between is more detached and tension-less than I expected; it has its emotional moments for sure, but fewer than I would have liked. While Sira is a very strong character and the novel is her story after all, the secondary characters wax and wane through it with pages where indeed there appear others who are quite impressive, but also pages where only Sira seems real.

Overall The Time in Between (A+, highly recommended as an example of superb storytelling ability) is a page turner but a lighter novel than I expected based on its blurb and advanced word, so an excellent read but not a blow me away one like say last year's The Invisible Bridge.

Depois do Escorpião - Samantha Moraes

What make a man let go of his wife, family, children and life he has been living for many years to run to another woman's arms - this woman being a famous prostitute - from one day to another? I guess that is something no one will ever be able to answer - especially when these two women are non other than Bruna Surfistinha and Samantha Moraes.
I must be honest now. I have read all of Bruna Surfistinha's books (three in total). Her first one I even read twice. When the movie came out in the theater I ran with my sister and friends to watch it. I always was curious about the subject (men/woman/sex/relationships/betrayal) - but then again, who isn't? Continuing with my honesty... I admire Bruna Surfistinha. As a person? yes and no. Yes because she was able to wake up and admit she was wrong and start all over again. No because I believe she was cruel with what she did with her parents and she makes the idea of being a prostitute as something very glorious, a bright and wonderful career with many benefits and our society (especially our country) doesn't need anymore women who are selling their bodies, self-esteem and health for money - especially when you think of it and realize that one in a million will be able to have as much success and become as rich and famous as Bruna did; but more than a million will believe that by becoming a prostitute they will no longer have to worry about financial stability, a different and exciting life and even "finding the love of their life."
But even then I must say that Bruna is a genial writer - witty, honest down to the last detail, funny, captivating and a writer that involves her reader and makes them partake of her story - and for that I must give her credit (even though there are a whole many other things that I would discredit from her!)
And then I read the story of the woman who was married to the man that threw it all up in the air and went to live with Bruna (and they have been married now for 6 years already). It's a very strong story and it shows you how much betrayal can hurt someone and the lengths that a person will go and the pain and hurt someone has to deal with when they are being betrayed for someone else. After reading this story I just felt even more convinced that cheating on the person you are with isn't worth it and how much suffering it can bring not only to the person that is being cheated on but everyone that is involved as well (like family, relatives and especially children).
Samantha tells her beautiful story of recuperation and of how she was able to get by this horrid experience in her life (because not only was she cheated on, but it was with a prostitute and it spread out on the media in all of Brazil as well). It's also really nice because it has a happy ending - she meets the love of her life when she goes to the television station to tell her side of the story and refute Bruna Surfistinha - and so that gives you hope that no matter what it is never too late to love and we have to choice to make ourselves either bitter or better. And in her case it was better.
Altogether as much as I did enjoy reading this book I still felt that she could have told more of her story; like for example: the first time she stayed together with her ex-husband, her six years married to him, his personality, etc. I think her ghost writer could have done her job a bit more thorough because there are a lot of gaps and many parts of the story leave the reader with questions and doubts which aren't even quenched at the end of the story.
Another conclusion that I came to was that in the end is that neither is Bruna or Samantha right or wrong. Both of them were wrong - and right as well. I am sure that Samantha was a great wife but she must have done somethings which triggered her husband to go out looking for a hooker (of if she didn't do anything then her judgment in marrying him in first place was totally wrong...but then again, it happens!). Bruna never went after the guy, he was the one that went after - and stuck like glue - on to her. But Bruna also could have chosen to put a stop, notice she was going to ruin a family big time and end it all there. But maybe even if she did do this it wouldn't save this couples marriage but maybe onlly prolong something which wasn't meant to be (sorry, if another man is looking around for a hooker then I must say it definitely isn't something to be!). But Bruna also was a young, emotionally needy girl that was ready to jump at anyone who would show her even the slightest bit of love - and even her being a hooker...well, everyone is human and everyone should have a second chance, including in love. Now the one who I totally blame and think is the complete jerk is non other than the husband. If he felt that he needed another woman in his marriage (especially this other woman being a   prostitute) to add up to his ego or God knows what! then just that doesn't say much for his character. Secondly, if he really loved Bruna and wanted to stay with her he then should have been more honest with his ex-wife and not give her false hopes, deceive her, lie towards her and still not even fulfill his duty in caring for his own two daughters. That is just wrong and lack of priorities and true morals and values. He was wrong in all aspects - both with Bruna and with Samantha - and there goes again another case of how women suffer and fight against each other instead of seeing who their true enemy is: the man himself!


Here is a somewhat interesting interview I am pasting from the author of this book, Samantha Moraes, five years after publishing the above book. Enjoy!

Divulgação

Pelo menos uma das admiradoras do reality show A Fazenda analisa com olhos para lá de críticos os movimentos e atitudes da peoa e ex-garota de programa Raquel Pacheco, codinome Bruna Surfistinha, no programa da Record.

Ela é a ex-comissária de bordo paulistana Samantha Moraes, 35 anos.

Em 2005, dois fios de cabelo longos e loiros em camadas oxigenadas, praticamente idênticos, foram encontrados em sequência por Samantha no carro de seu então marido, João Correa de Moraes.

Atormentada, a bonita Samantha encostou o camarada na parede e arregalou o par de olhos verdes:

- Fui clara e direta. Perguntei: ‘Você está tendo um caso?’. Ele não disse uma única palavra. Só olhou para mim com cara de espanto. E saiu de casa.

Dias depois, Samantha, na época com 29 anos e duas filhas de Moraes, a mais velha com seis e a mais nova com três anos, tomou um susto ao ver o rapaz num programa de tevê como o "amorzão" todo "derretidão" de Raquel Pacheco/Bruna Surfistinha.

Na época, Surfistinha começava a usufruir do sucesso do livro O Doce Veneno do Escorpião, em que ela conta detalhes de sua intensa aeróbica na horizontal com seus vários ex-companheiros de malhação.

Antes de chorar, “cuspir no chão” e desligar a televisão, Samantha ainda teve tempo de perceber os fios longos e aloirados de Raquel Pacheco/Bruna Surfistinha.

Eram os do carro, claro.

A ex-comissária de bordo recorda o seu sofrimento:

- Eu me senti muito humilhada. Reduzida a pó, a nada. Todos vinham me perguntar. É claro que o fato de ela ser prostituta me incomodou, mas, honestamente, não foi o pior. Terrível mesmo foi a fraqueza de postura de João ao encaminhar esse processo. Sair de casa daquela forma, deixando a mulher que o amava e batalhava ao lado dele ele trabalhando duro como comissária, as duas filhas pequenas, tudo isso sem uma conversa decente, um apoio, uma base final. Isso não foi e nem é coisa de honrados.

Samantha, que já era magra, perdeu seis quilos.

Teve pneumonia, passou por apertos financeiros, mas deu o troco em grande estilo.

Para dar a volta por cima, ela utilizou duas das armas de Surfistinha: a escrita e a publicação de um livro.

Em 2006, contou os detalhes do deserto que atravessou no livro Depois do Escorpião(Editora Seoman, 120 págs., preço médio de R$ 27), que até agora vendeu 21 mil exemplares (na foto que abre o post, ela e a capa do livro).

No último capítulo, ela dá conselhos para enfrentar a traição, como “livre-se das lembranças doloridas”, “mantenha um diário”, “saia da toca” e “mude a aparência”.

Os bons resultados do livro geraram convites para entrevistas e debates e contratos para palestras motivacionais, que ela faz até hoje.

Em um desses compromissos, ainda em 2006, ela conheceu o diretor de tevê Marcelo Nascimento, como quem vive até hoje.

Esteve muito próxima de vender os direitos de seu livro para a produção de um filme, mas desistiu na última hora por desconfiar que o diretor caminharia “numa trilha meio chanchada” que não a interessava.

Nesta entrevista ao R7, Samantha avalia a participação de Raquel Pacheco/Bruna Surfistinha na Fazenda.

Como verão os amados amigos, ela não faz a mais remota questão de ser diplomática em sua análise:

- O que você tem achado de Raquel Pacheco em A Fazenda?

- Dissimulada. Com aquele ar frio, aparentemente impenetrável e falso que sempre a marcou – ou pelo menos a marca desde que eu tomei conhecimento de sua existência. Não me surpreende: ela sempre foi assim. Parece adorar a piedade das pessoas. Conspira o tempo todo para isso. Aquele comportamento chatinho de quem quer sempre ser vítima, sabe? Se for realmente isso, acho o fim da feira. Coisa de gente fraca.

- Dia desses a Raquel disse ter medo de voltar para casa e não encontrar o João. Estava com medo de ele ir embora por causa dos supostos “micos” que ela teria pagado lá dentro...

- Eu quase não acreditei quando ouvi isso. Charminho puro. Ela, ele o mundo sabe que um homem teria motivos muito mais relevantes para deixá-la do que esses supostos micos...

- Muita gente ficou ao seu lado quando seu ex-marido apareceu ao lado de Raquel e, depois, levou de você um troco na mesma moeda, com a publicação do livro. Mas houve também quem lhe acusou de ser preconceituosa, por espernear apenas porque Surfistinha era uma garota de programa. E esses últimos não foram poucos. Como analisa isso?

- Olhe, disse várias vezes e vou repetir agora: o fato de ela ter sido ou ser, sei lá, prostituta causou um choque mas não foi o que mais me incomodou. Mesmo porque é preciso lembrar: se um dia eles se conheceram é porque o meu ex-marido saiu de casa ou do trabalho, de sua realidade, e foi procurá-la na realidade dela, no quarto dela, e não o contrário. Eu só fui a público porque, depois que o João decidiu ficar com ela, os dois passaram a fazer comentários maldosos e humilhantes a meu respeito nos veículos de comunicação sempre que tinham oportunidade. Diziam coisas como “a Samantha não soube dar assistência e aí a fila andou, o trem passou e ela perdeu”. Ou “quem é fraca na cama e na atitude não pode reclamar quando perde”. E outras coisas do tipo. Posso estar utilizando aqui uma ou outra palavra não usada por eles, mas, no geral, o conteúdo era esse.

- E aí você não aguentou a humilhação...

- Exatamente. Pô, o cara já tinha ido embora, abandonado a casa de suas filhas sem falar sequer uma palavra comigo, a cidadã já dormia com o sujeito que eu amava... Então chega, perdi, me machucaram o suficiente. Custava ficar calados sobre o assunto e seguir a vida deles sem essas baixarias públicas? Mas não. Aí eu fui para o contra-ataque. Você não iria?

- Nessas circunstâncias, certamente, de alguma forma. Mas você diz que há cinco anos vive bem e feliz com seu novo marido. E do outro lado lá está ela, tocando a vida ao lado do seu ex. Você não acha que está na hora de deixar tudo isso de lado e virar a página?

- Mas, na rotina da vida atual, eu a ignoro. Não quero o mal dela nem de ninguém. Que eles sejam felizes. Estou dando minha opinião sincera agora porque você me procurou para conversar sobre o assunto. Tenho duas filhas lindas, hoje com 11 e oito anos, e um companheiro amável, excelente. Vivemos bem. Confesso que não gosto de imaginar minhas filhas ao lado dela. No passado, quis que a Justiça me concedesse essa condição. Já imaginou minhas pequenas lendo aqueles relatos das aventuras sexuais dessa cidadã? Ou vendo aqueles filmes pornôs, DVD, pornotube e afins? Definitivamente, isso não pode e nem nunca poderá dar em coisa boa.

- Muitas pessoas disseram que você é mais bonita do que Raquel. Jô Soares foi um deles. Em seu programa, ele disse que respeitava Surfistinha mas não entendia a troca de João. Como se sente nessas ocasiões?

- Orgulhosa. Agradeço e fico muito feliz. Pois é: teve o doce veneno do escorpião, não é? Agora temos a doce vingança depois do escorpião...

- Quem vai ganhar A Fazenda na sua opinião?

- Torcia para o Marlon, ao meu ver o único autêntico da casa. Mas ele saiu. Agora vai dar Joana na cabeça.

Drink, Play, F@#k - Andrew Gottlieb

What to do on a Friday night? How about sit down for three hours in a supermarket and gobble down a whole book - from page one until the very last one. That's exactly what I did yesterday and the book was none other than "Drink, Play, F@#k" by Andrew Gottlieb.
This book is a satire of the book "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert (which by the way is one of my utmost favorites!) and it's all about an angry, hurt and abandoned husband who decides to go out around the world to find but one thing: Happiness!
No, it's not a true story (which I thought it was and only discovered otherwise the next day) but it could be and I am sure it portrays what a lot of divorced older men go through in trying to find their ego back and live life once again. He is basically a sad man that decides he will quit his job and travel a full year to be able to drink to his heart's delight (which is something he does in Ireland), gamble and play away (of course, he had to go to Vegas!) and at last to a beautiful hidden resort in Thailand to makeup for all the sex he hasn't had. At one point when he is in Vegas and loosing a scandalous amount of money he joins up with this guy called Rick  who becomes his main guru and shows him the ropes not only when gambling money but in many things in life as well. One of the things Rick tells him is about taking things at your own pace. Not rushing things over but not staying stopped at one point as well. Life is all about pacing yourself with your own rhythm. 
The book is completely hilarious and shows a whole lot of what goes into a man's head (which is something hilarious as well!) and yet it isn't all comedy and does have a deep and human side when the main character, Bobby expands on his feelings and what he gains in each place he travels to. 
I really enjoyed my read and if all books were as good as this one I wouldn't mind spending long hours in a cold air-coned supermarket more often - especially when it ends with a "Happily Ever After"... 


BOOK REVIEW:

In his 195-page tome, humorist Andrew Gottlieb pumps out a funny take on what men are looking for in life. It’s Bob Sullivan’s story: a fully jilted, newly divorced New York liberal who sets foot into the world, after years of lockdown domesticity. His journey takes him (and us) to Ireland to get smashed, to Vegas to throw dice and to Thailand to … well, enjoy the pleasures of the opposite sex.

What Bob finds, however, is not what you might expect at the beginning of what seems like an obvious parody of Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat Pray Love."

Here’s Gottlieb, discussing his book with Jacket Copy:

JC: First of all, your book is clearly a play on "Eat Pray Love." It is nearly the husband of that book taking his own journey. Did you love or hate "Eat Pray Love"? Does your book mock or embrace it?

Gottlieb: I had this idea I was aware of the widespread success of "Eat Pray Love." And knowing of the success of that, I thought it would be funny to do it from a guy’s perspective. I admire "Eat Pray Love’s" intentions, but it was a hard read for me. I didn’t want to mock it; I just thought it would be funny because there’s another perspective to tell a completely different version of the same story.

JC: Why did you write this book?

Gottlieb: Beyond being funny, I thought there was something more significant and profound that could be told from a guy’s perspective.

JC: It’s a fictional tale of Bob Sullivan, a newly divorced guy. Tell us a bit about your main character.

Gottlieb: He’s like a lot of guys I know. Guys talk about grandiose stuff — if I could do this or that.…Bob was hemmed in for so long that he lost his wanderlust. But Bob learns he doesn’t need total crazy reckless freedom. He still wants someone to share his life with. Someone to have fun with. Once you stop worrying about what’s going to make you happy or have fun, you find out what really makes you happy and have fun.

JC: What are we supposed to learn from Bob’s failings and triumphs? Anything?

Gottlieb: I would never presume to teach anybody anything. But what’s interesting is that while it is so different from the original, and as different as men and women are, we all want the same things. You want to share your life with someone who makes you feel good.

(More after the jump)

JC: "Eat Pray Love" begins with a woman crying in the bathroom and then asking for a divorce. Your book begins this way too. Why?

Gottlieb: I started by purposely creating an architecture similar to "Eat Pray Love." But after initially mirroring the original, I stopped mirroring so much chapter for chapter.

JC: Did you learn anything from writing this book? Was it cathartic for you in any way?

Gottlieb: It was cathartic finishing it! Ha. I guess what I learned … it felt initially like a comedy book, but I realized it was more of novel about characters that I really care about.

JC: Tell us about Rick, the guru, whom Bob meets in Las Vegas. Who is he?

Gottlieb: The real Rick is a friend of a friend of mine. When we decided we wanted a guru character, we thought of Rick because Rick always had a good time in whatever situation he was in. The idea of that this guy teaches Bob to relax and let things come to you— the real Rick is like that.

JC: Alicia — the heart of the story, the woman he lands at the end — how did you come up with her character?

Gottlieb: My wife of 21 years is named Alicia, and I even asked her what she [the Alicia character] should do for a living. And my wife said she should be a documentarian. …It was as if Bob were a friend of mine and I was trying to set him up.

JC: There was actually a lot of heart at the end of this book. From Chapter 33:

“For all of God’s (and/or the Universe’s) mysterious ways, some things are extremely simple. You can talk and talk and pray and pray and meditate and meditate, but none of that will change the facts of life. And of those facts is as follows: Even when you’re scared, lost, overheated, lonely, miserable, and in extreme agony after having been struck in the midsection by an automobile, the right woman can magically make everything instantly okay.”

You so easily could have ended this with another folly or one last foible for Bob to stumble through. But you didn’t. Why is that?

Gottlieb: For all my cynicism and for all my comic antics, I’m a complete mushy, hopeless romantic. This is how I wanted it to end. Things worked out for him. Thing can work out. You can’t give up. Things can work out.

I think I assumed when the book was bought that everything was going to be a crazy romp — gambling and prostitutes in Thailand. But it really is a weird, twisted love story. I like that. It started out crazy and ended in traditional happiness.

— Lori Kozlowski

How Stella Got Her Groove Back - Terry McMillan

It's not a bad book but it isn't a great one either. The main reason for that is because it most certainly doesn't portray a realistic concept of love/long distance relationships, etc. today (and never for that matter!) But on the other hand Terry McMillan does know how to write what a woman thinks, desires, fears and goes crazy with in her head and that's what makes the book not only readable buy even enjoyable to a certain point. "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" is one of those books that you read in no time because the language is easy and the story is cute and you wish upon a star during the whole time you are reading it that something just as nice and wonderful could happen to you as well. You see, it's not like I don't believe in love stories or that a long distance relationship could work out - much to the contrary - I've seen it happen over and over again. But here in this story it all happens so easily, without any problem, any drama at all, she has enough money to go back and forth and pay him a first-class ticket as well and everything is a breeze. Her son not only accepts him from a minute to the other but so do her family (except for her cynical sister Angela, and that is soon taken cared of as well) and so all in all it's just too unrealistic to the point that it makes you want to scream and say "when is anything at all going to happen? Don't they fight just once? Doesn't he ignore or forget to call her even once for Pete's sake? But no, nothing of the likes. All of this makes the book way too predictable -  I'm telling you, hand nine out of ten people walking down the street a two-sentence description of the concept for this book, then give them a week at a word processor and you'd get this exact same script from all of them. And even being so, I discovered that this book made big success, and I mean BIG!!! It even turned out to be a movie and so I am sharing the trailer of the movie (even though we all know that movies are always super different from the actual book). If you enjoy "Happily Ever After" love fairy tales you will really enjoy this book as well and you might even relax and get a kick or two out of it.


BOOK REVIEW:
"Stella is a divorced mother of one son. At the age of forty two, she is quite content with her life, or so she thinks, which consists of work, managing a household, and raising a pre-teenager. Stella is very involved in personal fitness and spends much of her free time running.

After watching a television commercial about vacation packages, Stella decides to take a trip, with her friend Vanessa, to Jamaica. Once in Jamaica, she meets twenty-year-old Winston. Winston is very attracted to Stella but Stella thinks that he is too young. Winston continues to pursue her and eventually, the two become intimate. Unfortunately, Winston begins a new job and rarely has time to spend with Stella. Soon, she returns home.

Winston continues to call and express his regrets for not being able to see Stella much before she left. At first, Stella treats him badly, but eventually, her heart warms and she agrees to return to Jamaica to visit Winston. This time, he even takes her to the home of his parents. Stella feels ashamed that she is as old as his mother. His mother is not pleased with the situation either and makes it very clear to Stella. While in Jamaica, she finds out that her best friend, Vanessa, is terminally ill.

Once again Stella returns home, only this time Winston moves in with her. Stella is the talk of the town. Her sister makes her feel ashamed. Her friends envy her. Her son resents both Stella and Winston at times. Vanessa dies of cancer. Seeing that you can't take life for granted, Stella must make some very important decisions about how she wants to spend the rest of her life. Winston and Stella have their differences, like any couple, and, in the end, must decide if they can stay together in spite of their age difference."