I’m not sure what I was expecting of My
Hundred Lovers. Some salacious, juicy tales and a few life lessons in love
perhaps. However, My Hundred Lovers is so much more than that and as a result,
is a delight of a book.
My Hundred Lovers is an erotic journey. I
don’t mean just the sensuality of flesh on flesh, but the eroticism of
sensation. The taste of wine on the tongue, the feel of soft mud between your
toes, the kiss of the ocean on the skin. All of them stimulating and sensual, sensations
that you delight in and yearn for when they’ve been and gone. Feelings such as
this are of the sort everyone can relate to, even if we don’t recognise them in
the way that Johnson describes. Some of her ‘loves’ reminded me a little of the
start of the film Amelie and the character descriptions that include loves and
hates, like the feeling of dipping your hand into a sack of dried legumes. I do
enjoy that sensation myself, as I enjoy exquisitely fine dark chocolates and
the feeling of freshly clean skin. If I were to write of my hundred lovers,
those are the sorts of sensations I might include.
Susan Johnson’s poetic language took me a little by surprise and to be honest, rather put me off to start with. I’m not a natural born romantic and the one time in my life I was asked to write a love letter – in an airport as we were about to part after a romantic getaway together – I floundered completely. That may have been the bad timing. Nevertheless, sentences such as 'Everything is coming together: the past, the future, memory, forgetting. A circumstantial joining, a burst, a throb.' threw me a little. However, as Johnson drifts into less metaphysical experiences, her language becomes more prosaic.
Susan Johnson’s poetic language took me a little by surprise and to be honest, rather put me off to start with. I’m not a natural born romantic and the one time in my life I was asked to write a love letter – in an airport as we were about to part after a romantic getaway together – I floundered completely. That may have been the bad timing. Nevertheless, sentences such as 'Everything is coming together: the past, the future, memory, forgetting. A circumstantial joining, a burst, a throb.' threw me a little. However, as Johnson drifts into less metaphysical experiences, her language becomes more prosaic.
My Hundred Lovers is a beautiful, sensual
tour through the photo album of one woman’s memories. It was a delightful, easy
read that tingles your mind to think about the erotic moments of your own life.
I found I kept putting the book down at the end of chapters to contemplate what
Johnson had written and think about similar experiences I might have had. In
this way, it is not only a visit to one women’s sensual life journey, but an
invitation to look back on your own life and smile at all the pleasurable moments
you have enjoyed.
I hate to bring this up as a comparison, but
to all my girlfriends who have read 50 Shades of Grey – pick this book up
instead. Here is genuine erotica at its subtle suggestive best.
I know this is not usual practice but my friend Jeff sent me a link to this review and said I should post a comment, so I am, and here it is! BIG thanks from me for such a thoughtful & delightful review but even bigger thanks for the fab blog. Who knew BrizVegas could throw up such talent? Bravo and thanks again.
ReplyDeleteYour new fan,
Susan Johnson
How nerve-racking to have the author read my book review!
ReplyDeleteBut it is tremendously exciting not only to have my post read but particularly by the writer of a book I enjoyed enormously. Thank you for your charming, positive comments, they are much appreciated. I'm glad you like our hodge-podge of a blog.