APHRODITE 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, savory, 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 tumors; 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 ISABEL
Novelista, feminista y filántropa, es una de las autoras más leídas del mundo y ha vendido más de 77 millones de copias de sus veintiséis libros en cuarenta y dos idiomas. Además de su labor como escritora, Isabel dedica gran parte de su tiempo a causas de derechos humanos. Ha recibido quince doctorados honoris causa, fue incluida en el Salón de la Fama de California y recibió el Premio Nacional de Literatura de Chile, el PEN Center Lifetime Achievement Award y el Anisfield-Wolf Lifetime Achievement Award. En 2014, el presidente Barack Obama le otorgó la Medalla Presidencial de la Libertad, el honor civil más alto del país, y en 2018 recibió la Medalla por la Contribución Distinguida a las Letras Estadounidenses de la Fundación Nacional del Libro. Vive en California con su esposo y sus perros, uno de los cuales se llama Perla.
