From Publishers Weekly
Seduction becomes a game of musical chairs in Montero's latest, a short, succulent erotic novel in which a libidinous music critic catalogues his conquests of the various virtuosos he's reviewed over the years. After a long and distinguished stint as the music reviewer for a San Juan newspaper, Agustin Caban has just retired. But he still has much to say, and it's not long before he's back at his desk, encouraged by his editor to pen a series of erotic memoirs. He begins with his affair with Virginia Tuten, the violinist who becomes his lifelong passion despite the presence of Caban's long-suffering and nearly invisible wife. Caban doesn't limit himself to women: another tryst is with male pianist Clint Verret, which turns into a threesome when Verret brings a woman into the picture. In other interludes, Caban's lovers are cheekily likened to their instruments: one plays the celeste and another the clarinet. But Montero saves Caban's most thrilling adventures for last. In his affair with French horn player Clarissa Berdsley, the musician's pet bat gets in on the sexual shenanigans, and a series of degrading but satisfyingly kinky episodes with violinist Manuela Suggia comes to a tragicomic end. Montero (The Red of His Shadow, etc.) shows considerable creativity in sustaining her one-note conceit, and she paints an appealing portrait of Caban as a wryly erudite gigolo who uses music in a variety of innovative ways as a vehicle for seduction. The combination of arch, literate writing (effortlessly translated by Grossman) and Caban's daring sexual escapades make this book a delectable treat from start to finish, especially for classical music mavens.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
“Lyric and lovely.” (Dallas Morning News )
“A dizzying work of art … Buried in its pages are the mysteries of human desire.” (Los Angeles Times )
“Montero may be one of the most under-recognized Latin American writers of our time.” (Los Angeles Times )
“The best yet from Montero.” (Kirkus Reviews )
“Dreamlike intensity.” (New York Times Book Review )
“A short, succulent erotic novel ...a delectable treat from start to finish.” (Publishers Weekly )
