The Lost Diary of Don Juan: An Account of the True Arts of Passion and the Perilous Adventure of Love (Hardcover)

by Douglas Carlton Abrams (Author)
Key Phrases: supreme pleasure, Doña Fátima, true caballero, Doña Ana, Don Juan, Don Hernán (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The famously insatiable lover is brought brilliantly to life in this lively, suspenseful debut novel by Abrams (coauthor of The Multi-Orgasmic Couple; The Multi-Orgasmic Man). Framed as Don Juan's long-guarded diary, the narrative picks up at a gallop and never relents, tracing Don Juan's orphaned upbringing at a convent and torturous monastery before he escapes and joins a band of thieves. He is soon introduced to the Marquis, who trains the then amateur Lothario to become equally adept at swordsmanship and seducing women. (Abrams's background in Taoist sexuality is evident in the latter's scenes.) Don Juan develops a reputation as "some kind of demon," but the Marquis, who is close to the king, protects Don Juan from the inquisitor general's plans to punish him. Nevertheless, Don Juan resists the Marquis's plea that he marry to save himself, claiming he has no interest in love—until he meets pistol-packing firebrand Doña Ana. Abrams renders his hero with sympathetic understanding, and his erotic exploits—though heavy on plumage ("I sipped the moist nectar of her mouth as she opened her petals to me")—round out Don Juan instead of providing one-handed reading material. The story unspools with the invigorating trajectory of a thriller and the emotional draw of historical romance. (May)
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From Booklist
Set in the city of Seville during the reign of Philip II, at the end of the sixteenth century, this purported diary of Juan Tenario recounts his childhood raised by nuns in a convent, adolescent disillusionment, and escape to the city of Seville. There he becomes, first, a cat burglar, then the protege of the powerful Marquis de la Mota, who teaches him spying, swordplay, the appreciation of fine wine, and the seduction of women. The plot is lent tension by Tenario's increasingly complicated life: King Philip wants him to marry (someone, anyone); Don Ignacio, the head of Seville's Inquisition, wants him to burn; and the marquis plans to marry his only true love, Dona Ana. Abrams takes liberties with the social details of the time but treats historical occurrences with accuracy. Characters are stock, and the action is largely predictable. The resolution, however, has its surprises. A fast, suspenseful read. Ellen Loughran
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Atria; 1St Edition edition (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416532501
• ISBN-13: 978-1416532507
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #712,803 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mesmerizing, May 7, 2007

By	John E. Robbins (Soquel, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I found this book mesmerizing -- and at the same to have a very deep heartful side to it. It's an amazing page turner, exciting as hell, with a plot that just keeps twisting and turning so that you can't wait to see what happens next. Meanwhile, the main character, Don Juan, slowly becomes ever more real and more human. He begins as the notorious seducer of women, with an attitude towards his conquests that, no surprise, is almost cavalier. He will be with no woman more than once. He recognizes and awakens and serves their desire, but then departs. But as time and fortune have their way with him in this absolutely thrilling telling, his heart starts to open, and almost in spite of himself he finds himself falling utterly in love with the one woman he cannot seem to impress. After decades of conquests, the man whose very name has come to be synonymous with seduction for seduction's sake, comes to question how he has lived and is ready for a much greater adventure. Does he find that a single kiss in the arms of your true beloved is worth more than a thousands nights with a thousand different women? I won't spoil the story for you by giving away the outcome, but I will say this: If you have ever wondered how -- or if -- sexual liberation and monogamous commitment can go together, read this book. It's a spellbinding story that left me breathless, wanting more, and also deeply affirmed in my choice to be true to one woman.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars superb historical fictional memoir , May 5, 2007

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In Seville, he was named Juan Tenorio, but his mother abandons him near a monastery. Nuns secretly raise and torture the child even as they train him to cherish and worship women. He eventually runs away from the nasty environs to become an outlaw. Eventually he meets the Marquis de la Mota, who teaches him to be a master spy, a master swordsman, and a master lover. He is so adept at the latter; some consider him to be a demon. Hearing word of the legend of lovemaking, the inquisitor general investigates Don, who refuses to wed even at the coaxing of his mentor as a means of saving his life. That is until he encounters the fiery warrior woman Dona Ana.

Using the device of finding Don Juan's diary to tell his story works brilliantly in Douglas Abrams' superior historical fictional memoir of the renowned lover from his perspective. By writing the saga through the journal, Don Juan becomes more than a one head joke as the audience sees a full blooded person with wants and desires that are not only in the boudoir. Interestingly when Don Juan describes a conquest (and not just with women), he waxes poetic like a romance writer. Readers will enjoy this fast-paced account of the world's greatest lover as he plunges into one escapade (and woman) after another.

Harriet Klausner

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay, but not for me, October 24, 2008

By	K. Gilligan "avid reader" (Haddon Heights, NJ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Lost Diary of Don Juan: A Novel (Paperback)

"I looked at her smiling face, and her black hair, disheveled by our earlier desire. Her clear brown eyes reflected the flames of the candles that encircled the altar of her bed. How could I refuse her?"

(The Lost Diary of Don Juan pg 3)


"The Lost Diary of Don Juan" by Douglas Carlton Abrams is the story of Don Juan, a man raised by nuns who has to flee after having an affair with one of them. He's guided by a Marquis who teaches him 'swordplay and seduction'. Don Juan is essentially a libertine or a Casanova- a lover of all women. The story is a bit predictable, in that of course he will eventually fall in love (real love) with one woman.

It's meant to be a diary, although there are very few moments when you will be able to tell. Each entry is certainly not started, "Dear Diary." There's plenty of dialogue along with the action, so really it just seems to be a story told in the past tense.

I couldn't help but think, as I read, that certain parts of the book simply made me think of Zorro. Specifically the Marquis guiding Don Juan- it just made me picture (the somewhat-recent movie verion of) Anthony Hopkins molding Antonio Banderas into the new Zorro-The Mask of Zorro! I also found little love for the womanizing Don Juan. Despite the author's goal to display Don Juan's `love' of all women, all I could see was Don Juan's `lust' for all women.

Those who enjoy Spanish historical fiction may enjoy this story, or perhaps those who enjoy romance. I couldn't really get into it though which is why it's only getting three stars from me.