Jan 29, Hayden rated it really liked it Shelves: When looking for clean fiction, the word "concubine" is not exactly a term one wishes to find, and I admit that when I first heard about the book I checked twice to make sure it really was from a Christian publisher. However, I happen to be currently reading Augustine's Confessions While there were a few scenes near the beginning that I was uncomfortable with not always from a romantic origin: While not overt in preachy-ness, or even in Christian content, it nevertheless showed Augustine and his Christianity in a respectful, sympathetic light.
My only real complaint is that, while much time is spent on X's early life, things move very quickly in an almost rushed manner with the last few chapters, and seemed to end somewhat unresolved spiritually. I fully admit that my heart is full of prose rather than poetry, which means that while I could see the appeal of the lyrical quality of the writing in this novel, I don't think I appreciated it as much as other readers might.
However, this is purely personal preference, and I'm really rather excited to see this style of writing in the Christian fiction genre. Feb 16, Lucy rated it really liked it. I didn't know anything about Augustine of Hippo, so I read about him on Wikipedia before starting the book, so I would be informed instead of lost. This book is about his unnamed concubine, they weren't allowed to wed because of her social class being lower than his. I found the book to be written very poetic and after a few chapters I fell in love with the writing style and the story.
I found the descriptions so well done that I could picture it in my mind, especially when X was walking the str I didn't know anything about Augustine of Hippo, so I read about him on Wikipedia before starting the book, so I would be informed instead of lost. I found the descriptions so well done that I could picture it in my mind, especially when X was walking the streets of Rome for the first time.
This book gives us a window into the history and the love story. I found myself drawn into X's life and felt her pain and struggles. I didn't expect to like this book, but I found it fascinating. Jan 31, Jeffrey rated it really liked it. I've posted some thoughts at http: Jan 25, Victoria Bylin rated it it was amazing Shelves: I wanted to read something unique and I found it in The Confessions of X.
What drew me to the story originally was the setting of Ancient Carthage. My husband and I visited Tunisia over the summer and had the pleasure of seeing the ruins, the harbor, and the mosaics at the Bardo.
That made this story particularly vivid for me, but it stands alone as a poignant love story between St. Augustine and the woman who shaped his early life.
- The Confessions of Victor X.
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I enjoyed it very much. Feb 24, Fiction Aficionado rated it it was amazing. This is one of the most stunningly beautiful novels I have ever had the privilege to read, and yet I also found it one of the most tragic. The moment I saw the cover of this book I wanted to read it, and my expectations were surpassed in every sense. One of the reasons I have become an ebook reader is that I like to highlight passages that I want to remember — either for the purposes of my reviews, or simply because the writing speaks to me in some way.
My copy is now riddled with highlights. As for the story, I had not realised that they were together for long or so deeply committed to one another, and so it was a pleasant surprise to find that approximately two-thirds of the novel dealt with this time in their lives. The two connect almost instantly, and although Augustine wishes to marry X he knows his family would never permit it.
As a younger son he will inherit nothing and needs to make his own way in the world, and to do so successfully he is expected to marry — and marry well. X is merely the daughter of a mosaic artist. Although life was not without its difficulties, there was such beauty in their love for one another and in the fullness of their experiences that I simply could not put the book down. By the time I reached the end my heart had broken for X and Augustine. I sobbed — puffy eyes, stuffed nose, the works! I will not share the details of how their story plays out here, despite the general outcome being a matter of historical knowledge, but I felt like railing against a world that, even now, continues to believe that civil authorities and churches can dictate the parameters and requirements for marriage.
I may be in the minority in my opinion, and we cannot know exactly what took place historically, but I did not see anything immoral in the relationship as it was presented in this novel.
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Their marriage may not have been recognized by either state or church, but that does not necessarily mean they were not married before God. Of course, this is where the greatest tragedy comes in, because even today their relationship is most often as described as illicit, immoral, etc, when perhaps it was merely lacking legality and social acceptance.
The Confessions of Victor X by Anonymous
This novel will stay with me for a long time. I received a complimentary copy of this novel through BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review. Feb 10, Callie rated it it was amazing. I received Confessions of X by Suzanne M. Now I am familiar with the age-old adage to not judge a book by its cover, but I often do so anyway. This was one case where I did judge the book by its cover, and I therefore didn't even pick it up to read it for weeks.
I don't know why, but for some reason the cover just seems to me to show a woman so covered in shame that she can't raise her head, so tainted that her sins were like scarlet, I received Confessions of X by Suzanne M. I don't know why, but for some reason the cover just seems to me to show a woman so covered in shame that she can't raise her head, so tainted that her sins were like scarlet, as red as crimson. I've dealt with enough shame in my life that I didn't really want to read a story so seemingly consumed with someone else's. When I turned the book over to read the back of the cover, I discovered that the story was about St.
I thought to myself. They've done a pretty good job so far of picking stuff that I like to send to me. Who would want to read a story about a concubine? Eventually, though, I did start the book, because I had to review it. Which I've since discovered isn't required I have to admit, it took me several more weeks to get into the story. The first pages were riddled with paragraph-length sentences and unusual vocabulary words that made the reading tedious yet slightly poetic. Then around the 50 page mark, bam! I was in love. I don't even remember a specific event that happened to the character, but somehow, the wording became easier to read, the story started flowing, and I was hooked.
And by "hooked", I mean like hook, line, and sinker. I've managed to tear myself away from the book--I'm a little over half way through right now--to come here and write about it. So far, and I cannot speak for the rest of the book as I have not as of yet finished it, the book is fantastic. The character isn't weighed down with shame; in fact, she's lighthearted and free. She's loved and she's lost a few people along the way so far, but she's followed her heart and kept her head held high.
She's gotten me captivated, and I dearly hope that the story doesn't end with something that makes her hang her head the way that she is doing on the cover, because so far, this book is shaping up to be on my Top 10 list for All opinions are my own and were not required to be positive. I've finished the book, and as you can probably guess by the 5-star rating, this is indeed one my favorite books--not only so far this year, but ever. A must-read, even if in a chapter at a time instead of one sitting. Feb 14, Kristi rated it it was ok Shelves: I really have mixed feelings about this book.
It isn't' the type of book I would normally choose for myself. I found the cover intriguing and a bit mysterious. The description on the back cover sounded interesting, and since I received this book to read and review, found myself opening the book to see what lay between the covers. This story was hard to get into. I found the author's writing style to be unlike anything I read and was bored with her overly descriptive sentences.
This was especially I really have mixed feelings about this book. This was especially the case at the beginning and end of the book. In fact, I found myself going back and rereading sentences because I had lost interest and my attention wasn't on what I was reading. Once I got through the first quarter of the book I found the storytelling to be more to my liking and the story was actually interesting and kept my interest from chapter to chapter. The last quarter of the book I found myself rereading sentences again as the author once again became overly descriptive.
There were also parts of the story that I found a bit disturbing and graphic.
The Mammoth Book of Erotic Confessions
I realize that in the time period this story takes place things aren't like they are now but I do believe the author could have used different descriptions or word choices. I really wish I could give this book a higher rating as the story was good but not consistently good. I found myself checking too many times to see how many pages were left. If you are into historical fiction that goes way back to the 's then you might enjoy this story.
However, it wasn't really my cup of tea. I was provided a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion which I have given. Jul 06, Hallie Szott rated it it was amazing Shelves: This review is also posted on Book by Book. Wolfe gives voice to this woman and her love beautifully and does a brilliant job of telling a difficult, historical story set amid an ancient culture and its ideol This review is also posted on Book by Book. Wolfe gives voice to this woman and her love beautifully and does a brilliant job of telling a difficult, historical story set amid an ancient culture and its ideologies.
All-around, I thoroughly enjoyed The Confessions of X, well-told and emotional, and I could easily recommend this novel to interested readers looking for an interesting and unique historical read. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own. Aug 19, Yoby rated it it was amazing Shelves: I won't mention what the book is about, since the explanation on any website does a better job than I can, yet to say, it is a historical novel of the concubine of St.
Augustine before, during , and after they separated so that he could advance. Concubines then weren't sluts, or prostitutes, but women who had no dowry or citizenship, so couldn't marry above their station, but were in a long term monogamous relationship with a nobleman. We don't know much about his concubine, histor I won't mention what the book is about, since the explanation on any website does a better job than I can, yet to say, it is a historical novel of the concubine of St.
We don't know much about his concubine, history does not say. But the book was well researched, and at the end Suzanne Wolfe mentions what she researched, and where she took liberties.
I thought this refreshing. It also comes with a thoughtful discussion guide. I must admit there were several times I had to put the book down for a couple of weeks , because the subject matter was so close to things I experienced that I thought had healed. I finally read to the end last night, and was sobbing so hard. I won't mention where I cried, because mine won't be the same as yours, or none of the book will move you at all, but I doubt it. Mar 20, Savanna Kaiser rated it really liked it. I read this book in one day. It intrigued me from the first page and drew me in to the story of this unnamed woman from history.
Written in a unique and poetic style — and from her first person point of view — the tale unfolds with great emotion and left me in tears by the end. The relationship between Augustine and this woman was so beautiful and lovely. I rejoiced I read this book in one day. I rejoiced with them in their moments of happiness and mourned with them in their times of sorrow.
The Confessions of X
Their journey of discovering themselves and understanding the world around them is incredibly fascinating. It was all very well-done. This review is my honest opinion. Jan 25, Robyn rated it it was amazing. I was not sure what I was getting into with this book and actually had to check the publishing house to make sure it was considered christian fiction. This said, I thought this was an intriguing story.
I knew who Augustine was but did not know much about his history. I thought the author did an exceptional job of weaving history into the story of X. It really was a wonderful read. Jan 07, Katie Lindsey rated it liked it. Jul 10, Brendan Hodge rated it it was amazing. Confessions of X tells the story of "a woman whose name is lost to history", St.
Augustine's concubine with whom he had his son Adeodatus prior to becoming Christian.
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She's pivotal minor character in the story of Augustine's life, and yet she is not named in the book. The author explains in a note at the end that she takes this as a sign that she was still alive at the time that Augustine wrote Confessions and he did not want to call down unwanted notoriety upon her. The book's prose is lush a Confessions of X tells the story of "a woman whose name is lost to history", St. The book's prose is lush and the story is deeply compelling. Perhaps most impressive is that Suzanne Wolfe managed to turn an unsparing yet sympathetic eye towards all of her main characters.
Augustine and Monica are both characters who could easily come off priggish or uncaring, given the way that their lives affect the main character's. But that would have been a cheaper story. Monica in particular is a fascinating minor character. Drama is built on conflict, so portraying a saint seems as if it would be dull. Monica, however, manages to seem saintly, but neither dull nor saccharine.
That's a fascinating minor character study on its own. Mar 01, Nick Jordan rated it really liked it. Wife lets the maid take some days off. Janine spends the night with a womanizer she has just met. But he is not serious about the relationship. So she is cheered up by the trusty man waiting right in front of her.
Lucy is shy about sex with her husband and decides to get help from her girlfriend. And she practically shows Lucy how to seduce a man. Start your free trial. Find showtimes, watch trailers, browse photos, track your Watchlist and rate your favorite movies and TV shows on your phone or tablet!
Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Full Cast and Crew. Husband invites a young male Share this Rating Title: Erotic Confessions 4. Professor Rayfield did his homework and figured out who Victor was, and so verified at least the verifiable in his confession — that he did live here and there, and he did study at the University of Turin, not Milan, etc. Long story short, the professor believes Victor. Vladimir Nobokov published Conclusive Evidence, his memoir, in , and refers to Victor's confessions ruefully: Our innocence now seems almost monstrous to me, in the light of various confessions for those years cited by Havelock Ellis… from [the Ukraine] there comes a particularly Babylonian contribution Professor Rayfield discusses VN's story The Magician and comments Victor's confessions provided the final push in the birth of Lolita's central theme I can't say I'm convinced by this, but I'll give Prof Rayfield his say — admitting Victor's complete lack of any sense of humour or irony, yet he finds similarities between Victor and Humbert Humbert: The immense culture and the exhibitionist pedantry, the fastidiousness and snobbery, the inability to align himself with any nationality — a fatal cosmopolitalism… an ability to watch himself in action, to record the minutest detail and to savour and dwell on until the recollection becomes more exciting than the act… Victor writing for Havelock Ellis, like Humbert Humbert writing for the gentlemen of the jury, relishes his superior intelligence, his self-assurance that what he has to tell his audience will surpass anything in their experience and leave them dumbfounded.
Yes, that I agree with. This book left me dumbfounded. View all 11 comments. An interesting and hilarious novel about the "hygienic and healthy pastimes" an original and fun definition of intercourse , experiences, fantasies and fetishes of a Russian guy. I found very interesting the liberty kids were enjoying at that time, but especially the lack of social constraints around women, especially in their sexual life and attitudes! Desperately needs to be edited. Tiago rated it it was ok Apr 20, Jessie rated it liked it Feb 18, Cristina Fotescu rated it really liked it Jan 01, Guilherme Semionato rated it it was amazing Jan 07, Thomas Forbes rated it really liked it Jan 09, Luna Miguel rated it it was amazing May 20, Ana Bell rated it it was ok Oct 19, Alejandro rated it it was ok Mar 19, Bianca rated it really liked it Jul 17, Nick rated it really liked it Feb 11, Pino Palladino rated it it was amazing Sep 17, Christophe rated it liked it Jun 15, Kristen Roberts rated it liked it Jun 05, Oksana Mykytiuk rated it it was amazing Sep 26, Tlumko rated it really liked it Feb 01, Jessie rated it liked it Jun 24, SC rated it really liked it Aug 12, Sarah rated it really liked it Sep 28, Iera rated it it was amazing Aug 22, Octavio rated it really liked it Dec 11, Alexandra Zaharia rated it really liked it Jan 08, Liya Ebralidze rated it liked it Jan 01, Andy rated it liked it Jul 24,