The Sixteen Pleasures
Registered by 
buttonbright
of Raleigh, North Carolina USA on 12/8/2003
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
buttonbright of Raleigh, North Carolina USA on 12/8/2003 This Book is Currently in the Wild!
12 journalers for this copy...
I am sending this book to First-Noel in Texas. It was on her wish list.Wish? Did someone say wish?
Mekka lekka hi mekka hiney ho!
Mekka lekka hi mekka chiney ho!
The wish is granted. Long live Jambi.
Thank you so much ButtonBright!! This is a truely wonderful gift. And it's such a cute littel book too. :-)
Thanks again.
Thanks again.
The Sixteen Pleasures is going to be the first book finished in 2004 for me. It's a truely beautiful story of an American woman who went to Italy after the '66 floods to help save the priceless libraries that were damaged. While working in a Carmelite Convent a book of erotic poetry and engravings is discovered.
Book Description
The Italians called them "Mud Angels," the young foreigners who came to Florence in 1966 to save the city's treasured art from the Arno's flooded banks. American volunteer Margot Harrington was one of them, finding her niche in the waterlogged library of a Carmelite convent. For within its walls she discovered a priceless Renaissance masterwork: a sensuous volume of sixteen erotic poems and drawings.
Inspired to sample each of the ineffable sixteen pleasures, Margot embarks on the intrigue of a lifetime with a forbidden lover and the contraband volume--a sensual, life-altering journey of loss and rebirth in this exquisite novel of spiritual longing and earthly desire.
Really good read, very enlightening.
Available soon as bookring, PM now to be included.
Book Description
The Italians called them "Mud Angels," the young foreigners who came to Florence in 1966 to save the city's treasured art from the Arno's flooded banks. American volunteer Margot Harrington was one of them, finding her niche in the waterlogged library of a Carmelite convent. For within its walls she discovered a priceless Renaissance masterwork: a sensuous volume of sixteen erotic poems and drawings.
Inspired to sample each of the ineffable sixteen pleasures, Margot embarks on the intrigue of a lifetime with a forbidden lover and the contraband volume--a sensual, life-altering journey of loss and rebirth in this exquisite novel of spiritual longing and earthly desire.
Really good read, very enlightening.
Available soon as bookring, PM now to be included.
I welcome international members with open arms. I just ask that you be willing to ship internationally also as this helps to include as many people as possible. Please PM me if you are interested.
RULES
**Once you receive the book make a journal entry.
**PM the person after your name to obtain their mailing information.
**If there is no response after a few attempts then skip them and PM the person after them (and also me so I know what's up).
**When you finish the book leave your comments.
**Please leave release notes once you've sent the book on the next leg of it's journey.
Participants
1. Ilios, Florida
2. Vicki9170, Florida *
3. Weeblet, Virginia
4. Wareagle78, Alabama*
5. Busybooklover, California
Back to me!!
* = willing to ship internationally
This is the order. Book shipped out on the 21st of January.
I just received this! Thanks to First-Noel for starting his ring with me! I'll be updating this journal entry as soon as I am done.
2/09/04
I finished the book last night and I really enjoyed it. I love books, but I love even more old mysterious books. I am also very much interested in art history, so the trials and tribulations of the main character in Italy were very appealing to me.
Margot Harrington is an American book conservator. She decides to go to Florence to help save books that endured the huge 1966 flood (despite her boss' disapproval) and find some purpose in life. Although she is already 29, this tale is a coming of age story. The first couple of chapters are kind of slow, but the story and the characters grow on you and finally, you cannot put the book down. At the end, you are cheering for Margot and hoping she'll find what she was looking for, while continuing her effort to save more endangered books. Sending to Vickie970 this week.
2/09/04
I finished the book last night and I really enjoyed it. I love books, but I love even more old mysterious books. I am also very much interested in art history, so the trials and tribulations of the main character in Italy were very appealing to me.
Margot Harrington is an American book conservator. She decides to go to Florence to help save books that endured the huge 1966 flood (despite her boss' disapproval) and find some purpose in life. Although she is already 29, this tale is a coming of age story. The first couple of chapters are kind of slow, but the story and the characters grow on you and finally, you cannot put the book down. At the end, you are cheering for Margot and hoping she'll find what she was looking for, while continuing her effort to save more endangered books. Sending to Vickie970 this week.
Journal Entry 7 by Ilios at post office in BOOKRAY, Bookray -- Controlled Releases on Wednesday, March 17, 2004
Released on Wednesday, March 17, 2004 at post office in BOOKRING, Bookring Controlled Releases.
Sorry to have taken so long to send this. Vicki and I were having communication problems. Sent to vicki9170 today. Enjoy!
Sorry to have taken so long to send this. Vicki and I were having communication problems. Sent to vicki9170 today. Enjoy!
received today
mailing out tomorrow :)
i loved this book.....i did find it a tiny bit slow at times but a GREAT read!
i loved this book.....i did find it a tiny bit slow at times but a GREAT read!
got it- thanks! i've got a couple ahead of this one, but i read pretty fast :)
starting this today, if any one is interested ;)
i liked it! nothing particularly earth shattering, but an enjoyable read, and i managed to learn a thing or two :) i'll mail tomorrow. thanks for sharing!
**mailing 5/11**
**mailing 5/11**
Arrived in mail over the weekend. Will start as soon as I can, but I have a bookring mini-mountain going at the moment. Don't worry, First-Noel, I won't hoard! Will post again when read.
A luminous little book set in 1960's Italy. The main character, Margot Herrington, moves to Florence at 29 to help with the book restoration efforts following a devastating flood. Full of detail of both her life and book conservation, the novel is rewarding. When a unique book of erotic etchings is found in the library of a local convent, Margot is charged to sell the book for the convent without the knowledge of the bishop. With and through the book she finds love, loss, and a changed path.
The book gets high marks for taking me into areas of knowledge that are new to me, such as book restoration and binding, daily life in Italy, and more deeply into the arts.
But while I liked the book, it does read just like what it is -- a story of a young woman's coming into herself, written by a man. There is a certain detachment from Margot that puzzled me until I remembered that fact.
Will send on to busybooklover Saturday if I get an address. I usually send off for it asap upon book arrival but I seem to have neglected this time - my apologies!
The book gets high marks for taking me into areas of knowledge that are new to me, such as book restoration and binding, daily life in Italy, and more deeply into the arts.
But while I liked the book, it does read just like what it is -- a story of a young woman's coming into herself, written by a man. There is a certain detachment from Margot that puzzled me until I remembered that fact.
Will send on to busybooklover Saturday if I get an address. I usually send off for it asap upon book arrival but I seem to have neglected this time - my apologies!
on its way to California - sorry for the delay!
Ohhh .. I am so glad to finally get to read this... I JUST got two other rings this past week... but I will try to get through those quickly. *I have a great incentive because of the three this is by FAR-- the highest on my wish list!* Thanks to all before... (& for the Miami Beach postcard/bookmark ready to go!) ;-)UPDATE: 09/01/04- Finally starting this and what should come in the mail yesterday... From Buttonbright, The Uses of Enchantment! (On my wishlist!) Thanks and now I'm eager to get through this one so I can move on to THAT one too! You make this SO difficult... all these great books and I've been SOoooo busy this summer (camping, rafting, houseguests for 5 weeks) I am so glad things have finally slowed down!~~~ ♥BBL♥
♥ I finally finished this sweet book today. I loved the story but felt at times that it was written by a man-- some of the descriptions seems almost counter-intuitive-- a man reaching to speak a woman's voice. I don't know if that makes any sense... but I still liked the story. There were some great parts and some that seemed to lull you on to read only because you wanted to see where the main character would end up. I liked the description of one reviewer comparing it to "Enchanted April" I also saw it like "Under the Tuscan Sun"... an American fleeing to another country to escape reality and finding "answers" in the form of rhetorical(?)or unanswerable questions. (Where is the best place to be??? The answer is simplly to BE.) Awaiting Button Bright's address to send this bookring back home. Thanks to Button Bright and all before for enabling this book to travel my way.*(The PUPRLE here is cause I loved the references to the "Purple Bible" (a la Southeby's auction!)♥~BBL
Released on Wednesday, December 01, 2004 at about 8:00:00 PM BX time (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada) at Given to another bookcrosser in n/a, n/a Controlled Releases.
RELEASE NOTES:
back to First-Noel... Thanks for making this avail everyone!
RELEASE NOTES:
back to First-Noel... Thanks for making this avail everyone!
This little gem has finally made it home. What a journey it had. Thanks everyone for being super bookcrossers.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
Journal Entry 20 by First-Noel at Book Relay in Book Relay, A Book Relay -- Controlled Releases on Friday, January 7, 2005
Released on Saturday, January 08, 2005 at about 8:00:00 AM BX time (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada) at mail in mail, A Book Relay Controlled Releases.
RELEASE NOTES:
Mailing this one off for the Bookrelay. My first one!
RELEASE NOTES:
Mailing this one off for the Bookrelay. My first one!
I got this in an NC-17 Book Relay. (My first relay!!!!) I'm looking forward to it.
Overall, I liked this book. I was fascinated by the restoration process - not just for the books but for the frescos as well. I could have done without the actual "16 pleasures" - even if you use Italian for the "naughty bits" they were still kind of crude. I'm not offended by the sexual nature of the poems, I just thought they were poorly written. Kind of like transcribing the things people say during sex - it sounds hot at the time but if you read it later it'd sound pretty silly.
There were times that I was sick of the author describing how things are done in Italy. Somethings are universal and so I was unimpressed with his "discoveries."
But, as I said, I liked the rest of the story. I'd still recommend it.
There were times that I was sick of the author describing how things are done in Italy. Somethings are universal and so I was unimpressed with his "discoveries."
But, as I said, I liked the rest of the story. I'd still recommend it.
Journal Entry 23 by jenm at postal release in You Go Girl Bookbox, A Bookbox -- Controlled Releases on Monday, April 4, 2005
Released 19 yrs ago (4/4/2005 UTC) at postal release in You Go Girl Bookbox, A Bookbox -- Controlled Releases
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES: This books is now in the "You Go, Girl" bookbox.
I'm taking this out of guinaveve's "You Go Girl!" bookbox. It sounds unusual and interesting...
I found this book surprisingly flat and uninteresting, considering that its storyline centres around a supposedly highly erotic work of literature...but I've read cookbooks that were more erotic. I never felt I knew any of the characters - there was no depth, no personality; Margot is like a blank piece of paper. I still feel like I don't know anything about her. Hellenga just comes out and has characters tell us, I feel this way, I feel that way, with no corresponding revelations in the text. The characters were like sleepwalkers, stumbling from one episode to the next. (Margot: I'm desperately in love. Oh, wait, now I'm not. I'm sad. Now I'll just jump into bed with someone else. Blah blah blah.)Too bad, because Italian art really is a very interesting subject and I did enjoy those aspects of the book...but as a novel, it's disappointing, dull and disjointed. Like Madre Badessa says about her cousin Sandro, this is a book "with no center, no soul...no inner core."
Journal Entry 26 by geishabird at Bookcrossing Convention 2006 in Toronto, Ontario Canada on Friday, April 21, 2006
Released 18 yrs ago (4/21/2006 UTC) at Bookcrossing Convention 2006 in Toronto, Ontario Canada
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
To be released somewhere around the convention site...enjoy!
To be released somewhere around the convention site...enjoy!
Another well travelled book. Thanks for bringing this to the Convention geishabird. It was great to meet you.
Update: August 2, 2006
I found I had a copy of this so I passed it along to chronicbooker. I did read my copy.
I really enjoyed this novel. Margot Hennington goes to Italy after the flood in 1966 to save the books that were damaged in the libraries and churches. She leaves her home and her family, thinking this is the perfect experience for her, a book restorer, and a chance for her to reclaim the passion of her youth spent in Italy.
She is given a unique book, one of "pornographic" art that is unique and dating to the 17th century. The church currently has possession of it, but she knows that it needs to be restored and sold to raise money for the convent that she was working at.
Along the way, she finds and loses love, as well as herself.
The novel is full of the tastes and sounds of Italy, especially Florence. It is written passionately and with a love of all things Italian - food, art, love, the Church and land.
Update: August 2, 2006
I found I had a copy of this so I passed it along to chronicbooker. I did read my copy.
I really enjoyed this novel. Margot Hennington goes to Italy after the flood in 1966 to save the books that were damaged in the libraries and churches. She leaves her home and her family, thinking this is the perfect experience for her, a book restorer, and a chance for her to reclaim the passion of her youth spent in Italy.
She is given a unique book, one of "pornographic" art that is unique and dating to the 17th century. The church currently has possession of it, but she knows that it needs to be restored and sold to raise money for the convent that she was working at.
Along the way, she finds and loses love, as well as herself.
The novel is full of the tastes and sounds of Italy, especially Florence. It is written passionately and with a love of all things Italian - food, art, love, the Church and land.
Because cestmoi is busy moving this month I was lucky enough to get the chance to read this first.
TBR
TBR
Journal Entry 29 by chronicbooker3 at Second Cup - Lakeshore at Navy in Oakville, Ontario Canada on Sunday, January 7, 2007
Released 17 yrs ago (1/7/2007 UTC) at Second Cup - Lakeshore at Navy in Oakville, Ontario Canada
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
If this is not grabbed at the meetup today I will leave it on the back window with the other books left there for enjoyment.
If this is not grabbed at the meetup today I will leave it on the back window with the other books left there for enjoyment.
I picked up this book at the meetup and will wild release it as part of the 2007 Never Judge a Book By Its Cover Challenge.Week 1's challenge is... numbers!
Journal Entry 31 by morsecode at Post Office on Delaware Ave in Kenmore, New York USA on Saturday, January 13, 2007
Released 17 yrs ago (1/12/2007 UTC) at Post Office on Delaware Ave in Kenmore, New York USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
Left inside the entryway room on the table with the Priority Mail envelopes
Left inside the entryway room on the table with the Priority Mail envelopes
