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Summary: Una Bella Cosa
Review: Robert Hellenga's ability to capture both a woman's voice and the Italian landscape is true evidence of his talent. Each sentence, each situation, and each character embraces the most sensuous dimensions of Italian life. Set in post-WWII Florence, the narrator arrives in search of a way to help rebuild the ruined city. Throughout her journey she not only finds passion in her work, but she discovers herself in a city where so many young American women have done the same. Anyone who has ever lived, studied, or just fallen in love with Florence will find herself on its streets again through the lyrical poetry of "The Sixteen Pleasures."
Rating: 
Summary: Watch Me Become Venus
Review: Ok, so maybe not Venus. Our heroine, Margot, goes to Florence (where else?)to find some adventure before she becomes to old and timid to seek adventure. She does no small piece of finding adventure, either. Margot begins the story in one way, but through her experiences, becomes a transformed person. She truly finds the Venus within. The reader is brought along as witness.First, she sleeps with an academic, who happens to be a cad, but at least amuses her for the moment. There is a scene depicted in the book where the two are making love when Margot realizes that her girlfriend is in the room with them. While Margot is trying to shoo her out behind her lovers back, her friend is directing Margot on how to move her body to give her lover more pleasure. It is quite funny. Next, she ends up becoming embroiled in an affair with a much older, married, Italian gentleman. While carrying on this affair, Margot is helping an order of nuns restore their library collection which has been ruined in a terrible flood. During this restoration the abess brings to her attention a 16th century pornographic drawing collection, The Sixteen Pleasures, once order by the pope to be burned, now likely worth tons of money if authentic. The abess very much would like to have the book, if authentic, sold so that the abbey could remain financially independant and therefore free from the tyrannical rule of the local bishop. The tale of Margot's authenticating and selling the book stand interwoven with Morgot's affair. Eventually Morgot finds that she has fallen in love, both with her lover and with the women in the abbey. You must read the book to find out what choices she makes. The tale reads like a wonderful cabernet wine. It is rich with emotional complexity, real world problems, and struggles of conscience. Interesting information about art restoration is craftily splashed into the story as well. The only problem that I felt this book suffered was a bit of heavy handed narration in the descriptions of Florence and some of the artworks. Perhaps this might have been justified if Florence had been brought alive for me the same way that the Congo was in Barbara Kingsolvers The Poisonwood Bible. Unfortunately, the descriptions remained flat description instead of word pictures and ended up simply giving the book a bogged down feeling now and again.
Rating:
Summary: Sixteen Pleasures
Review: It will be interesting to see what Nicole Kidman will bring to this role. The author captures the intimacy of the small town that is Florence. The novel is a portal into a woman alone, and the tapestry of cultural wealth that is her environment. This is a warm read and gets my recommendation for an honestly written and competently crafted work. it is interesting that a man can enter the mind of a woman in her portryal.
Rating: 
Summary: Took Me Two Months to Read
Review: Unlike other novels I have read in the last year, I couldn't get the momentum to read past the portions that bogged down. For me, this area had to do with life in the convent. My interest also flagged when Sandro, the middle-aged lover, returned to Rome. His efforts to save works from the Uffizi Gallery were the most interesting portion of the book. On the other hand, this is an entertaining book that can be quickly read in a weekend, if you have the time.
Rating:
Summary: Would have liked to meet her in Florence...
Review: This book moves along at a pace of its own much like looking down at the River in Florence after the great flood had passed. Other reviewers have picked at some of the book's flaws. I wouldn't pass up this book. This is the type that I might read every year. The first section seems like a writer's exercise. It may have been one for developing observation because the tale focuses on two women sharing a train compartment with the heroine while commencing a tedious listing activity to capture every observable speck of life outside the passing train. They are budding writing students taking notes and making gossip about their writing instructor lover whom they share in common. Margot, the protagonist, reads her book and observes them. In fact, we become like her. We read on slowly but overhear her conversations and visit her rooms as a voyeur during her three affairs. However, the major strength of the novel is the expression given to Margot's love for restoration and for want of a better term, salvation of priceless works in the Fall of 1966 in Florence. That she is relatively sexually inexperienced with few lovers and no long term satisfying relationship is a literary feature that throws down the gauntlet for me or any other male who would like to couple with this refined woman who travels alone to save the books of Florence. As a former restorer of books at Columbia University, I thirsted on each page to meet up with Margot and purge the river's destructive effects while catching glances at her working nearby. In fact, I winced at her choice of a first lover, Jed, an academic cad from Harvard both pompous and afraid of appearing ridiculous. I couldn't understand why she couldn't turn him down...[lonely]? flattered?...probably too impressed by his Harvard pedigree to which she aspired. The description of her second lover reveals Hellenga's evolving skillfulness--this is a treatise on the subtlety of Italian men. He is much older but a very ardent lover. His passion parallels her project of restoring the 16 illustrated pages of lovemaking dating from 1525 and Margot blooms from a shy librarian into Sharon Stone who has just taken her hair out of a bun. But Hellenga also relieves the tension of this May- September relationship with a humorous excursion into the oddities of Italian divorce via annulment during the years of Pope Paul VII's chilly influence on sexual liberation. There are some interesting contrasts between Margot and her "sisters" in the convents, ones who are more innocent than she. And there is an even more interesting picture of the Abbess, Madre Badessa, who was married and who indicates she has experienced every form of carnal knowledge yet seeks the solace and purposefulness of the church. Margot identifies with the young Sister Gemma but it's not clear why; perhaps she wishes she could experience a life less complicated than the one she is experiencing with a lover 25 years older than herself. I was engrossed with the rest of the novel as well--the restoration and selling of the convent's erotic masterpiece in the marketplace of art at the London Sotheby's. In this segment, the real Margot steps forward and becomes herself, receiving indirect professional praise and self-satisfaction. She only yearns for family ties split apart by her mother's death. But this last section brings Margot her last lover; he is a worthy match for Margot and she for him. She has found a mature relationship that will grow or so we are led to think. There are things that annoyed me about the narrative, especially the use of Mama and Papa rather than "my mother" and "my father." It would be all right to address the father as "Papa" on the phone but already I'm making too much of this. But Mama and Papa buzzed in my ear throughout the novel like a hovering mosquito. It was annoying. I spent much time daydreaming at work about Margot and how I could meet her in Florence and what I would say to her and where I would take her to dinner and how I would take the next step. Isn't this what a novel should do for a man during the month of February?
Rating:
Summary: I loved it!
Review: I loved this novel and felt that I could really identify with the main character. I travel to Florence, Italy, quite often (my boyfriend lives there) and maybe that's why I connected with the story so much. If you love Italian art and history, you will find something in the story to intrigue you. If you have ever visited Florence (or just want to) I highly recommend the story.
Rating:
Summary: Never builds any steam
Review: The Sixteen Pleasures is a well-written book; unfortunately, the story doesn't develop as nicely as the language. I never fully attached to the heroine, or any of her love interests. The author's greatest success is in describing the art conservation process - very educational and accurate. The book jacket simply promises more excitement than the story delivers. That said, I should mention that some of the issues/topics in the novel made for great discussion in my book club. We were able to pull out some juicy questions, so for that reaason, I'll give the book as many as three stars.
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Summary: One of my life favorites
Review: This was the first Hellenga book I read, and I have re-read it about 3 times since. This book sang to me -- a woman traveling alone, but with so much life, making decisions that will affect her own future and that of ART in the very capital-letter sense. Learning the intricacies of book restoration at the same time we follow a complex love story -- and we follow life in the convent at the same time we hear of rather non-nun-like bedroom behavior -- the various stories are juggled brilliantly.
Rating:
Summary: flawed but still enjoyable
Review: This book defies contradictory expectations: it is not the high-minded work I expected, nor is it the descent into pornography I expected once I found out the nature of the valuable work of art our heroine comes across. What it really is, I think, is a coming of age story where a young woman who belongs no where, gradually finds out just who she is and where she fits in and learns her own mind. The main problem is that the book doesn't have a consistent tone and its parts fight with each other--its a literary hodge-podge. Part of it is a primer on methodology for saving art, part an appreciation of classical books, part coming of age, part love story, part travelogue, and part literary thriller. However, there are delights to be found: the growing identity of the main character, the atmospherics of Florence, and the fascinating information on art and culture. It's easy to read and is worthwhile.
Rating:
Summary: A book for intellectuals
Review: This was an absolutly beautiful story, if you have the endurance to read it. It is not an easy read, the story starts out very complex but works out beautifully in the end. I think Hellenga does an amazing job of seeing Florence through a woman's eyes. The details he uses to decribe the book preservation was just right, it made you feel like the main character really was an expert. This is a story for those who love history, art and romance. I felt like I was sharing in every emotion in the book, from fear to love to lonliness. A MUST for Italy-lovers.
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