THE LOST DIARY OF DON JUAN

Author: Douglas Carlton Abrams ISBN: 1416532501 5/2007 FICTION Publisher: ATRIA

It was a time of discovery and decadence, when life became a gamble and the gold that poured endlessly into the port of Sevilla devalued money, marriage, and love itself. In the midst of these treacherous times, Juan Tenorio is born and then abandoned in the barn of a convent. Raised secretly by the nuns, he learns to love and worship all women and wants nothing more than to be a priest, until he falls in love with one of the sisters. When their affair is discovered, Juan leaves the Church forever. He is soon recruited to be a spy by the powerful Marquis de la Mota, who teaches him to become the world's greatest libertine and seducer of women. But when he crosses swords with the most powerful man in the Empire, Don Juan must escape the murderous fury of the Inquisitor who battles all forms of debauchery, deviance, and heresy. It is after knowing countless women that he is convinced by the Marquis to keep a diary, and it is here within its pages that Don Juan reveals his greatest adventures and the Arts of Passion he mastered. But what finally compels him to confess everything and risk losing his life, livelihood, and honor is the most perilous adventure of all—the irresistible fall into the madness of love with the only woman who could ever make him forget all others.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Who hasn't heard of Don Juan? Or should I say, which woman has never heard of Don Juan? A man, that could be questionable, especially when they draw a blank on their face when the name is brought up.

This is a fictional tale of the story and life of Don Juan, the debut novel of Douglas Carlton Abrams. This is a magical novel that captures the secret life of the world's most famous lover, Don Juan. The story goes into detail about how Don Juan is raised as Juan Tenorio and abandoned in a convent. As being raised by nuns, Juan learns to love and worship all women, maybe a little much. Juan really wants no more in his life than to be a priest, but then he does the unforgivable—he has a love affair with a nun. This causes Juan to leave the church forever, and the only home he has ever known. He is recruited by the mysterious Marquis de la Mota, who teaches Juan to become the world's greatest libertine and seducer of women. From here, it seems that Don Juan's mastery of passion becomes the epitome of his life... possibly a terrible thing in the age of repression. However, Don Juan's search for personal pleasure and gratification carry over to our modern age and has earned the man a reputation that will never be lived down. In this story, a diary is kept that compels Don Juan to confess everything and all of his irresistible claims to love.

THE LOST DIARY OF DON JUAN got great reviews from other sources, but it was a little over-the-top for me. To have such a thing as a Don Juan in this reality is, well, impossible. In fact, most men would probably think he might be a little too metrosexual. I think the author did a great job with the novel and takes a view point that hasn't quite been explored before. While this is not a novel I would choose on my own at the bookstore, it did make reading a bit more, well... interesting. And well, if I met Don Juan today, I do not think I would like him very much.

Kym Oetting