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jdgcreates's review against another edition
1.0
What does it tell a reader when a saucy novel about a handsome and ambitious young "pleasure seeker" is the least enjoyable and compelling part of the story? And when the most interesting part is the ten-year old boy with severe (and misunderstood--it's the beginning of the 20th century, after all) OCD, but as of page 77 did not get more than a few pages of tribute? Sorry, but I just don't care about where Piet Barol is sticking his tongue or his finger or anything else for that matter when the characters are so banal and uninteresting. Not to mention the annoying way Mason plops a totally different character's perspective in for a random paragraph with no grace or fluidity whatsoever. I had grander expectations of this and was, obviously, disappointed.
shelfobsessed's review against another edition
3.0
A rollicking romp; a saucy page-turner that I thoroughly enjoyed as a break from my usual reading list.
_vanessa's review against another edition
3.0
A book full of intrigue set against the decadent backdrop of the glittering lives of the moneyed elite of Amsterdam. The protagonist, Piet Barol, is discerning in his pleasures, and seeks the favour of the family that employs him as a private tutor to their young son to make his fortune and leave his drafty country home behind. Sexier than Downton Abbey, the prose is as tactile and sensual as the Edwardian silks it describes. Some of the plot points resolve themselves a tad to conveniently, and the ending itself is perhaps a little pedestrian, but the colourful characters and intrigue still make History of a Pleasure Seeker an entertaining read that's hard to put down.
arisbookcorner's review against another edition
3.0
This is not the type of book I normally read. Historical fiction that focuses less on history and more on sex and frivolous things. But I don't mean that in a bad way. I found it refreshing to read a book that was about a self-made young man and his adventures in early 20th century Amsterdam. It was nice to not read a book that was extremely heavy and deep, this book doesn't take itself too seriously and while there aren't any grand historical events reflected upon there is still some history knowledge being imparted. The story did begin to slow down once Piet left Amsterdam and I did grow disinterested. But 20th century Capetown is a topic I (surprise) know nothing about so maybe I will look for the sequel.
he characters in this novel are all intriguing but-like Piet-I never felt a connection with any of them. Piet is a tutor and while he does get somewhat close to the family, for the most part they remain guarded. Except for the character of Maarten, the head of the househould. I found it fascinating that Mason used this character to reflect the deep contrasts in Amsterdam during the Belle Epoque. There was an emphasis on material wealth and yet Calvinism played a large part during this time as well. Maarten struggles to reconcile his wealth with his religious beliefs and constantly believes his business decisions are tied up with his faith. I've never read erotic fiction nor do I have any inclination to do so, I didn't enjoy the sex scenes in this book but they certainly didn't ruin the book either. I did find it interesting that Piet had bisexual tendencies, its funny (to me) to think of sexuality in history because I think many of us (including myself) have this idea of repression or at least that sex just wasn't talked about. While that may be true it certainly doesn't mean they weren't engaging in all types of adventurous sexual acts and that amuses me.
An excellent beach read.
he characters in this novel are all intriguing but-like Piet-I never felt a connection with any of them. Piet is a tutor and while he does get somewhat close to the family, for the most part they remain guarded. Except for the character of Maarten, the head of the househould. I found it fascinating that Mason used this character to reflect the deep contrasts in Amsterdam during the Belle Epoque. There was an emphasis on material wealth and yet Calvinism played a large part during this time as well. Maarten struggles to reconcile his wealth with his religious beliefs and constantly believes his business decisions are tied up with his faith. I've never read erotic fiction nor do I have any inclination to do so, I didn't enjoy the sex scenes in this book but they certainly didn't ruin the book either. I did find it interesting that Piet had bisexual tendencies, its funny (to me) to think of sexuality in history because I think many of us (including myself) have this idea of repression or at least that sex just wasn't talked about. While that may be true it certainly doesn't mean they weren't engaging in all types of adventurous sexual acts and that amuses me.
An excellent beach read.
chris24norris's review
4.0
Well written without being gripping, this novel is clearly the first in a series. Filmic: I kept seeing Cillian Murphy in the lead role in my mind's eye.
gerhard's review
3.0
This frothy confection of a novel is a departure for Mason. Not sure how to describe it though: period porn? I enjoyed this -- the period detail and description are gorgeous -- but the main problem is that Piet Barol is so perfect a specimen, a hit with the ladies and the men, that he is, frankly, boring (the end of the novel sees him deposited in the den of vice and colonialism that is Cape Town; hopefully the next novel will his character grow as well). Perhaps the best sentence to sum up the droll archness of this is: '"My cunt, Mr Barol," she said firmly, gripping the arms of the chaise longue. "Be bolder with it!"
bionicjulia's review
5.0
Very good fun read. Hadn't a clue what it was about, but caught on quickly. Good piece of writing, found it difficult to put down.
summerofsoaps's review
2.0
I tried to read this book for two weeks and I finally gave up without finishing. I don't normally read the blurbs on the back cover but as I was putting this into the bag to return to the library, one review caught my eye. "Like Henry James on Viagra." And I was all, "Oh." Because I don't like Henry James (with the possible exception of "Turn of the Screw", which I really enjoy only because it inspired the amazing classic film "The Innocents" starring Deborah Kerr). This book, like the works of James, is overly detailed, pretentious, and slow moving. The main character is completely unsympathetic, and most of the surrounding characters are not much more likable.
As far as the sex goes, maybe I am jaded by my years of reading romance, both heterosexual and gay, but I was distinctly unimpressed. Mostly I was left with a feeling of "Meh." In order to be turned on by a sex scene, I find I have to have some emotional investment in at least one of the characters. Instead, the common denominator in this book is Piet, who I felt no connection with and, conversely, actively disliked. So the erotica aspect of the book didn't work, and we already discussed what I thought of the "literary fiction" component.
Maybe the book gets better as it goes on, but I just did not have the time or the patience to persevere. Intellectually, I can see that this is well-written, in it's overly stylized, wordy way, and I definitely think some readers will like it. Unfortunately, I am just not one of those readers.
As far as the sex goes, maybe I am jaded by my years of reading romance, both heterosexual and gay, but I was distinctly unimpressed. Mostly I was left with a feeling of "Meh." In order to be turned on by a sex scene, I find I have to have some emotional investment in at least one of the characters. Instead, the common denominator in this book is Piet, who I felt no connection with and, conversely, actively disliked. So the erotica aspect of the book didn't work, and we already discussed what I thought of the "literary fiction" component.
Maybe the book gets better as it goes on, but I just did not have the time or the patience to persevere. Intellectually, I can see that this is well-written, in it's overly stylized, wordy way, and I definitely think some readers will like it. Unfortunately, I am just not one of those readers.
jamesflint's review
1.0
“What do you wish, my child?” “To make my own way in the world.” “Then you must marry a man with talent and ambition, whose interests you may serve as your mother has served mine. That is the way in which a woman may succeed.” “I am capable of succeeding on my own, papa.” “I do not doubt it. But that is not the way of the world.”
Rep: male bi side character
This book has been sat on my desk, waiting for me to read it, for the best part of a year. I was drawn into buying it by the promise of a bisexual character (and also, the cover is very pretty). Unfortunately, this book didn’t live up to what I thought it could be.
For about 75% of the book, there was very little going on besides Jacobina’s cheating on her husband with Piet. Yes, there was the “healing” of Egbert happening also, but it was essentially a side story rather than what Piet’s job was advertised as. There was a lot of sex between Jacobina and Piet, and pretty explicit stuff too (which I skim read). I know, I know, when it’s a book called History of a Pleasure Seeker I should expect those kinds of things, and I did. I just didn’t expect the sex scenes to be written quite so badly. I mean, I laughed out loud at some parts of them.
My second complaint is this “bisexual” character. I mean, it’s perfectly possible that when this book was put on the list(s) (I can’t remember if I found it on just one, or multiple), they were referring to either Didier or Jay and not Piet. Even if they were, I find that a bit tenuous. Didier hardly expressed interest in having sex with women, besides as a means of also having sex with Piet, and Jay, while married, showed no such interest either. Which begs the question, what exactly is it about Piet that makes people want to put him on a bisexual characters list. Because I would argue against his inclusion – he is aware of his being attractive to both men and women (he mentions it at least twice), but he doesn’t actively covet men, only women. Yes, I get that the part where he and Jay have sex (again, tenuous, I’ll get to that) is perhaps suggestive of some sort of preference, but I don’t think so. For one, Jay is the one who initiates it, and it seems that Piet just goes along with it but doesn’t participate (consent issues, perhaps?) and when questioned about it by the girl he goes on to marry, his answer doesn’t suggest that he would be willing to do it again. He says something about it being a novel kind of thing.
And another thing: the ending is rather abrupt. He meets this girl, they have three days of continuous sex and then she says ‘oh I’m probably pregnant now’ and he says ‘well, we’d best marry then’. Right. All in about the space of 10-15 pages.
Besides these issues, the book was OK. It was mostly well written (apart from the sex scenes) and it went by pretty quickly when I actually got into reading it. But there were no stakes to this affair Piet has. There is no hint whatsoever, until it is actually uncovered at 75% or so, that someone might know about it. It’s just too safe to be a believable affair, I’m sorry.
I think I can sum up this book thus: rich, white people dossing around, having sex. Alternatively known as, a waste of money.
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