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Dos Historias Nada Decentes (2011)

by Alan Bennett(Favorite Author)

3.46 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

843397856X (ISBN13: 9788433978561)

languge

English

genre

Humor

publisher

Anagrama

review 1: Alan Bennett is a playwright first and foremost. The tart, intellectual style of his writing in Smut lent a distance that makes this book more comical than smutty. It's funny, and clever, and not the least bit erotic (or at least not in my books). Smut is two stories, both told primarily from the point of view of middle aged women who's sexual experiences to date are less than inspiring. I always find a male writer's choice to write and interpret sexuality from a feminine point of view an Interesting one. So few men really understand what makes a mature woman tick on a sexual level, or what ignites desire within a woman.The sex scenes are written as though the characters themselves are bored, their interest seemingly only in the physical and the awe of titillation. All the... more women come across as kind suburban and conservative, even dull, which I hope reflects the author's intention in exploring the idea of smut as that which is unseemly within the frame of reference of the character, and not his lack of imagination when it comes to female characters.The characters wander through sexual experiences beyond their normal moral boundaries with cool fascination. There was no sense of the presence of Eros, no convincing sense of desire within the characters, but instead a curiosity about what was sexually possible if they overstepped their usual boundaries. I'm not sure if this was the author's intention, or if it reflects his own ambivalence about sex. Or how he thinks sexually repressed women experience sex? Or maybe just how women in general deal with and experience sex? Or even if smut is in the eye of the beholder, in which case I'd agree with him.Only the author can answer those questions.As you'd expect with a playwright, the dialogue is exceptional. I'm relieved by my recent decision to no longer rate books, because I have no idea what I'd give this one. You will have to make up you're own mind.
review 2: Two stories each with a most unexpected protagonist for a book with this title…both are women of a certain age…women almost invisible in modern societies. Both stories could realistically have happened…but it took a playwright to write them, and get us to read them. The second story, my favorite, was a series of plot twists that in the end made me think of a Willie Nelson song I heard years ago …I’m my own Grandpa. Yep it could have happened less

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