Adventurer in love and life...

Casanova has been hailed as the greatest lover of the 18th century and has become the first person we think of in the ways of seduction. He is the quintessential ladies man for some, and for others, a manipulative scoundrel, an expert at self-promotion, and at worse, a spinner of colorful tails. In fact he is all these things and much more. 

On top of his many amorous affairs with not only servants and chambermaids but also ladies of nobility, he is a compelling storyteller, a gentleman of taste, a violinist, theologian, philosopher and a gifted courtier. There has been so much written about the man, that I felt compelled to read about his life from his own words. 

Casanova is the most notorious seducer of women in history, and if you read The Story of My Life, you will understand an aspect of this man that is all too often over looked, and that is, he more often than not loved the women he seduced, and in some cases, remained in love with them for the rest of his relatively long life. In other words, he cared about women, respected them, idolized them and ensured that the pleasures they gained from these liaisons, exceeded his. He used women but he also loved them.

The book is written in a flowing style, descriptive to the point where the reader gains almost a visceral impression of 18th century Europe. 

Casanova's escape from the Venetian prison, for example, has all the suspense and realism of our modern thrillers. I could almost hear his finger nails scraping against the prison walls as he descended, sliding down in the dead of night during his escape. 

In his meeting with Voltaire, the French, gnome-like genius came to life, as they discussed the state of literature and the greatest poets of the ages. And, of course, the many beautiful women, his conquests and those that seduced him, fill every chapter - tasteful eroticism without the slightest hint of vulgarity. Casanova was an adventurer in love and life and he ensured he did not waste a minute of it.

Casanova wanted to be remembered as a man of letters, in the 18th century sense of this term. And with The Story of My Life, he certainly achieved this aim, as scholars from around the world have acknowledged. He also wanted to be remembered as a man who loved women, and to this end, there is no question. Those that love intrigue, eroticism, a little pomp and circumstance, and swashbuckling adventure, read this incredible memoir - a pleasure in every sense.