by David Leavitt and Mark Mitchell. This is a collection of essays, first by one author,
then by the other. It also has excerpts from other people's writings.
I have to admit that I was enjoying this book very much. Note that I said that
I was enjoying the book, not that I enjoyed it.
Most of the essays are gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. MOST. But then, towards the
end of the book, there is an essay called "Ashes," which has some nasty comments about the Pope, and about the Catholic Church. I will not repeat these remarks, and not only because "No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher."
But, aside from that horrible essay, do I recommend this book?
I'm trying to be objective, but it's not easy.
Yes, the other essays in the book are beautiful, but will I be able to read
them without remembering that one nasty essay? Probably not for a long time.
Imagine listening to someone with a beautiful, clear, operatic voice singing a lovely
song. At the end, the singer sings a vulgar word. Which do you remember, the beautiful
song, or the vulgar word?
Again, suppose that you are eating a scrumptious, fruit-filled, whipped-cream covered cake.
Suddenly, you bite into a piece of rotten fruit. Can you still taste the scrumptiousness
that came before?
Or if you see a magnificent painting with an ugly blotch, which do you notice more, the painting, or the blotch?
So what do I recommend? If you want to read, and really enjoy, this book, I would suggest that
you look for it in a library, or a used-book store. And then, skip the essay called "Ashes." Because otherwise, the book may be spoiled for you as, at least for now, it is for me.
