I thought it’s going to be some sleazy book with inappropriate graphic details in it. But it’s not like that at all. Memories of My Melancholy Whores
A 90-year-old journalist wishes to give himself a birthday treat by requesting for a virgin girl to sleep with. He’s always been a frequent visitor to the brothel and although the lady pimp has kept offering him virgin prostitutes, he’d decline them. But now that he’s already 90 and probably felt that his time is almost up, he decides to have a wild night of love with an adolescent virgin.
The lady pimp, Rosa Cabarcas finally managed to find a 14-year-old girl who has to take care of her crippled mother and also her younger siblings. When the old man arrived at their room, he finds the girl sleeping and doesn’t wake her up. Instead he only observes her and sings into her ear. He names her Delgadina. When he woke up in the morning, the girl is still sleeping.
It continues like that for the rest of his ‘appointments’ with the young girl. He always never finds her awake and has never spoken to her. But one thing’s for sure. He has fallen in love for the first time in his long, lonely life. He even changes the style of writing for his column with the newspaper that he works with. From dry, old-fashioned topics, he turned his columns into some sort of ‘love letters that all people could make their own’. Of course, love struck readers began responding to his column which had never sparked such interest before.
But could a 90-year-old man find love with a 14-year-old girl whom he has never spoken to at all? If so, does she love him back? She’s probably just there for him because she’s paid to do it. As a poor young girl who has to support her family, she doesn’t have much choice but to turn to where the money is. And the pimp, Rosa must know that the old man is hopelessly devoted to the girl and she could be cheating him out of his money.
The 115-page novella is told from the man’s point of view. He reveals himself somewhat completely to the reader, why he’s never fallen in love, why he has only slept with women he’s paid and more. The first line of the novel is interesting enough to pull the reader in.
The year I turned ninety, I wanted to give myself the gift of a night of wild love with an adolescent virgin.
From there on, it’s been an intriguing read. The novel was originally written in Spanish but has been translated into English. If it weren’t for my English class, I would never have picked up this book to read despite its stimulating title. Sorry to disappoint but no, there weren’t any erotic scenes at all. The story only explores the loneliness of a very old man who thinks he has found love at the age of 90.
The author, Gabriel García Márquez is known as ‘Gabo’ throughout Latin America and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982. He has written two other famous novels which are One Hundred Years of Solitude
Other reviews: Literary Musings
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The first Emily Dickinson poem that I learnt was ‘There’s Been a Death in the Opposite House’ when I was in secondary school. I didn’t know much about her then. Fast forward to my uni days: for my English class, we learnt six of her poems and most of them revolved around the theme of death. Depressing? Yes, kind of, but it’s interesting to discover why Ms Dickinson constantly wrote about it. She also liked to write poems about nature.
is about the secret, wilder side of the poet that will shock you horrendously. Don’t get too excited as it is part fiction with several fictional characters thrown in for an added thrill.
I don’t like Holden Caulfield. I don’t hate him either. I’m not sure what I’d say if I met him but I would like to meet him anyway. From reading 
, I daresay he’s one of the most interesting characters I have ever come across in books.
calls itself a reading journal for book lovers and that’s just what it definitely is! But why do we need it, you may ask. Let me tell you why. This journal is something I or any book lover would love to have because with it, we can keep track of our reading and our thoughts on our favourite books. It sounds like a fact, doesn’t it? 
I also love the spiral-bound feature, which makes it easy to leave the book open without holding on to it. There are also coloured tabs at the sides so you can quickly flip to any section you want. 
My sister asked me, ‘Why someone your age would read this kind of book?’
is about older women who are reaching middle age or are already past that age group. 
Jenna Fox woke up one fine day remembering nothing from her past. The 17-year-old doesn’t remember who she was, who her family was, who her friends were, where she went to school, nothing. After a year’s long coma caused by an accident, Jenna woke up trying to remember as much as she can but finding it quite difficult.
is written from Jenna’s point of view so we readers are also trying to figure out the truth about everything that’s happened. Chapters are really short and abundant. There are also poems written by Jenna to reflect her feelings and emotions in the process of discovering her identity.
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