Armand in one of his many scenarios enhances an old bookshop with his knowledge of photography as the owner, a Mr. Leclercq, proceeds to manoeuvre a lady of Eastern origin in various acrobatic positions upon a table whilst the said owner performs his "duty" as Armand records, through the art of Photography, each detailed still for the pleasure of Leclerq's many overseas clients. Within this segment of the book Armand really plays the part of the "third wheel" as the banter between Leclerq and his uninterested assistant makes for a very humorous scene.
Another of Armand's friends called Dumas (I don't know if it was the influence of the book or my state of mind at the time of reading but I could not help but conjure up the image of an unintelligent quadriped each time I read Armand's friends name) had a unique fantasy of sleeping with two nurses, who HAD to be sisters, in the dunes of a beech and all the while he would imagine himself as the brother of the two Nurse Sisters! Armand being a true friend, endeavoured to fulfil this fantasy and called upon a female part-time roommate/prostitute to realise Dumas' dreams. Unfortunately, Dumas needed the Nurses to be genuine sisters so Armand had to rely on the acting ability of Gertrude and her "sister" to complete the plan. The whole project went very smoothly until Dumas started asking questions about the sister's vocation.......the end result being the ruination of Dumas' fantasy and his temper undoubtedly was directed at his good friend Armand.
There are many more escapades that involve flagellation and dominatrix with a little erotic art and a few orgies added to the mix but I must refrain from proceeding any further for fear of rewriting the entire book. My thoughts of the reading experience are pleasant and I actually laughed aloud on one or two occasions (to anyone that has already read this masterpiece, I say only one word, Gingerbread!).
The book is filled with many interesting characters as all literature of erotica tends to be and their situational experiences are almost always tinged with a thread of humour. Oh, and I forgot to mention, there is also some references to some of the Erotic books Armand bought and sold throughout his Memoirs. All in all, an enjoyable read, I welcome all comments.
