Cardenio: Days and Nights in the Wilderness

by Leo Schulz

Young and beautiful, Cardenio is drawn into a bizarre sexual journey. Equally attractive to women and men, he is acutely observant but never judges ― and never resists. As an adolescent he dresses in his mother’s clothes, allowing friends and girlfriends, and sometimes their parents, the pleasures of his masculine and feminine bodies. Some love him, others abuse him. At times, he too falls in love, and at times he can be abusive, too. He is expelled from school as his unbounded sexual permissiveness sows chaos among students and teachers. His beauty, freedom and Candide-like goodness lead him into a wilderness of prostitution and pornography, giving himself to gangsters, intellectuals, the curious and obsessive, sports stars, sadists, bikers, the lonely, the lost and the twisted.

The story is set in Auckland in the 1970s and Cardenio’s consuming sexuality is an ironic and conflicted contrast to the oppressive sameness of the suburbs. At the end, retaining his innocence, tired rather than tainted, he finds a redemptive love.

Although episodic, with each episode telling its own story, the characters, settings and themes recur, ultimately creating a unified narrative.

84 pages, Paperback

First published November 5, 2013

Reviews

[Morgan Harry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel was not what I was expecting. It's adult theme was shocking and slightly disturbing but that makes it a great novel. Why read if not to be shocked and made slightly uncomfortable?

[Melinda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a free copy through Goodreads.
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Wow this was a very disturbing read!

It was definitely for mature audiences. It was a very quick read. I don't know how to review this. There's so much sexual abuse and sexual content. How do I put this... it was like living in a teenage fantasy with all the constant sex, cross dressing, underage stuff and everything else (pedophile comes to mind). There was like absolute no negative consequences to their actions or remorse for everything they did or things other did to them.

It was interesting to read how Cardenio simply just took things as it is. Didn't really question the sexual or emotional abuse. It was certainly quite the insight into his life and their adventures...if you could call it that.

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cardenio's pornographic adventures are fascinating because he moves and lives in a world most of us have not experienced firsthand (if we are lucky), but this protagonist was also so very pitiable, sad, and pathological. He doesn't have any sense of a self at all, and is willing to try anything, and that just made me feel sorry for him. Also, the allusion to Voltaire's "Candide" at the end seemed a forced attempt to make this book more literary or important than it actually is. This book was well written and a fast read, but be forewarned. It is not for the squeamish nor the self-righteous.

[gilleoin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting reading about his adventures, but I kept feeling sorry for the boy and later, the man....most of his relationship were abusive and it started so young that he is used to this.
It was well-written and a quick read....may trigger those with a history of sexual & emotional abuse, though. As long as these aren't triggers for you I'd recommend it as a quick, somewhat fluffy read for a mature audience.

In compliance with FTC guidelines, I am disclosing that I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

In compliance with FTC guidelines, I am disclosing that I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

I have no idea how to rate this. This book made me sad. I doesn't seem the star rating works for this book. It was a fast read, definitely for a mature audience. Not enjoyable, but I read the whole thing to see if the outcome was a hopeful one. So, I didn't give up but.... Geez, I just don't know