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Desire
The future of Lily van Velsen, San Francisco pearl "doctor" gemologist, looks assured, given her recent engagement to her goodnatured colleague Alan Purdue. But once she begins reading the diaries that recount many of her ancestors' illicit romances and their relationships with demon lovers, she is driven toward a dark destiny of her own, in the form of an affair with artist Johnny Penthe and a yearning for the opium that can calm her spirit. Only when thus "purified" can she cut the "pearl of Celebes", which carries a curse or blessing for its owner.
The perfect sphere inside a natural pearl is revealed by the skillful peeling away of the layers that hide it - and this is also how it is with Wallace's haunting concoction of stories within stories in this unusually compelling first novel. (The daughter of Irving Wallace, her previous efforts include The Prodigy, a biography). Itself like an opium dream, the book hypnotically pulls the listener into its mysterious erotic core, never taking the cheap or easy way. Depicting the obsessions that drive people to fulfill or deny their hearts' desires, Wallace demonstrates that the answer can come in the shape of sacred or profane love - or, sometimes, a rare blue pearl.
The perfect sphere inside a natural pearl is revealed by the skillful peeling away of the layers that hide it - and this is also how it is with Wallace's haunting concoction of stories within stories in this unusually compelling first novel. (The daughter of Irving Wallace, her previous efforts include The Prodigy, a biography). Itself like an opium dream, the book hypnotically pulls the listener into its mysterious erotic core, never taking the cheap or easy way. Depicting the obsessions that drive people to fulfill or deny their hearts' desires, Wallace demonstrates that the answer can come in the shape of sacred or profane love - or, sometimes, a rare blue pearl.
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First published September 1, 1990
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About the author
Amy Wallace
38 books28 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Amy Wallace was an American author. She was the daughter of authors Irving Wallace and Sylvia Wallace and sister of historian David Wallechinsky.
Amy Wallace was an American author. She was the daughter of authors Irving Wallace and Sylvia Wallace and sister of historian David Wallechinsky.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 5, 2016
Desire by Amy Wallace
Story of a pearl doctor. I love pearls and enjoy reading about them.
Lily's uncle handed her the book-the one that holds all the secrets to the jewels. The woman had died and he wanted to know more of what she said on her death bed.
The legacy had come from her relatives of days long gone. Letters from a woman in a convent, gave birth, child was adopted and the father tries to kidnap the baby and is killed. The woman in the convent is out of sorts...
Her husband to be, Alan is also in the jewelry field. She is able to design broaches and necklaces with certain gems that really appeal to the rich. He's pressuring her to get the pearl her uncle has locked up, she can doctor it up and they can become rich.
Her uncle is dying, so time is of the essence. Confusing at times because you can't figure out if the entry is about her or an ancestor that she's reading about.
Loved hearing of all the information about real and cultured pearls and legends that surround them.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
Story of a pearl doctor. I love pearls and enjoy reading about them.
Lily's uncle handed her the book-the one that holds all the secrets to the jewels. The woman had died and he wanted to know more of what she said on her death bed.
The legacy had come from her relatives of days long gone. Letters from a woman in a convent, gave birth, child was adopted and the father tries to kidnap the baby and is killed. The woman in the convent is out of sorts...
Her husband to be, Alan is also in the jewelry field. She is able to design broaches and necklaces with certain gems that really appeal to the rich. He's pressuring her to get the pearl her uncle has locked up, she can doctor it up and they can become rich.
Her uncle is dying, so time is of the essence. Confusing at times because you can't figure out if the entry is about her or an ancestor that she's reading about.
Loved hearing of all the information about real and cultured pearls and legends that surround them.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
March 22, 2007
Epic, bizarre, kinda trashy and a bit out there, but I really liked it when I read it (in college). I found it on the bookshelf of the UMass library which was how I found a lot of great, weird books during that time. Here's a review by Carolyn See: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage...
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews