The Confessions of Max Tivoli

Written by Andrew Sean Greer. If books could be described as "delicious," then that is how I would describe The Confessions of Max Tivoli.

Born with the physical appearance of an elderly man, Max grows older mentally like any child, but his body appears to age backward, growing younger every year. And yet, his physical curse proves to be a blessing, allowing him to try to win the heart of the same woman three times as at each successive encounter she fails to recognize him, taking him for a stranger, so giving max another chance at love.

The story takes place at the turn of the 20th century in San Francisco. The setting alone for this novel makes it worth reading. While reading, you are not reading a boring memoir, but the confessions of a man who led a life like no other. Sometimes you will feel sorry for him, embarrassed for him, and sometimes even angry at him. Max has the companionship of Hughie, who is there with him from his childhood until the time Max is an adult with the appearance of a child and Hughie then takes the role of his father. One can only hope to have a true friend like Hughie. While we may not have the same medical condition as Max, we can certainly relate to his emotions of wanting to be loved, especially be the one we love. His novel begins with the following:

We are each the love of someone's life.

Whether this is true or not, I don't know. But I know one thing, the novel is poetic, and at the end, I was thirsty for more. My favourite line: All of a sudden, life was a gorgeous broken glass.

As reviews for this novel state, it will leave you feeling "younger and wiser." You will learn lessons of love, life, and friendship.

Spoiler Alert:
The ending is quite tragic. It will leave you with that empy feeling in the pit of your stomach. But I believe that is what makes a novel great.

Definitely a 5 out of 5 stars. I highly recommend this book. And I have yet to find a novel such as this, one that I was unable to put down after having started reading it. Enjoy!

Only You (1994)

"Only You" is about a young woman, Faith (Marisa Tomei), who believes her soul mate is Damon Bradley. The name Damon Bradley was spelled out on a Ouija Board and a fortune teller had repeated the name to her when she was younger. She is engaged to a man, but then goes on a wild goose chase in Italy in search of Damon Bradley. There, she meets Peter (Robert Downey Jr.), who pretends to be Damon Bradley, but later admits he is not, but has fallen in love with Faith (and she's fallen in love with him), and he helps her in her search for her soul mate.

Spoiler Alert.

When she is disappointed to not have found Damon Bradley, she is about to board a plane back to the US when she hears on the announcements that Damon Bradley is wanted at the information desk of the airport. She rushes to see him and finds Peter there, and together they finally see who the real Damon Bradley is (a man neither had ever met before). Faith realises she loves Peter, and you have your happy ending.

I thought it was a sweet story and a bit suspenseful, as you are always wanting to find out who this Damon Bradley really is and whether Faith would give up love for some silly belief of hers that she gave up her engagement for even. And of course it takes place in Italy, which automatically adds a star or two to the movie. Marisa Tomei was perfect for the role. She was sweet and innocent in this movie, with strong belief in her fairy tale. It's not a movie that will leave you thinking deeply about life, but it is a feel good movie. And if you don't enjoy it for the plot, you'll love it for the scenes of Italy.

4 out of 5 stars.