Aphrodite Overboard: The Erotic Memoirs of a Victorian Lady

by R.V. Raiment

"I begin, knowing that what I write may never be read...that law and the possibility of scandal may erase forever my name and account for fear of threatening what society deems decent. In matters sexual I am aware only of truth, though because this truth of which I write cannot clearly be expressed in 'the language of a lady', I know my story may be more than public morals can bear. So be it." -- From the memoirs of Susanna, Lady F Kidnapped and shipwrecked on a tropic isle, the Lady Susanna finds that paradise comes complete with the willing and most intimate worship of the natives, who appoint her as their goddess of love and fertility. When the island paradise is invaded by devils in the form of a priestly slave-trader and his crew, Susanna is forced to protect the people who consider her their goddess, rather than to succumb to the evil brought by her own countrymen.

Paperback

First published April 30, 2006

Reviews

[Terrance Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drawing on the great classic shipwreck/castaway narratives for inspiration, Richard Raiment turns the well-worn scenario on its paternalistic, male-chauvinist head to dazzle readers with this stylish, thoughtful, imaginative, and surprisingly entertaining yarn of a beautiful, free-spirited late-18th-century English noblewoman who finds herself washed up on a far-distant tropical shore, being worshiped as a fertility goddess by the natives. What could easily have devolved into just another raunchy, exploitative softcore romp is here masterfully elevated into a work of literary homage at once strikingly authentic and intriguingly original. Delving the story's erogenous depths with a marvelously literate gusto, Raiment portrays his characters as fully-formed, healthily self-aware human beings, introspective, sensitive, joyful and abundant, striving constantly for a deeper sense of mutual understanding and soulful connection. The evils of colonialism, racism, and triumphalist sectarianism are trenchantly observed while never distracting from the compelling action of the tale or ever seeming too anachronistically preachy. Few writers ever manage to hold so consistently to period-correct stylistic conventions through the entirety of a novel-length narrative, but Raiment here pulls off this amazing feat of literary legerdemain most elegantly without ever seeming stilted or forced. I am now very much looking forward to reading his Islands, which offers yet another take on the castaway adventure narrative.

Simply brilliant!