Armie Thornton is heir to his father's fortune, but refuses to follow him into business. He is disowned, but manages to continue living a life of luxury by seducing several wealthy women and enjoying their fortunes. In his adventures, he meets the promiscuous Lady Anne and lives the life of a lord in a great British estate where strange pagan rituals regularly take place. In Paris, he nearly becomes a movie star until the project runs afoul of the law and he is compelled to leave the country. At Octoberfest in Munich, he ...
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Armie Thornton is heir to his father's fortune, but refuses to follow him into business. He is disowned, but manages to continue living a life of luxury by seducing several wealthy women and enjoying their fortunes. In his adventures, he meets the promiscuous Lady Anne and lives the life of a lord in a great British estate where strange pagan rituals regularly take place. In Paris, he nearly becomes a movie star until the project runs afoul of the law and he is compelled to leave the country. At Octoberfest in Munich, he begins an affair with a woman whose true love has been trapped on the east side of the Berlin Wall. Armie agrees to help him escape. In Venice during Carnival, he meets a Roman countess and falls in love. They live an idyllic existence until her husband returns from a lengthy voyage. Back in the United States, he falls in love with the wealthy San Francisco heiress, Clarissa. They vow to leave her roots and make their way in New York. Forced to make a living, Armie, a talented tenor, is forced to accept an offer from the Metropolitan opera as an understudy. When he is forced to step in for the star, he becomes a sensation and embarks on a career that takes him to the great opera houses of the world and enough love affairs to cause Clarissa to leave him. When Lady Anne appears in his life again, he leaves a career he hates and once more becomes lord of the lady's manor. Lady Anne, always on the lookout for a man with a fortune marries a South American dictator. When his regime is overthrown and Lady Anne is kindapped by the rebels, Armie joins British intelligence on a rescue mission. With the small fortune he has accumulated from his singing career and a generous gift from Lady Anne, Armie is on his own and decides to live in exotic Tangier, where he explores its very darkest corners. When the money runs out, he is forced to return home to Los Angeles, where he discovers his father has died and left him nothing. Again he works his charm on a wealthy adventuress until their affair ends in an African jungle. Now too old to woo the wealthy women of the world, Armie finds solace playing piano in a dive bar and living the next two decades with the female owner bartender, an unlikely romance. At the end of his life, he is discovered by a society devoted to the music he once recorded, which causes him to reflect on a wasted life.
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In the sweeping tapestry of human ambition, the quest for personal gratification and material gain often leads to tragedy. Memoirs of a Libertine: A Modern Picaresque Tale, by Thomas Bauer, beautifully encapsulates this narrative through the vibrant life of Armie Thornton, aptly referred to as Libertine. Driven by a thirst for hedonistic pursuits, Libertine detaches himself from familial ties and monetary inheritances to follow his heart's deepest desires.
With a life punctuated by music, exotic locales, and the allure of affluent women, Libertine's narrative traverses continentsâ�"spanning Europe, the United States, and the vibrant landscapes of Africa. Bauer masterfully crafts a tale where each sojourn comes alive with a carnivalesque feel, illustrating seduction and opportunism with incredible imagery.
Bauer's lush, poetic descriptions intertwined with sharp dialogues make Libertine leap off the pages, creating an almost tangible entityâ�"someone who might have regaled these tales in a dimly lit lounge. Among the many relationships that shape Libertine's destiny, his interactions with Lady Anne are particularly captivating. Not only does she bestow upon him the title of Lord, but she also emerges as a refined and formidable influence as his mentor, helping him navigate life's complexities.
Memoirs of a Libertine offers readers an exhilarating tale of pleasure and passion. Despite the questionable means by which Libertine acquires his joys, one can't help but become so engrossed in his journey that we hope for a kind fate for the main character. A compelling read, this novel is an exploration of desire, consequence, and the timeless dance between the two.
