Early Pleasures

A fictionalization of the author's adolescent sexual adventures in Austria and Paris in the years following World War I, they are for the most part adventures in sexual frustration. The four women he encounters are as different from one another as they could be. One is his brother's governess; another a young countess and the sister of a proto-Nazi; the third a domestic with an emotional disorder; and the fourth a White Russian emigre. Through his relationships with these women, the protagonist experiences not only desire but also the tragedy of life and the humor inherent in life's ironies. "Early Pleasures" is a book to be savored. It takes us into the Europe of almost a century ago while it enhances us with elegance of its prose.

Frederick Kohner Readers may not be familiar with author's name, but they will have heard of his daughter, known as Gidget, the little Malibu surfer who became an American icon after Mr. Kohner wrote the novels that inspired three movies and a popular TV series. Mr. Kohner, born and raised in Austria, made his career in Hollywood as a screenwriter.