100 Strokes of the Brush Before Bed

Originally written and published under a pseudonym, 100 Strokes of the Brush..., was well received in Italy, and later throughout Europe as a revelation, an account of a young Italian teenage girl's first forays into sexual encounters, beginning with a boy she liked, and later involving herself (while still legally a minor) with older men, and then in organized orgies. Melissa P. never looks back with regret in any of her adventures, as her sexual appetite and curiosity grow only larger and more powerful, leading her into what many readers may consider questionable forays. A film version was made of this book in Italy a couple of years ago, never to be seen in the US because of moral and religious restrictions. Nabokov's "Lolita" was for years banned in the United States under obscenity laws. This book makes "Lolita" seem like Walt Disney's Cinderella by comparison. Powerful book. Liberating!

100 HUNDRED STROKES OF THE BRUSH BEFORE BED is an autographical novel about a 15-year old Sicilian girl looking for love and self-discovery through sexual exploration. An international sensation when it was originally published in Italian, this English translation is very literal and as a result uses stilted English (the male anatomy is referred to as a lance) that may strike some as awkward or perhaps poetic. Though I suspect that 100 STROKES OF THE BRUSH BEFORE BED is not intentionally a cautionary tale, this short novel reads like the classic teen diary, but differs from the average girl's experiences because the author, the mysteriously credited Melissa P., is dangerously adventurous. A middle class Southern Italian teenage girl who eagerly finds herself in a variety of sexual relationships from first time quickies to orgies to casual meetings with 30-something men she meets on-line, the narrator is a complicated character. Some critics have detected an adult perspective in her observations and as a result many have questioned whether Melissa P. is in fact as young as her publishers claim her to be. Though the author is obviously precocious, intelligent and generally speaking a very good writer, I do believe 100 HUNDRED STROKES OF THE BRUSH BEFORE BED was written and edited from a teenager's journal. There is a hopeful, optimistic and ultimately disappointed voice here that can only result from a teenage girl trying to find her way in a very seedy, adult world. Any parent of a young girl would be horrified to read this book because it reveals the scary thoughts of a little girl who places herself in confidence-shattering situations. Still I hope that if I had a teenage daughter I would encourage her to read 100 HUNDRED STROKES OF THE BRUSH BEFORE BED because it carefully details the emotional danger young girls regularly find themselves in when they pretend to be adults. Though most girls don't go as far as Melissa P. did, many teenagers flirt with danger in a similar way. Reading this novel would hopefully encourage them to give their actions and their inevitable repercussions a second thought. - Regina McMenamin

I am at the very end of this book and I cannot put it down. I read some of the other critics and I can't believe they are reading the same book. One critic says this girl is not like other young italian women I know -- just how many italian women do you know (or anybody) all act and think exactly a like. Another critic says the gang bang scene would never happen like that -- geeze there are 5 billion people in this world, each a little or a lot different from each other, I gurantee things are happening right now that you wouldn't think possible or plausible. The sex in this story is erotic and fascinating, it is the psychology of the girl that I find most interesting. She is a young libertine, much like the de Sade was, who craves sexual experiences not only to find love, but more so, to find passion and new experiences from her other wise mundane life. Between her proclivities she consistently talks about how boring, regular or lonely she feels. The fact that a 17 year old wrote this and made it utterly persuasive is impressive. If you think you could do a better job, please do, but don't bash her for being young. Finally, the dialogue matches how most people talk in real life. And her depiction of the modern male over the internet was right on. Read the book, and be open minded.

I was entranced by the extraordinary perspicacity displayed by Melissa P. in this beautifully written and immensely eloquent examination of her adolescence. I was continually struck in reading her remarkable reminiscences of my own youth and how ignorant I was of the world-I was lucky to have known that the Earth was round rather than flat much less to be aware of all that transpired through Melissa's young life. She knew of the possibilities-whether she acted upon that knowledge was totally of her own decision and I'm not sure that it should be our business to judge those decisions. For us it is more a matter of deciding the merits of the memoir she has allowed us to read than to evaluate those decisions based on some preconceived outmoded social restrictions passed down to our times through mythology. Her story as presented to us is one of personal discovery-discovery that lets us share the breakdowns and occasional flat tires of an arduous journey undertaken with an all too open heart but with a wonderfully clear mind. I was continually conscious of her age as I read of this journey and I marveled at her knowing and her ability to express herself so well. It's difficult to believe that one so young could, not only experience all that she did but who could also articulate her memories of all that had happened so brilliantly. I found Melissa to be extraordinary, as did Claudio, her last lover. He told her on page 166 at the very end of the journey [book], "... you should never allow me to be the sole purpose in your life. You're going to be a great woman..." And that is how I will remember Melissa P's "100 Strokes of the Brush Before Bed".

The moment I read a newspaper review of this book I wanted to get hold of it as soon as possible. A friend lent it to me. I approved of the slimline format of the book - it looks like the diary it pertains to be. This is a dark piece of writing, the sexual discovery of a disappointed teenager who begins as an innocent and still retains her core of inner sensitivity, no wonder how much she tries to liberate herself with numerous carnal encounters. The character reveals just how despicable humanity can seem, but you always sympathise with Melissa. There is a grim humour in the encounters which adds a mixture of lightness of touch and gravitas. You could compare this work to Catherine Millet, but this is a truly original 'confessional' and also beautifully written. I look forward to Melissa P's next offering. CPM