Conjugal Love is a slow-paced examination of a man's relationship with his life. The first chapter is beautifully written. As the reader I said, this is a man in love with his wife.
Silvio, our narrator, is a man of wealth and leisure. He doesn't work, but he's always hoped to be a great writer. As he approaches middle-age he realizes that if he could only find love and become a writer, he would be happy. He finds love in Leda, a woman of wealth who, after divorcing her husband a few years earlier has lived alone and enjoyed many lovers. Silvio quickly realizes that Leda wields a lot of the power in their relationship.
They marry, and Leda persuades Silvio that they should go to their house in the country so that he can write his novel.
First and foremost, this novel is about love. It's about the relationship between Leda and Silvio, and the compromises they make to allow it to work and to stay in love.
Leda is a strong, independent woman, who, for the most part I can respect and admire. It's refreshing to read an older novel and find a female character who is neither helpless nor evil. Her only weakness (if you choose to look at it as a weakness) is her sexual desire.
Sex, or a lack of sex, also play a significant role in this novel. Artistic passion and sexual passion are portrayed, especially for Silvio, as being very similar.
If you enjoy mid-century literature, I'd definitely recommend giving Conjugal Love a read.
