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suchacoolperson's review against another edition
4.0
i loved this book, the topic generally but especially aphrodite interest me largely and this book was comprehensive, accurate, and at every point interesting. i thoroughly appreciated the focus on early worship of goddesses of love and the evolution to a recognised and unified aphrodite. throughout the book it is abundantly clear that bettany hughes is a knowledgable and careful classicist, as well as a skilled author.
however, there was a lot i wish the book would have also covered- and a lot of depth i feel is missing. despite this, as a short biography (or i suppose collection of essays) this is a stunning piece
however, there was a lot i wish the book would have also covered- and a lot of depth i feel is missing. despite this, as a short biography (or i suppose collection of essays) this is a stunning piece
chocosam90's review against another edition
5.0
I really, really enjoyed this book! It definitely reads like a thesis...almost like Hughes wrote a really long paper or had her thesis printed. So...short for a “biography”, but it got the job done. She presented interesting historical points and had me looking at Aphrodite/Venus in a completely different light than I ever have before. As a lover of art history, and a feminist, I felt like this was a must-read :)
lightningsews's review against another edition
There aren’t any citations for any of the claims- despite some being contested in Classical studies. Also makes the blunder of assuming Aphrodite and Venus are the same goddess, but Innanna and Ishtar aren’t? Innanna, Ishtar, Aphrodite, and Venus are all separate goddesses who, through propaganda and syncheotisim, share similar stories, roles in society/ religion, and iconography. I was willing to stick to it just to see what ridiculous statements would be made for Venus and the Romans (and if Uni, the Etruscan goddess who plays a similar role in Etruria as the other goddesses, is even mentioned) but Hughes uses the term “non-binary” to explain figures that display the primary and secondary sex characteristics of male and female bodies (despite the fact that women with conditions like PCOS can display the sex traits of females can also grow beards and PCOS and others aren’t some new conditions).
Extremely disappointed by something that has so much potential if only Hughes could source their work and have their thoughts reviewed by experts on these goddesses and what role they played in various cultures.
Extremely disappointed by something that has so much potential if only Hughes could source their work and have their thoughts reviewed by experts on these goddesses and what role they played in various cultures.