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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
This was a very interesting, compelling, fascinating, and challenging book.
I’m quite surprised, however, that it has been as widely read as it has, because I can’t imagine people knowing how to make heads or tails of it unless intimately familiar with the names included in it… Heck, I wrote my dissertation on many of these names and I still wrestled with the book at times.
I don’t know if I would go so far as call this book a novel, or even fiction. A label the author herself seems to struggle and wrestle with. It is a collection of vignettes centered on important feminist figures, mostly European almost exclusively white, between the end of the nineteenth century and the pre-WWII period. Names range from Sibilla Aleramo to Virginia Woolf, passing through Gertrude Stein and Eleonora Duse. Sappho, however, looms large - not just as a literary influence, but as a point of reference for life and love.
The book is impeccably researched, but aside from a few authorial choices, like the use of the collective we as a narrative voice (as though the book were being told from the perspectives of the queer women contemporary to the figures described in the pages), the book doesn’t really stray from fact. At times I felt like I was reading the notes of a larger project that has yet to be written.
That said, though, as a prime audience for this type of content, I did overall admire and enjoy the book. I didn’t love it, however, because the book refuses to let itself be loved. None of the women described in its pages exist outside of their accomplishments and concrete biographical details. We don’t get to inhabit their inner lives, see them in more complex three-dimensional ways. It is so well curated, but perhaps a little too sterile at times. Very good book, but not quite great.
I’m quite surprised, however, that it has been as widely read as it has, because I can’t imagine people knowing how to make heads or tails of it unless intimately familiar with the names included in it… Heck, I wrote my dissertation on many of these names and I still wrestled with the book at times.
I don’t know if I would go so far as call this book a novel, or even fiction. A label the author herself seems to struggle and wrestle with. It is a collection of vignettes centered on important feminist figures, mostly European almost exclusively white, between the end of the nineteenth century and the pre-WWII period. Names range from Sibilla Aleramo to Virginia Woolf, passing through Gertrude Stein and Eleonora Duse. Sappho, however, looms large - not just as a literary influence, but as a point of reference for life and love.
The book is impeccably researched, but aside from a few authorial choices, like the use of the collective we as a narrative voice (as though the book were being told from the perspectives of the queer women contemporary to the figures described in the pages), the book doesn’t really stray from fact. At times I felt like I was reading the notes of a larger project that has yet to be written.
That said, though, as a prime audience for this type of content, I did overall admire and enjoy the book. I didn’t love it, however, because the book refuses to let itself be loved. None of the women described in its pages exist outside of their accomplishments and concrete biographical details. We don’t get to inhabit their inner lives, see them in more complex three-dimensional ways. It is so well curated, but perhaps a little too sterile at times. Very good book, but not quite great.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
in terms of prose and narrative I think this book was aiming a bit higher than it achived (or maybe it just wasn't my thing, idk), but it was still super interesting to learn more about this reletively niche group of artists, and I really liked how it was written in the 3rd person plural that added a lot
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Nearing the end! Book #12 of #BookerwithBay: After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz.
After Sappho is written in small snippets that follow a rather large group of (primarily) European women as they move into the “modern world” of the early 1900s. All greatly inspired by the Greek poet Sappho, the book places a lot of emphasis on love, lesbianism, art, celebrating love between women, feminism, and sexual freedom.
What I liked:
- Overall message around powerful women
- Emphasis on sexuality, sexual freedom
- General critique of the patriarchy and overall lack of men lmao
- Moments of lyrical writing with powerful one-liners. I underlined a lot
- Felt like non-fiction at times. I really enjoyed reading about trailblazers like Virginia Woolf, Romaine Brooks, and others
- Also learned a lot about other women trailblazers I hadn't heard of previously
What I didn’t like:
- Writing was really fragmented
- Disjointed writing and plot made the story less cohesive
- Connections between the characters weren’t always easy to figure out
- Felt very white/Eurocentric. I thought some intersectionality was missing with the feminism, which was the reality of the time, but still felt like a miss for contemporary lit.
ALL IN ALL! This is an ambitious novel that I maybe admire more than I enjoyed. I mostly struggled with the structure and felt it prevented me from getting fully immersed.
After Sappho is written in small snippets that follow a rather large group of (primarily) European women as they move into the “modern world” of the early 1900s. All greatly inspired by the Greek poet Sappho, the book places a lot of emphasis on love, lesbianism, art, celebrating love between women, feminism, and sexual freedom.
What I liked:
- Overall message around powerful women
- Emphasis on sexuality, sexual freedom
- General critique of the patriarchy and overall lack of men lmao
- Moments of lyrical writing with powerful one-liners. I underlined a lot
- Felt like non-fiction at times. I really enjoyed reading about trailblazers like Virginia Woolf, Romaine Brooks, and others
- Also learned a lot about other women trailblazers I hadn't heard of previously
What I didn’t like:
- Writing was really fragmented
- Disjointed writing and plot made the story less cohesive
- Connections between the characters weren’t always easy to figure out
- Felt very white/Eurocentric. I thought some intersectionality was missing with the feminism, which was the reality of the time, but still felt like a miss for contemporary lit.
ALL IN ALL! This is an ambitious novel that I maybe admire more than I enjoyed. I mostly struggled with the structure and felt it prevented me from getting fully immersed.
challenging
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Reminded me that all poetic things are beautiful and all beautiful things are gay. Or maybe the other way around? Either way, all books should be about Sappho.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
sapphic historical fiction!! I love being queer and I love queer books!! truly beautiful and stunning and perfect!!
“She has practiced all her life the genitive of remembering”
“She has practiced all her life the genitive of remembering”
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is a well-written and fascinating read on the beginnings of the concept of lesbianism in the Western world and its connections to varying political movements. The storyline is loose and not really engaging, and the characters are sometimes insufferable, but I would probably still recommend it if you’re interested in queer history.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia, War
Minor: Rape, Suicide attempt
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No