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pedrospisla's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
5.0
shrrawat's review
informative
medium-paced
3.0
I feel that the title of this book "Tales of Queer Love from the Ancient World" is a bit misleading. A better description would be "Poems, Excerpts and Tales from the Ancient World." Out of the over forty chapters, only 4-5 could be classified as actual stories, while the rest were just little snippets of various authors that either touched on or described the author's own experiences with queer love.
That is not to say that the book is not edifying. There is a lot of information about how the Greeks and Romans viewed men loving men, and even the acknowledgement of women loving women and even individuals we might describe as being transgender today. Though this is balanced by the rampant misogyny in the texts (and let's be honest, it would be surprising if ancient Greek texts DIDN'T overtly hate or denigrate women), it also reveals queer history that has been hushed or ignored for millenia.
That is not to say that the book is not edifying. There is a lot of information about how the Greeks and Romans viewed men loving men, and even the acknowledgement of women loving women and even individuals we might describe as being transgender today. Though this is balanced by the rampant misogyny in the texts (and let's be honest, it would be surprising if ancient Greek texts DIDN'T overtly hate or denigrate women), it also reveals queer history that has been hushed or ignored for millenia.
sxndaze's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Even if I plucked each kiss like an amber grain from a ripe, sun-warmed field in late summer - sheaves
and sheaves of them - my love, it would not be enough.
a gorgeous anthology. i’d love for there to be one that exists for all cultures and contexts and not just roman and greek. the illustrations and stunning as well and make reading this a wonderful experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, War, and Grief
Minor: Lesbophobia, Incest, and Infidelity
finny's review
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.0
Alla lunga è noioso. Pensavo fosse una raccolta di miti del mondo antico sul persone queer, e invece ci sono stralci di cose che ci azzeccano poco, giusto per allungare un po' il brodo.