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withlivjones's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I really enjoyed the interconnectedness of all the lives in this book, although at times it was quite hard to follow. I have a feeling this book is one that needs a couple of rereads before one fully “gets it”.
Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Death and Rape
Minor: Child death and Racism
emily_schlegel's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual violence, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Racism, Gaslighting, and Classism
hollymileham's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexism, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
Minor: War
gvstyris's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
We dreamed of islands where we could write poems that kept our lovers up all night. In our letters, we murmured the fragments of our desires to each other, breaking the lines in our impatience. We were going to be Sappho, but how did Sappho begin to become herself?
After Sappho centers a cast of white sapphic historical figures as they grapple with their position in 19th/20th century Europe. My primary takeaway from this novel - or perhaps more accurately, series of vignettes - was its appreciation for different mediums of art, particularly as a form of escapism and political/emotional expression. Schwartz's usage of first person plural pronouns to position the narrator as a Greek chorus also highlighted the communal aspect of the search for queer liberation and joy, which was another standout for me. I understand why this book is validating for so many people.
Despite that, I struggled in the reading process quite a lot. The non-linear storytelling is difficult to follow, especially as each woman's story is interconnected and their trajectories are relatively similar. I repeatedly lost interest and came close to DNFing, but persevered because the novel picked up quite significantly once we reached the First World War. I also imagine that the focus on white women was deliberate given Schwartz's academic background, but it definitely felt like a missed opportunity to me.
As someone who usually adores non-linear novels (especially if they're all vibes and no plot!), I'm a bit surprised this missed the mark for me as much as it did. Unfortunately, I've just read better, and am now craving a re-read of Girl, Woman, Other.
That being said, Schwartz's prose is gorgeous. A couple other highlights:
But some of us have always seen the modern world as a sea meant to drown us.
The only thing she feared was compromise, the soothing voice that licks down rage until it is nothing but a small smooth lump in your hand.
There is always this risk, in life, that we have our parts in a tragedy and we do not know it.
Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Domestic abuse, Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault
grace_cr1's review
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol
juliabristow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This was an interesting read for me, because I always love genre-defying novels, and to my knowledge, nothing has ever been done quite like this, so I have to give it props for that alone. The actual experience of reading it, though, was clunky and a bit difficult for me at times. I don't know if that's due to the wealth of literary and historical references, or the prose itself - probably both. There were several times where I had to re-read sentences and struggled to understand what I was supposed to be taking away from it. But at the same time, I think in at least some cases that was intentional, as part of the point of the stories, especially towards the first half, was to show how discreet sapphics and women in general had to live their lives in the 19th and early 20th century.
I did quite enjoy learning about all the women laid out here, and I've added quite a few things to my reading list from them. I also had no idea Virginia Woolf was queer?? and I feel like a bad lesbian for that.
Anyways, "becoming Sappho" was a really interesting concept, and to see how she inspired so many of the queer women to carve out a space in literature for themselves was, frankly, inspiring. And even though there were points where it seemed that all of the work was for nothing (during the Fascist era), the figures were undeterred because they knew no matter what they would always have Sappho, and if they needed to, they could go back to living under her guise, with more resourcefulness but equal happiness.
The last few chapters I really enjoyed as it turned almost meta, with Woolf's inception of the fictional biography and writing "little pieces of life," as she would call it. It tied together not only all of the past vignettes and fragments together, but also the novel itself, as the author seems to have taken quite a bit of inspiration from Woolf and the other writers used as characters.
Finally, one of my favorite fragments was also one of the earliest - "there are always those rare few that 'the applepickers forgot-/no, not forgot; were unable to reach'"
Moderate: Homophobia and Misogyny
readingbrb's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Deadnaming
Minor: Sexual assault, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, and War
hannahbailey's review against another edition
Usually I catch myself a lot earlier persisting with a text I’m not enjoying, but the short vignettes kept me hopeful that the pace would pick up. This was an idea that should’ve been captivating, but sadly it was tedious and clunky to read. Exploring female artists throughout history and connecting them in fiction sounds like a great idea, but when they’re mostly aristocratic white women spouting Ancient Greek there’s a lot less for me to empathise with.
This may appeal to classicists and European historians who understand all the Ancient Greek references — unfortunately my IQ isn’t high enough for this one.
Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Violence, and Lesbophobia
deedireads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
After Sappho was my 11th read from the 2022 Booker Prize longlist, and what a unique little book! When they say it “defies genre,” they really mean it. I’m not sure that it was really for me, but I have a boatload of respect for what Selby Wynn Schwartz has pulled off.
The book reimagines the lives of real women — mostly lesbians — who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries (Sarah Bernhardt, Isadora Duncan, Virginia Woolf, etc.). Threaded throughout is a choral voice representing the amalgamation of all of them. It’s poetic, it’s imaginative — and it must have taken so much research to create.
Unless you know a lot about at least some of these women, this is definitely a “go with the flow” / “just vibes” kind of book. As per my usual, I wasn’t really able to let go and just sink into that approach. So I think I would have liked this book if I was a bit more of a history nerd. In fact, I think queer/lesbian/feminist history buffs will LOVE this one. Still, I’m impressed and can definitely see why it’s gotten critical acclaim.
Graphic: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Terminal illness and War
fionamundy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Lesbophobia, and Sexual harassment