The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
lukerik's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
3.0
An interesting book. It’s written in a totally accessible manner with a good bibliography at the back but no inline citations. If you don’t normally read history of religion it’s not heavy at all and if you don’t mind the heavy stuff, then this is a good light read. A very well judged book, well written, and with some jokes. Hughes gives some thoughtful analysis.
vincentkonrad's review against another edition
3.0
V broad and sweeping which makes for light reading and interesting enough but it really is just an overview
alrautio's review against another edition
4.0
First of all, for my purposes, this was everything it needed to be. Other reviewers mentioned there are places in this book that are superficial and don't go as in-depth as they reasonably could have, but I think this book is a great introduction to the overall history of the goddess in all her forms. I think it depends on what you are looking to do with this book, but for introduction to Aphrodite, it does a very good job of providing broad-strokes beyond the average myth you learned in class.
If there are areas you find are lacking, I think it's a good indicator of where personal interest lies and provides a direction for your own further research, which is honestly more helpful than being spoon-fed information anyways. I enjoyed how short it was; usually, historical/reference books are long, dry, and boring, but this was short, sweet, and left you wanting a bit more, which is not a bad thing in my books.
I personally did not care much for the second half because it was looking at how Aphrodite has been adapted into a modern persona. I live in this era, and I see how she is applied in a modern persona; that's not really new information to me, but looking at Aphrodite's origins prior to Greece--now that's some interesting stuff.
If there are areas you find are lacking, I think it's a good indicator of where personal interest lies and provides a direction for your own further research, which is honestly more helpful than being spoon-fed information anyways. I enjoyed how short it was; usually, historical/reference books are long, dry, and boring, but this was short, sweet, and left you wanting a bit more, which is not a bad thing in my books.
I personally did not care much for the second half because it was looking at how Aphrodite has been adapted into a modern persona. I live in this era, and I see how she is applied in a modern persona; that's not really new information to me, but looking at Aphrodite's origins prior to Greece--now that's some interesting stuff.
brujaverde's review against another edition
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
Didn’t give me the in depth info I was looking for, quite surface level which is okay but just wasn’t it for me. Good if you want to dip your toes in some history, mythology etcÂ
marzistarzi's review against another edition
2.75
Honestly, I mostly skimmed it. Not anything against the writing or anything like that, I just think the history behind Aphrodite failed to appeal to me when it was seen so heavily through the eyes of the male sex. (Which makes sense you know but it still kind of bummed me out…)Â
The author did include a lot of historical context that did make the history interesting. Ex: cult of the buttocks. And I did enjoy reading Aphrodite’s influence on Freud and marketing—
The author did include a lot of historical context that did make the history interesting. Ex: cult of the buttocks. And I did enjoy reading Aphrodite’s influence on Freud and marketing—
[Freud’s] identification of the power of what he called "the pleasure principle" andÂ
"wish fulfilment" established psychoanalytical guidelines that were eagerly employed by the advertising industry as triggers to tap into an individual's inner yearnings and de-sires. So we have Gillette's Venus razors for women, promising to "Reveal the goddess in you." Dove soap for soft skin, and Venus-branded pomegranate juice. The gifts of Aphrodite were used now not to bind communities, but to aid self-fulfillment and self-absorption.