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A review by deedireads
After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz
challenging
slow-paced
- 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
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Terminal illness and War